Human Impact Project

Estefany Rodríguez Flórez, a Spanish-language reporter for Nashville Noticias and Colombian citizen, was arrested by ICE agents on March 4, 2026, during a traffic stop in South Nashville while her husband was dropping off their daughter at a bus stop. She had entered the U.S. legally on a tourist visa in 2021 and was awaiting asylum approval after fleeing Colombia, where she received threats for reporting on militant groups. She also had pending green card applications through marriage to a U.S. citizen. ICE cited her as a flight risk for missing two meetings, though her attorney stated ICE could not locate any record of a scheduled appointment in their system despite multiple inquiries. During her 16-day detention across facilities in Alabama and Louisiana, Rodríguez reported difficult conditions including forced chemical washing, isolation, and limited access to legal assistance. An immigration judge granted her release on bond on March 16, 2026, and she was released on March 20 after a $10,000 bond was paid. Her legal team filed federal court petitions challenging the arrest as warrantless and alleging violations of her First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rights, including allegations of retaliation for her critical reporting on ICE enforcement activities.

Hung Cam Chu, a Vietnamese national who entered the U.S. as a refugee in 1988, was re-detained by ICE on March 20, 2026, during a routine check-in. Chu had a valid removal order issued against him in 1997, but removal efforts failed at that time and he was released on an Order of Supervision. The court denied his habeas petition on July 16, 2026, finding that changed circumstances—including improved U.S.-Vietnam diplomatic relations and deportation protocols—created a significant likelihood of his removal in the reasonably foreseeable future.

Luis Jose Valencia filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan on March 20, 2026, challenging his detention. The petition includes motions for temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, and immediate release, with supporting documentation including passport, employment letter, rental lease, and clean police record.

An Irving police officer conducted a traffic stop of a white Nissan pickup truck on March 20, 2026, after observing an obscured license plate and evasive driving. A K-9 unit alerted to narcotics, leading to a probable cause search that discovered cocaine, marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, and a THC vape pen. Two individuals, Mitchell Kvaal and Karen Sarahi Duran-Quintero, were arrested and transported to Irving Jail.

The Trump administration has reshaped the Board of Immigration Appeals by reducing its size by nearly half and stacking it with presidential appointees. The board's decisions backed Department of Homeland Security lawyers in 97% of publicly posted cases, significantly narrowing due process and relief from deportation available for immigrants. The board has made it harder for immigrants to obtain bond, easier to deport migrants to third countries, and has published a record 70 precedent-setting decisions.

Paolo Zampolli, a Trump associate and presidential special envoy, requested that ICE detain his Brazilian ex-girlfriend Amanda Ungaro who was in a Miami jail on fraud charges. ICE official David Venturella promptly arranged for Ungaro to be placed in ICE custody, and she was ultimately deported. The incident reflects allegations that federal government resources are being used to settle personal scores during the second Trump administration.

The U.S. government is opening large detention megacenters under the Detention Reengineering Initiative (DRI) to centralize processing of immigrants. The new facilities will consolidate intake, background checks, immigration hearings, and deportation preparation in single locations. According to official documents, immigrants may remain detained for approximately 60 days while their legal status is determined or deportation logistics are arranged.

Igor Babkin, a Russian art teacher who fled political persecution, entered the U.S. legally under humanitarian parole in 2024 and was released under supervision. On February 3, 2026, ICE detained him during a routine annual check-in appointment despite his legal status and prior release. Held at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall for approximately six weeks, Babkin's attorney challenged the detention as violating due process rights. On March 17, 2026, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ordered Babkin's release, finding that ICE had violated his due process rights by reversing its earlier discretionary decision to release him without providing individualized assessment or evidence of changed circumstances. Babkin was released on March 20, 2026.

Three people were detained during an ICE raid on a South Burlington home on March 11, 2026. The detainees were Daysi Camila Patin Patin, 20, from Ecuador; her sister Jisella Johana Patin Patin; and Cristian Humberto Jerez Andrade. None of the three were named in the warrant that authorized the raid. Following federal court hearings, all three were ordered released by a judge, with Daysi Camila Patin Patin's release ordered on March 20, 2026.

