Human Impact Project

Shaoping Wu, a Chinese human rights lawyer who fled China in 2019 after attending a meeting with activists that prompted government crackdowns, was detained by ICE in Pennsylvania on July 18, 2026 during a traffic stop. Wu had been living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with his wife Caoliu Li and their 17-year-old daughter while working as a contract delivery driver for Amazon and had a pending asylum application and employment authorization document at the time of his arrest. His lawyer, John Visher, stated that Wu had entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2019 and had informed the police officer about his asylum application, but police notified immigration officials who detained him. Wu is being held at Moshannon Valley Processing Center and is scheduled to appear in immigration court on July 27, 2026.

Two construction workers from National City were arrested by federal immigration agents around 7 a.m. on July 17, 2026, outside a residential construction site in Cardiff. According to a co-worker, the brothers have worked at construction sites for nearly two decades. One is married with two children; his son is now an adult aspiring to become an architect. The arrest occurred quietly and quickly in unmarked vehicles, with some neighbors unaware of what happened despite being nearby. The workers' silver Nissan Frontier was left abandoned at the scene with their equipment and lunch still inside.

Twin sisters Angely and Alexka Jerez-Medina, 18-year-old students at Western International High School in Detroit, were detained by ICE in Buffalo, New York on June 24, 2026, while working a summer job cleaning an Amazon warehouse. According to court documents, the twins have never been arrested or convicted of a crime, have attended all immigration court appointments, and had previous removal proceedings dismissed by an immigration judge with no current removal proceedings pending. Their teacher described them as excellent, hardworking, shy students, with Angely participating in the school's JROTC program and Alexka interested in pursuing a career in the sciences. Both are active members of Pan de Vida Lutheran Church in Detroit. The twins were subsequently transferred to ICE detention facilities in El Paso, Texas and Louisiana. An attorney filed a habeas corpus petition on their behalf on June 25, and U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and multiple state and local officials have requested their release.

ICE agents in Passaic, New Jersey detained a U.S. citizen who repeatedly asked them to verify his identification. According to a neighbor who filmed the incident, the man told the federal agents who he was and pleaded with them to check his ID, but agents forced him to the ground, handcuffed him, and placed him in their vehicle without verifying his identity.

Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian national with legal work authorization, was fatally shot by ICE agents on July 13, 2026, in Biddeford, Maine, while working a food delivery shift for DoorDash. He was not the target of the enforcement operation. ICE agents conducting surveillance on a different address approached his vehicle and fired five shots through the windshield at 7:17 a.m., with his 3-year-old daughter witnessing the shooting from the street. Guerrero lived with his partner Karolina Rojas and worked as a delivery driver and veterinary clinic cleaner. His partner described him as "a hard worker devoted to his family" who "always dreamed big" for their daughter. The shooting occurred amid a surge in ICE detentions and arrests across Maine, with an average of two arrests per day since May 2026, part of the Trump administration's nationwide effort to increase immigration-related arrests and deportations. The ICE officer involved, newly sworn-in and previously working for the Department of Veterans Affairs since 2017, was placed on administrative leave. The shooting prompted hundreds of people to protest, calls for investigations from congressional delegates and Colombian officials, and inquiries by the Maine Attorney General's Office, the FBI, and the DHS Office of Inspector General. ICE temporarily suspended most vehicle stops nationwide pending additional training.

A construction worker employed by a subcontractor at the SouthShore Hotel was arrested by ICE agents during a targeted enforcement operation on July 16, 2026. When ICE agents arrived at the work site around 11:20 a.m., some workers fled, with at least one individual swimming approximately 100 yards into Lake Bemidji before being safely removed by ICE agents and taken into custody. The worker's identity and immigration status remain unknown. The hotel owner confirmed the worker was employed through a subcontractor and stated no arrests occurred on hotel property itself.

