Human Impact Project

An unconfirmed ICE sighting was reported on July 3, 2025 in Anaheim, California. According to the alert, ICE agents in a white van were observed circling a Target parking lot and a nearby Quick Quack car wash, with reports indicating they picked up several people. The agents were reported to be moving southbound along Euclid Street toward a 7-Eleven gas station.

Anne Arundel County Police contradicted the Department of Homeland Security's account of a Christmas Eve ICE shooting in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Police stated that one of the individuals identified as a passenger in the van was actually already in ICE custody in a separate vehicle at the time of the shooting, contradicting DHS's account. ICE agents fired at a white van after the driver, Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, allegedly attempted to run them over during a targeted immigration enforcement operation.

Flor Ivet Vargas-Loya, a DACA recipient and mother of two U.S. citizens, was detained by ICE on Christmas Eve while shopping. Vargas-Loya was waiting for her DACA renewal to be processed and had no new criminal charges against her. Arizona elected officials and immigrant advocates responded to the detention.

ICE agents stopped a U.S. citizen named Said Mohamed during a traffic stop and demanded he prove his citizenship. Mohamed repeatedly asked why he was being stopped. Agents cited the vehicle's possible connection to individuals without legal status. After showing his ID, Mohamed was allowed to leave. ICE agents confronted a woman outside her home and demanded she provide ID to prove U.S. citizenship. When questioned, agents claimed to have a warrant for an unspecified target at the address but refused to present it.

ICE has detained more than 100 people in small, cramped hold rooms inside the federal courthouse in Central Islip since January 2025, according to a Newsday analysis of federal data. Detainees reported sleeping on floors next to open toilets, being packed so tightly they could not lie down, lacking access to showers and medical care, with some held for up to 72 hours despite the rooms being designed for brief single-person detention.

Fatima Issela Velazquez-Antonio, 23, was detained by Customs and Border Patrol agents at her job site in Raleigh in November and transferred to a Georgia federal detention facility. She was released from ICE custody and returned to North Carolina on December 23, 2025. Velazquez-Antonio, who has lived legally in the U.S. since age 14 fleeing gang violence in Honduras, has valid work authorization and no criminal record, and her case remains pending.

Donna Hughes Brown, an Irish citizen and permanent U.S. resident, was released from ICE detention after nearly five months. She had been detained in July due to two misdemeanor charges from over 10 years ago for writing bad checks. Her case gained national attention after her husband testified before Congress and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem promised a review.

Marcos Flores, bassist for local band Summer of Peril, was detained by ICE on December 23 while attempting to pick up a visitor's badge at Colorado Springs Air Force Academy. Flores, who was brought to the U.S. as a young child from Mexico, has been held at Aurora ICE Detention Center with his bond request denied despite community support and legal efforts. His case was affected by a federal policy memo reversing protections against no-bond detentions.

A federal judge in Charlotte ruled that ICE violated a man's due process rights by unlawfully detaining Mostafa Said, an Egyptian asylum seeker, during a routine check-in. The judge ordered immigration officials to hold a bond hearing for Said within 48 hours. Said had been released on humanitarian parole after entering through the U.S.-Mexico border and was arrested in Charlotte and transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia.

Donna Hughes-Brown, a green card holder who has lived in the U.S. since age 11, was detained by ICE upon returning from a trip to Ireland to visit relatives. She was held for nearly 5 months over two overdrawn checks totaling less than $80 that she had written over 10 years prior. She was released last week and stated she will not visit Ireland again until becoming a full U.S. citizen due to fear of deportation.

U.S. Army veteran Zahid Chaudhry, a green card holder and disabled veteran, was released from ICE detention at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma after being held for approximately four months. A federal judge ordered his release following a habeas hearing on December 22, 2025. Chaudhry had been detained since August 2025 when he was taken into custody at a citizenship interview. DHS made allegations of criminal history misrepresentation, which were disputed by his family.

