Human Impact Project

Human Rights First's ICE Flight Monitor report documents ICE Air Operations' expansion in February 2026, with 183 removal flights to 31 countries and new charter carriers. The report documents expanded domestic transfer flights and removal operations.

Johanny Lacruz, a Venezuelan asylum seeker and fiancée of Juan Rodriguez, was detained by ICE at a Border Patrol checkpoint in February 2026 despite having valid work authorization and no criminal record. Rodriguez observed that U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz secured the release of Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar, a teenager in the same detention facility with similar legal status, but was unable to obtain similar assistance for his fiancée. Both Lacruz and Gámez-Cuéllar were detained during the Trump administration's deportation operations.

ICE apprehensions in the Pacific Northwest increased in late 2025 under an operation internally called 'Operation Black Rose.' Multnomah County experienced a 600% increase in apprehensions, while Washington County saw a 2,100% increase. Paulino Martin San Pedro was arrested in Washington County and subsequently deported to Mexico, where he died in February 2026 from pneumonia complications.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a February 2026 policy memo reinterpreting Section 209 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, stating that refugees who have lived in the U.S. for at least one year but have not yet acquired lawful permanent resident status may be arrested and detained. The new policy rescinds a 2010 DHS policy that limited such arrests and could affect approximately 100,000 refugees currently in the country with lawful immigration status. Immigration attorneys are advising refugee clients to file for permanent status immediately, though approval delays and country-specific holds mean some could face detention despite following proper procedures.

As of mid-January 2026, 7,252 people had been detained in ICE custody for at least six months — including 79 held for more than two years — compared to 2,849 long-term detainees recorded in December 2024 under the Biden administration, according to ICE data reported by the Associated Press. The increase is partly driven by a Trump administration policy generally prohibiting immigration judges from releasing detainees on bond. Among those detained are people who have won protection under the UN Convention Against Torture but cannot be sent to their home countries.

At least two confirmed cases of measles have been reported at the Dilley family detention center in Texas, which houses children and parents in immigration detention. A broader measles outbreak is occurring across the U.S. Democratic congressman Joaquin Castro called for the facility to be shut down immediately, citing detention centers as potential vectors for disease transmission.

An advocacy post calls for the release of Diana Crespo-Gonzalez from immigration detention, urging people to contact DHS at 202-282-8485. The post references a previous case where 180,000 calls led to the release of someone named Liam, and directs followers to an OPB news article for more details about Diana's situation.

According to Senator John Hickenlooper, ICE agents are reportedly leaving behind cards with a history of use by white supremacist groups at the vehicles of detained individuals.

The San Benito detention facility in Texas, operated by for-profit company Urban Strategies, houses pregnant minors as young as 13 without adequate specialized reproductive health care. Advocates and civil rights organizations report the facility lacks proper medical facilities, menstrual products, and birth control access, putting pregnant youth at risk despite no major complications reported so far.

Steve Gaines, an English teacher at Harmony School of Innovation in Waco, Texas, was fired weeks after he allowed students to use class time to make signs and flyers for an ICE protest walkout in February 2026. Gaines provided cardboard boxes and paint for the signs and stayed in the classroom to chaperone students who did not participate in the walkout. He was terminated mid-year despite having 11 years of teaching experience.

The League of United Latin American Citizens held a vigil and protest outside the South Texas Family Residential Center calling for the release of all children detained at immigration detention facilities. About 100 people gathered on February 1, 2026, following the recent release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from the facility. LULAC leadership called for reforms to immigration enforcement and spoke out against plans for 23 new detention centers.

Immigrant families released from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas are being transported to border town shelters like Laredo with minimal resources. Families report being released without medications, documents, or money. Families report experiencing job loss and financial hardship following their detention. Multiple cases document families who spent weeks or months detained and were subsequently released with their immigration cases unchanged.

Maria Santay, a U.S. citizen and community observer, livestreamed her detainment by federal immigration agents at an El Monte gas station on February 1, 2026. Agents surrounded her vehicle and broke her car window with a hammer while she recorded on Instagram. She was detained and released Friday evening with charges including resisting arrest.

