Human Impact Project

The Trump administration issued an ICE directive requiring refugees to apply for green card status within one year of admission and return to custody for re-vetting, or face mandatory arrest and indefinite detention. The policy expands Operation PARRIS and replaces a 2010 memo that previously protected refugees from deportation for failing to adjust status. Refugees and advocates argue the policy is impossible to comply with because applications cannot be submitted until after the first year, while current processing times average 12 months. Two Texas refugees have been detained under this guidance and are part of a federal lawsuit challenging the policy as unconstitutional.

An man who was in ICE custody escaped from an ICE agent's vehicle near Chambers Drive and Sigman Road in Rockdale County, Georgia on Monday afternoon. The man had been arrested by Conyers Police on Saturday for a traffic violation and was being transferred by ICE when he jumped from the vehicle and fled. Law enforcement from multiple agencies established a perimeter and captured the man shortly after 3 p.m.

Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez, a Colombian asylum-seeker, was detained by ICE on March 5, 2026, after reporting for a routine check-in appointment at the ICE office in San Francisco. Her two children were detained with her; the older child is deaf and was separated from his hearing aids during detention. Attorneys were unable to locate the family, and ICE provided conflicting information about their whereabouts. The family was deported to Colombia three days after the arrest. California officials and immigration attorneys subsequently called for the family's return, citing the separation of a deaf child from necessary medical devices and lack of due process.

Ruben, 28, a Nicaraguan immigrant who had been living in San Francisco's Mission District with his brother Francisco since October 2022, was arrested on February 17 while arriving for his asylum appointment at the Sansome Street immigration court. Francisco and Ruben had worked together and lived as a unit for three years in the Mission, sharing meals and supporting each other as they built their lives in the United States. Ruben's prior immigration appointment had been changed without his notification, and he failed to file the necessary motion to explain his missed hearing, which proved fatal to his case. He was detained and transferred through multiple detention facilities—Mesa Verde in Bakersfield, a facility in Arizona, and Puerto Isabel in Texas—before being deported to Nicaragua on March 8.

Jefferson Fernando Cando Llano, 29, a father of one seeking asylum from Ecuador, was detained by masked federal immigration agents in an unmarked vehicle at a laundromat in Spokane on March 8. Friends who witnessed the detention filed a missing persons report because they could not identify the agents. The incident raised concerns among local police about secretive federal immigration enforcement tactics.

An asylum seeker from Ghana working as a health aide in Central Ohio is facing deportation to Uganda following a recent immigration hearing. The individual is seeking assistance after the government determined she should be removed to a country unfamiliar to her.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona charged 197 individuals with immigration-related offenses between March 7-13, 2026. Charges included 132 cases of unauthorized re-entry, 59 cases of unauthorized entry, and 6 cases of smuggling undocumented immigrants. Federal law enforcement partners including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, and the FBI participated in the enforcement sweep.

Ali Hussein Mubarak, a Yemeni national with Temporary Protected Status and father of four U.S. citizen children, was detained by ICE on March 6, 2026, three days after his TPS status expired on March 3, 2026. He owns a car dealership in Birmingham, Alabama and his wife is a U.S. citizen pregnant with their fifth child. The court denied his motion for temporary restraining order seeking immediate release from detention.

Jose Ernesto Aparicio Almendarez, a 20-year-old Honduran citizen who entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor seeking asylum, was detained by ICE after being stopped for driving without a license in Orlando, Florida. He had previously been released by ORR to a sponsor and has a pending asylum application. The court ordered his immediate release, finding his detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process.

Juan, a Honduran national who came to the U.S. seven years ago seeking asylum, was arrested by ICE during a traffic stop on a Virginia highway while driving to work. He had an active asylum case, work permit, and marriage petition to a U.S. citizen at the time of his arrest. After spending one month detained at Farmville Detention Center, Juan was released on bond following a habeas petition but now faces an uncertain asylum process with declining approval rates under the current administration.

Dung Van Trieu, a Vietnamese immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 1991 as a lawful permanent resident, was arrested by immigration authorities outside his home on March 5, 2026. He had been living in the community on supervised release since 2006 after his removal to Vietnam proved impracticable following a 2004 conviction. The court ordered his immediate release, finding the government failed to demonstrate his removal was reasonably foreseeable and violated procedures for revoking his supervised release.

