Human Impact Project

The Trump administration's no-bond detention policy for immigrants has resulted in over 800 habeas corpus petitions filed in New Mexico federal courts since July. Criminal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office have been assigned to defend the detention policy, a departure from typical civil division representation. Detainees argue that detention without individual bond hearings violates due process rights, though the 10th Circuit has not yet ruled on the matter.

Five Pennsylvania county jails—Clinton, Erie, Franklin, Pike, and Cambria—have billed the federal government more than $21 million in 2024 and 2025 through agreements to detain immigrants, with some held for months. These detention arrangements predate the Trump administration but are receiving renewed attention amid the current mass deportation campaign. County officials cite the revenue as essential for supporting jail operations and general fund expenses, while local residents have increasingly pushed back against the practice.

Under the second Trump administration, immigration bond amounts have dramatically increased, with judges setting bonds as high as $80,000 compared to median amounts of $7,000 in 2023. Families desperate to free detained relatives are selling homes, vehicles, and belongings to raise bond money, while nonprofit bail funds report being overwhelmed with requests and running out of resources. The article follows one woman whose husband was granted bond but faced a $25,000 requirement to secure his release.

During President Trump's first year in office, 4,750 undocumented immigrants were arrested by federal immigration authorities in Colorado, a near-quadrupling of the prior year's arrest rate. The data shows 38% of those arrested had no criminal history, compared to 17.7% in the prior year, contradicting federal officials' claims of targeting individuals with serious criminal records. Of those arrested, 78% have already been deported. Arrestees came from more than 80 countries, with notable cases including Iranians arrested in June and five Venezuelans removed under the Alien Enemies Act on March 15, 2025.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested nearly 20,000 undocumented immigrants across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia from early 2025 through March 10, 2026, marking a significant increase from approximately 3,800 arrests during the final year of the Biden administration. Federal data showed nearly 60 percent of those arrested had no prior criminal record. Enforcement activity intensified following an August crime emergency declaration, with over 1,400 arrests in Washington between August and November, before declining sharply in December following a judicial ruling that questioned the legality of certain enforcement practices.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 1,400 people in the Columbus area in 2025, a five-fold increase from 2024. Less than 7% of those arrested during Operation Buckeye in December 2025 had criminal convictions. ICE claimed those without U.S. criminal records committed immigration violations, while the Deportation Data Project analysis contradicted ICE's assertion of targeting the 'worst of the worst' criminals.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta continues leading a multistate coalition challenging the Trump administration's no-bond detention policy, which mandates indefinite detention of undocumented immigrants without bond hearings or consideration of individual circumstances. The coalition has filed six amicus briefs arguing the policy violates due process rights and congressional intent, and has contributed to record detention levels in often overcrowded and unsafe facilities.

Cristina Mejia, 21, has assumed responsibility for her household in Waco, Texas, after her mother Elizabeth was detained by ICE on January 5, 2026, following an altercation. She now manages bills and cares for her two younger brothers, ages 16 and 5, while her mother awaits case updates at a detention facility in Houston. Mejia has limited contact with her mother through three daily phone calls and started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover family expenses during the separation.

Juan Chavez Velasco, a 35-year-old DACA recipient who arrived in the U.S. from Colombia at age 8, was detained by ICE agents on February 18, 2025, while traveling to deliver breast milk to his premature infant daughter in a hospital NICU in South Texas. Despite holding active DACA status since 2012, being a college graduate working as a medical lab specialist with no criminal history, and having a wife and U.S. citizen children, Velasco was detained based on a 2005 removal order issued before his DACA approval. DHS argued that DACA does not confer legal status. He was held in a Texas detention center for seven weeks, during which his DACA status expired despite a court order requiring renewal. His attorney argues the detention reflects shifting political priorities regarding DACA's scope, effectively separating Velasco from his newborn and family. Juan Chavez Velasco, a DACA recipient since 2012 and medical lab specialist, was detained by ICE agents outside his Weslaco home while en route to deliver breastmilk to his 6-week-old daughter in the NICU. Chavez Velasco is married to a U.S. citizen and has four U.S. citizen children. His attorney argues he is being targeted amid shifting political priorities regarding DACA protections, as he has no criminal history. JeanCarlos Fiallos Manzanares, a 32-year-old DACA recipient from Miami, was detained by ICE in May 2025 after officers appeared at his mother's home while he was dropping off his children. He has remained in an ICE detention center in New Mexico for ten months despite receiving approval for his DACA renewal. He filed a lawsuit challenging his detention, and a U.S. District judge found the government should respond to his petition, but no public filings have occurred since January. Juan Chavez Velasco, a 35-year-old DACA recipient with valid work authorization since 2012 and no criminal history, was detained by ICE agents on February 18, 2026, outside his home in Weslaco, Texas while driving to deliver breast milk to his 6-week-old premature daughter in the NICU. DHS cited a 2005 removal order and claimed DACA does not confer legal status. Velasco's DACA status expired while detained at a Texas detention center, and his renewal application from the previous fall remained unprocessed by the Trump administration despite a court order to process renewals. His detention separated him from his U.S. citizen spouse and family.

