Human Impact Project

Yingchao Fan, a Chinese national on a legal work permit with a pending asylum case, called 911 after his car rolled over on Interstate 40 during a snowstorm in January 2026. Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers responded and, after questioning him about immigration status, arrested him despite no criminal charges. He was held on an ICE detainer, illustrating how a July 2025 DHS directive reclassifying most recent immigrants as subjects of mandatory detention has transformed enforcement in Oklahoma.

ICE agents rammed a parked car containing a Minneapolis resident and her husband. The husband, a Hispanic U.S. citizen, was intensely questioned by ICE agents and asked to provide citizenship paperwork. After the incident, a police report was filed and authorities discovered that one of the ICE vehicles' license plates could not be located in police systems.

At least 20 undocumented immigrants arrested in Minnesota during immigration sweeps since December 2025 were transferred to Nebraska county jails, including 19 at Lincoln County Detention Center and at least one at Sarpy County. Additional detainees were held at a federal immigration detention center in McCook. Legal representatives argue that transferring detainees across state lines complicates legal representation, as Minnesota-licensed lawyers cannot practice in Nebraska, and some fear federal immigration officials are forum-shopping for more sympathetic judges. The transfers are part of Operation Metro Surge, which has arrested more than 4,000 people since December.

Abhishek Kumar, a native of India who entered the United States in May 2022, was pulled over by Iowa State Patrol at a weigh station near Mitchellville on February 11 while driving a commercial truck as part of Operation ICE Wall. He was detained by ICE and held in Polk County Jail without a bond hearing. Kumar is suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice, alleging violations of his due process rights and seeking court-ordered release or a bond hearing in immigration court.

At least 32 children entered foster care over the past year after their parents were detained or deported by ICE, officials in seven states told NOTUS — including four toddlers in Vermont, ten children in Kansas, and nine in Maryland. Advocates note this may be an undercount since no federal dataset tracks family separations caused by immigration enforcement, and some states worry that collecting the data could expose families to further risk. More than 71,000 people are in ICE detention.

Jagdish Singh, an Indian citizen with pending asylum and valid work authorization through May 2029, was arrested by ICE on February 11, 2026, after a traffic stop in Iowa for bypassing a weigh station. On April 20, a federal judge ruled the government violated Singh's Fifth Amendment due process rights by arresting him after years of allowing him to live and work in the U.S., but stopped short of ordering immediate release, instead directing an immigration judge to determine if continued detention is warranted.

A POLITICO review of hundreds of cases reveals ICE's pattern of noncompliance with court orders to release detainees, causing frustration among federal judges nationwide. Judges report that even when ICE complies with release orders, it frequently delays compliance for days or weeks, sometimes releases detainees without their belongings or documents, and in some cases has deported people in violation of court orders. Federal judges from multiple states have issued pointed rulings criticizing ICE's conduct as illegal and unconstitutional.

An ICE officer fired a weapon during a targeted enforcement operation in Roxbury when the arrest subject, Jesus Fabian Lopez-Banegas, rammed a law enforcement vehicle and attempted to run over an officer. The officer shot out the vehicle's tires to stop the threat. No injuries were reported and the subject was taken into custody. The state attorney general's office is investigating the incident.

On October 4, 2025, Marimar Martinez was shot five times by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent Charles Exum during an immigration enforcement encounter in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood. Federal agents claimed Martinez chased and rammed her car into an agent's vehicle. Martinez was initially charged with assault on federal law enforcement, but the government dropped the charges nearly two months later, and a judge dismissed them with prejudice. Body camera footage and text messages released by the U.S. attorney's office provided details of the incident, though Exum was not wearing his body camera during the shooting. Martinez testified before Congress in February 2026 about the incident and filed a tort claim seeking damages for her injuries.

Yebio Kifle, a 48-year-old intellectually disabled man with congestive heart failure, was detained at California City Detention Facility in Kern County in November 2025 after arrest in Sacramento. His sister reported severe medical neglect, including jaundiced eyes, swollen legs, inability to urinate, and vomiting blood. Medical experts stated he required immediate hospitalization and risked death without urgent care. In February 2026, U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney issued a ruling in response to a class-action lawsuit filed by detainees, ordering ICE to provide constitutionally adequate healthcare, legal representation access, temperature-appropriate clothing, and daily outdoor recreation at the facility. The judge appointed an external monitor to oversee compliance through medical record reviews and on-site inspections.

