Human Impact Project

Estenderly Marte Polanco, a 31-year-old undocumented immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was arrested by ICE agents on June 27 during a traffic stop at 26th and Mitchell on Milwaukee's South Side while her 7-year-old daughter sat in the back seat. Videos and photographs documented that agents broke both the driver's and passenger-side windows of her car, pulled her onto the ground, and briefly pointed a taser at a cooperating driver. Family members shared photographs showing bruises, scrapes, and cuts on her neck, arms, and lip that they said were inflicted during the arrest. Wisconsin court records show no prior convictions or citations under her name. Her partner Frankeli, who is also undocumented, expressed concern about the welfare of their children. Polanco was held at Waukesha County jail and was among 39 people detained during a surge of ICE enforcement operations in the Milwaukee area. Legal experts who reviewed the incident questioned whether the window-breaking tactic was necessary or if adequate time was given for compliance.

A 32-year-old undocumented immigrant from El Salvador was arrested by ICE agents on Saturday outside Waukesha County Courthouse after appearing for a hearing in his ongoing immigration court case. He had not missed any court dates and had no prior criminal convictions in Wisconsin. His traffic citation—for driving without a license in May—is a common infraction for undocumented immigrants barred from obtaining licenses under Wisconsin law. He was transferred to Greene County, Missouri, and held in custody there as of Monday morning.

Five men were identified during separate traffic stops in Chatham and Atkinson counties between January and April 2026. Miguel Aparicio-Ortiz (40, Mexico), Aguelio Lemos Hernandez (35, Honduras), Henry Marin-Hernandez (41, Guatemala), Moises Valenzuela-Mendez (42, Mexico), and Luis Angel Velasquez-Montes (27, Mexico) were each placed in ICE custody following their stops. All five pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry after previous removal in federal court in Savannah and were sentenced to time served followed by immediate deportation.

James Wambui, a Kenyan truck driver, was arrested by ICE at a weigh station in Middletown, Virginia during a routine cargo stop after a local sheriff handed his documents to waiting ICE officers. He was transferred to Farmville Detention Center and held for three weeks, incurring $50,000 in legal fees. Wambui was eventually released due to pending marriage-based immigration petition, asylum application, and marriage to a U.S. citizen, though ICE retained his driver's license, work permit, Social Security card, and other personal documents.

On June 28, ICE agents chased a man through a Home Depot parking lot in Olathe, then detained two people from an agua fresca stand at Santa Fe and Ridgeview. Neighbors described the detained individuals as kind and friendly community members.

A man who lived in the United States for over 25 years was stopped by police in Utah on June 28 while dropping off his son at work. He was transferred to ICE custody and subsequently moved to Golden State Annex detention facility in California before his scheduled court date. He has no criminal record. His family of seven, including a child with autism, is seeking legal representation and has organized a fundraiser to cover legal costs for his case.

Marco Rodríguez, 36, arrived with his wife Yajaira González for a routine asylum check-in appointment at the Miramar ICE office on June 28, where they had been reporting for five years. He was taken into custody and spent three days in an overcrowded room with approximately 70 other people, with barely any water or food and a single toilet. His wife remained outside the facility.

Malton Lacerda, originally from Brazil and undocumented, was detained by ICE agents on June 28 while shopping at Walmart in Halifax with his son Victor Lacerda, a U.S. Navy veteran. Officers approached with guns drawn and detained Malton while questioning both men about their citizenship. Malton has lived in the United States for at least 25 years, works as a horse trainer providing therapy for disabled veterans, and was in the process of securing a green card through a veteran family member process when detained. He is currently held at Plymouth County's ICE detention facility. He has two decades-old driving without license cases and a dismissed 2008 misdemeanor assault charge.

Federal immigration agents conducted a large-scale enforcement operation on June 28, 2026, in Shelton involving multiple vehicles and locations, resulting in the detention of at least 21 people. The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network confirmed the operation and urged those affected to know their rights. The operation was part of a nationwide surge in immigration arrests, with ICE detaining more than 10,000 people across the U.S. over the previous five days.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested approximately 10,000 people over a five-day period ending in late June 2026, averaging roughly 2,000 arrests per day. The arrests represent a significant surge in enforcement activity under the Trump administration and reflect a strategic shift from high-profile city sweeps to less visible enforcement methods. ICE detention populations climbed to approximately 39,000 in June, up from around 30,000 per month since February.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested one person at a construction site near Allen Street and Easterly Parkway in State College on Saturday morning. ICE officers arrived in unmarked vehicles and detained two people; one was arrested and taken into custody while the other was released. State College Borough officials denied that the police department was involved in the operation, though video posted to social media showed ICE agents regrouping at the Municipal Building's parking lot. The arrest occurred ahead of a July 6 borough council meeting to discuss a proposed ordinance restricting local police collaboration with ICE.

Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old Ecuadorean boy, was detained by ICE agents on January 20-21, 2026, after his father Adrian Conejo Arias was apprehended in their driveway in Columbia Heights, Minnesota. According to witnesses, ICE agents used the child as bait to determine if others were home. Despite offers from multiple witnesses to take custody, agents transported both father and son to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. The family had legally entered the U.S. in 2024 using the CBP One app and had pending asylum claims with no deportation order. On January 24, 2026, detainees at the facility staged a coordinated protest citing conditions including contaminated water and food. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered their release on February 2, 2026, citing constitutional violations. After release, Liam showed signs of psychological trauma. In March 2026, an immigration judge denied their asylum claim and ordered deportation to Ecuador, which their lawyers appealed. The detention sparked condemnation from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and school district officials.

On June 27, multiple ICE vehicles blocked traffic at 6th and Central in Kansas City, Kansas and conducted a roundup that detained at least four people. Agents then detained another person outside a restaurant at 7th and Northrup. A blue work truck was left abandoned at the curb with its owner gone.

Jorge, a husband and father of five, was detained by ICE last week. He is the sole provider for his family. A GoFundMe was created to help cover legal fees and living expenses during his detention.

A video posted on Instagram shows an enforcement action in Salome, Arizona involving law enforcement and Border Patrol agents. According to the post, a person was driving with a passenger whom she believed was profiled by police and flagged to federal immigration agents. The couple was pulled over, escorted to an I-10 off-ramp, and then encountered Border Patrol agents. The person who recorded the interaction stated, "They wanted to kill us," according to the source cited as StopIce.Net.

On June 27, 2026, four immigrant construction workers employed at the QTS data center in Cedar Rapids were detained by ICE agents without being informed of the reason for their arrest. The workers—Dailyn Zambrano Morales, Lenin Primera Esis, Job Guerra Finol, and Wilman Gorutt Muchacho—were intercepted by agents in unmarked vehicles while heading to work. Gorutt Muchacho stated: "They arrested me without telling me the reason or why they were doing it." The agents transported all four to the ICE office in Cedar Rapids and then to Linn County Jail. According to advocacy group Escucha Mi Voz Iowa, none of the detained workers have criminal records.

On June 27, 2026, at the intersection of 6th Street and Central Avenue in Strawberry Hill, ICE agents used four vehicles to block a Chevrolet Silverado and detain a man with ten officers involved in the operation. Witness Alison Hawkins reported seeing five agents in full military tactical gear and five others dressed as regular workers with a lawn trailer. After the arrest, one of the officers drove away in the detained man's truck. The incident was documented and posted on social media by witnesses.

Alexsandr Zateev, an asylum seeker, was released on his own recognizance in July 2022 after entering the United States. On June 27, 2026, ICE re-detained him following a routine check-in with immigration authorities. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding that his prior release created a liberty interest in continued release and that re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process. The court ordered his immediate release on the same terms and conditions as his previous release.

Ilia Bakumets, a 19-year-old Russian asylum seeker who had been paroled and living lawfully in California since April 2023, was arrested by ICE on June 27, 2026, at a worksite without notice or pre-deprivation hearing. He was transported to Adelanto ICE Processing Center. A federal judge granted his habeas corpus petition, finding that ICE violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights by detaining him without a pre-deprivation hearing, and ordered his immediate release.

In recent weeks, ICE detained at least 39 people across the Milwaukee area in a surge of enforcement operations. Videos of approximately 17 separate incidents documented agents drawing firearms when drivers were not resisting, breaking car windows to extract people from vehicles, pinning people to the ground and against walls, and using tasers. ICE stated the operation targeted individuals without documents, not specifically those with criminal records, though some arrested had prior criminal histories. Legal experts expressed concern about the necessity and proportionality of the aggressive tactics used.