Godfrey Wade, a 65-year-old Jamaican-born U.S. Army veteran and lawful permanent resident who lived in the United States for over 50 years, was deported to Jamaica on February 5, 2026, while his appeal was pending before the Board of Immigration Appeals. Wade's deportation was based on a 2014 removal order stemming from 2006 misdemeanor convictions for simple assault and reckless conduct, and a bad check charge. Wade's legal team argued serious due process defects, claiming he never received proper notification of the original removal hearing because court documents were sent to an incorrect address and returned by the Postal Service. He was detained by ICE for nearly five months after being pulled over in September 2025 for driving without a valid driver's license, which he could not renew due to green card renewal delays. Congressional offices from both parties contacted the Department of Homeland Security seeking intervention before the deportation.

Albuquerque Public Schools experienced a significant decline in English language learner enrollment during the 2025-26 school year, with 851 such students leaving the district—more than double the previous year's departures. Highland High School saw a 15% drop in English language learner enrollment, with teachers reporting that some students have disappeared due to deportation fears and immigration enforcement concerns.

The Trump administration's no-bond detention policy for undocumented immigrants has prompted a surge of legal challenges in New Mexico federal courts. Since July 2025, over 800 habeas corpus petitions have been filed in New Mexico, with more than 34,590 filed nationwide challenging the policy that mandates detention for all noncitizens without authorization pending removal proceedings. To handle the unprecedented volume, criminal prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Mexico have been reassigned to defend the detention policy, a task typically handled by civil division attorneys. Federal judges report a dramatic increase in petition volume compared to previous years, with roughly a dozen filed from 2020-2024 versus over 400 from January through February 2026. The 10th Circuit has yet to rule on whether the detention practice violates due process rights.

Abel, an undocumented immigrant who has lived in Minnesota for 29 years and raised four U.S.-born children, was detained by ICE agents in January 2026 while delivering groceries to neighbors in Burnsville as part of a church-coordinated effort to assist families in hiding. The detention occurred during Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration's expanded enforcement operations in Minneapolis. Abel was later released from immigration detention, but the incident left his sons traumatized after witnessing federal agents detain their father during a routine community service activity.

Michel Proenza Martínez, an undocumented Cuban citizen with a final deportation order, was apprehended by ICE in Newark immediately after his release from federal prison. He has a criminal record including burglary, vehicle theft, drug-related offenses, and federal robbery under the Hobbs Act. Proenza Martínez is being processed for removal from the United States as part of intensified ICE enforcement targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds.

According to reporting from SA Current, a pregnant woman named Juana was ordered deported by ICE when she was near her due date. Medical professionals and airlines told ICE she was too pregnant to safely fly, but ICE continued seeking officials willing to authorize her travel anyway. The case highlights failures in ICE's own policies protecting pregnant detainees.

On April 2, 2026, ICE officers in Baltimore, Maryland attempted to arrest Ever Omar Alvarenga-Rios, a Honduran national with a final order of removal. During the enforcement action, Alvarenga drove recklessly through city streets, causing a multi-car pileup, then fled on foot. The arrest resulted in injuries to two ICE officers and Alvarenga, all of whom were hospitalized. Alvarenga remained hospitalized on April 5, and his attorney reported being denied access to him while in custody.

A Long Beach volunteer group is fundraising for Eduardo Ochoa, who is detained at Adelanto detention center. His trial is scheduled for about one week from the post date. The fundraiser aims to cover legal representation costs, citing concerns about predatory attorneys and inadequate legal services.

Eight people from various African countries were deported from the United States to Uganda on April 3, 2026, marking the first deportation under a Safe Third Country agreement signed between the two nations in July 2025. The deportees were individuals of African origin who were denied asylum in the US and could not be returned to their home countries. A US judge approved their cases before the transfer. Uganda's Foreign Ministry confirmed accepting the deportees, though they were neither Ugandan nor US citizens. The Uganda Law Society and East Africa Law Society condemned the deportations as illegal, undignified, and dehumanizing, citing lack of proper procedures and engagement of state institutions, and announced plans to challenge the process in court.