Anti-ICE protesters held demonstrations across Southern California on January 30-31, 2026, including marches through Los Angeles, rallies at City Hall, and actions outside the Metropolitan Detention Center. Clashes erupted when protesters blocked access points and threw objects at federal agents. Authorities deployed chemical irritants and issued dispersal orders. Eight people were arrested Friday and dozens more on Saturday on charges including assault on officers, vandalism, and failure to disperse. The protests were part of a nationwide action following fatal shootings by federal officers in Minneapolis.

A three-year-old girl named Lily was separated from her family at the border and detained in an immigrant children's shelter in South Texas for over five months. Her father, a legal permanent resident, attempted to reunify with her during her detention. After her attorney at ProBAR filed a habeas petition in federal district court on February 18, she was released two days later and reunified with her father on February 21.

CNN correspondent Veronica Miracle was struck with pepper spray while reporting live on a protest at an ICE facility in Los Angeles. Protesters overtook the property and pushed Department of Homeland Security officers back inside the building. Miracle choked and coughed on camera due to the chemical irritant but continued reporting on the incident.

Thousands of protesters marched to an ICE facility in South Portland on Saturday as part of a "Labor Against ICE" rally organized by local unions. Federal agents deployed tear gas, pepper balls, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades after some protesters approached the building's security gate. The protest coincided with a march honoring Alex Pretti, an intensive-care nurse fatally shot by Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis.

A woman named Olga has a deportation hearing scheduled for Thursday. If the hearing results in a deportation order, she will be deported and separated from her children in Florida.

ICE agents conducted enforcement operations in Washington state that resulted in family separations and deportations. In one incident near Shoreline, agents detained Ivan Guzman during a traffic stop while he was driving his 2-year-old son to daycare, leaving the toddler alone in the vehicle before deporting Guzman to Mexico. In a separate case in Tacoma, ICE detained a husband and coerced him to sign self-deportation papers while threatening to apprehend his wife and children within four days, prompting the entire family to voluntarily return to Venezuela.

Detainees held at the Whipple Federal Building reported experiencing poor conditions with lack of basic humanitarian treatment. The article documents firsthand accounts from individuals in immigration detention describing their experiences.

ICE agents left customized ace of spades playing cards in vehicles after conducting traffic stops in Eagle County, Colorado that immigrant rights groups characterized as targeting Latino workers. The cards bear the ICE Denver Field Office address and phone number. Voices Unidas and other immigrant rights organizations stated the action referenced a Vietnam War-era practice. Federal officials noted the cards may reference the ace of spades as the trump card in the card game Spades.

Yoandry Rafael Garcia Gali was re-detained on January 30, 2026, after previously being released on bond or conditional parole. The court found that the government violated due process by failing to provide a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter when re-detaining someone who had been previously released. The court ordered Garcia Gali's immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention.

Jose Flores, 47, was arrested during an ICE operation in Oakmont. The arrest occurred while Flores was preparing for work with his wife Harriett and their 8-year-old daughter Lily. The operation disrupted the family's morning routine.

The police chief of St. Peter intervened with federal agents to prevent the detention of a local resident who was observing ICE enforcement actions. This intervention by local police in Minnesota occurred during ICE and border patrol operations in the state.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents broke through the glass door of a locked auto body shop in West Valley City to detain two employees, including Wilmer Menjivar who had no criminal record. Agents claimed they did not need a warrant to enter the private business.

Health care providers in Minnesota report that pregnant immigrants are avoiding prenatal care visits due to fear of ICE enforcement actions, leading to increased no-show rates. Providers have observed preterm premature rupture of membranes, depression, gestational diabetes, and high blood pressure among patients who do not seek care or attend routine appointments. Some patients are requesting home births without informing providers and missing critical monitoring appointments.

Police chiefs in Minnesota have made public statements criticizing federal immigration enforcement agents regarding incidents involving an innocent man left in the snow, a 5-year-old's arrest, and deaths of U.S. citizens. Local police officials stated that federal agents' conduct affects the trust they have worked to build with their communities following years of criticism over their own use of force.