Japanese American internment survivors, descendants, faith leaders, and immigration advocates completed a four-day, 45-mile pilgrimage to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas on June 27, 2026, demanding the facility's closure. The group, organized by Free Families, Tsuru for Solidarity, Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministries, and Grassroots Leadership, began at the site of the former Crystal City Concentration Camp and tied origami cranes to the detention center's fence. Participants drew parallels between the facility and the U.S. internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, calling the detention center inhumane and demanding an end to family detention and ICE family separation practices.

Oliver was detained by ICE agents on June 27, 2026, while heading to work with his father-in-law. According to his wife Claudia Sotelo, Oliver has no criminal history and was detained unlawfully. This detention occurred months after Claudia's father was also detained by ICE in December 2025 and subsequently released in February 2026. The family is seeking financial support to cover legal expenses for Oliver's case.

Carlos Iván Mendoza Hernández was shot seven times by ICE agents during a traffic stop in Patterson, Stanislaus County, California on April 8, 2026. According to dashcam video and eyewitness accounts, Hernández reversed away from officers who had drawn weapons, then drove forward as agents opened fire; ICE stated he attempted to run over agents with his vehicle. While hospitalized at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, FBI agents accessed his HIPAA-protected medical records without clear authorization or warrant, prompting concerns from his federal public defenders. After discharge, Hernández was arrested by the FBI and placed in solitary confinement at California City Detention Center with his gunshot wound injuries remaining unaddressed. On June 27, 2026, he was removed from the facility for a scheduled medical appointment to evaluate bullet fragments, but his family received no updates for hours and the detention center refused to confirm his whereabouts or safety.

An Ecuadorian man was arrested by ICE agents at an immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan on Thursday, June 26, 2026. The man had fled persecution in his home country, entered the U.S., and was released from detention while his immigration case proceeded. He appeared at court as legally required for his scheduled hearing. ICE cited a 2025 conviction for disorderly conduct as justification, but advocates with Make the Road New York argue the arrest violates a federal court order issued May 18, 2026, that barred ICE from making arrests at Manhattan immigration courts except in narrow circumstances. The man has since been transferred to the D. Ray James ICE Processing Center in Folkston, Georgia.

A father was detained by ICE while traveling to work, leaving his work truck abandoned and his cell phone off. His family is seeking legal assistance and fundraising support to prevent his deportation.

A 23-year-old woman working in roofing was detained by ICE in Minnesota and subsequently transferred to South Dakota. Her family is fundraising $10,000 for legal expenses to help her defend her case.

A construction business owner with no criminal history was detained by ICE while traveling to work. He is the father of an 11-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old nonverbal autistic son who depends on him for daily care and support. His family is seeking legal representation to fight his detention and reunify the family.

This article documents Migrant Justice's rapid response infrastructure for documenting and resisting ICE enforcement actions in Vermont. The organization maintains an emergency hotline, trains approximately 80 volunteers to verify immigration enforcement sightings, and has 3,500+ people signed up for alerts. The article describes the network's activities in responding to enforcement reports and supporting detainees through legal counsel and community mobilization.

Wilbur Garcia, an 18-year-old honors high school graduate from South Los Angeles, was detained by ICE during an asylum appointment scheduled one day after his graduation. Garcia, whose family fled political persecution in Nicaragua and has been in the asylum process for years, was held at the Adelanto ICE detention center for over two weeks in poor conditions including sewage overflow in cells and showers, and insufficient food provisions. After public defenders challenged ICE's justification for detaining him—that he was no longer covered under his mother's asylum application upon turning 18—a judge ordered his release on June 26. Garcia said he was helped by older detainees who treated him like family. He plans to pursue pre-med classes in college.

Jose Ernesto Gonzalez Cardona, a Guatemalan national who entered the United States in 2007, was arrested by immigration authorities on June 26, 2026, while traveling to work. He was detained at the Philadelphia Federal Detention Center under mandatory detention provisions of 8 U.S.C. § 1225 without a bond hearing. On June 30, 2026, the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania granted his habeas corpus petition, finding his detention unlawful because he was not 'seeking admission' under the statute, and ordered his immediate release.

Tania Romero Naranjo, a 24-year-old Cuban from the Isle of Youth, was detained by ICE on June 26 while attending a routine supervision appointment in Portland, Texas. Romero Naranjo entered the United States four years ago with an I-220A form, which allows release under conditions while migration proceedings continue but does not provide definitive legal status. She is the mother of a three-year-old U.S. citizen child who has been left in the care of his father since her detention. She had no criminal record and worked in a high-risk job involving fireproof materials at oil refineries. Her family is demanding she not be deported to Cuba, as it would separate her from her American citizen son.