U.S. District Judge Susan Bazis ordered ICE to provide Carlos Roldan Chang a bond hearing within seven days or release him immediately. Chang, 44, has lived in the U.S. since 2005 and was detained at the McCook facility under ICE's mandatory detention policy. The ACLU of Nebraska filed the civil lawsuit on his behalf after he was denied a bond hearing.

Jimmy Paz, a Georgia man with a valid work permit and no criminal record, was detained by ICE agents during a traffic stop in January despite presenting valid identification documents. Paz, who has lived in the U.S. for 21 years and was approved for temporary protected status in 2022, is being held at the ICE Processing Center in Folkston. His family expresses concern about his health, as he had a heart transplant four years ago, and hopes he will be released to continue his asylum process outside of custody.

Becky Ringstrom, a 42-year-old mother of seven, was arrested by ICE agents in suburban Minneapolis after following federal immigration officers in her vehicle. She was charged under federal law for impeding law enforcement and her information was added to a government database. The Trump administration has prosecuted at least 533 people under this charge across the U.S. since city-focused immigration enforcement began last summer.

Seamus Culleton, an Irish national who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 20 years, was detained by ICE in 2025 despite holding a valid work permit and having a pending green card application as the spouse of an American citizen. Culleton entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2009 and overstayed; DHS confirmed his arrest on September 9, 2025. He was held at El Paso Camp East Montana in Texas and reported poor detention conditions including inadequate food, lack of outdoor time, and unsanitary facilities. After five months in custody, he was unable to attend a critical green card interview. Culleton has no criminal record and claims to have been pursuing legal permanent residency.

Individuals held at the Whipple Federal Building immigration detention facility reported experiencing poor conditions and lack of basic humanitarian treatment. Detainees described their firsthand experiences of the conditions at the facility. Activists called for the closure of the detention site and demanded ICE's departure from the location.

A Venezuelan family who legally entered the U.S. through the CBP One program and were released on notice to appear in court chose to self-deport to Mexico after ICE arrested the husband and son. The family said ICE agents came to their home in New Mexico claiming a routine status check, detained the husband from his workplace, and took the son from a construction site. The remaining family members decided to relocate to Mexico rather than risk deportation to Venezuela.

Martin Romero was deported to Mexico while dealing with multiple serious health conditions including lupus vasculitis, hypertension, anemia, and kidney failure requiring dialysis every other day. His daughter created a fundraiser to help cover the costs of his medical treatment, medications, specialist visits, and transportation to dialysis appointments in Mexico, as the family struggles with overwhelming medical expenses.

Adelso Bravo, a 39-year-old house painter from Guatemala, was arrested by ICE agents on February 10 near his Syracuse home. After 18 days in the Batavia immigration detention center, he had a court hearing. With support from his wife, community members, and lawyers, plus $18,000 raised by friends and supporters, he was released on bond after 21 days in detention. Bravo had been living in Syracuse for over 20 years and had started his own painting business with a work permit.

Medina County commissioners tabled a proposed resolution that would limit law enforcement cooperation with ICE to cases involving criminal activity or judicial warrants, and prevent the county jail from housing immigration detainees. More than 20 residents attended the hearing to urge passage of the measure. The sheriff indicated he has no ICE prisoners and no intention of entering a contract with the agency.

High school students in Clovis, California walked out of class on February 10, 2026 in response to Trump administration immigration enforcement. The action followed the death of an ICU nurse during an immigration raid. The Clovis Police Department announced it was investigating up to six adults, including Fresno Resistance co-founder Alfred Aldrete, for potentially violating state law by inducing student truancy, though no arrests or charges have been filed. The LAPD also issued similar warnings to adults in Los Angeles who helped organize school walkouts, but only Clovis publicly named its investigation.

On February 9-10, 2026, ICE agents conducted an enforcement operation in Lower Providence Township/Trooper area of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, to apprehend Jose Manuel Cordova Lopez, a Mexican citizen who overstayed his H-2A visa. The operation involved over 20 unmarked vehicles and masked federal agents who pursued Cordova Lopez to a residential home, broke down doors, and detained him while two minors and other family members were present. Elected officials commented on reports that an ICE agent assaulted a family member, broken doors caused distress to children and families, and the operation disrupted the neighborhood and prevented school bus pickup.

Federal Border Patrol and Homeland Security agents took Jose Cordova-Lopez into custody after a hours-long operation at a home in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Cordova-Lopez, a Mexican national with no legal status, was wanted in connection with immigration proceedings and allegedly resisting an ICE officer's attempted traffic stop. Family members reported that agents broke down the door and used force, with claims that one family member was hit in the face. Children were present during the operation.

