Human Impact Project

Leonardo Santiago "Santi" Soto Uribe, a 13-year-old 9th grader, was arrested by ICE agents in June along with his father, Benjamin Lerma-Huipio, just outside San Antonio. The boy is being held in a child welfare center in San Antonio while his father is detained at T. Don Hutto Detention Facility in Taylor. Rep. Joaquin Castro reports that ICE initially told the boy he could go home but then reversed the decision, and that the child has not showered and has only been given cookies and juice.

Jose de Jesús Ortiz Ibañez was detained by ICE. He had entered the United States legally on a work visa and had spent years working and building a life in the country. His family is raising funds to cover legal representation costs.

Miguel, 22, was taken into ICE custody while working in Houston. He came to the United States seeking better opportunities and supports himself and his mother. His partner Xiomarah is raising funds for legal representation to fight his detention.

Luis was arrested by ICE for noncitizenship while driving to work and has been held in an ICE detention center. He is expected to be deported to Mexico, a country he has not visited in over 20 years. His family—a spouse and four children including a nonverbal three-year-old and a three-month-old infant—has lost its primary income and faces immediate financial hardship, including potential wage garnishment and credit damage.

ICE agents conducted a raid at a Shell gas station hiring site in October 2025, arresting five day laborers, with three confirmed arrested by CBP. Chicago police have increased enforcement at the location, arresting day laborers and warning them to leave. Day laborers report dramatically reduced work opportunities and income since the raid, with some unable to find sufficient work to meet basic needs.

A 43-year-old woman from China who came to the U.S. seeking refuge wrote in a court declaration that she was suffering inside Otay Mesa Detention Center and pleaded with a judge for help, stating she never expected to experience inhumane treatment in the country where she sought protection. Her case was documented in habeas corpus petitions filed to challenge detention and detention conditions.

A man from Azerbaijan was detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center and hospitalized for nine days due to acute gastrointestinal distress. He experienced nausea and severe pain and was severely intolerant of the facility's food, causing him to lose approximately 20 pounds while detained. His case was documented in habeas corpus petitions challenging detention conditions.

A 34-year-old Pakistani woman with asthma and anxiety was detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center where she experienced panic attacks that knocked her unconscious and suffered numerous head injuries. She was hospitalized for three days while detained. In a court declaration, she expressed fear that her condition would worsen and stated she feared dying from lack of breathing. Her case was documented in habeas corpus petitions challenging her detention.

A woman from Mexico who uses a cane to walk was injured at Otay Mesa Detention Center after staff mixed up her prescription medication with another detainee's laxative. She rushed to the bathroom and fell, further injuring her knee, back and hips. Her case was documented in habeas corpus petitions filed to challenge detention.

A 33-year-old Iranian man with serious neurological issues was detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center where his treatment was minimally managed by facility physicians. He reported being handcuffed and shackled for extended periods during numerous medical appointments. His case was documented in habeas corpus petitions challenging detention conditions.

A 47-year-old Somali man married to a U.S. citizen was detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center and missed a scheduled hip surgery because of his detention. The case was documented in habeas corpus petitions filed as part of court challenges to detention amid immigration enforcement operations.

Emelina del Carmen Valle Toledo is detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the El Valle Detention Center in Willacy County, Texas. She filed a habeas petition challenging the government's authority to detain her without a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A). While conceding she is subject to mandatory detention under that statute, she alleges the application violates her Fifth Amendment due process rights. The court denied her request for preliminary injunctive relief and decided to await a Fifth Circuit decision in a related case before ruling on her due process claims.

Daniel Alejandro Núñez Ramírez, 28, a Venezuelan national living in Jacksonville, Florida, was detained by ICE on May 10, 2026, and pressured to sign voluntary deportation papers. He was deported on Flight 164 on June 24, 2026, and housed at the Hotel Santuario La Llanada in Caracas by Venezuelan authorities. Hours after arrival, a devastating earthquake collapsed the hotel, killing Núñez Ramírez and dozens of other deportees. His mother, Oswadeliz Núñez Ramírez, a lawyer, learned of his deportation only after he had already been handed to Venezuelan intelligence services (Sebin) without family notification. She recovered his body five days later at an improvised morgue and had him cremated. The U.S. government stated it was no longer responsible once he left ICE custody.

Adrian Andreas Florian, an 85-year-old German national, died at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, Texas on June 24, 2026, after spending nearly eight months hospitalized while in ICE custody. Florian presented himself at the Colombia Solidarity Bridge port of entry in Laredo on August 28, 2025, without valid documentation and was taken into ICE custody the following day. He was transferred to the hospital on November 4, 2025 due to dementia, high blood pressure, cognitive impairment, and ulcers. He is the 21st person to die in ICE custody in 2026 and the first German national to die in custody that year, with the cause of death pending autopsy results.

Abelardo Rincón, 23, was detained by U.S. authorities in Georgia during an immigration crackdown and deported to Venezuela on Flight 164 on June 24, 2026, alongside more than 140 other Venezuelans. He called his family in Atlanta hours after landing while being held in Hotel Santuario La Llanada near the coast. Twin earthquakes struck the country just hours later, killing at least 2,200 people. Rincón and several fellow deportees from the flight went missing in the disaster; his family has been desperately searching for him with no confirmation of his status.

