Human Impact Project

Students from Samuel Clemens High School in Schertz held a peaceful protest against ICE operations near the intersection of Westchester and Elbel. The demonstration remained orderly with police presence focused on safety, and the Schertz Police Department clarified that no ICE agents were present at the protest site.

A confidential memorandum obtained by the Associated Press reveals that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents claim authority to forcibly enter residences using only administrative orders, rather than judicial warrants required by the Fourth Amendment. The policy change, signed by interim ICE director Todd Lyons in May 2025, differs from longstanding legal guidance and Supreme Court rulings, and has been used to train new ICE agents deployed in the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign.

A 21-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant and in medical distress was deported to Colombia by ICE on January 22, 2026, despite a temporary restraining order issued too late to prevent her deportation. The woman, Zharick Daniela Buitrago Ortiz, had crossed the border seeking asylum in November 2025 and was reportedly denied adequate medical care while in custody. A federal judge issued the order enjoining ICE from deporting her, but she had already been boarded on a plane by that time.

During an ICE operation in January 2026, federal agents detained dozens of Mainers, including asylum-seeker Evaristo Kalonji, a church organist from Angola with no criminal record. His pastor discovered his abandoned car and learned Kalonji had been transferred to detention centers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island while his asylum case awaits a May 2028 court date. Federal judges subsequently ordered the release of approximately 35 detainees. Many detainees spent weeks in custody, lost employment, and paid thousands in bonds before being freed.

Mohanad Mohsen Metwally Ali Ahmed was detained on January 21, 2026, after previously being released on bond or parole. The court found that the government violated his due process rights by re-detaining him without providing a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention.

Nasra Ahmed, 23, a U.S. citizen born in Minnesota, was detained by ICE agents on January 15, 2026, after being caught in a parking lot during agents' pursuit of two other men. Ahmed sustained injuries including cuts, bruises, and a head injury during the arrest. While in custody at Sherburne County Jail, she experienced a seizure and was transported to a hospital in shackles for an MRI. She was released after two days without charges. Ahmed reported that ICE officers used forceful tactics and that an officer used a racial slur against her. Rep. Samakab Hussein held a press conference where Ahmed shared her account.

Micheline Ntumba, a Portland resident and mother of four from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was detained by ICE agents on January 21, 2026, after dropping off her child at Portland High School. According to her daughter, agents followed Ntumba home to her apartment parking lot near Deering Oaks Park, took her phone and wallet, and placed her in their vehicle without asking for identification or explanation. Ntumba has been in the United States for almost 10 years, has no criminal record, and has a pending asylum application.

A federal court judge ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to explain why it detained Yanick Joao Carneiro, an Angolan man, during a routine immigration check-in at an office in Scarborough. Carneiro is undocumented but filed for asylum within his first year in the U.S. His lawyer stated he has no criminal record. He was granted a temporary 72-hour order preventing his removal while the court determines why he was detained.

ICE enforcement operations, including Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago, have occurred. Mental health clinicians have documented that some children in affected communities experience fear, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms in connection with ICE detentions and enforcement actions.

A five-year-old U.S. citizen named Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellanos disappeared after being transferred to ICE custody following her mother's arrest on Monday morning. The child does not appear in ICE, ORR, CPS, or any Central Texas immigration detention facility databases. Family members are calling on the San Antonio ICE field office to locate the child so custody arrangements can be made while her mother remains detained.

A leaked ICE memorandum reveals that federal immigration agents are entering private residences without judicial warrants, using administrative orders to detain people with final deportation orders. The memo, signed by interim ICE director Todd Lyons on May 12, 2025, authorizes use of force to enter homes based only on administrative orders, which immigration advocates argue violates Fourth Amendment protections. The disclosure comes amid reports of ICE operations in Austin involving minors and allegations of abuse, as well as an incident in St. Paul, Minnesota where ICE agents forcibly entered a U.S. citizen's home without a warrant.

ICE deputy assistant director Patricia Hyde confirmed that the agency has arrested nearly 50 people in Maine as part of an intensified immigration enforcement operation called "Operation Catch of the Day." Hyde stated ICE has a target list of 1,400 people in Maine. Local officials in Portland and Lewiston expressed concern about ICE's tactics and lack of communication with city authorities, while noting increased fear in immigrant communities.