Eight children from three South Florida families departed Miami International Airport on a flight to Guatemala City to reunite with relatives after their parents were deported or chose to leave the country. Three of the children are U.S. citizens. The Guatemalan-Maya Center coordinated travel logistics, provided chaperones, and supported the families through the separation.

ICE conducted an enforcement operation in Columbus and Platte County, Nebraska on June 26, 2026, targeting individuals who had failed to comply with previously issued deportation orders. One person was taken into custody during the operation. The detained individual had been previously deported. No further details were released by Columbus Police or ICE.

Arturo, a Guatemalan man who fled extortion and violence, was detained by ICE while returning home from a work shift. He was scheduled for hernia surgery and has Type II diabetes, but is receiving no medical attention in out-of-state detention. His family—wife Maricel and three children—faces financial hardship due to loss of his income.

Adams County health officials confirmed one case of active tuberculosis at the Aurora ICE detention facility run by the GEO Group in June 2026. Health officials said the facility failed to provide legally required access to medical records, housing information, and other documents needed to complete the public health investigation and determine if additional cases existed. ICE later stated the person had been treated and removed from the country. The Guardian reported that at least a dozen people inside the facility had contracted tuberculosis and dozens more had been placed in quarantine, though health officials said they had not yet verified those additional reports.

Clemente Burgos Lopez, detained by ICE at California City Immigration Processing Center, filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention. Lopez received an initial bond hearing on March 17, 2026, where the immigration court determined he was a flight risk and danger to the community. At a second hearing on May 28, 2026, the immigration court denied his bond redetermination request by claiming lack of jurisdiction based on mandatory detention. The federal court ordered respondent to determine Lopez's eligibility for a bond hearing under 8 C.F.R. § 1003.19(e) within seven days and, if eligible, to conduct the hearing within fourteen days, or immediately release him.

Samwail Naguib was detained pending removal proceedings without being afforded a bond hearing. The petitioner challenged his detention through a habeas corpus petition in federal court. Following the Sixth Circuit's decision in Lopez-Campos v. Raycraft, the court granted the petition and ordered respondents to provide Naguib with a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) within ten days or release him from custody.

Jose Ignacio Cambero Maldonado, a 29-year-old Dominican Republic citizen who entered Puerto Rico without inspection in 2021, was arrested by ICE agents on June 25, 2026 during a traffic stop in San Juan. Cambero had been living in Puerto Rico for nearly five years with no criminal record, had married a U.S. citizen, had an approved I-130 family petition, and had a pending provisional unlawful presence waiver application. The court granted a temporary restraining order preventing his transfer outside Puerto Rico and ordered he receive a bond hearing before an Immigration Judge, finding he likely fell under discretionary detention provisions rather than mandatory detention.

The Everglades detention center in Ochopee, Florida has permanently closed following a civil rights lawsuit brought by the ACLU, ACLU of Florida, and Americans for Immigrant Justice in July 2025. The facility, constructed on an abandoned airstrip in the middle of the wetlands and dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," housed detainees in shoddy tents and trailers surrounded by alligators, pythons, and mosquitos, with serious flooding risks. The lawsuit challenged the lack of access to legal counsel and due process violations for people detained there. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the closure as detainees were being transferred to other ICE facilities ahead of hurricane season.

A 39-year-old man from Mexico died from cardiac arrest likely caused by septic shock after his requests for medical help regarding an infected abscess were mishandled while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. The case was documented in a joint report by Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights examining deaths in ICE facilities, which found that at least 52 deaths have been reported in ICE custody since January 2025, with the mortality rate up 140 percent compared to the previous year.

Ozgur Demirkan, a 30-year-old Turkish national and former Kirkwood Community College student, was detained by ICE agents at his Iowa City apartment on June 25, 2026. Demirkan had lived in Iowa since 2018 on a student visa and returned to the United States in 2022 during the Turkey-Ukraine conflict. According to community organizers, he fears forced military enlistment if deported to Turkey and aspires to continue studying medicine. The detention occurred following Congress's approval of a $70 billion funding increase for ICE and Border Patrol.

Lisbeth Portillo, 58, was deported to Venezuela on June 24, 2026, on Flight 164 carrying approximately 146 people. She was housed at Hotel Santuario La Llanada with over 100 other recently deported Venezuelans, in a second-floor room with 16 other women. Twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude struck hours after her arrival, causing the building to collapse. Portillo was buried under a beam but escaped the rubble, surviving with bruises covering her body. She was reunited with her children the following night. Portillo had crossed the U.S. border in November 2021 with a pending asylum claim and had lived in South Florida for more than four years before her deportation.