Jiaye You, a fourth-year Chinese-American student at University at Buffalo, was arrested by ICE after attending a routine immigration hearing in New York City and is currently held at Jackson Parish Correctional Center in Louisiana. The reason for his detention remains unclear. His professor has launched a GoFundMe campaign that has raised over $24,000 for legal fees, and the university has expressed support for his case.

Royer Pérez-Jimenez, a 19-year-old indigenous Tzotzil Mayan from San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, Mexico, died on March 16, 2026, at Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida, while in ICE custody. He had immigrated to the United States at age 15 to join an uncle but was left on his own after the uncle was deported. He worked continuously in a restaurant but earned minimal wages. On January 21, 2026, he was arrested during a traffic stop after giving a false name and was convicted of misdemeanors on February 19. He was transferred to ICE custody on February 21 and moved to the Moore Haven facility on February 26. On March 16 at approximately 2:34 a.m., he was found unresponsive in his dormitory; despite CPR efforts by detention staff and emergency responders, he was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m. ICE stated the death was a presumed suicide, though the official cause remained under investigation. His father Manuel Pérez rejected the suicide conclusion and called for a thorough investigation. His death was one of at least 13 to 14 acknowledged deaths in ICE detention occurring between January and late March 2026.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger ruled that ICE unlawfully detained asylum seeker Andrei Bankevich from Belarus in Muscatine County Jail for over a year and that federal officials violated his due process rights by refusing to release him without a court order.

During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, US Marine Corps Gen. Francis Donovan stated the military will establish a detention camp at Guantánamo Bay to house Cuban migrants. The administration has already signed an executive order to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Guantánamo Bay to over 30,000 beds.

ICE arrests averaged over 1,000 people per day in early 2026, nearly double the rate from the previous year. Roughly half of these arrests were custodial arrests of people already in law enforcement custody. Despite high-profile enforcement surges in Democratic-led areas, arrest data shows higher numbers in states like Texas and Florida.

Jose Valera Vera, a medical assistant at a Memphis clinic, was detained by ICE after traveling to Nashville for an immigration hearing. Vera, a former doctor from Venezuela seeking political asylum, was taken into custody at the hearing despite having a pending petition filed by his wife, who is a permanent resident. He has since been transferred to a facility in Mason, Tennessee.

ICE agents detained Raúl Tapia on Wednesday after surrounding his van near his home in Georgetown, Delaware as he and his son drove to work. Agents broke the van's windows and removed Tapia without presenting a warrant or arrest warrant. Tapia came to the United States from Mexico approximately 25 years ago and lacks legal immigration status. He is currently held in a detention center in Philadelphia.

Anil Thakur, a 21-year-old Indian citizen, entered the U.S. without inspection in June 2024 and was released on his own recognizance with removal proceedings pending. He complied with all release conditions and filed for asylum. Immigration authorities re-detained him on March 19, 2026, without notice or opportunity for a hearing. The court granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release, finding the government violated his due process rights.

A 23-year-old woman was detained at a Border Patrol checkpoint on State Route 94 after agents suspected her of smuggling undocumented migrants but found no evidence of a crime. An agent falsely told her he found "deleted evidence" on her phone; when she grabbed it back, agents twisted her arm and wrestled the phone from her. As she turned to walk into a holding cell, an agent Tasered her, striking her breast. She was pregnant with a 2-month-old baby at the time and was hospitalized to have the Taser prong removed; her breastmilk was bloody for weeks. Federal prosecutors charged her with assaulting a federal officer but dismissed the charge in August after body camera footage contradicted agents' allegations and her attorney argued agents violated her constitutional rights by arresting her without probable cause and using excessive force.

Alvaro Velasquez, a high school senior at Roosevelt Schools in Nassau County, New York, was detained by ICE in May 2025 weeks before graduation. He was held at a detention center in Texas for several months before self-deporting to Guatemala. Superintendent Dr. Shawn Wightman traveled to Guatemala at his own expense to deliver Velasquez's cap, gown, and diploma in person after being denied access to him at the detention facility.