Department of Homeland Security agents were involved in a shooting during an immigration enforcement operation in Los Angeles County's Willowbrook area on Wednesday morning around 7:20 a.m. Agents were pursuing a vehicle that crashed, and shots were fired when agents approached to detain suspects. No one was struck by gunfire and all suspects were taken into custody.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained a gardener in Clovis on Monday morning at the intersection of Willow and Shepherd avenues on his way to work. According to community organization Faith in the Valley, the man was detained by two DEA agents and one federal agent. Clovis Police confirmed receiving notification from ICE before 7 a.m. but stated no assistance was requested.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers handcuffed and detained two teenagers in south Minneapolis on Wednesday afternoon. One teenager was detained on Blaisdell Avenue while their passenger, who witnessed the incident, was left crying in their vehicle.

A leaked ICE memorandum reveals that federal immigration agents are authorized to use force to enter residences based solely on administrative orders, without judicial warrants. The policy applies to individuals with final deportation orders. A U.S. citizen in Minnesota was forcibly removed from his home by ICE agents without a warrant, detained briefly, and then returned after agents discovered his citizenship status.

ICE agents detained two gardeners in Long Beach's University Park Estates neighborhood on January 21, 2026. One of the detained men claimed to be a dual citizen and told agents he was born in Memorial Hospital in Long Beach. Mayor Rex Richardson criticized the operation as an "abduction," expressing concern that a U.S. citizen may have been detained without prior notice to city officials.

Jean-Pierre Obiang, an 18-year-old University of Southern Maine student, was detained by ICE agents on January 21, 2026, after a minor vehicle accident near a Market Basket parking lot in Westbrook. The agents ran the license plates of the vehicle Obiang was in and detained him despite having no criminal record and being enrolled in school. Obiang's family are asylum-seekers from Gabon who have been living in Maine for three years.

ICE agents arrested Hassane Barry, a 38-year-old asylum seeker from Guinea, on Preble Street in Portland on January 21st. Agents shattered the driver's side window of his car, spraying glass over his 1-month-old baby's car seat, and left his wife Nene and the infant alone in the vehicle in freezing conditions. The arrest was part of an intensified ICE enforcement operation in Maine, though Barry has no known criminal history and had filed for asylum upon arriving in the U.S. in 2023.

ICE listed Caney Valley Public Schools Police Department as having a 287(g) agreement that would authorize school officers to make immigration arrests, but the agreement was removed from ICE's website days later. School officials say the police chief was misled during a training event and never signed anything, and the superintendent stated the school will not enter into any agreement with ICE.

Federal Border Patrol agents detained two men working as gardeners in Long Beach's University Park Estates neighborhood on January 20, 2026. One of the men claimed to be a U.S. dual citizen and stated he was born at a local medical center. A third gardener who produced documents was not arrested.

Federal immigration agents in Minnesota stopped an off-duty police officer, drew guns, and prevented her from recording the interaction, according to local police chiefs. The chiefs stated that immigration agents have been stopping American citizens without cause. The incidents occur as part of "Operation Metro Surge," which federal authorities describe as an immigration enforcement operation.

Nine deaths have occurred in immigration detention in the first nine weeks of the year, with over 30 deaths recorded in the previous year. ICE has been the subject of criticism regarding medical care provided to detainees. The agency has stated that detainees receive healthcare comparable to or better than what they would receive in their home countries.

Five-year-old Keyli Camila Espin Vaca's mother, Mayra Vaca Latacunga, was detained by ICE agents while her daughter was at school in Biddeford, Maine. The mother was handcuffed and transferred to Massachusetts after agents found she lacked proper documentation. This incident is part of a Trump administration immigration enforcement operation in Maine that has arrested over 200 individuals.