Donna Hughes-Brown, a 59-year-old Irish green card holder, was detained by ICE for nearly five months after arriving in Chicago from Dublin in July. She was arrested on moral turpitude charges related to two bounced checks totaling less than $80 from over a decade prior, cited under President Trump's amendments to immigration law. Hughes-Brown was initially held at the airport before being transferred to Campbell County Detention Centre in Kentucky, where she reported poor conditions. She was eventually released and reunited with her family in Missouri, avoiding deportation. Hughes-Brown stated she would not return to Ireland until becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Jose Gonzalez, a 53-year-old Mexican national who worked as a maitre d' at an upscale Palm Beach restaurant for 20 years, was detained on December 10 during a traffic stop and held at Alligator Alcatraz detention facility. Gonzalez was transferred to Krome Detention Center on December 22. He had a pending asylum application and valid work permit at the time of his detention.

Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, a Maryland father, was shot by ICE on Christmas Eve. He is currently detained and ICE is allegedly denying him proper medical attention for his injuries.

ICE agents deployed pepper spray into a vehicle containing a Columbus mother and three U.S. citizen children near Easton Mall in late December. The mother claims the agents sprayed into her open car window without warning, causing burns to her and her children's eyes. ICE claimed the agents used spray to clear a path, but video evidence obtained by NBC 4 shows the agents had not activated police lights before deploying the spray. A woman reported that a federal agent sprayed into her car, causing distress to her three children in the back seat. She published the suspected agent's photo on social media and requested public help identifying him. DHS was contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of reporting.

Karla, an activist who publicly exposed medical neglect of a lesbian woman with cancer detained in Eloy, has herself been detained at the same facility. Activists are demanding her immediate release, protection from retaliation, and access to her hormones while in detention.

Miguel Garcia Pazaran and his wife Dulce Maria Trejo Segura were pulled over by immigration agents while driving to work in Hillsboro, Oregon and detained without proper clothing. The couple was taken to a detention center in Tacoma and deported to Mexico within eight days, leaving behind their 2-year-old daughter Sofía, who is a U.S. citizen.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have collaborated on a data-sharing program since March 2025 to identify and detain individuals with deportation orders at airport security checkpoints. The program has resulted in several high-profile cases, including the detention of college student Any Lucía López Belloza and DACA recipient Catalina Santiago, raising concerns about due process violations and civil liberties.

As ICE enforcement increased in the Twin Cities, thousands of trained "legal observers" organized to document federal immigration enforcement actions. Protesters and observers film arrests and gather information about agents. ICE claims protesters are interfering with law enforcement and assaulting agents. The confrontations have involved force by both sides. Civil rights advocates have filed lawsuits alleging ICE violations.

ICE agents arrested a Honduran mother and her two children, including a 4-year-old U.S. citizen, at a check-in appointment on December 20, 2025. The family was detained in hotel rooms for 18 days across multiple locations, including near LaGuardia Airport and Alexandria, Louisiana, during which they had minimal contact with the outside world. They were briefly placed on a plane to Honduras before being taken off due to a federal judge's temporary restraining order blocking their deportation, and were eventually released on January 7, 2026.

A family is calling for the release of an Arlington man detained by ICE, citing the health condition of his son.

Nenko Gantchev, 56, a Bulgarian national who lived in Chicago for 30 years, died on December 16, 2025, while in ICE custody at North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin, Michigan, which is operated by GEO Group. He was arrested in September 2025 during an immigration enforcement operation. His family reported he had deteriorating health conditions including type 2 diabetes. His death prompted calls from family and a congresswoman for an immediate investigation.

The Miccosukee Tribe is pursuing legal challenges against the "Alligator Alcatraz" immigrant detention facility in the Everglades, arguing that Florida's acceptance of $608 million in federal funds for the facility strengthens their case. The Tribe contends the facility was constructed unlawfully on public lands without required environmental review and poses risks to their 11 villages and the fragile ecosystem. Multiple lawsuits have been filed opposing the detention center, including claims regarding inadequate legal access for detainees and lack of federal authority for state operation.

A volunteer legal observer was detained by ICE agents for eight hours on January 11th while legally observing ICE enforcement activities at the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis. During the detention, the observer was pepper-sprayed and roughly handcuffed, then held without charges. The observer was released around 6:45pm and subsequently shared her experience with a crowd gathered at the federal building.

More than 560 students missed school in Willmar Public Schools on Monday due to rumors of an ICE enforcement operation. School officials quickly reassured families that schools were safe spaces and would not be entered by immigration agents. The rumors were based on federal authorities later identified as Homeland Security Investigations agents, not ICE, who had detained five or six people in the area over the weekend.