Google provided ICE with personal and financial information about Amandla Thomas-Johnson, a British doctoral student and journalist at Cornell University, in response to an administrative subpoena that had not been approved by a judge. Thomas-Johnson's data, including addresses, phone numbers, credit card and bank account numbers, was turned over approximately 90 minutes after his student visa was revoked. Thomas-Johnson subsequently left the United States for Canada and later Switzerland.

Teenage brothers Ben and Sam Luhmann, legal observers from Chicago, documented federal immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota and Illinois for months. They witnessed ICE raids including one in Shakopee where agents arrested someone in front of his children, and say their observations contradicted DHS public statements. The brothers compared the scale and tactics of operations between the two states, noting Minnesota had significantly more agents deployed.

Staff at the South Texas Family Residential Center conducted raids on dormitories to confiscate and destroy letters and drawings from detained children describing conditions inside the facility. The raids followed a ProPublica article published February 9 that detailed children's accounts of conditions at the facility. At the time, many detained children exceeded the 20-day maximum duration specified in the Flores Settlement Agreement.

Roberto was arrested and detained by ICE while driving to work nine days after the birth of his son in mid-February 2026. He was held in detention for two months at an unknown location, then deported to Guatemala. His partner María was left alone to care for their newborn without support or knowledge of his whereabouts.

Owen Ramsingh, a Columbia resident and lawful permanent resident, was detained by border patrol at Chicago's O'Hare Airport in September 2025 after returning from visiting his father in the Netherlands. ICE cited a cocaine possession charge from his teenage years as grounds for deportation. After spending approximately four and a half months in detention facilities across Chicago, Texas, and New Mexico, Ramsingh was deported to the Netherlands on February 8, 2026, and banned from the United States for 8-10 years. His wife and daughter remained in the United States.

Qing Wang, a Chinese citizen who entered the US without inspection in February 2024, was detained by ICE at a truck weight station in February 2026. Wang had established a life in the US with a wife and child and worked as a truck driver with no criminal history. The court ruled he was entitled to a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226 and ordered the government to provide one within seven days.

Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, mother of three, poet, and legal observer, was shot and killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on January 7, 2026, during an immigration enforcement operation on Portland Avenue near 34th Street in south Minneapolis. Good was monitoring the enforcement action and blocking the street with her car to alert neighbors of ICE's presence when unmarked vehicles arrived. As Good began to drive away from the officers, Ross fired three shots at eye level through the windshield and driver's side window. Federal officials claimed the agent fired in self-defense when Good's vehicle attempted to run over agents, but a New York Times analysis and Human Rights Watch found Good posed no imminent threat to life and the officer was not in the direct path of her car when he fired. An independent autopsy confirmed she was shot at least three times, with gunshot wounds to her head, arm, and breast. Her wife Becca said they were alerting neighbors of ICE's presence. The shooting sparked dozens of protests across the country, during which officers deployed tear gas and chemical irritants against protesters. Her death led to a federal lawsuit barring agents from detaining peaceful observers and prompted Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and U.S. Senator Tina Smith to call for state authorities to be included in the federal investigation. State and local officials later sued to halt the immigration sweeps. A sprawling memorial was erected near the shooting site with wooden crosses, paintings, flowers, candles, and hundreds of messages and letters. Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and an unarmed driver, was shot and killed during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis in January 2026. Federal officials stated she had "weaponised" her vehicle by driving it towards officers. Her death triggered large demonstrations and widespread international condemnation of ICE tactics. Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed in her vehicle while leaving an anti-immigration enforcement protest on January 7, 2026. ICE agent Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was killed days later during a January 24 protest. Federal prosecutors have turned over evidence to Minnesota investigators including body camera video and hard drives. At least nine people have been killed nationwide since the Trump administration's immigration enforcement campaign began, with no federal charges filed.

Owen Ramsingh, a 45-year-old Missouri resident and green card holder, was detained at O'Hare Airport in September 2025 after Border Patrol discovered a felony drug conviction from nearly 30 years prior. He was deported to the Netherlands in February 2026 and is now rebuilding his life in his birth country while separated from his wife and teenage daughter. Ramsingh, who last lived in the Netherlands at age 5, is living with his reconnected father and reports experiencing nightmares from his detention.

Children detained at the Dilley family detention center in South Texas have been held in poor conditions including inadequate medical care, contaminated food, overcrowded spaces, and limited legal access. The facility, which reopened for family detentions under the Trump administration, has held over 3,500 detainees since reopening, with more than 1,700 children. Approximately 300 children have been detained beyond the legal 20-day limit. Individual cases documented by immigration attorneys include 5-year-old twins held for 8 months and a young girl who attempted suicide after immigration judges denied bond requests. Advocacy groups, journalists, and ProPublica have documented conditions through interviews, letters, and detention drawings created by children at the facility.