A nationwide protest called "National Shutdown" took place on January 30, 2026, with participants staying home from work and school to protest ICE immigration enforcement activities. The protest was organized in response to deaths resulting from immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, including an ICU nurse and a mother of three. Students at the University of Minnesota coordinated the effort with hundreds of organizations across 46 states.

Bradford County commissioners voted 3-2 to move forward with a proposal to convert the Douglas Warehouse in Starke into a 3,000-bed ICE detention center. The decision allows Sabot Consulting to present design plans to ICE for approval. A protest challenging the proposed facility is scheduled for Saturday at 209 S. Temple Ave. in Starke.

ICE issued an internal memo on January 29, 2026, expanding the agency's authority for warrantless arrests of suspected undocumented immigrants. The memo changed the standard from whether individuals are unlikely to appear for immigration hearings to whether they are unlikely to remain at the scene of an encounter. This policy shift allows lower-level ICE agents greater discretion to conduct broad sweeps without supervisor approval.

Bob Peck, a U.S. citizen, filed a notice of claim seeking $7.5 million in damages against ICE after agents threatened to arrest him for observing and filming their enforcement activities. The filing documents an incident on January 22 where masked agents confronted Peck while he was following their vehicle and told him he would be arrested if he continued. The case is among multiple reports of ICE agents intimidating observers, including threats to add them to watchlists and agents driving to observers' homes.

An ICE shooting incident occurred in Minneapolis involving agents detaining a man when one agent fired his weapon. The video is commentary and analysis of the incident rather than a news report, discussing ICE presence in Minnesota, protest tactics, and broader implications of the shooting.

Pío Figueroa, an Alabama shopkeeper operating a money transfer service, was detained by ICE agents on January 30 while transporting $21,000 in cash belonging to community members to a local bank. The funds have remained unaccounted for since his arrest nearly two months ago. Figueroa was transferred to Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana and faces potential deportation, while his family and legal representatives report ICE agents do not use body cameras, making it impossible to track the missing money.

Two Azerbaijani men, Fazal and Alikhan, who immigrated legally to the U.S. and were married in Charlotte, were detained by ICE after a routine immigration appointment in January. Alikhan was moved to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia where he became ill and received inadequate medical care until a U.S. Senator intervened. Unable to face prolonged detention, Alikhan announced in February he would self-deport rather than continue fighting his case, with Fazal planning to follow.

Students at more than 10 schools across Bexar County in San Antonio held walkouts on January 30, 2026 to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions. The protests followed recent deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renée Good, who were protesting ICE operations in Minneapolis. Students marched through their communities while residents and business owners showed support.

Immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota have affected vulnerable populations. ICE agents arrested a 58-year-old McDonald's worker; according to reports, agents mocked his son's attempt to deliver heart medication to the detained father. Pregnant immigrants have avoided prenatal care, and healthcare providers report cases of preterm premature rupture of membranes, gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia going undetected. Healthcare providers report increased no-show rates and some patients resorting to home births instead of hospital care.

On January 30, Eugene Police declared a riot outside the downtown federal building during an anti-ICE protest that was part of a nationwide "National Shutdown" demonstration against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Several hundred demonstrators assembled in the plaza and courtyard areas before the situation escalated, with law enforcement ordering dispersal and staging to clear the area. The FBI subsequently listed three protesters on its most wanted list for alleged involvement in property damage, including breaking windows, spray-painting, and throwing rocks at law enforcement. The Bureau is offering up to $5,000 for information leading to arrest and conviction. This incident followed a similar anti-ICE protest at the same location on January 27 that also resulted in arrests and deployment of crowd-control measures.

Approximately 50 Cuban nationals detained by ICE accepted deportation believing they would return to Havana. Their plane landed at Guantánamo Naval Base instead. The men have been at the U.S. military facility since before Christmas. Due to Cuba's restrictions on flights from the base to the island's interior, U.S. authorities must transfer them back to U.S. territory before handing them over to Cuban authorities, extending their detention for weeks.

