Human Impact Project

ICE agents detained Francisco Andrade-Berrera, a 37-year-old Mexican citizen, outside Soto High School in Chicago's Gage Park neighborhood on Wednesday morning while he was dropping off children. Two students were in the vehicle at the time; school staff escorted them into the building. Andrade-Berrera had prior convictions and had been deported twice previously.

Since last year, ICE has detained 265 minors with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) and deported 132 of them. SIJS was created in 1990 as a pathway to citizenship for minors who are victims of abuse, abandonment, or neglect, and shields these children from deportation during their green card application process.

Nicolas Rodriguez was taken into custody by ICE agents this week. His family is desperate for answers about his detention and whereabouts.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested Emine and Celal Emanet, owners of Jersey Kebab restaurant in Haddon Township, New Jersey on February 25, 2025. The couple, who came from Turkey nearly two decades ago on visas, had fallen out of legal status and were being detained by ICE. Celal Emanet was released with an ankle monitor, while his wife remains in ICE custody awaiting a bond hearing scheduled for mid-March.

Activists in Southern California distributed flyers revealing the names, photos, and personal information of ICE and HSI agents, with the flyers written in Spanish and posted in Los Angeles neighborhoods. Federal authorities, including the DHS and FBI, condemned the action and launched an investigation, warning that those responsible could face legal consequences for obstructing law enforcement operations.

Two separate incidents involving Guatemalan men occurred at ICE facilities in El Paso. A 33-year-old man was deported despite an immigration judge's order barring removal; a federal judge subsequently ordered his reinstatement and issued a decision criticizing ICE conduct. A 48-year-old man died in custody at Camp East Montana after months of detention, with medical staff attributing death to liver and kidney failure. Civil rights groups have alleged severe abuses at the facility, including beatings, sexual assault, medical neglect, and threats of illegal deportation to Mexico.

Federal agents pepper-sprayed and tackled 80-year-old defense attorney Doug Hayes during a confrontation in Santa Barbara on February 21st. Hayes had approached agents who were detaining a man in his 20s, concerned for the detainee's safety, and was sprayed when he tried to help. Hayes was not arrested or charged and has expressed interest in pursuing legal action against the agents.

Gladys and Nelson Gonzalez, who had resided in the United States for 35 years, were arrested and deported to Colombia in February 2025 after being detained by ICE during a routine immigration court check-in in Santa Ana, California. The couple entered without authorization in 1989 and had a 2000 deportation order. They maintained clean criminal records and had complied with regular check-ins throughout their time in the country. They had three U.S. citizen daughters and were involved in church work and volunteering. They were held for three weeks before deportation.

Maksym Chernyak, a 44-year-old Ukrainian man, suffered a stroke at Krome North Service Processing Center on February 18, 2025. Staff delayed calling 911 for over 40 minutes. He died two days later from a brain hemorrhage. A month earlier, Genry Ruiz-Guillen, a 29-year-old Honduran man, died at the same facility; his autopsy listed "complications of schizoaffective disorder" as the cause. Medical experts who reviewed records for both cases questioned the adequacy of care provided and cited delayed emergency response and questionable medical treatment decisions.

The Battalion Search and Rescue Organization, based in Ajo, Arizona, conducts regular expeditions into the southern Arizona desert to locate and identify the remains of migrants who died during border crossings. According to the Pima County Medical Examiner, over 150 migrants died in southern Arizona in the previous year. During recent trips in February, the group found 10 and 8 death sites respectively, recovering bone fragments and other remains which are documented and reported to county authorities.

A 21-year-old Venezuelan man, Mayfreed Durán-Arape, was sent to Guantánamo Bay as part of a Trump administration policy to relocate detained migrants to the military base. DHS claimed he was a gang member. A review found he had no criminal record beyond unauthorized entry. His mother disputes the administration's characterization of a detention center altercation that led to his conviction.

Young children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border are being placed in immigration court deportation proceedings, sometimes as young as 1 year old. These minors are not entitled to court-appointed lawyers and are expected to navigate complex legal proceedings despite their age. This resulted from the Trump administration's zero tolerance family separation policy.

Dora Reynosa, an undocumented immigrant and former DACA recipient, self-deported to Mexico to live with family. She cited rising ICE activity and increased reports of violence against immigrants as factors in her decision, which she had been considering for years.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent, Andrew Josiah Segura, was charged with assault and evidence tampering following an incident on February 19, 2025, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. The charges allege he assaulted a handcuffed detainee and physically threatened CBP employees while performing official duties.