Two individuals were detained by ICE and subsequently released on bond following legal proceedings. Estefany María Rodríguez Flores, a Colombian journalist for Nashville Noticias, was detained during a traffic stop on March 4, 2026, and released on March 19 after an immigration judge granted bond. Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman, was detained in March 2025 after meeting with immigration authorities and held for over a year at Prairieland Detention Facility in Texas before being released on March 16, 2026, following a judge's bond order that the Department of Homeland Security declined to appeal. Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman and visible campus advocate, was detained in March 2025 for staying in the U.S. on an expired F-1 student visa. While in detention, she experienced her first-ever seizure and was handcuffed to a hospital bed for 72 hours. An immigration judge ordered her release on bond twice before the government kept her detained through automatic stays. A Texas judge ordered her release a third time on March 16, 2026, setting bond at $100,000.

JeanCarlos Fiallos Manzanares, a 31-year-old DACA recipient from Miami, was detained by ICE agents following a traffic stop near his mother's house despite holding valid deferred action status. He was transferred to Otero County Processing Center in New Mexico, approximately 2,000 miles from his family. While detained, USCIS approved his deferred action renewal in January, but ICE did not release him. An immigration judge subsequently ordered his deportation to Honduras, and USCIS rescinded his approved deferred action protections. Fiallos Manzanares filed a lawsuit challenging his detention after a federal judge found merit to his petition, but he was deported after more than a year in custody, separated from his U.S. citizen wife and two young sons.

Aliya Rahman, a U.S. citizen from Minneapolis with autism and traumatic brain injury, was arrested by Capitol Police while attending the State of the Union as a guest of Rep. Ilhan Omar. The federal government announced it will not file charges against her. Rahman claims she was arrested for standing silently in the gallery; Capitol Police say she refused to obey lawful orders.

The Department of Defense is continuing to recruit civilian employees to volunteer for support roles with the Department of Homeland Security in border security missions. According to a Pentagon email, 1,000 civilians have been added to assist DHS, with 200 already deployed and 900 applications submitted. Detailees will support Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection with logistics, operations development, and informant tiplines.

Cristian Humberto Jerez Andrade, a 31-year-old Honduran national, was detained during an ICE raid on March 11, 2026, at a South Burlington residence. ICE agents had a search warrant for the property but Jerez Andrade's name was not on it; they were searching for another individual who was not present. He was held at Northwest State Correctional Facility for approximately one week before an immigration judge granted him release on a $10,000 bond on March 19-20, 2026. Jerez Andrade has not been charged with a crime, though deportation proceedings have been initiated against him.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox endorsed a new ICE detention center purchased for $145.4 million in Salt Lake City, which could hold up to 7,500 detainees. Cox expressed concerns that state leaders and local officials were not notified of the facility's purchase. The warehouse purchase is part of a broader federal effort to establish regional detention "mega-facilities" across the country.

Chih-Ming 'Petey' Feng, a well-known line cook in Dallas's restaurant industry, was deported to Taiwan on March 19, 2026, after spending more than 130 days in ICE custody. Feng was detained on November 6, 2025, when he attended a follow-up ICE appointment after overstaying his visa since 2010. He was deported to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where his parents live, with his mother and sister currently battling cancer.

A federal jury returned a mixed verdict against nine defendants accused of domestic terrorism stemming from a July 4 noise demonstration outside the Prairieland immigrant detention center in Alvarado, Texas. Prosecutors argued the defendants constituted a "North Texas Antifa cell" and all played a role in a nonfatal shooting of a police officer during the protest. The defendants stated the protest was intended to show solidarity with migrants in detention and involved fireworks and vandalism. Eight defendants were convicted on felony charges including providing material support to terrorists and conspiracy to use explosives.

Approximately 400-500 people protested in Salt Lake City against a Department of Homeland Security warehouse purchase intended for conversion into an ICE detention facility. During the protest on March 19, 2026, a smaller group vandalized the building by spray-painting and throwing rocks at windows, causing approximately $3,000 in damage. Three people were arrested: Chase Taylor Fredrickson, age 18, and two minors. They faced charges including rioting, property damage, and unlawful assembly, with some charges at the third-degree felony level. The majority of protesters remained peaceful.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and ICE regarding conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, which holds approximately 1,800 people. The brief documented inadequate medical care, unsafe conditions, insufficient staffing, contaminated water, spoiled food, lack of clean clothing, and reports of pepper spray use on detainees. Three men died at the facility between September 2025 and February 2026. Detainees also reported limited access to phones for legal calls and failure to accommodate people with disabilities. ICE denied the allegations, stating detainees receive proper meals, water, and medical treatment.