Occupy ICE LA documents cases of protesters arrested during demonstrations at ICE facilities in Los Angeles. Kathy was acquitted after being charged with assaulting a federal officer, with the post alleging the officer actually assaulted her. Johnny Rosales remains detained since August 2, 2025, facing similar charges. Three others—Akalei Brown, Cynthia Saragoza, and Sandra Semane—face trial on conspiracy charges related to doxxing a federal agent, with the post claiming video evidence proves their innocence.

Spencer Gair Harrington, a Canadian citizen residing in the U.S. since 2019, was arrested on December 18, 2025 during a USCIS interview for his green card application based on marriage to a U.S. citizen. He remained detained until February 3, 2026 when an immigration judge released him on bond, finding he posed no flight risk or danger. Despite the judge's determination, ICE placed Harrington on an ankle monitor and in intensive supervision, prompting his habeas petition challenging the conditions as violating his due process rights.

Habel Russbel Hinostroza Alarcon was re-detained on December 18, 2025, after being previously released on bond or conditional parole under immigration law. The federal court found that his re-detention without a pre-deprivation bond hearing violated due process rights. The court ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention and required the government to provide seven days' notice and a bond hearing before any future re-detention.

The Trump administration is reopening shuttered prisons across multiple states as immigration detention centers to accommodate over 65,000 people in ICE custody, the highest level in history. Many of these facilities closed due to allegations of abuse, poor conditions, and mismanagement. These facilities operated with histories of poor conditions and reduced government oversight.

Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was convicted of obstructing federal agents from arresting an undocumented immigrant. Dugan allegedly helped an undocumented immigrant leave her courtroom in April to avoid arrest by ICE agents waiting in the hallway. She was acquitted of a misdemeanor charge.

Families of immigrants arrested in a federal ICE surge in Maine are struggling to find basic information about their detained relatives as the government rapidly transfers them to detention facilities across multiple states. Erik Orellana-Mejia was arrested at his worksite on January 20 and has since been transferred to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Louisiana, and Missouri. ICE has been building out detention and deportation infrastructure in New England and across the country to support intensified enforcement operations.

Babblejit Kaur, an Indian-origin woman who has lived in the United States since 1994, was detained by ICE agents while attending a biometric interview for her green card application at a USCIS office. She had no criminal record, was sponsored by her daughter who is a green card holder, and worked for decades as a restaurant businesswoman and store employee. The detention occurred amid increased scrutiny of Indian nationals under new H-1B visa vetting policies announced in 2025.

Walter Francisco Cerrato Cabrera, a 48-year-old Honduran deckhand who had worked on oyster boats for 20 years, drowned on December 18 while jumping into Bayou La Loutre to avoid U.S. Coast Guard agents who had stopped at the docks. Cerrato and a younger coworker jumped from their boat when agents approached, but Cerrato, who could not swim, drowned in the bayou. The incident occurred amid increased immigration enforcement operations in lower St. Bernard Parish.

Seven people detained by ICE at a California immigration detention center filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on November 12, describing severe medical neglect and inhumane conditions. One detainee, Fernando Viera Reyes, reports being denied medication and urgent treatment for likely prostate cancer while in custody.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 24-year-old Vanessa Parrazal on December 17 outside Pinehurst Elementary School in Salisbury, Maryland, moments after she dropped off her child. The arrest occurred in the 400 block of Pinehurst Avenue, near but not on school property. A witness reported the arrest involved physical force.

The ACLU of Minnesota and three law firms sued ICE, alleging agents routinely violated the constitutional rights of people observing and protesting ICE raids. Six named plaintiffs, including Susan Tincher who was arrested during a December 9 raid in north Minneapolis, reported being detained, threatened at gunpoint, pepper sprayed, and having their personal information tracked through law enforcement databases.

Approximately 39,000 child-care workers have left the field. Many immigrant child-care workers report anxiety related to ICE encounters. Schools have canceled field trips, cultural events, and outdoor activities. Student attendance has declined and educators and families report stress.