A U.S. citizen and Latina woman named Maria was stopped by ICE agents on a Salem street, during which officers broke her car window and pulled her from the vehicle. After discovering her passport, agents left. Maria sustained a concussion, torn rotator cuff, and bruised ribs from the incident.

Amalia Arrieta, an 18-month-old from Venezuela, was detained with her mother Kheilin Valero Marcano following an ICE appointment in El Paso on December 11, 2025, and transferred to Dilley Immigration Processing Center. Over weeks, Amalia developed severe respiratory symptoms including high fevers, persistent cough, and dangerously low blood-oxygen levels (dropping to the 50s). On January 18, 2026, she was hospitalized at Methodist Children's Hospital in San Antonio for 10 days, diagnosed with pneumonia, COVID-19, RSV, and respiratory distress. Upon discharge on January 28, doctors prescribed her a nebulizer, respiratory medications, and nutritional supplements. When ICE returned her to Dilley, detention staff allegedly confiscated her prescribed medications and breathing equipment. Her parents were forced to wait in daily outdoor lines to request treatment, often being denied. After lawyers filed an emergency habeas corpus petition in federal court, the family was released on either January 31 or February 7, 2026.

Obeth Eduardo is currently in ICE custody. His sister Mariana is raising funds to cover attorney fees for his legal defense and case preparation. The family states this is the second time they are facing an ICE enforcement situation.

An 18-month-old girl named Amalia was hospitalized with respiratory failure, pneumonia, COVID-19, and RSV after being detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center with her parents. After 10 days of hospital treatment, she was returned to detention on January 28 and denied access to prescribed medication, despite medical warnings that she remained vulnerable. A federal lawsuit and emergency habeas corpus petition led to her release on February 7.

Amalia, an 18-month-old Venezuelan girl, arrived in the United States with her parents Kheilin Valero Marcano and Stiven Arrieta Prieto through the CBP One appointment system and was living in El Paso while awaiting asylum processing. On December 11, 2024, the family was arrested during a routine ICE check-in despite complying with all immigration requirements and checking in regularly. They were detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas. In early January 2026, Amalia developed a high fever, vomiting, and breathing difficulties. Despite her parents' repeated requests for medical care at the facility's clinic, staff provided only Tylenol. On January 18, her oxygen levels dropped critically to the 50s, and she was rushed to Methodist Children's Hospital in San Antonio, where she was hospitalized for 10 days and diagnosed with pneumonia, COVID-19, RSV, and viral bronchitis. After discharge on January 28, doctors prescribed nebulized breathing treatments and nutritional supplements. ICE returned Amalia to Dilley detention instead of her prior community, where staff confiscated her nebulizer, albuterol, and nutritional supplements. Her parents were forced to wait daily in an outdoor 'pill line' and were frequently turned away without her prescribed medications. After her attorneys filed an emergency federal habeas corpus petition, the family was released in February 2026. Upon release, they were transported to a shelter in Laredo without her medications, birth certificate, vaccination records, or money for travel. Amalia developed behavioral changes after detention, crying when separated from her mother. Her case is one of more than 500 infants and toddlers under age three detained by ICE since January 2025, according to documentation by MS NOW and The Marshall Project.

Seven emergency habeas corpus petitions were filed in North Dakota federal courts over three months, coinciding with a 75% national increase in ICE detentions over the past year. The petitions challenge a new policy denying bond hearings to many individuals arrested in the interior of the U.S. Two cases resulted in the release of petitioners.

A group of more than 30 Hispanic Texans filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of Texas challenging ICE practices that detain U.S. citizens and require proof of citizenship for release. The lawsuit alleges that immigration authorities violate constitutional protections against unreasonable arrests and due process rights. The complaint references a January 9 ICE raid in Donna, Texas, where agents allegedly detained U.S. citizens at gunpoint without a judicial warrant.

Children detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas are experiencing contaminated food, minimal education, inadequate medical care, and severe psychological distress. Since April 2026, approximately 1,800 children have been detained at the facility, with some families remaining for over six months. Court filings and accounts from detained families document children suffering from illness, malnutrition, behavioral regression, nightmares, and trauma, with parents reporting food contamination, denial of medical care for serious conditions, limited schooling, and prison-like conditions including constant surveillance and crowded sleeping quarters.