A 39-year-old Ukrainian father who legally entered the U.S. under the Uniting 4 Ukraine program was detained by ICE agents in a Walmart parking lot in Maple Grove, Minnesota on January 1st. He had been working as a delivery driver and roofer to support his family, which includes his wife and 5-year-old daughter who fled Russia's war in Ukraine.

Sithy Yi, a Cambodian Genocide survivor who arrived in the U.S. in 1981, was released from ICE detention following a federal judge's order. Yi was detained at a routine immigration check-in in Santa Ana on January 8 and held at the Adelanto Detention Facility for almost two months.

A mother was detained by ICE after going outside to warm her car. She was able to contact someone to inform them that her children would be left alone as a result of her detention.

Maher Tarabishi was detained by ICE in October 2024 during a routine check-in at the Dallas Field Office. His son Wael, 30, who has Pompe disease and requires round-the-clock care, was hospitalized twice following his father's arrest. Wael died on January 23, 2026. Despite ICE detention standards allowing for emergency-supervised release to attend funerals and the family's humanitarian requests citing Maher's 14 years of compliance with supervised release requirements, immigration officials denied his request to attend his son's burial.

Carlos Chavez, a taco vendor, was chased and detained by ICE agents on the property of North Hills United Methodist Church. According to his wife, when Chavez requested medical treatment for bronchitis while in detention, he was instead given a self-deportation order to sign. DHS stated Chavez was previously deported in 2016 and ran from agents during the operation. Chavez was subsequently deported to Mexico.

ICE agents with guns approached a Korean bakery in Minneapolis, pointing weapons through the glass door at employees. A manager hid Korean immigrant coworkers in freezers during the encounter. Agents allegedly stated they did not need or care about a warrant. After an employee called 911, local police arrived and the ICE agents left the scene.

A Salem woman who is a U.S. citizen was pulled from her vehicle by federal law enforcement officers on January 29, 2026. After being boxed in by unmarked vehicles, agents broke her car window and pulled her to the ground. She suffered a concussion, torn rotator cuff, and bruised ribs.

San Antonio Democrats toured the Dilley immigration detention facility housing 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, who were detained after claiming asylum at a U.S. port of entry from Ecuador. The lawmakers reported that the facility holds primarily families and children with pending legal cases rather than criminals, and described poor conditions including lack of schooling and prolonged detention times averaging over two months despite official reports of 28 days.

NPR reporter Adrian Florido witnessed federal immigration agents arrest Jesús González, an undocumented fruit vendor he had been buying from for seven years in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. González was apprehended at his fruit cart stand and subsequently deported to Tijuana, Mexico after agreeing to be removed rather than face detention.

Multiple incidents of abuse and neglect have been reported at the South Texas Family Residential Center (Dilley facility) in Texas. Mireya Lopez-Sanchez and her two-month-old son Juan Nicolas were deported to Mexico after the infant developed bronchitis while in ICE custody, with medical treatment reportedly denied and the family losing contact with relatives afterward. A 15-year-old girl with intellectual disability, Cariexis Quintero, reported that guards forcibly searched her room and destroyed her personal belongings. Families detained at the facility reported poor conditions including sick children without adequate medical care, inadequate hygiene facilities, and lack of disease separation. Some families were held for weeks to months, with some detained beyond the 20-day legal limit, before being released to a nonprofit shelter.

Federal immigration agents detained Thao Xiong, a community organizer and volunteer food shelf delivery driver, in the parking lot of the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center in St. Paul on city-owned property. The detainment occurred despite objections from community center staff and legal observers, and Xiong's U.S. citizenship or immigration status remained unclear. The incident occurred during Operation Metro Surge, which brought approximately 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota for immigration enforcement.

ICE agents detained multiple parents near a school bus drop-off spot in Ypsilanti while students were arriving or departing for school. Local school officials and the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office confirmed the detentions occurred near bus stops, though not on school property itself. The superintendent stated the school district does not voluntarily cooperate with ICE and described the circumstances as distressing.