Armin Sadari Masihi, an Iranian citizen who had been on supervised release since 2012 after being granted withholding of removal, was detained by ICE officers at Burbank Airport while boarding a flight to Las Vegas for business. ICE revoked his release claiming changed circumstances for potential third-country removal, but provided no specific alternate country. The court ordered his immediate release, finding ICE violated due process and failed to follow proper revocation procedures.

Mirna Yesenia Alvarado Benitez, a citizen of El Salvador who entered the U.S. in July 2024, was initially detained and then released with conditions. On March 5, 2026, she appeared for a routine ICE check-in appointment, at which point the government placed her in expedited removal proceedings and detained her. The court granted a temporary restraining order preventing her removal while her habeas corpus petition is pending. Mirna Benitez, a Salvadoran woman who had been living in the U.S. for nearly 13 years and working as a school custodian, was detained by ICE after attending a scheduled appointment at an ICE office in North Chesterfield on December 7, 2025. Despite having attended regular ICE check-ins for years, applied for asylum with legal representation, and obtained a temporary work permit, Benitez was taken into custody without warning. She was transferred through multiple detention facilities—Riverside Regional Jail in Richmond, an ICE facility in Texas, and another in Louisiana—over 10 days, during which she reported mistreatment by officers, inadequate medical care, unsanitary conditions, and denial of access to legal counsel. She ultimately chose to accept deportation to El Salvador rather than remain detained, departing before Christmas.

Giovanny Alexander Alfaro Cruz, a native of El Salvador who had been on supervised release (OSUP) since 2016, was detained by ICE during his routine check-in on March 5, 2026. Cruz had a final removal order but was granted withholding from removal to El Salvador in 2014. The federal court granted his temporary restraining order, finding ICE likely violated due process by failing to follow proper procedures when revoking his supervised release, and ordered his immediate release.

Hai Nguyen, a Vietnamese national who has lived in the U.S. since 1993 and worked in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, was detained by ICE during a routine appointment. His detention stems from a decades-old marijuana charge from college that was expunged from his record. He now faces possible deportation despite previously being considered non-deportable because Vietnam would not accept deportees who arrived before 1995.

Two separate ICE detention cases involved individuals serving critical caregiving roles. Maher Tarabishi was detained while being the sole caregiver for his son with Pompe disease, who is completely immobile and dependent on his father for all daily care. Josué, a day laborer from El Salvador, was detained by ICE agents and reported that his heart condition went unaddressed during detention, with medication withheld and inadequate medical attention provided despite his history of heart attacks.

Axel Pecero, 25, a former Los Angeles County foster youth and advocate for youth in child welfare and juvenile justice systems, was detained by ICE in August 2025 after being stopped by Burbank police. After nearly eight months of detention at Adelanto ICE Processing Center, an immigration judge denied his bond request. Pecero agreed to voluntary departure to Mexico, leaving behind his 4-year-old son in the United States.

A new report based on interviews with 364 people in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica documents the experiences of migrants deported from or forced to return by the U.S. and Mexico. The report documents detention conditions, deportation processes, and third-country removals, with findings showing 44% were detained or deported by the U.S., 20% by Mexico, and 34% forced to return due to fear of detention. Interviewees reported torture, cruelty, family separation, denial of food and water, excessive force, and degrading treatment during detention and deportation.

Between June 2025 and March 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained at least 46 people outside Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas by monitoring publicly posted inmate release lists. The detentions occurred despite Santa Clara County's sanctuary policies prohibiting cooperation with ICE. On March 4, 2026, approximately 80 protesters gathered at the facility to oppose the practice. Community leaders and county officials criticized the detentions, with some asserting that sheriff's deputies facilitated the practice by maintaining publicly available release information. The sheriff's office stated it does not cooperate with ICE.

Over 1,100 Afghan refugees, many of whom served alongside U.S. forces, are at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar. Since February 28, 2026, residents have experienced missile attacks and are housed in shipping containers. President Trump suspended their refugee resettlement program in 2025. The refugees remain in Qatar with unresolved immigration status.