ICE agents detained a pregnant woman at Karmel Mall in Minneapolis, holding her face-down on the ground while handcuffed. Witnesses reported that she was pregnant and unable to breathe, with some bystanders throwing snowballs at the agents.

A confrontation occurred in south Minneapolis when dozens of residents gathered as ICE agents operated near Lake Street and Pillsbury Avenue. During the incident, federal agents used pepper spray and at least one Taser on observers as the crowd attempted to prevent the arrest of a woman reported to be pregnant. Local law enforcement responded to assist ICE agents in leaving the scene.

An ICE agent followed and detained a 50-year-old Indian immigrant woman while she was going to work in her neighborhood. The woman was handcuffed and placed in a squad car without explanation or indication of any crime committed. An ICE agent pointed a gun at her adult child who arrived with paperwork to assist the mother.

Six foreign nationals were arrested between November 2025 and January 2026 and charged with being inadmissible as persons present without admission in the United States. They were detained at the Adelanto Detention Center and Desert View Annex without individualized bond hearings. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring bond hearings within 7 days or immediate release.

Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales, a 22-year-old U.S. citizen born in Maryland, was arrested by ICE on December 14, 2025, and transferred to Louisiana despite having valid birth certificates and other documentation proving her citizenship. ICE has disputed the authenticity of her documents and maintains she is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, while her attorneys have filed a habeas corpus petition and obtained a court order preventing her removal from the country pending adjudication.

Jesus Gutiérrez recounted to Reveal News an encounter where federal immigration agents used facial recognition technology called Mobile Fortify to scan his face, which brought up his name, date of birth, and immigration status. The agents detained him for about an hour before releasing him. Federal authorities have acknowledged using this facial recognition app across the country to verify citizenship and check for deportation orders.

A 20-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen was detained by ICE agents for approximately two hours in Minneapolis after being approached based on his Somali appearance. The agents apprehended him on a street near Cedar Avenue, placed him in a chokehold, and transported him to the Whipple Federal Building despite his repeated attempts to show his passport and ID. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O'Hara stated the incident constituted racial profiling and was unconstitutional, while ICE stated their actions were based on reasonable suspicion.

New data from the Deportation Project reveals significant increases in ICE arrests across New York counties between 2024 and October 2025. Onondaga County arrests increased from 56 to 161, Erie County from 59 to 620, Albany County from 20 to 190, and Monroe County from 6 to 224. Analysis by the New York Immigration Coalition found that people from Central and South America, who comprise 25% of the state's immigrant population, account for 74% of ICE arrests.

David Cardenas, 54, a Raleigh resident who fled Nicaragua and sought asylum in 2022, was detained by ICE during a routine yearly check-in appointment with USCIS in Charlotte. He suffered a medical emergency shortly after detention and was hospitalized at Atrium Health in Pineville, where ICE and the hospital initially blocked visits from his wife and children for a week. Following advocacy efforts and a press conference by immigrant rights groups and local leaders, ICE announced it would release Cardenas due to his severe health condition, potentially using alternative detention such as an ankle monitor.

Martina Martin Garcia, a Guatemalan asylum seeker who fled to the U.S. in April 2024, was arrested on December 11, 2025, while attending a scheduled ICE check-in at 630 Sansome Street in San Francisco. Garcia had been released on her own recognizance, complied with all supervision conditions, and had no criminal history. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring her immediate release, finding her detention likely violated her constitutional due process rights.

Mohan Karki, a 30-year-old refugee born in a Nepal refugee camp whose family fled persecution in Bhutan in the 1990s, faces deportation to Bhutan by the U.S. government despite having no passport or birth certificate from that country. He has been detained for over eight months pending removal proceedings stemming from a teenage burglary conviction. His attorneys have stated that deportation could result in statelessness, as Bhutanese authorities have previously denied entry to other deportees.

Jose Gomez and his 13-year-old son left their Eden Prairie apartment on a Thursday morning to move their car after a snowstorm. An unmarked SUV pulled up alongside them with police lights, and the father told his son to run as a second SUV arrived. The incident was reported by WCCO news.

A man who had lived in the U.S. for 27 years and worked with a company for 17 years was deported after his wife was pulled over for a broken headlight. He had paid taxes, owned a home, and raised American-born children. The deportation occurred despite his lack of criminal conduct.