Martha Sias, a Mexican national and lawful permanent resident, was arrested by ICE agents on July 15, 2026, during a targeted enforcement operation outside an Allsup's convenience store in Chaparral. The arrest drew attention after a social media video circulated showing her detention. According to court records, Sias pleaded guilty in October 2025 to manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance after CBP officers discovered approximately 20 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the door panels of an SUV she was driving at the Paso del Norte border crossing on January 12, 2022. She was sentenced to 10 years of supervised probation and was on probation at the time of her ICE arrest. ICE said she is subject to removal proceedings and will have an opportunity to present her case before an immigration judge.

David Ardila, 33, a DJ from Venezuela who fled his country and applied for asylum in 2017, was detained by ICE at Logan Airport after returning from Boston, where he had traveled to attend a FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match. According to his attorney Todd Pomerleau, Ardila holds a Social Security number and work permits and has been following all legal processes required of him while waiting nearly a decade for an interview on his pending asylum application. Ardila was detained after allegedly overstaying his visa, which his attorney attributes to delays in the asylum application process. He is currently being held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts, approximately 3,000 miles from his family in Seattle.

Maria Rosales, a DACA recipient who came to the United States from Colombia at age 4, was detained by ICE at Logan Airport after attending a Noah Kahan concert at Fenway Park with friends from her color guard group. Rosales, who has lived in the country for most of her life, works as a dermatologist's assistant treating patients with skin cancer and founded and directs Vestige Winter Guard, an indoor color guard troupe. Friends and colleagues describe her as a hard worker and integral part of Florida's performing arts community. She was detained based on a removal order stemming from a 2017 immigration checkpoint encounter in New Mexico, where she received a notice to appear without being provided proper hearing details. Rosales' attorney filed a habeas corpus petition and obtained an emergency court order preventing her transfer outside Massachusetts. She has been held in Burlington, Massachusetts with limited phone access and no visits allowed.

A suspected federal immigration agent conducted a traffic stop in Slidell, Louisiana that escalated into immigration interrogation. After the driver refused to cooperate, local law enforcement was called and a 13-year-old boy was allegedly interrogated. The occupants were reportedly eventually released.

An elderly woman was detained by ICE agents at an Allsup's Convenience Store in Chaparral, New Mexico on July 15, 2026, while on her way to a chemotherapy appointment. According to a person claiming to be her daughter on social media, the woman is in the U.S. legally and has been for over 35 years. The woman had entered the store to ask for help after reporting she was being followed. The detention occurred the same day President Trump stated ICE should continue traffic stops, and came after ICE announced a temporary pause on vehicle stops following two deadly shootings.

Camila, a 5-year-old girl, was held in federal immigration custody in Connecticut for 118 days after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, separated from her mother who lived only a few miles away in New Haven. During her detention, she was allowed to see her mother only once per week for one hour in a converted office building, while sleeping nightly in foster homes run by a federal contractor. During their brief visits, Camila repeatedly asked her mother what was happening and panicked when her mother had to leave. Her mother applied for custody but waited more than 90 days for a decision that never came, with the federal government repeatedly adding requirements before deeming her application complete. Camila was released shortly after her attorneys filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of her detention. During the same period, more than two dozen unaccompanied immigrant children were in federal custody in Connecticut on any given day, with some held for as long as 505 days.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services extended work authorization for approximately 350,000 Haitian immigrants with Temporary Protected Status by 14 days to July 24, following the Supreme Court's decision in June to allow the Trump administration to terminate Haiti's TPS designation. Despite the extension, many employers have already suspended employees without pay and issued notices telling workers not to return, citing the impending end of TPS protections. Community advocates and healthcare workers express deep anxiety about imminent deportations to Haiti, which is experiencing escalating violence and a humanitarian emergency.