Undocumented day laborers in Los Angeles are preparing to help clear debris and rebuild homes after wildfires. ICE has conducted multiple raids across major U.S. cities and is planning large-scale enforcement operations. Workers like Luis and Jonathan are volunteering to help their communities rebuild while facing potential deportation.

Juan Chavez Velasco, a 35-year-old DACA recipient brought to the U.S. from Colombia at age 8, was detained by ICE on February 18, 2025, while driving to a hospital NICU to deliver breast milk to his premature infant daughter. Velasco had active DACA status at the time of detention, was a college graduate working in a medical laboratory, had no criminal history, and his wife and children are U.S. citizens. He has been held in a Texas detention center for seven weeks, and his DACA status expired while in detention despite a court order requiring renewal.

Domingo Juan Juan, a 49-year-old undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, was arrested by ICE in February 2025 in connection with a March 2024 fatal car crash near Seymour, Indiana that killed Brad Castner. Juan was charged only with driving without a license; the arrest occurred under the Laken Riley Act, which mandates ICE detention for individuals facing charges related to crimes resulting in serious injury or death.

Jairo Garcia-Hernandez, a 27-year-old from Guatemala, died in ICE custody at Larkin Community Hospital in Miami on February 16, 2025. He collapsed unexpectedly at 1:06 a.m. and was pronounced dead at 2:01 a.m. despite lifesaving efforts by facility staff. The cause of death is under investigation. Garcia-Hernandez had a history of severe medical complications and was immunocompromised when in ICE custody.

Sergey Kostenyuk, a Ukrainian refugee who came to the U.S. as a child and is a legal permanent resident with a green card, was arrested by ICE agents posing as customers interested in buying a chicken coop. He was detained for over two months based on two 2018 felony convictions for theft, but was eventually released when a judge ruled he did not meet the federal criteria for deportation.

Families filed an ACLU lawsuit against the Trump administration after their relatives were transferred to a newly established 30,000-bed immigrant detention camp at Guantanamo Bay without attorney access or communication with the outside world. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of holding civil immigration detainees at the offshore facility and argues they are being denied due process rights. At least seven military flights from El Paso have transported detainees to Guantanamo, including individuals such as 25-year-old Yoiker David Sequera who have no criminal records beyond immigration violations.

Maria Gonzalez, a 32-year-old Venezuelan mother, and her two children (ages 7 and 9) were deported to Mexico within hours of being stopped for a traffic violation in Tucson, Arizona on February 15, 2025. Tucson Police conducted an SB-1070 immigration check during the routine traffic stop, leading to expedited deportation by U.S. Border Patrol without court hearings or opportunity to seek asylum.

The U.S. deported 205 Indian nationals via military aircraft. As of November 2024, 20,407 Indian nationals were detained or facing removal orders, with Indians ranking as the fourth-largest nationality in ICE custody. The deportations affected migrants from Gujarat and Punjab. Approximately 1,100 Indian nationals were deported in the past year via special charter flights.

Dominican officials have been deporting at least 10,000 Haitian immigrants per week under a new policy. Civil organizations have commented on the policy. Haitian migrants have shared accounts of abuse during the deportation process.

Ward Sakeik, a 22-year-old stateless Palestinian woman, was detained by ICE for 141 days after being flagged at an airport in the U.S. Virgin Islands upon returning from her honeymoon, despite having legal authorization to remain in the U.S. under an order of supervision. She has since been released. Sakeik has described conditions in ICE facilities as including overcrowding and inadequate food.

Mariano, a Venezuelan migrant, fled Border Patrol in Tucson after his wife Yesenia was stopped by police while selling arepas. He hid under a car and was separated from his wife and two children for days. The article chronicles his journey from Venezuela through the Darién Gap and Mexico to the U.S., where he was detained in immigration facilities before facing deportation from Arizona.

Arbella Rodríguez Márquez, a woman with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who held a valid green card for two years, was detained by ICE in February 2025 after returning to Arizona from Mexico. Her green card status was revoked by a federal immigration judge following her detention. She is being held at Eloy Detention Center where advocates say she is receiving inadequate medical care, having lost 55 pounds and coughing up blood while only receiving Tylenol and stomach ulcer medicine.