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and Congresswoman Delia Ramirez introduced the Melt ICE Act to end DHS funding for immigrant detention and monitoring. The legislation aims to redirect ICE funding toward housing, healthcare, and other wrap-around services for communities affected by immigration enforcement.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed Minneapolis driver Renee Good on January 7, 2026, during an immigration enforcement operation. Federal officials characterized the shooting as self-defense, while local officials characterized it as reckless and unnecessary. Following the incident and subsequent ICE raids in Minnesota, Minneapolis mother Destiny Prosper launched a fundraising effort to support immigrant families at Jenny Lind Elementary School. Some families reported avoiding leaving their homes due to increased ICE presence in the Twin Cities, resulting in missed school meals.

On January 18, 2026, ICE agents conducted a raid on the home of ChongLy Scott Thao, a U.S. citizen with no criminal record, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Agents pointed guns at family members and handcuffed Thao without presenting a warrant; after confirming his citizenship through fingerprinting, ICE released him without apology or explanation. The incident occurred in front of his 5-year-old grandson. The raid prompted a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, where one of the pastors worked for ICE. Subsequently, 30 protesters have been indicted on federal crimes, along with civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong and journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort for their roles in the demonstration.

Milo Miles, a Canadian adult-film model, was detained by U.S. Customs at Toronto's Pearson Airport for eight hours across two separate interrogations before being banned from the U.S. for 10 years. Border agents questioned him extensively about his sexuality, clothing, and PrEP medication, and discovered his adult film work and escort activities through his devices. Miles was pressured into confessing to prostitution despite agents finding no proof of money-for-sex exchanges or lined-up clients.

Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father were detained by ICE in January 2026 during an operation in Minneapolis. After two weeks at a Texas detention facility, a federal judge ordered their release, citing the detention's basis in deportation quotas and its traumatic effect on the child. Liam now exhibits signs of psychological trauma including hypervigilance and anxiety about immigration enforcement, while the family faces ongoing deportation proceedings.

Tomas Orellana, a Great Neck resident, was detained by ICE in early January while attending a mandatory probation hearing at a courthouse for a DWI conviction. His wife Claudia says he was detained inside the courthouse without being shown a warrant, in potential violation of New York's Protect Our Courts Act. Community groups, churches, and residents have rallied to support the family of eight children, raising approximately $28,000 on GoFundMe to help cover legal fees.

According to a report by the Deportation Data Project, the vast majority of people arrested by ICE during "Operation Catch of the Day" in Maine in January 2026 had not been previously convicted of crimes. Of 206 people arrested, only 14 had criminal convictions. More than half were marked as "collateral" arrests—unintended targets arrested because they were present and suspected of being undocumented.

Pro-immigrant activists blocked the garage at ICE's Philadelphia headquarters for approximately 90 minutes on Tuesday morning, with clergy members from several churches participating in the demonstration. The action was part of a nationwide week of protests organized by No ICE Philly and allied groups to draw attention to immigration enforcement operations and to show solidarity with migrants.

ICE removed Jose Serrano-Maldonado, a Maryland father with no criminal record, to El Salvador on January 20, 2026, despite two court orders prohibiting his removal and a clear "do not remove" banner in his file. Federal authorities admitted the mistake during an emergency hearing but did not provide explanation for why the deportation occurred. The judge ordered daily status updates and the government is working to return him to the United States.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained two men in East Long Beach on January 20, 2026, while they were doing landscaping work. One of the men claimed to be a dual U.S. citizen born in Long Beach, but ICE detained him anyway.

Victor Acurio Suarez, a 52-year-old disabled Ecuadorian immigrant with autism and aphasia, was issued an order of voluntary departure by an immigration judge on January 20, 2026. Suarez was arrested by ICE in September 2024 while in a Lowe's parking lot. His asylum request was denied and he faces deportation to Ecuador. He has documented trauma.

Rogelio Fraga-Herrejon, a 48-year-old Mexican citizen who has lived in Pomona, California for over 17 years with his spouse and four U.S. citizen children, was arrested during an interior immigration enforcement operation on January 19, 2026. He has been detained at the Adelanto Detention Facility since his arrest, with an Immigration Judge denying his bond request. The federal court granted a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release, finding his bond hearing violated due process.