Human Rights Watch and the ACLU released a joint 84-page report documenting systemic abuse at Camp East Montana, an immigration detention facility at Fort Bliss with capacity for 5,000 people. The investigation, based on interviews with 80 people detained there from October 2025 to June 2026, found widespread cruel and degrading conditions, including detainees held indoors for weeks without sunlight, housed in cramped pods with up to 72 people, bathrooms covered in feces, no access to hygiene supplies, inconsistent meals with spoiled food, and beatings by masked guards in response to hunger strikes, medical requests, and complaints. Researchers documented severe medical neglect, including prolonged delays in treatment, interruptions in prescribed medications, and inadequate medical assessments. More than 60 people interviewed said they were arrested despite displaying documentation of lawful presence, and detainees reported being transferred through facilities without meaningful communication with family members or lawyers, in circumstances that may amount to enforced disappearance under international human rights law. Some detainees described coercive pressure to accept removal to third countries, including threats of violence, criminal prosecution, and indefinite detention.

Alvaro Anastacio Garcia Tevalan, a 20-year-old Guatemalan citizen, entered the United States without authorization in November 2016 at age 11 and was released to his mother's custody in Clarion, Iowa, where he has lived for nearly a decade. He has a U.S. citizen child and maintained compliance with the terms of his release during that period. On April 29, 2026, he was arrested on a domestic abuse assault charge, and ICE took custody of him on May 1, 2026. Federal Judge Stephanie Rose ruled that the government violated his due process rights by re-detaining him without a hearing after allowing him to live freely in the country for nearly 10 years, and ordered that either he be released or given a bond hearing to determine his eligibility for release.

Darwin Alberto Gomez Corrales, an Uber and Lyft driver with Temporary Protected Status and a valid state driver's license, was arrested by ICE agents who shattered his vehicle window in the parking lot of a WOW Supermarket on South Boulevard in Charlotte. According to his wife, agents refused to explain the reason for his arrest or show a warrant, and he was denied the ability to speak with someone in Spanish or ask questions during the encounter. His wife reported that when detained, agents told him to "shut up" and used profanity when he requested a Spanish-speaking officer. Gomez Corrales is currently held at an ICE facility in South Georgia. He and his wife have two children.

Phu Nguyen, a 57-year-old Australian citizen born in Vietnam, was tackled and handcuffed by plainclothes ICE agents in Terminal 3 of Harry Reid International Airport on July 13, 2026. Witnesses, including passenger Chris Motley, filmed the confrontation on the airport floor. The officers withdrew after realizing they were being recorded, leaving one handcuff attached to Nguyen before Las Vegas Metropolitan Police arrived and removed it, finding no outstanding warrants. Nguyen had entered the United States legally on a visa in May 2013 with permission to remain until May 2015 but remained in the country after that date. He was subsequently detained by federal officers on July 14 at Los Angeles International Airport as he boarded a departing flight and is currently held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Centre in California pending removal proceedings. The Nevada Latino Legislative Caucus and the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Caucus called for an investigation, citing concerns over the use of force, plainclothes appearance of officers, and the public nature of the confrontation.

Jesús Manuel Arenas-Silva, a 45-year-old Venezuelan man, died on July 13, 2026, during a bus transfer between ICE detention centers in Georgia. ICE agents arrested him at his home in Dallas, Georgia on July 9, 2026. According to his sister, ICE allowed him to take only one of the multiple medications he needed despite the family's pleas not to detain him due to his medical needs. During his four days in detention at Irwin County Detention Center, Arenas-Silva called his sister to report that he was not receiving the medication he depended on. Staff found him unresponsive on the transfer bus between Irwin County Detention Center and Folkston ICE Processing Center at 7:46 a.m., and he was pronounced dead at Irwin County Hospital at 8:31 a.m. Cardiac arrest was listed as the suspected cause of death pending medical examination. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident.

Carlos Ernesto Guerra Cruz, who arrived in the United States four years ago with a pending asylum case, was detained by ICE on a Saturday following a local incident. He was initially taken to a detention facility in Centennial, Colorado, and after spending the weekend in custody, was told he would be released on Monday. However, as he was being released, ICE took him into custody and transferred him to the ICE detention facility in Aurora, Colorado. His wife Yorliana and their two children, ages 8 and 12, are now facing financial and emotional hardship due to his detention.