A federal court has blocked the Trump administration from sending three Venezuelan immigrants held in New Mexico to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. The court granted a request to prevent the transfer of the detained individuals as part of the president's immigration crackdown.

Colombian migrants deported from the United States under President Trump's administration reported experiencing degrading treatment in detention centers, including cramped conditions, sleep deprivation, and mistreatment during transport. Daniel Vasquez, a 40-year-old migrant, reported being detained for over a week across multiple facilities in San Diego and Texas, transported in chains and handcuffs. The Colombian and Brazilian governments complained of treatment on deportation flights, including denied bathroom breaks. Some migrants reported willingness to attempt returning to the United States.

Adelso Bravo, a 39-year-old painter from Guatemala who had lived in Syracuse for over 20 years, was detained by ICE on February 10, 2025, after entering the country without authorization decades earlier. With support from family, advocates, and lawyers using a habeas corpus petition strategy, Bravo secured a bond hearing and was released after 21 days with a $5,000 bond and ankle monitor. The habeas corpus petition strategy has been used across the country in response to Trump administration detention policies requiring mandatory detention for immigrants who entered without permission.

The Trump administration rescinded a federal policy discouraging ICE enforcement actions in churches and other sensitive locations. Legal experts clarify that while ICE agents can enter churches if they have judicial warrants, they would need proper legal authority and cannot conduct arbitrary raids. Faith leaders, including Archbishop Thomas Wenski, believe enforcement in churches remains unlikely due to constitutional protections, political sensitivity, and resource constraints.

Arbella "Yari" Rodríguez Márquez, a 39-year-old former legal permanent resident with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, has been detained by ICE at the Eloy Detention Center since February 10, 2025. She has not received proper medical care for her cancer. Her health has deteriorated, including coughing up blood and losing 70 pounds. Detention center staff have denied her requests to see an oncologist and specialist. U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari visited the facility and documented conditions. The representative has called for immediate medical intervention and her release.

Over 200 community members gathered outside Spokane City Hall on Monday for a rally organized by Latinos en Spokane to support immigrants and urge the city to allocate budget for legal and immigration services. The rally responded to multiple ICE and Border Patrol sightings in the area that have resulted in arrests of family members. Speakers including War Bear, a Native American advocate, described the fear and harassment Indigenous peoples and immigrants face from ICE enforcement.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated Venezuelan migrants transferred to Guantánamo Bay are "the worst of the worst." Immigration attorneys have provided different characterizations. The Trump administration has ordered construction of a tent city at the naval base to detain up to 30,000 migrants, including asylum seekers. Attorneys stated the official narrative does not match facts on the ground regarding who is being detained.

Micaela Eudave, a 44-year-old Othello woman, was arrested by ICE agents on February 8 while driving to work at her taco truck business. According to court documents, Eudave had no criminal history and was under no deportation orders, though ICE stated agents were in the area searching for a different person. Her arrest has sparked debate about local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities, leading to a lawsuit by Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown against Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner for allegedly violating the state's "Keep Washington Working" act.

A federal judge ruled that nearly a dozen ICE arrests at El Potro Mexican Restaurant in Liberty, Missouri on February 7, 2025 were unlawful. ICE officers detained 12 employees, with 11 arrests deemed unlawful due to lack of probable cause. The judge found that ICE lacked sufficient evidence to justify the arrests and that the restaurant owner was not informed employees had the option to refuse speaking with agents.

The Air Force is requiring crew members and security forces on deportation flights to remove their name tapes and unit patches from uniforms while maintaining other identifying marks. The Air Force cited safety and security concerns for the lack of transparency about service member numbers and units involved in deportation operations, making it the only military branch not publicly disclosing such details.

US officials kept approximately 100 deported Indian migrants in shackles for a 40-hour flight back to India, including during bathroom breaks and a refueling stop in Guam. The deportees reported being treated harshly and kept in shackles throughout the journey. Indian lawmakers protested in parliament and opposition parties burned Trump effigies. The incident occurred days before an expected visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House.

ICE conducted a raid on Cedar Run Apartments on South Oneida Street in Denver on February 5, 2025, targeting immigrant families from Venezuela, Colombia, Haiti, and Central America. Armed federal officers, including FBI personnel and heavily armed agents in armored vehicles, conducted a four-hour operation that resulted in at least one visible arrest and several detainees. A pastor who arrived at the scene described the operation as intimidation against families, many of whom have legal status and are contributing members of the community.