An ICE agent entered a Thai restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota with his handgun drawn while searching for a person who had run past the restaurant. The agent accused the restaurant owners of hiding "a kid" and conducted a search of the establishment. Multiple customers and staff members were present during the incident, with some employees subsequently expressing reluctance about returning to work.

A lawsuit alleges that an ICE detainee was repeatedly denied his antipsychotic medication while in custody. The denial of medication allegedly resulted in cascading symptoms that caused the detainee to harm himself and lose vision in one eye.

Thierno Diallo faces removal despite multiple legal requests including humanitarian parole and a stay of removal that ICE has not responded to.

People held at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center report being denied essential medical treatment for weeks or months, violating ICE's own policies requiring timely medical care, prescription access, and emergency hospitalization when needed.

A six-year-old girl was found wandering the streets alone after her father, Adonay Mancia Rodríguez, was detained by ICE agents in Morristown, New Jersey. The father left their apartment to pick up food when he was arrested during an immigration enforcement operation that resulted in the detention of 11 individuals. According to family statements, Rodríguez arrived in the U.S. as a teenager and had been employed and living in the community for over ten years with no criminal record.

Ann Salas laid out toys, clothes, furniture and appliances on her Skokie driveway Friday morning, selling everything in preparation for permanently leaving the United States.⁠ Some shoppers were happy to just give her cash, because her 49-year-old husband, who was brought here from Guatemala as a 5-year-old, was deported to that country last month. She plans to take their young son to Mexico to reunite with her husband, Antony “Tony” Salas, and live there as a family.⁠ A check of court records in Cook County and San Francisco County, California, where Antony Salas lived for a time, did not show any arrests for him.⁠ The family doesn’t plan on coming back, though Ann Salas and the couple’s 3-year-old son are U.S. citizens, and Antony Salas has lived in the U.S. for decades.⁠ Tap on the link in our bio to read more. ⁠

Federal ICE agents detained at least one person in Watsonville over the weekend according to local watchdog group YARR. Multiple unmarked vehicles were reported in the Rodriguez Street area near Watsonville High School, with agents knocking on doors at a property. A video of the arrest circulated on social media showing an agent with a man whose hands were behind his back.

A 62-year-old Somali elder was detained by ICE agents at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis on December 31 without a warrant. ICE officers remained at the patient's bedside for approximately 28 hours while she received medical care. During her detention, the patient was allegedly shackled to her hospital bed and denied family visits. She was subsequently transported to the ICU where she remains unresponsive.

Hundreds of Venezuelan migrants were deported by the U.S. to El Salvador's CECOT prison under a deal brokered by the Trump administration. Detainees reported being beaten, tortured, and held in conditions with inadequate food, water, and sanitation. Human Rights Watch research found nearly half had no criminal history.

On January 18, 2026, ICE officers entered the home of Chongly "Scott" Thao, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen and Hmong American man, without a warrant and detained him for several hours. Agents removed Thao from his residence in minimal clothing during sub-freezing weather. ICE stated they were searching for two convicted sex offenders with ties to the property, but Thao denied knowing the men and one remained incarcerated. Ramsey County authorities launched an investigation into potential crimes including kidnapping, burglary, false imprisonment, and constitutional rights violations. Thao was released after ICE confirmed his U.S. citizenship and lack of criminal record.

Deportees returning to Mexico after decades in the United States find their hometowns changed. Returning migrants report experiencing kidnapping, extortion, and violence. Some migrants report being forced to flee their hometowns again due to cartel-dominated conditions. According to some experts, individuals experience what is termed "double displacement."

A community alert was posted on Instagram warning of possible immigration enforcement presence in Watsonville. The post, from a collective account, urged residents to contact a hotline to report immigration enforcement activity in the area.

An employee of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office was detained by ICE on Friday, according to an internal email from D.A. Nathan Hochman. The employee was released shortly after and Hochman called the detention "unacceptable." DHS disputed the claim, stating they had no record of the detention.

ICE stopped and arrested 3 individuals on Robinson Ave in Springdale on their way to work at a Family Dollar. ICE broke car windows during the stop. ICE was spotted in other areas the same morning. Their families were contacted for support.