At least 12 detainees at the Aurora ICE processing center in Colorado, operated by the Geo Group, contracted tuberculosis after a single confirmed case multiplied to 12 within three days of facility-wide testing. A Mexican man in his 30s detained there reported that infected and healthy detainees were kept together under quarantine in a housing pod of 88 people while the facility's air conditioning failed during a heat advisory with outdoor temperatures near 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The man, who has pre-existing health conditions, received medication twice daily but described conditions as uncomfortable. His U.S. citizen partner expressed concern about the deteriorating situation and questioned why the for-profit operator could not repair the cooling system quickly. Staff provided only electric fans to cool the crowded pod.

ICE conducted a single-day enforcement operation in Harlingen that resulted in 238 arrests, marking the highest single-day total for the field office. Among those arrested were individuals ICE alleged had convictions for attempted kidnapping, sexual battery, drug possession, and assault. ICE stated the operation targeted individuals with criminal records and those with no legal basis to remain in the United States. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Harlingen field office arrested 238 people in a single-day operation on June 18, setting a record for targeted arrests in the Rio Grande Valley. The agency reported that those arrested had convictions including attempted kidnapping, sexual battery, and drug possession. Among those arrested were Manuel Morales-Geronimo, a Mexican national identified as a Paisas gang member with prior convictions for assault, drug possession, DWI, and illegal entry and reentry; and Jose Alfredo Castillo-Mendoza, also a Mexican national, with prior convictions for attempted kidnapping, sexual battery, and illegal reentry.

Two individuals were taken into custody by ICE on the morning of July 14, 2026 at a Love's gas station in Madras. Video posted by the Latino Community Association shows two masked individuals wearing bulletproof vests and bearing Police and U.S. Border Patrol markings approaching a group of vehicles. The Latino Community Association received multiple reports of immigration enforcement activity in the area and was working to confirm whether these individuals were among those transported to Tacoma Northwest Detention Center.

On the morning of July 14, immigration agents in police vests and masks conducted enforcement operations in Arcadia, Florida. At La Placita Mexicana restaurant on U.S. Highway 17, Magi Velasquez, the restaurant manager, warned customers to flee after spotting agents asking for papers; agents chased a man who fled the parking lot. About 30 minutes later near a CVS a block away, witness J.F. observed agents arresting an elderly man close to 80 and another man in work clothes, forcibly loading them into a van. The Arcadia Police Department and DeSoto County Sheriff's Office both denied involvement, though both agencies have officers trained in immigration enforcement through 287(g) agreements. The incident occurred amid multiple ICE enforcement actions across Florida in recent days.

A 28-year-old Mexican national died after being struck by a tractor-trailer on State Road 16 in St. Augustine, Florida while fleeing from ICE and Homeland Security Investigations agents. He was one of four vehicle occupants stopped at a Wawa gas station parking lot near Interstate 95 early Tuesday morning who ran from federal immigration agents. While attempting to cross the busy highway, he slipped on wet grass in the median and was fatally struck by the semi-truck. The truck driver, along with several bystanders including a veterinary nurse and an off-duty firefighter, attempted to render aid at the scene. His death marked the third fatality linked to encounters with federal immigration agents in approximately one week, following fatal shootings in Texas and Maine, and at least the tenth such death since the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign began.

Erick Lionel Cristal Cumes, a Guatemalan immigrant, was detained by ICE on May 28 at Don Patron Mexican Grill in Weston during a raid that also resulted in the detention of more than a dozen other employees. He has been held at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania since his arrest. Cumes is married to Lauren, an American-born citizen whom he married in April; they have been together four years. His attorney argues ICE violated his constitutional rights by detaining him without individualized assessment of flight risk or danger to the community. A federal judge ruled Cumes is entitled to a bond hearing and that his continued detention would be unlawful if the government cannot prove he poses danger or flight risk, with a bond hearing ordered by July 14. Over 50 community members appeared in federal court on June 25 to support Cumes, testifying he is a member of the community in good standing. Lauren testified about poor detention conditions including spoiled food and lack of responsiveness to requests for help, stating she is allowed contact with her husband about once per day. His attorney also argued the case should remain in West Virginia court rather than be transferred to Pennsylvania, contending that transfer could delay resolution of his case.