Valley View Elementary School in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, where two-thirds of students are Latino, was heavily impacted by ICE enforcement operations in early 2026. At least 30 parents and four students were detained. School staff provided support to affected students through counseling and joy-focused activities. The detentions caused widespread fear and disruption in the school community.

Bakur Japharidze, a Russian citizen who entered the U.S. without inspection in April 2023, was detained by police on April 4, 2026 for driving with a suspended driver's license. ICE officers assumed custody and transferred him to the West Tennessee Detention Facility. The court denied his habeas corpus petition challenging detention without an individualized bond hearing.

Federal immigration authorities arrested 15 people over a weekend in an interior enforcement operation. Those arrested included Martin Gutierrez-Gaona (Mexican citizen, convicted of evading police, drug possession, forgery, and assault with a deadly weapon in Los Angeles); Carlos Augusto Melendez-Reales (Colombian citizen, convicted of cocaine trafficking conspiracy in Tampa, Florida); Carl Winston Ellis (Jamaican national, convicted of drug possession with intent to distribute and illegal re-entry in Las Vegas); Jose Daniel Lara-Zavala (Mexican citizen, convicted of driving under the influence and homicide in Wilson, North Carolina); Odelio Lopez-Lopez (Mexican national, convicted of burglary, child cruelty, wife cruelty, and domestic assault in California); and Natanio Jimenez-Garcia (Mexican citizen, convicted of aggravated rape and fraud in Louisiana). Nine others were also arrested with convictions for child sex crimes, assault with a deadly weapon, and witness tampering. The arrests are part of the Trump administration's expansion of interior immigration enforcement.

Approximately 6,000 Cuban nationals have been deported from the United States to Mexico under an agreement between the Trump and Sheinbaum administrations. Most deportees arrive in Mexican cities including Tapachula and Villahermosa with no advance notice or state support. Many are elderly individuals who spent decades building lives in the U.S. and are unable to return to Cuba or re-enter the United States. The deportees face extreme poverty and homelessness while attempting to survive on the streets and seeking humanitarian visas to remain in Mexico.

Following aggressive enforcement operations in Minnesota that drew public criticism, ICE is shifting toward a less visible approach that relies more heavily on local and state law enforcement through expanded 287(g) partnerships. The number of police and sheriff's departments participating in the federal program grew exponentially from 45 agreements in 2019 to over 1,600 agreements across 39 states by 2026. DHS leadership has indicated ICE will increasingly focus on transporting individuals identified by local agencies rather than conducting frontline enforcement operations.

Hillsdale police officers operating under a 287(g) agreement with ICE visited Ritenour Middle School on April 4, 2026, inquiring about three students. The officers appeared in the school parking lot in tactical gear but did not enter the building due to lacking a warrant. School administrators redirected the officers to district headquarters where they asked about the students' status. The incident raised community concerns about the expansion of 287(g) partnerships in the region.

Following the Minnesota ICE surge in which federal officers killed two U.S. citizens and faced widespread criticism, ICE is shifting toward a less visible enforcement approach that relies heavily on local law enforcement partnerships through the 287(g) program. The program has expanded exponentially, with over 1,600 agreements now in place across 39 states, allowing local police to enforce immigration law during routine traffic stops and other interactions. DHS leadership has stated the goal is for ICE to become more of a transport service, picking up undocumented immigrants from local jails rather than conducting front-line enforcement operations.

Jesús Carpio, a Venezuelan living in Orlando, was deported from the United States following arrest during a traffic stop for driving with a suspended license. He was killed in Venezuela four days after his deportation. His sister stated his case reflects fears among Venezuelan exiles about returning to their country.

Elmer Flores, a 27-year-old from Honduras, was detained by ICE agents on March 9, 2026, outside the Mecklenburg County Health Department while dropping off his pregnant wife for a medical appointment. Flores has lived in the U.S. for over three years and has no criminal record. His wife is five months pregnant with a high-risk pregnancy, and the family includes two other children. ICE is holding Flores at a detention facility in Georgia while his family remains in North Carolina. Community organizations have responded by alerting the public about safety concerns at public service locations.

Josue Garcia-Hernandez was detained by ICE at the Aurora ICE Processing Center after living in the United States for 25 years. He has five siblings and one daughter who are U.S. citizens and worked as the primary breadwinner for his family in construction. The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding he was improperly subjected to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2).

Eneldina Dalila Toma-Sambrano De Sandoval, a Guatemalan citizen married to a lawful permanent resident, was taken into custody by ICE while her appeal was pending before the Board of Immigration Appeals. She had missed her March 2020 immigration hearing due to attorney error, resulting in a removal order in absentia. The court denied her request for emergency relief to delay removal and release from detention.