The Trump administration is taking steps to close Camp East Montana, the sprawling tent facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso that was once the largest center in ICE detention network. An internal ICE document shows the agency is drafting a letter to terminate the $1.24 billion contract with Acquisition Logistics LLC, a Virginia company with no prior detention experience. The facility population has dropped to about 1,500, roughly half its January peak, and was under measles quarantine with 14 active cases and 112 in isolation along with prior COVID-19 and tuberculosis outbreaks.

Kevin Josue Torrez was detained on March 4, 2026 at Eden Detention Center while his asylum application remains pending. He filed an emergency motion seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent his removal and requesting immediate release or an individualized bond hearing. The federal court denied his motion, finding he failed to meet the requirements for emergency relief.

Leandro A.B.P., who entered the U.S. without inspection in December 2021, was initially detained then released on his own recognizance with restrictive conditions. After more than four years of compliance with all conditions, he was arrested and detained by immigration authorities on March 4, 2026, without notice or process. The court granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release, finding his detention violated constitutional due process rights. Ernesto Antonio Padilla Barrera was arrested and detained by immigration authorities on March 4, 2026, after previously being released under certain conditions. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his immigration detention as violations of due process and federal immigration law. The court granted his unopposed petition and ordered his immediate release under the same conditions as his prior release.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in southwestern Arizona issued over 100 citations to legal immigrants, including permanent residents, visa holders, international students, and DACA recipients, for not carrying immigration documents under a 1952 federal law. The citations, primarily issued by Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents during traffic stops and checkpoints, carry fines around $80 but can reach up to $5,000 and include potential jail time. The enforcement represents a shift in policy following President Trump's executive order prioritizing all immigration law violations. Citations remain in federal records for 30 years and can complicate green card renewals and citizenship applications, potentially increasing vulnerability to deportation.

Arnoldo Jose Marquez-Pulido, 33, was arrested on March 4, 2026, outside a Sam's Club in Utica after resisting federal agents conducting surveillance based on reports of undocumented immigrants working as delivery drivers. During the altercation, Marquez-Pulido grabbed a Homeland Security agent's firearm and injured two investigators before being tackled. He faces federal charges of assaulting and resisting an officer and illegal firearm possession, with a potential sentence of up to 20 years if convicted.

Orlin Carrasco, 29, was detained by ICE agents on March 4, 2026, inside Robertson County Courthouse after appearing before a judge on traffic charges. Carrasco had entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor at age 17 to flee gang recruitment in Honduras. At the time of his detention, he had an active asylum case, a valid work permit, a driver's license, and was married to a U.S. citizen. He has been held in a Louisiana detention facility for over three months without a clear explanation or active deportation order. His attorney argues ICE is illegally detaining him under a void document and that his 2013 administratively closed case does not support mandatory detention.

Christian Manuel Laminia Guachambala, a 32-year-old Ecuadorian man and Manhattan resident, was arrested by ICE officers on March 4, 2026, during a vehicle stop near his building. He entered the U.S. in 2019 on a Spanish passport under the Visa Waiver Program and overstayed. The court ordered his immediate release, finding the warrantless arrest violated Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights.

Nadier Rodriguez-Pineda, a Cuban citizen who entered the U.S. in 2019, was re-arrested by ICE on March 4, 2026, during a routine maritime inspection on a fishing vessel in Florida. He had previously been released on bond by an immigration judge and had employment authorization through April 2030. The federal court ordered his immediate release, finding that his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process.

Irvin Cruz Nape, a father of four, died on March 4, 2026, days after being released from the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. Cruz Nape reported heart attack-like symptoms while in custody but allegedly did not receive proper medical treatment. He had been detained by ICE agents in the fall after being mistaken for another target, and was granted bond and released in late February.

ICE is deporting crime survivors who have long been protected by Congress through programs like the U-Visa, Violence Against Women Act, and T-Visa for trafficking survivors. A multi-state class-action lawsuit challenges the Trump administration's 2025 ICE guidance that rescinds policies protecting these groups from deportation. Plaintiff Yessenia Ruano, a former Milwaukee teacher's aide with a pending T-Visa application, self-deported to El Salvador with her U.S. citizen children after ICE threatened her during a check-in.