U.S. District Judge Richard F. Boulware II ordered the release of immigrants detained in Nevada facilities, accusing Immigration and Customs Enforcement of defying his March 2026 ruling that the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy is unconstitutional. The detainees had been arrested without proper warrants and denied individualized determinations on whether they should be held or released on bond. Judge Boulware stated the individuals cannot be detained again until their removal proceedings are heard in immigration court, where the government must prove detention is justified by clear and convincing evidence. The judge described ICE's continued enforcement of the mandatory detention policy as "governmental lawlessness" and "rebelling" against his binding court order. Boulware warned he would consider sanctions against ICE officials who defied his orders and noted this was part of a broader pattern of ICE noncompliance with his directives in Nevada.

Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder and Columbia University graduate student of Syrian-Palestinian descent, was arrested by ICE without a warrant at his apartment building on March 8, 2025, following his pro-Palestinian activism and organizing campus protests. The Trump administration pursued deportation based on allegations he concealed prior employment with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and the British Embassy on his visa application. Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked a rarely used immigration provision claiming his activism threatens U.S. foreign policy. Khalil was held for 104 days at LaSalle Detention Center in Louisiana before a federal judge released him on bail in June 2025. In July 2026, he filed a lawsuit against Trump administration officials and pro-Israel groups, alleging they conspired to target him and others for supporting Palestinian rights, claiming the administration coordinated with surveillance groups Betar and Canary Mission using a document called "Project Esther" as a blueprint.

Phu Nguyen, an undocumented immigrant from Vietnam who entered the United States legally on a visa in May 2013 but remained after his authorized stay expired in May 2015, was confronted by two ICE agents in civilian clothes at Harry Reid International Airport on July 13, 2026. A bystander, filmmaker Chris Motley, recorded video of the encounter showing Nguyen handcuffed on the ground surrounded by the agents; when Motley repeatedly asked what was happening, the agents left the scene without completing the arrest. DHS said the agents de-escalated due to a crowd of onlookers and instead arrested Nguyen the following day at Los Angeles International Airport as he prepared to board a flight. Nguyen remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. Phu Nguyen, a 57-year-old Australian citizen, was the subject of an ICE detention attempt at Harry Reid International Airport on July 13, 2026. According to DHS, Nguyen entered the U.S. in 2013 and overstayed his visa. ICE agents attempted to arrest him in Terminal 3, but he walked away from the detention, escaping with a handcuff still attached to his wrist. Bystander Chris Motley recorded the incident after hearing Nguyen call for help. Las Vegas police arrived and removed the handcuff before notifying ICE. The following day, ICE arrested Nguyen at Los Angeles International Airport, where he remains in custody pending removal proceedings.

Yeison Saúl Menjívar Portillo, a boy with Down syndrome and epilepsy who is nonverbal and hearing impaired, was detained by ICE in Bridge City, a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana. His family says they do not know where he is or whether he is safe. His mother stated he requires specific medication for epileptic seizures and cannot survive or care for himself without her presence, and she is asking authorities to either tell her where he is or deport her with him.

Kaitlyn Tracey, a 33-year-old Canadian citizen, was arrested on July 3 after allegedly slapping a teenage girl on the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk during Fourth of July weekend. The confrontation occurred after Tracey objected to two girls wearing sweatpants displaying the words "Trump" and "ICE." According to police, Tracey struck one girl in the face and body; the victim did not suffer serious injuries. Tracey had entered the U.S. on April 14, 2024, on a visa that expired September 6, 2024, and remained in the country after it expired. She was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault, harassment, and obstruction. ICE took custody of Tracey on July 13 and transferred her to Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, New Jersey. Her husband, Matthew Geroni, a U.S. citizen married to Tracey for over three years, has launched fundraising efforts and social media campaigns to secure her release, claiming she turned herself in to police and that aspects of the incident had been taken out of context. A GoFundMe campaign established to help with her legal defense was removed by the platform.