Jasser L. Bautista Espinoza, a Nicaraguan citizen who entered the U.S. without inspection in May 2022, was arrested by immigration authorities on April 3, 2026. He was detained at the Philadelphia Federal Detention Center under mandatory detention provisions that denied him a bond hearing. The federal court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding his detention under Section 1225 unlawful.

Brian Jose Morales Garcia, 25, was deported by ICE after being detained during a traffic stop near Fredericksburg, Texas on April 3, 2026. Garcia claims he is a U.S. citizen born in Denver and provided documents including a birth certificate, hospital records, and baptismal record to support his claim. Despite his assertions of citizenship and documents at home, ICE deported him four days after his arrest after he allegedly made an admission of illegal entry under what he says was intimidation.

Maylen Borrego-Nunez, a Cuban citizen who entered the U.S. in 2022 and was released on recognizance with pending asylum appeals, was arrested by local police in Odessa, Texas for an alleged ordinance violation on April 3, 2026. She was transferred to ICE custody on April 6, 2026, and detained at the Otero County Processing Center. The court ordered her immediate release, finding her continued detention without a bond hearing violated due process.

Federal law enforcement personnel were stationed at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island on April 3, 2026, following security mandates from U.S. Northern Command in response to increased military threats. ICE agents were deployed alongside military police for credential checks and installation security, raising concerns among undocumented relatives of graduating Marines attending the ceremony. Officials stated the deployment was for security purposes, though the involvement of ICE prompted questions about potential immigration enforcement actions.

The Adelanto ICE Processing Center has placed dozens of detainees in solitary confinement each month since June 2025, with numbers tripling when the Trump administration's mass deportation effort increased. The facility ranks among the top 10 U.S. ICE facilities by percentage of detainees in segregation, with the detainee population tripling since the previous fiscal year. As of January 2026, 74 people were in isolation at the facility. Nationally, average solitary confinement stays have increased from two weeks in 2022 to more than seven weeks by the end of 2025.

Sunday Goshit, a University of Iowa adjunct assistant professor and Nigerian immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 2000, was approved for naturalization in October 2025 after passing his citizenship interview. His naturalization ceremony scheduled for January 16, 2026 was canceled without explanation less than a month before the date. Goshit and his wife filed a lawsuit against U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in federal court challenging the halting of their naturalization application.

Data from the Deportation Data Project reveals that approximately 41-42 percent of migrants arrested by ICE between January 24 and March 10, 2026 had no criminal records, contradicting Trump administration claims of targeting criminals and public safety threats. The enforcement operations followed deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota. Despite statements about a more targeted approach, ICE maintained high arrest volumes averaging 7,000 weekly during the six-week period—down from 9,000 in January but still primarily affecting people without criminal histories. The administration's goal of 3,000 daily ICE arrests remained unmet, with actual rates around 933 arrests per day.

John Bol Ajak, a 26-year-old former Syracuse University basketball player, was taken into ICE custody in early March 2026 following his arrest in Syracuse on charges of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. His student visa had expired in 2023 after his graduation. He was held at Buffalo Federal Detention Facility and Moshannon Valley Processing Center for over a month. During a virtual hearing with Elizabeth Immigration Court in New Jersey on April 2-3, 2026, an immigration judge found that Ajak had overstayed his visa. Ajak agreed to voluntary deportation to South Sudan and was scheduled for removal within 60 days.

U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware II ruled that a Trump administration policy requiring ICE to detain all people facing deportation violates federal law and the Fourth Amendment, causing irreparable harm. The decision overturned mandatory detention requirements that had barred immigrants from requesting bond hearings regardless of their length of residence or criminal history. The ruling restores bond hearing rights for non-citizens in removal proceedings and potentially affects hundreds of people, upward of 60 per week in Nevada. ICE was ordered to post bilingual notices by April 7, 2026 and provide habeas petition forms by April 14, 2026.

Two immigrant truck drivers detained by Iowa State Patrol and ICE officers along Interstate 80 are suing the federal government, alleging violations of due process rights. The detentions occurred as part of 'Operation ICE Wall,' a national immigration enforcement effort where state troopers stop drivers at weigh stations and ICE officers arrest them. Both drivers had work authorization and pending asylum applications at the time of their arrests.

Federal agents arrested approximately 3,400 people during an immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota between December 2025 and March 2026, with nearly 1,700 deported, mostly to Mexico and Ecuador. Despite the operation's stated focus on Somali immigrants, only two people were deported to Somalia. Most detainees were held at Camp East Montana in Texas, a facility criticized for dangerous conditions, before deportation.