Federal immigration enforcement officers with ICE and Border Patrol have shot 14 people since September 2025 during deportation operations nationwide. The shootings have resulted in at least four deaths, including two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. The incidents involve a mix of suspected criminals, undocumented immigrants, and U.S. citizens, with limited public information on investigations or discipline.

Phanomphone Thiravong, a Laotian refugee who became a lawful permanent resident, was detained by ICE in Portland on March 3, 2026, after reporting to the ICE office. He had been living under Orders of Supervision since 2015 following a final removal order in 2012. ICE revoked his supervised release citing that circumstances changed making removal reasonably foreseeable after obtaining a travel document from Laos. The court denied his motion for temporary restraining order to prevent removal.

Alejandro Jose Petit Poleo, a noncitizen who had been previously released on bond or conditional parole, was re-detained by immigration authorities on March 3, 2026. The court found that the Due Process Clause requires the government to provide a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter when re-detaining someone who was previously released. The court ordered Petit Poleo's immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention.

Mohamed Moula Ye was re-detained on March 3, 2026 after previously being released on bond or conditional parole. The court found that the government violated due process by re-detaining him without providing a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter. 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 proper hearing before any future re-detention.

Changes in US deportation policy, including Executive Order 14159, have led to increased enforcement actions against Bhutanese refugees resettled in the US between 2007-2017. ICE data shows a 500% increase in arrests of Bhutanese individuals from February 2025 onward. The Trump administration implemented a new ICE policy allowing detention of refugees who have not yet obtained permanent residency for a 'rescreening' process. A federal judge in Minneapolis blocked attempts to arrest settled refugees in Minnesota. The enforcement actions raise concerns as stateless Bhutanese individuals face persecution risk in Bhutan, and the immigration system fails to identify statelessness as a protected category.

Records obtained by The Washington Post show that Immigration and Customs Enforcement cut its basic training program while simultaneously expanding hiring to accelerate deportation efforts under the Trump administration. A whistleblower previously made claims about concerns regarding the quality of ICE agent training.

The ACLU of Colorado reported that ICE has detained thousands of people at nine facilities across Colorado without proper oversight or transparency, operating in violation of the agency's own internal policies. ICE later confirmed the existence of these undisclosed hold rooms located in strip malls and office parks, where detainees, including children, have been held for weeks at a time without disclosure to neighboring businesses or residents.

Jorge Calderon Rivera, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador who had lived in Omaha for approximately a decade with no criminal record, was detained by ICE agents on January 17, 2026, during a traffic stop while driving to work. He was held at McCook ICE facility for two months without receiving a bond hearing to which he was entitled. The ACLU of Nebraska and the Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement filed a federal lawsuit on his behalf challenging the detention. U.S. District Judge Susan Bazis issued an order on March 3, 2026, finding the detention had an "unlawful aspect" and directing immigration officials to provide Calderon with a bond hearing within seven days. An immigration judge later granted his release on bond, and he was reunited with his wife and three children. He remains in deportation proceedings.

Irvi Cruz, an undocumented Mexican national married to Rachel, a U.S. citizen public school teacher, decided to self-deport to Mexico with their two U.S.-born daughters after the 2024 presidential election. Despite building a life in New York over nearly two decades, including home ownership and stable employment, the family chose to leave voluntarily due to the political climate and deportation threats. Irvi departed first in early 2025 before Trump took office, with Rachel and the girls planning to follow after the school year.

Daniel Pino Alfonso, a Cuban national who entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2022, was arrested March 3 in Spring Hill, Tennessee for stealing approximately $6,000 worth of shoes and possessing $3,400 in cash as part of an organized retail theft operation. ICE issued a detainer against Pino Alfonso, who remains in county jail pending deportation proceedings. His accomplice, Yadián Pérez López, was also arrested. Both men were charged under Tennessee's organized retail crime law, and authorities indicated the pair may have targeted multiple stores.