A Venezuelan man with a U.S. citizen son was detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, despite having been previously released by ICE. Court records indicate ICE reassessed his tattoos as a basis for re-detention. He was among at least 16 asylum seekers released by federal court order after successful litigation challenging their detention.

A former career public servant from Afghanistan who fled violence and was granted work authorization to work as a supermarket cashier and Uber driver was among at least 16 asylum seekers detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, and later released by federal court order. The detention was based on alleged violations of the Intensive Supervision Appearance program.

A Russian asylum seeker who fled persecution over refusing to participate in Russia's invasion of Ukraine was among at least 16 asylum seekers detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, and later released by federal court order. The detention was based on alleged violations of the Intensive Supervision Appearance program.

An Afghan asylum seeker was assured by ICE that two missed check-ins would not be held against him—one due to a double-booked appointment and another due to hospitalization for a heart arrhythmia. Two months after the hospitalization, ICE detained him at work, claiming he was a flight risk for missed check-ins and failing to report a move to Portland. ICE provided no documentary evidence of the violations. U.S. District Judge Kymberly K. Evanson ruled in his favor and released him after 41 days of detention at the Northwest Detention Center.

Shani Edijou, an Iranian native who entered the U.S. as a child in 1993 and was granted withholding of removal in 1999, was detained by ICE at Los Angeles International Airport on March 18, 2026 while attempting to fly to Chicago for his father-in-law's funeral. Edijou had been on supervised release for over 12 years and is married to a U.S. citizen with two U.S. citizen children. The court granted his temporary restraining order and ordered his immediate release, finding that ICE failed to follow proper procedures for revoking his supervised release.

A GBH News analysis of trial court system data found that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents made at least 614 arrests in Massachusetts courthouses during 2025. Region 3, which includes Lynn, Lawrence, and Lowell, accounted for 227 of these detentions. Despite official policy prohibiting court officers from initiating contact with ICE, defense attorneys noted that court officers develop relationships with federal agents and provide information about defendants' court appearances. One documented case involved a man detained at Lynn District Court while disputing a civil infraction, who was subsequently deported to Guatemala despite holding a special immigrant juvenile visa and having a pending immigration court hearing. The arrests prompted state legislators and advocacy groups to propose legislation restricting ICE enforcement at courthouses for civil matters and limiting cooperation between local courts and federal immigration enforcement.

This guide explains how families can locate loved ones detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Florida. It describes the ICE detention process, including how detainees are transferred through processing centers and facilities, which can make locating them difficult. The article provides instructions on using the ICE Online Detainee Locator System to search by A-Number or biographical information, and explains reasons why detainees may not immediately appear in the system.

Ben and five other people in Illinois, Oregon, and Minnesota were arrested while protesting at ICE facilities and had DNA swabs taken without clear consent. Ben was arrested during a protest at Chicago's Broadview ICE facility during Operation Midway Blitz; video reviewed by NPR shows a masked federal officer slamming him to the ground while three immigration officers pinned him down and dragged him to their vehicle. He was held in custody for approximately three hours, then photographed, fingerprinted, and had a DNA swab collected from inside his cheek without clear explanation. The six cases, reported in recent months across three states, are now part of litigation challenging the Department of Homeland Security and FBI DNA database collection practices as violations of First and Fourth Amendment protections.

Rafael Rubio, a New York City Council data analyst, was ordered deported to Venezuela by a federal immigration judge after being detained by ICE for more than two months. The judge deemed Rubio's asylum application abandoned due to a missing signature on paperwork. Rubio had overstayed a 2017 tourist visa. According to DHS, he has a prior arrest for assault.

Wilfredo Castillo, a Venezuelan who fled political persecution and violence, was arrested at an immigration check-in appointment in Tukwila in March 2025 after being told by ICE he would be detained. ICE claimed he missed nine SmartLink app check-ins, but Castillo says the app malfunctioned and he never missed in-person appointments. He spent 11 months at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, where he was stabbed multiple times by another detainee. A federal judge released him after finding the government lacked justification for his prolonged detention.