Anderson Daniel Salcedo, 22, a construction worker who had lived in the U.S. for three years, was deported to Venezuela on June 24, 2026 via Flight 164. Upon arrival, he was taken to Hotel Santuario La Llanada in La Guaira for processing. Twin earthquakes struck hours later, collapsing the hotel. Salcedo was trapped in the rubble for 40 hours without access to his phone or documents—which had been withheld by authorities—leaving his family unable to locate or contact him during the crisis. He was rescued and admitted to Caracas's university hospital, where both of his legs were amputated due to his injuries.

Julio Irungaray Sr., a Mexican national who has lived in Utah for 35 years, was detained by ICE agents outside his home on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. At the time of detention, he was working two jobs at a Mexican restaurant and movie theater. He is being held in a jail in Evanston, Wyoming, and faces deportation despite being in the process of formally appealing a deportation order. Family and supporters rallied Thursday to demand his release, describing him as a hardworking community member.

A father and asylum seeker was detained by ICE at MetLife Stadium while attending a FIFA Club World Cup final with his children on July 13, 2025. Local police questioned him about flying a small drone in the parking lot—a civil violation typically resulting in a fine—and asked about his immigration status, leading to his transfer to ICE agents. He spent three months in immigration detention before his asylum claim was denied. He was subsequently deported to his country of origin, which he said he had fled in 2022 due to threats from armed groups. He has since warned immigrant World Cup fans about the risks of attending such events in the United States.

The Wichita County Sheriff's Office, in cooperation with the Texas Department of Public Safety and Electra Police Department, conducted a joint enforcement operation on June 25 that resulted in 24 individuals being detained for unlawful presence in the United States. The operation, called "Operation June Bug," included 132 traffic stops and resulted in 109 equipment violations and 15 vehicle impounds. Those detained were from Mexico, India, Cuba, Algeria, Venezuela, Tajikistan, and Russia.

A three-day joint operation between the Pettis County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from June 23-25, 2026 resulted in 18 arrests in Sedalia, Missouri. ICE confirmed that five individuals from Mexico were arrested, some with prior criminal histories including DUI and failure to appear charges. Sheriff Brad Anders stated the operation targeted individuals previously identified as fugitives or connected to existing criminal investigations, including those with violent criminal histories, outstanding warrants, sexual offenses, and gang affiliations. The operation was conducted under an ICE Task Force Model agreement signed by the Pettis County Sheriff's Office in April 2026, which authorizes local officers to identify and arrest individuals believed to be undocumented under ICE supervision. Multiple residents reported observing arrests at several businesses in the area, and the operation drew criticism from some Sedalia residents concerned about economic impacts on local businesses and industries reliant on immigrant labor.

The Trump administration is planning to deport more than 500 unaccompanied migrant children who have been in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement for at least six months and lack family relatives or guardians to sponsor them in the U.S. Senator Ron Wyden warned that the deportations would bypass longstanding legal protections for migrant children and called the plan a 'severe institutional failure' that places vulnerable children 'in immediate jeopardy.'

Brady Tillett, an asylum seeker from Belize, has been detained by ICE at the California City Detention Facility in Kern County for nearly two years. In a Los Angeles Times op-ed, he describes inhumane conditions including forced labor, medical neglect, and retaliation for advocating for others' medical care. Tillett has filed habeas petitions resulting in the release of several other detainees and is participating in broader detention resistance efforts including hunger strikes and labor strikes to challenge U.S. immigration detention practices and demand closure of the facility.

Moises Domingo Rico Rosales, a Nicaraguan national, was arrested after allegedly exposing himself to one woman and attempting to abduct another at Wakefield Park in Annandale, Virginia. He was previously arrested in Fairfax County in 2024 on felony drug trafficking charges but was released after local officials declined to honor an ICE detainer. He is now charged with abduction with intent to defile and indecent exposure, and ICE has lodged a new detainer. Abdul Jalloh, a 32-year-old from Sierra Leone, was charged with second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 41-year-old Stephanie Minter at a Virginia bus stop. He had over 30 prior arrests and was released by Fairfax County officials despite ICE detainer concerns, drawing scrutiny to the county's sanctuary-style policies.