Two bounty hunters, Garrett C. Willis and James R. Willis, were charged with felony threats of violence after confrontations with anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis on March 3. During two incidents—one in the Phillips West neighborhood and another outside Hennepin County jail—the men pointed replica firearms at protesters and fired pepper ball munitions. Both men admitted to carrying weapons that resembled real firearms and using them against protesters.

Chicago's immigration court has lost nine of 21 judges through resignations, buyouts, and terminations since January 2025, leaving only 14 permanent and 2 temporary judges to handle record case backlogs. Former judges cited changing court procedures, pressure from the Trump administration, and concerns about fair application of immigration law as reasons for departure. The exodus mirrors a larger national trend of immigration judge departures during Trump's second term.

ICE arrested a father near a Boise daycare approximately one month prior to the agency's public response. ICE stated the arrest was targeted and based on the man's 2024 conviction for theft by alteration. The agency clarified that officers were not at the preschool itself but detained the man about 200 yards away. The man's family requested anonymity.

Darwing Inocente Xitumul Morales, a Guatemalan worker, was returned to ICE custody after an immigration judge ruled he was a danger to the community and denied him bond on March 2. Morales had been arrested in New Bedford on February 11 and briefly released after a federal judge ordered his release and a bond hearing. He is now being held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility pending a hearing scheduled for April 23.

Asylum approval rates were fewer than 3% in January 2026, down from 18% a year earlier. Immigrants have increasingly skipped their court hearings. Nationally, 20% of asylum seekers missed their hearings in January compared to 10% a year prior. Los Angeles County showed 56% no-shows. The Trump administration has intensified mass deportation efforts, reopened previously closed cases, and conducted enforcement actions at courthouses. Asylum seekers report fear of deportation, contributing to rising case abandonment rates.

Luis Muñoz Pinto, a 27-year-old Venezuelan man, was deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador's Cecot prison in March 2025. He was accused of gang membership based on rose tattoos he obtained to honor his twin sisters. U.S. immigration officials identified the tattoos as Tren de Aragua gang symbols. A federal court later ruled that Muñoz Pinto and over 100 other deported Venezuelans must be allowed to return to the U.S. for due process.

Jimmy Jhunior Mayta Huarhua, a Peruvian citizen, entered the U.S. without inspection in May 2022 and was released on humanitarian parole three days later. After complying with supervision requirements for nearly four years, he was re-detained by ICE at a scheduled reporting appointment on March 2, 2026, without written notice terminating his parole. The court ordered his release, finding his detention without a hearing violated due process.

Masked federal agents pulled over Willy Wender Aceituno Medina, a Honduras-born U.S. citizen, and forced him from his vehicle. The incident was posted on Instagram by Democracy Now, a news organization.

Tatyana Reisini and Kristen Roos, two Charlotte mothers, were chased by federal Border Patrol agents on November 17, 2025, while driving to the Southern Christmas Show. Agents surrounded their vehicle in a parking lot, pursued them into a residential neighborhood, and cornered them in a driveway where an agent pointed an assault rifle at Reisini's face and smashed the car windows with the gun, scattering glass onto her. Roos was 10 days post-surgery at the time. Both women were zip-tied and falsely imprisoned at an FBI office for approximately four hours. They were initially charged with assaulting federal officers, but the U.S. Attorney's Office voluntarily dismissed the charges on March 2, 2026. Video of the incident recorded by a neighbor received nearly 9 million views on social media. Through the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, the women filed a Federal Tort Claims Act notice against U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Department of Homeland Security, seeking $3 million in damages and attorneys' fees.

Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old Haitian asylum seeker, died on March 2, 2026, after being released by ICE on February 28, 2026, under the Alternatives to Detention Program with an electronic ankle monitor. Michel had spent six months in Washington County Correctional Facility awaiting a preliminary hearing on misdemeanor charges that were ultimately dismissed. After her release, she spent approximately 24 to 30 hours in sub-freezing temperatures (22–30°F) at a bus shelter on Pittsburgh's South Shore before being found unresponsive. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner classified the death as a homicide, pending toxicology results. ICE does not include deaths occurring after release in its official tally of custody deaths.