Diana, a longtime community member known for her kindness and generosity, was taken into ICE custody after attending a scheduled immigration appointment. She is currently awaiting a bond hearing while her immigration case proceeds. Her family and friends are raising funds to cover legal fees, bond costs, and other case-related expenses.

A man, believed to be originally from Venezuela, was arrested by ICE in the parking lot of Wow Supermarket off South Boulevard in Charlotte on Monday morning while working as a Lyft driver. According to video footage and witnesses, approximately 10 immigration officers surrounded the man's car, broke the window, and forcibly removed him from the vehicle. A Siembra NC volunteer and store employee reported the man was assaulted during the arrest. The incident caused the store to close temporarily out of fear for employees' safety.

Josue Castro Rivera, a 24-year-old from Honduras who had lived in the United States for four years, was fatally struck by a pickup truck on October 23, 2025 while attempting to cross Interstate 264 during an ICE traffic stop in Norfolk, Virginia. Castro Rivera was on his way to a gardening job with three passengers when immigration officers pulled over their vehicle as part of a "targeted, intelligence-based" operation. His brother Henry Castro described him as having "a very good heart" and noted that he was working to send money to his family in Honduras. When ICE officers began detaining the vehicle's occupants, Castro Rivera resisted and fled on foot onto the busy highway around 11 a.m., where he was struck by a 2002 Ford pickup truck. An ICE officer administered CPR, but Castro Rivera was pronounced dead at the scene. According to DHS, the vehicle's occupants were determined to be in the country without authorization. Virginia State Police responded to the crash but clarified they did not participate in the pursuit. Josue Castro Rivera, a 24-year-old Honduran man, was hit and killed by a pick-up truck while crossing a highway during an immigration traffic stop in Norfolk, Virginia. The death occurred during intensified federal immigration enforcement operations.

Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, a 52-year-old day laborer from Guatemala, died on August 14, 2025, after being struck by an SUV traveling approximately 60 mph on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 210 in Monrovia, California. The incident occurred while federal agents were conducting an immigration enforcement operation in the parking lot of a Home Depot store. Montoya Valdez ran across Evergreen Avenue and onto the freeway during the raid, sustaining severe injuries that proved fatal at a hospital. Friends and community members remembered him as a generous and compassionate person who enjoyed helping others. Between eight and ten day laborers from Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras were arrested during the operation. The Department of Homeland Security stated Montoya Valdez was not being pursued by federal agents when he ran. Community advocates, including the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, blamed the enforcement operation's tactics for creating panic that led to his death. A vigil was held at the Home Depot the following day, organized by Monrovia High School Students Against Fascism and the Los Angeles Chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted enforcement operations over the weekend resulting in the arrest of 14 individuals with prior criminal convictions for serious offenses including murder, child sexual abuse, assault, and drug trafficking. The arrests spanned multiple states and involved nationals from Mexico, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago, and other countries. According to DHS, approximately 70 percent of ICE arrests involve individuals either charged with or convicted of crimes in the United States.

Detainees at a McCook, Nebraska ICE detention facility reported experiencing fear and hazardous conditions as wildfire smoke drifted into the center. The article documents detainees' accounts of their experiences, including prayer and other coping mechanisms during the smoky conditions at the facility.

A Cuban national held at Florence Correctional Center in Arizona staged multiple hunger strikes to protest what he described as inhumane detention conditions and lack of transparency regarding his asylum claims. He alleges that ICE subjected him to solitary confinement and restrictive measures to isolate him from legal counsel and advocacy groups after his protests gained attention. He was subsequently deported to Ecuador, a third country, which terminated his ability to participate in U.S. legal proceedings.

Twenty-two people from the Greater Binghamton Area were detained over one week during heightened ICE enforcement in Broome County. Most detentions occurred while people were commuting to work or working outdoor jobs between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. The detained individuals were mostly Spanish speakers but also included people of South Asian and Central Asian descent. Several of those detained were legally present in the United States. Local organizations are urging residents to take precautions and providing an ICE hotline for reporting suspected activity.