Jose Eliezer Martinez-Andino, a 20-year-old Honduran man with SIJS (Special Immigrant Juvenile Status) and no criminal history, was apprehended by immigration officers on March 18 while traveling in Montana and deported to Honduras after being held in six detention centers over 10 days without access to family or attorneys. A federal judge found he was likely denied due process and signed a voluntary deportation agreement under coercion without adequate legal counsel, and ordered the Trump administration to facilitate his return. Martinez-Andino has a 3-year-old U.S. citizen daughter who relies on his work authorization.

Project Homecoming, a nearly $1 billion DHS program offering stipends up to $2,600 and free flights, has facilitated 72,000 self-deportations as of March 2026. The Trump administration credits the program as more cost-effective than traditional deportation proceedings. The majority of participants were already in ICE detention when they enrolled, and the program also repurposed the CBP Home app to process departures, though detailed usage data remains unclear.

ICE raids in South Texas are disrupting the construction industry as President Trump pursues his immigration enforcement priorities. The raids are creating tension between economic concerns and immigration policy, affecting workers and businesses in the region.

ICE operates 170 unofficial detention sites across the country, including four in Arizona, where over 140,000 undocumented immigrants were held between January and October 2025. These facilities are held to different standards than official detention centers and lack basic amenities like beds and toilets. Federal data shows thousands of violations of the 72-hour detention limit, with some detainees held for weeks or months, including nearly 750 children detained at a Phoenix facility.

The Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California's Mojave Desert has faced documented concerns about detention conditions and practices. An investigation revealed detainees experiencing inadequate medical care, insufficient food and water, mold, staph infections, and prolonged detention, with some held for nearly three years despite having permanent residency status or no criminal convictions. Immigrant rights groups have filed a lawsuit against ICE and the Department of Homeland Security seeking to end conditions described as unsanitary, with more than a dozen detainees hospitalized and two local fathers dying following detention at the facility.

More than 70,000 people have self-deported from the United States during the Trump administration, with most having been under ICE detention, according to Department of Homeland Security documents. The figures include those who participated in Project Homecoming, a program offering up to $2,600 and free one-way tickets to those who voluntarily leave the country through the CBP Home app.

Massachusetts lawmakers are advancing legislation to prohibit warrantless civil immigration arrests at courthouses and other sensitive locations including hospitals, schools, and places of worship. Two bills, one from Governor Maura Healey and another from the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, have gained support following recent federal immigration raids in the state that resulted in thousands of arrests.

Multiple Ohio organizations filed a lawsuit on March 18, 2026, against the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Protection, alleging federal agents illegally arrested people without proper arrest warrants or probable cause since April 22, 2025. The lawsuit represents all people in Ohio subject to such arrests and includes a specific case from December 2025 in which plainclothes agents in an unmarked vehicle arrested a man outside a home improvement store without displaying a warrant. The man had an active asylum case, a valid work permit, and a social security number.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted operations in Glassport Borough over a two-week period, resulting in 17 arrests. Witnesses reported seeing ICE agents surrounding buildings and conducting arrests in handcuffs at multiple locations, including near Ohio Avenue and Sixth Street and a Sunoco gas station. Glassport Police Chief Shawn DeVerse reported that the borough is not part of the 287(g) Program and that local police cooperate with federal agents during ICE operations. DeVerse indicated that ICE agents stated they would continue returning to the borough for additional operations.

Juan Antonio Maldinera Guzman was re-detained on March 17, 2026, after previously being released on bond or conditional parole under immigration law. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his ongoing immigration detention, arguing that the government violated due process by re-detaining him without providing a pre-deprivation bond hearing. The court granted his petition and ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted 39 live pythons hidden inside a tractor at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo on March 5, 2026. The driver had provided a negative declaration for prohibited goods before officers discovered the snakes concealed in the vehicle. CBP issued $34,824 in penalties for export violations, seized the tractor and trailer, and the case remains under investigation by the Fish and Wildlife Service and Homeland Security Investigations.