Texas Republicans and Trump administration officials are attempting to deny free public education to undocumented immigrant children, reversing a 50+ year precedent established by the Supreme Court's 1982 ruling. The state previously withdrew in-state tuition access for undocumented students in 2025 after a Trump administration lawsuit settlement. White House adviser Stephen Miller has been pushing Texas lawmakers to lead on restricting educational access for undocumented residents.

Advocacy groups RAICES and Human Rights First released a joint report calling for the closure of the Dilley Immigrant Processing Center, a migrant family detention facility near San Antonio. Based on interviews with 50 families held at the site, the report documents violations of due process and inhumane conditions. Although the facility's population dropped from 1,100 to approximately 100 between January and late March, advocates warned that federal authorities show no signs of ending family detention policies and are planning to open additional family detention facilities.

Felix Alvarez Vargas, a non-citizen, is currently detained by immigration authorities at the Florida Soft Side Detention Facility in Ochopee, Florida. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention under 8 U.S.C. §1225, along with an emergency motion for temporary restraining order seeking release from ICE custody. The court denied his motion for expedited consideration and temporary restraining order, noting that two circuit courts have recently rejected his legal arguments regarding his detention.

Jose Espinoza Hernandez was arrested and detained by ICE outside his home in the early morning of April 2, 2026, when he was leaving for work. He is currently in removal proceedings and has a pending U-Visa application. The court granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release, finding his detention violated due process. Jose Espinoza was detained by ICE on April 2nd in the morning just outside his home as he was heading to work. His family launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to support his case and bring him home.

Maria Fernanda Gomez Fuentes, a Venezuelan citizen who entered the U.S. on a B-2 visa in 2016 and filed for asylum within one year, was detained by ICE on April 2, 2026 when she appeared for her scheduled asylum interview at the Los Angeles Asylum Office in Tustin, California. Despite maintaining lawful employment and having no criminal history over nine years, the interview was not conducted and she was instead transported to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. The court granted her temporary restraining order application, ordering that she receive an individualized bond hearing within three days.

Antonio Cuni Medina, a Cuban national with a final removal order from November 1987, was re-detained by ICE on April 2, 2026, after not being in immigration custody since that time. ICE sought to hold him under 8 U.S.C. § 1231(a)(6) and evaluate him for third-country removal to Mexico without his consent. The court found ICE failed to demonstrate changed circumstances justifying revocation of his release and did not comply with procedural requirements. The court ordered his immediate release to the conditions he was subject to prior to detention.

Kaleth, a 2-year-old boy, was detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas after his entire family reported to a routine ICE check-in appointment in California in March 2026. The family had never missed a required immigration appointment since seeking asylum in 2024. Kaleth's father was handcuffed and transferred to an adult detention facility in California, while Kaleth and his mother Joani were transported over 1,000 miles away to Dilley. Separated from his father, Kaleth became despondent and stopped eating for 12 days; facility staff attributed his refusal to eat to depression. When his mother tried to force him to eat, he vomited and eventually stopped having bowel movements. After two weeks in detention, ICE released Kaleth and his mother in April following legal intervention, reuniting them with his father. His legal representative reported that Kaleth had not eaten solid food during his entire detention; in the car from the airport, he devoured four packets of applesauce and has since recovered.

Adriana Ernestina Perez Moreno, a Venezuelan national with Temporary Protected Status, was detained by ICE on April 2, 2026, after being stopped for speeding. She had been granted humanitarian parole in October 2022 and subsequently received TPS status. The court granted her habeas corpus petition and ordered her immediate release, finding her detention violated due process rights.

Luzvin Garcia Moran, a 28-year-old noncitizen from Guatemala, was arrested by Arlington County Police on April 12, 2026, for attempted sexual assault. According to ICE, Garcia approached a woman waiting for a rideshare, made sexually explicit comments, grabbed and pushed her into a wall, and physically assaulted her. The victim briefly escaped but he approached and assaulted her again before two bystanders intervened and called police. Garcia fled but was quickly apprehended by responding officers. ICE lodged a detainer requesting he not be released from custody. According to the agency, Garcia has an arrest record spanning 2020 to 2026 that includes charges for public intoxication, assault and battery, disorderly conduct, and probation violations.

Suzy Gerónimo, a transgender activist and community organizer in North Carolina, was detained by ICE following a traffic stop in Franklin County and transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. Gerónimo is recognized for founding and directing Fuerza y Unión Múltiple (FUM), an organization supporting transgender people in rural areas. A fundraising campaign was launched to support her legal defense and detention-related expenses, with Raleigh Immigration Law Firm providing legal representation.