Danny Joel Quispe Maizanche, an Ecuadorian national, was arrested by ICE officers on Himrod Street in Bushwick during a targeted enforcement operation. He entered the United States near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, in April 2024 and was enrolled in the federal Alternatives to Detention program but failed to comply with its reporting requirements. According to DHS, Quispe Maizanche has accepted Incentivized Voluntary Departure and is expected to return to Ecuador.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican homebuilder who had lived and worked in Houston for 35 years, was fatally shot in the abdomen by an ICE officer on July 7, 2026, while driving his construction crew to a job site in an unmarked van. Salgado was married with three sons—one a teacher, one an engineer, and one studying engineering—and was a grandfather who had built hundreds of homes across Houston. Family members described him as hardworking and dedicated to providing his family the American dream. He had no criminal record or prior deportation order and was in the final stages of obtaining legal status through his U.S. citizen children, having completed biometric scans and fingerprints for a work permit application. ICE agents in two unmarked vehicles pursued him without emergency lights or sirens, using aggressive driving tactics including attempting to box in his vehicle on a narrow residential street. ICE claimed Salgado rammed their vehicle and the officer fired in self-defense; however, video footage reviewed by 14 attorneys and law enforcement experts, passengers in the van, his family, and civil rights groups disputed this account, stating he was shot through a passenger window and posed no danger. Three passengers, including his brother Victor, were detained by ICE after the shooting. Victor was held at ICE's Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe awaiting an immigration court hearing, separated from his family during the week of his brother's funeral. The shooting sparked protests and calls for an independent investigation from his family, Democratic members of Congress, immigrant rights groups, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who announced plans to request civil and criminal charges. Mexico also requested investigations into Salgado Araujo's death and 16 other Mexican nationals who died at detention centers or during immigration enforcement operations.

Félix Alcorta Rodríguez, a 63-year-old Mexican national, died on June 19, 2026, at Webb County Detention Center in Laredo, Texas, after being found unresponsive in his cell. ICE personnel performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation before he was transferred to Laredo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. He had been in ICE custody for only a few days and was transferred to ICE custody after serving time for prior traffic violations. The cause of death is pending autopsy results. His death was one of at least 16 Mexican nationals who died in U.S. immigration detention facilities during the current federal administration, and the 20th person to die in ICE custody in 2026. Civil rights advocates from the Laredo Immigrant Alliance and Texas Civil Rights Project presented a report to Webb County commissioners detailing alleged violations at the facility, including failure to monitor suicidal detainees for up to 22 hours and delays of up to 25 days in conducting initial medical assessments. The Mexican government filed complaints and demanded criminal investigations into the death.

Orlando Martinez Mendoza, 48, migrated from Cuba to the US in 2015 by boat. Immigration authorities arrested him at a court hearing in Tennessee where he had appeared for a speeding charge. He was transported to three different detention centers in Tennessee over two months, then to a holding facility at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola), then to Arizona, and finally to Palenque, Mexico in 2025. He described the transfer to Angola as staged for media purposes, with police escorts, sirens, and TV cameras present. He said immigration officials "dumped us right in front of COMAR like we were dogs."

Four Kenyan nationals—Newton Njuguna Githiri, Mohamed Chekchekani, Ian Mwangi Irungu, and Said Salat Yarow—are facing deportation from the United States after ICE determined their criminal convictions make them removable under federal law. Githiri was arrested in New Orleans after serving criminal sentences and was convicted in Alabama. Chekchekani was detained in Los Angeles and court records show he was convicted of kidnapping a minor and RICO violations. Details on Irungu and Yarow's cases have not been disclosed. Each man is subject to immigration proceedings that could result in removal from the country.