ICE agents detained a father outside Mayra's Spanish Preschool and Daycare in Boise on Friday, February 6, 2026, after he dropped off his child. Multiple agents using unmarked vehicles and wearing masks blocked in the man without providing a warrant, instead showing him a picture and asking for identification. According to court records, the man had a misdemeanor theft charge from 2024 but no active cases or warrants at the time of detention. The incident alarmed parents and staff at the school, which serves children ages 18 months to 5 years.

A 7-year-old girl and her parents from Venezuela were detained by immigration agents outside a Portland hospital emergency department on January 16 while seeking emergency medical care for the child's prolonged nosebleed. After three weeks at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, the family was released on February 7, though Congresswoman Maxine Dexter stated she was unsure why ICE approved their release. The detention marked one of the first confirmed cases of an entire family detained in Oregon during the Trump administration's escalated deportation campaign.

According to an immigration coalition post, ICE denied asthma inhalers to a 12-year-old child for 9 days while claiming it was pending medical review. The child experienced an asthma attack during lights-out and was found unresponsive on the floor by guards at 6 AM.

Javier Ubreu, a legal immigrant and kidney transplant recipient, was arrested by federal agents in Rochester, Minnesota and taken to the Whipple Building. When DFL State Rep. Kim Hicks attempted to deliver his transplant medication, federal authorities denied it. Ubreu was reportedly transferred to a facility in Texas without his required medications. Four days after his arrest, his wife reported he still had not received the immunosuppressant drugs necessary to prevent his body from rejecting the transplanted kidney.

Detainees at Otay Mesa Detention Center threw notes in bottles over facility fences to communicate allegations of poor conditions, including inadequate food, constant sickness, and indefinite detention without court hearings. Organizers collected the bottles containing written messages along with items like lotion bottles, deodorant bottles, and batteries. Rep. Juan Vargas attempted to inspect the facility to investigate the allegations but was denied entry by officials who cited ICE authority. Detainees' written messages referenced conditions including alleged use of small cages for discipline and inadequate medical care at the detention center.

Animal rescue organizations across Minnesota's Twin Cities report a surge in pets needing care as immigration enforcement intensifies. Pet Haven in St. Paul is processing roughly 360 animals, while Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley has documented 7 pets surrendered due to ICE activity. Two German Shepherds were left behind when a woman in Elk River was detained and transported to Texas. Veterinary appointment no-show rates have jumped from 20% to 40%.

Juan and Angel were stopped by ICE on February 6, 2026, while on their way to work and taken to the McCook detention center. Their family launched a fundraiser to help cover lost income and attorney fees while the two men remain detained.

Javier Abreu-Vasquez, a 38-year-old Rochester man and kidney transplant recipient, was detained by ICE on February 5, 2026, after agents rammed his car near Civic Center Drive and Broadway while he was delivering groceries. He was transferred to an ICE facility in El Paso, Texas, and faced delays in receiving anti-rejection medication during custody. Abreu-Vasquez was released on bond on February 18, 2026, and returned to Minnesota on February 19. His attorney confirmed he has no prior criminal convictions, and the next steps in his immigration case remain unclear.

A former worker at the Baltimore ICE detention facility provided internal documents and testimony describing severe overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and mistreatment of detainees. The whistleblower described detainees packed tightly together, inadequate sanitary supplies for women, blankets covered in filth, and staff making dehumanizing comments. The worker claims they were terminated after reporting these conditions to supervisors.

A federal judge in Louisiana ordered the immediate release of four men who were unlawfully re-detained by ICE after living in their communities for months or years while checking in regularly with the agency. The judge found that ICE failed to provide justification for the re-detention, failed to demonstrate deportation was likely, and violated due process rights. All four men were released and had been held at an immigration detention center at Angola prison.

Fernando Viera Reyes, a 50-year-old detainee transferred to California City ICE Detention Facility in August 2025, was denied specialist care despite showing symptoms of prostate cancer. While at a previous ICE facility, Viera Reyes had been scheduled for a urologist-recommended prostate biopsy in March 2025. After his transfer, despite experiencing bloody urine, pain, difficulty urinating, and blood in stool, medical staff provided only Flomax intermittently and vitamin C instead of connecting him with a urologist. His PSA levels rose from 6.3 to 74 between January and October 2025, indicating very high likelihood of prostate cancer. A medical expert review described his treatment as "a complete dereliction of duty." On November 12, 2025, Viera Reyes filed an emergency motion and joined seven other detainees in a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration alleging severe medical neglect at the privately-owned CoreCivic facility. By February 2026, the case was being heard in federal court in San Francisco.