Over 100 Indian nationals were deported from the United States on a U.S. military C-17 plane to Amritsar, India on February 5, 2025. Indian lawmakers protested in parliament over allegations that the deportees were restrained in handcuffs and leg chains throughout the entire 18+ hour flight. The Trump administration's deportation flight marked the farthest military transport deportation yet, with U.S. officials stating that restraints on adult deportees are standard practice for security purposes.

Elmerson Campos, a 45-year-old from Guatemala who has lived in Easton for 24 years, was arrested by ICE on February 5 and transferred through multiple detention facilities, eventually being held in California. A federal judge ordered ICE to release him on bond or schedule a bond hearing by February 23. Campos, who owns a construction business and has no criminal record beyond a 2007 traffic citation, reportedly has not received his medication for diabetes and a back injury while detained.

Twenty-one Haitian immigrants, including 12 with criminal records, were deported from the United States on February 4, 2025. The deportees, who had been detained during the Biden administration, were received at Cap-Haïtien International Airport. They reported confiscated belongings and minimal reintegration support. Haiti's government provided minimal assistance.

A 10-year-old U.S. citizen girl recovering from brain cancer was deported to Mexico along with her undocumented parents and four American-born siblings in February 2025. The family was detained at an immigration checkpoint while traveling from Rio Grande City to Houston for the child's emergency medical checkup. The girl, who had undergone surgery to remove a brain tumor, has been unable to continue her specialized medical treatment and rehabilitation in Mexico.

The Trump administration has flown approximately 100 immigrant detainees to Guantanamo Bay since February 4, 2025. Administration officials claimed they are dangerous criminals including gang members. ProPublica and The Texas Tribune identified nearly a dozen Venezuelan immigrants transferred there, and records show at least three had no criminal history except unauthorized entry, or minor charges incurred while detained. The government has refused to release detainees' names or crime details, and denied families and attorneys access to the detainees.

A South Carolina man was arrested after a video showed him impersonating an ICE officer and confronting a Latino man in a pickup truck, telling him he would be sent back to Mexico. The arrest was followed by a similar incident at Temple University in Pennsylvania, where three men falsely identified themselves as ICE officers at a residence hall and cookie shop.

Sean Michael-Emmrich Johnson was arrested after turning himself in to Sullivan's Island Police Department for allegedly impersonating an ICE officer in a viral video where he harassed Hispanic men. He faces charges including felony kidnapping, impersonating a law enforcement officer, larceny, and assault and battery. Johnson bonded out of jail after a court appearance where his family cited his mental health challenges and request for treatment.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in downtown Los Angeles on February 2, 2025, to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and the Trump administration's deportation plans. The protest began on Olvera Street and grew to include marches to City Hall before crowds moved onto the 101 freeway, blocking traffic for hours. Similar protests occurred in Riverside and Garden Grove, California. Police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly by 8 p.m. and cleared remaining protesters, with minimal arrests reported and no injuries.

Researchers from WOLA and the Women's Refugee Commission investigated conditions faced by individuals deported from U.S. detention centers to Tapachula, Mexico. The Trump administration has been flying deported Mexican citizens to southern Mexico since February 2025, with 6,045 people arriving by July 28, 2025. Access to deported migrants is severely restricted by Mexican authorities. The city has limited infrastructure and services to support the arriving deportees.

Juan Carlos Barreto, a Venezuelan college professor, was arrested by ICE at his Shakopee apartment in January while claiming to have followed all legal asylum procedures. He has been released but is monitored with an ankle monitor.

Chicago attorneys filed a federal court motion accusing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents of violating immigration law and constitutional rights of at least 22 people arrested since January 2025. The motion alleges federal agents arrested individuals without proper warrants and created warrants in the field after arrests, including a U.S. citizen who was detained at an ICE processing center. Attorneys argue these actions violate the Nava Settlement, a 2018 agreement that restricts warrantless ICE arrests.

A Venezuelan mother of two was arrested during a monthly ICE check-in on January 30 and separated from her children, aged 18 months and four years old. She was allegedly trafficked to the United States in 2023 and subjected to sexual abuse, forced labor, and physical violence. Her lawyers are challenging her detention and deportation, arguing the Trump administration violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which protects trafficking victims regardless of immigration status.