Scull Delgado arrived in the US during the 1980 Mariel boatlift, fleeing Cuba's mandatory military service. He settled in California, married a U.S. citizen, raised three children and four grandchildren, and worked for decades while building toward retirement—just one month away when immigration agents arrested him during a routine annual sign-in at a U.S. immigration office. He had served his time for a crime committed in the 1990s and maintained a clean record afterward. By November 2025, he had been transported to Mexico, separated from his family after nearly 46 years in the country.

Jaime Alanis Garcia, a 57-year-old farmworker at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, California, died in July 2025 from injuries sustained during a federal immigration raid. While fleeing federal immigration agents who deployed rubber bullets, tear gas, and stun guns, Garcia fell approximately 30 feet from a greenhouse roof, sustaining a broken neck and skull fractures. He was placed on life support before his family decided to discontinue his care. The raid resulted in more than 360 arrests of undocumented workers across Camarillo and Carpinteria locations. Garcia's wife and daughter filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Glass House Farms and the federal government, alleging the federal agents' use of excessive force caused Garcia to seek shelter on the roof. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Alanis was never in custody and was not being chased by federal agents. Community members later marched through Carpinteria to commemorate Garcia's death and demand accountability.

A man was detained by ICE while on his way to work. He has been a father figure for over 4 years to his stepdaughter and is the biological father of a 2-year-old son who recently celebrated his second birthday. His family describes him as someone who worked hard to provide for and care for them. His stepdaughter is raising funds for immigration legal representation to fight his case.

Nico Valencia, a Mexican national, was detained by ICE while traveling to work and is being held at Stewart Detention Center. His family, including his uncle Jacob and aunt Leanne Valencia, has been unable to contact him since his detention three days prior. Nico immigrated to the United States to support his mother and siblings in rural Mexico. His family is raising funds to cover legal and detention fees associated with his case.

Teodoro Vazquez-Moreno, 58, a Mexico-born resident of Evansville, was arrested by ICE following a traffic stop and held at the Clay County Justice Center in Brazil, Indiana on an immigration hold. His niece Ana Karen Gonzalez learned of his detention through a text from his son, who operates a food truck business on Evansville's East Side, and discovered her uncle in the back of a federal van outside the Evansville-Vanderburgh Civic Center while seeking information from local officials. According to family members, Vazquez-Moreno carried a valid driver's license and federal work permit at the time of arrest and had no active criminal cases; a years-old DUI case from Dubois County was the only reported scrape with the law. Vazquez-Moreno was being represented by immigration attorney Jason Flora at the time of his arrest. By Saturday, the family confirmed through a phone call that he was the person in the van and were told he would be deported to Mexico, though they received no formal removal documentation.

Raul Moreno Meza, a middle-aged man living in Salt Lake City's Rose Park neighborhood, was restrained by ICE agents inside his home on July 7 after agents followed him from a gas station into his garage without announcing themselves as immigration officers, according to his daughter Elizabeth Garcia. Garcia, a U.S. citizen, filmed the incident in which agents also restrained her teenage brother while their family dog escaped. Garcia said her father has not left the U.S. in 22 years and that their grandfather, a U.S. citizen, petitioned for his legal residency before his death; the family hopes to complete that process. ICE stated Moreno Meza was granted voluntary return to Mexico for illegal entries, but Garcia disputes this account and says she is unaware of multiple entries. An attorney representing Moreno Meza argues that law enforcement cannot enter a home without a warrant except in special circumstances involving exigent danger, and that agents should have waited for him to exit or obtained a warrant.

José Luis, a Mexican national detained at the Adelanto detention center in California operated by GEO Group, was paid $1 per day to clean the facility's dining areas, bathrooms, and common spaces through ICE's Voluntary Work Program. He took the work to buy basic necessities like soup and toothbrushes since his family could not deposit money into his account. Immigrant advocates and organizations, including the Coalition for Full Immigrant Rights, characterize the pay as exploitative labor, noting it has not been adjusted in decades and falls far below California's minimum wage of $16.90 per hour. The issue gained renewed attention after a California settlement with GEO Group confirmed that detained migrants are protected by state workplace safety and health standards.