A 33-year-old Venezuelan man was detained at an ICE facility in El Paso, Texas and deported on a flight to Venezuela on June 24, 2026. He was transported to Hotel Santuario La Llanada where earthquakes struck hours later. His partner, Liliana Rojas, has been unable to locate him; the detention center confirmed only that he was deported but provided no further information.

Jenny Rodriguez, 24, was on the same deportation flight from Miami to Venezuela on June 24, 2026, and taken to Hotel Santuario La Llanada. When earthquakes struck hours later, she was trapped under rubble. A fellow deportee from the same flight helped free her hand from the debris, allowing her to escape.

U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts of California's Northern District issued a nationwide ban on Trump administration policies that authorized ICE agents to arrest immigrants going to and from immigration courthouse hearings, calling the policies "arbitrary and capricious" under the Administrative Procedures Act. The order also vacated a policy extending detention in temporary lockups from 12 to 72 hours. The ruling in Sequen v. Albarran restored Biden-era guidance limiting courthouse arrests to suspects who pose threats to national security or public safety.

A 77-year-old Iranian man with a rare, life-threatening liver disease was detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center and placed in solitary confinement despite doctors recommending his release. He had lived in the U.S. under supervised release for over two decades and had multiple health conditions including sleep apnea, severe diabetes, and hearing loss. While detained for six weeks, he lost 10 pounds, experienced high blood sugar readings, and was denied essential CPAP equipment after staff reported losing parts of the machine. Two doctors and a nurse practitioner wrote letters urging his release. A federal judge ordered his release in January after finding ICE officers violated his due process rights.

Eduardo Jose Alves, an asylum seeker living in Lewiston, Maine, who entered on a valid tourist visa and filed an affirmative asylum application, was detained by ICE agents at his home on June 20, 2026. The same day, a court issued an emergency order staying his transfer from Maine for 72 hours, but ICE transferred him to Plymouth County Correctional Center in Massachusetts within two hours of the order. Questions arose about whether ICE agents had a valid warrant for the arrest and search, and whether they improperly pressured his 15-year-old daughter to allow entry. U.S. District Judge Stacey Neumann granted his habeas petition on June 24, finding the detention violated the existing court order, that adequate detention facilities were unavailable in Maine, and that his out-of-state detention substantially impaired his right to counsel before an imminent bond hearing, and ordered his immediate release from ICE custody.

Iker, a 5-year-old child, has been detained by ICE at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas for over 65 days. His mother is also detained at the same facility. According to advocacy posts by Each Step Home, Iker is not eating while in detention. The posts call for complaints to CoreCivic, the private company operating the facility, donations to commissary accounts for detained children, and calls to congressional representatives to support legislation ending ICE detention of children.

Activists from People Over Papers shared video footage claiming ICE agents detained a documented U.S. Army veteran in Marydel, Maryland on June 23, 2026. The video shows officers restraining a man while a person filming shouts that he is a veteran and fully legal. The detained individual's identity had not been independently verified at the time of publication, and ICE had not publicly commented on the allegations. It was unclear why the man was detained or whether charges had been filed.

Juan M.Q. was detained at Crow Wing County Jail under immigration enforcement authority. The petitioner filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the lawfulness and duration of his detention. The federal court granted a preliminary injunction preventing his removal from Minnesota pending resolution of claims regarding detention authority and custody legality.

Lesly Yamely Milan Lugo is detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the El Valle Detention Center in Willacy County, Texas. She filed a habeas action contesting the government's ability to detain her without a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A), conceding she is subject to mandatory detention but alleging the statute violates her Fifth Amendment Due Process rights. The court denied her request for preliminary injunction and decided to await a Fifth Circuit decision in a related case before ruling on her due process claims.

Gerson Turcios, a Honduran immigrant who owns a local landscaping business in the Rhinebeck area, was detained by ICE on June 23, 2026, while heading to work. A coalition called New York Neighbors Unite launched a fundraising campaign the following day that raised more than $26,000 by midnight to support his legal defense. Local residents describe Turcios as a warm, hard-working person who contributes to the community.

Paigelynne Gonyea, a poll worker and social media creator in Syracuse, New York, was visited by federal agents on June 23, 2026, at her workplace during the state primaries. The agents confronted her over a January Instagram post about ICE officer Jonathan Ross, who shot and killed Renée Macklin Good in Minneapolis during anti-ICE demonstrations. Gonyea's post stated "I think today is a great day for Jonathan to be indicted" and did not include personal information. The agents handed her a written notice accusing her of doxxing and warning of potential federal charges if she did not remove her posts and change her behavior. Gonyea refused to sign the document and did not delete her posts.

A Haitian asylum seeker in her 40s was detained for over six months at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility after ICE arrested her following a domestic disturbance arrest in Massachusetts. She had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and severe anxiety in a prior psychiatric hospitalization but was not provided psychiatric medication during her Vermont detention. A federal judge ordered her released, finding her prolonged detention without an individualized hearing violated her Fifth Amendment due process rights, though the judge did not rule on claims of deliberate indifference to her mental health needs.

Ayodeji Ajayi, a Nigerian national, was deported by ICE after remaining in the United States illegally for nearly two decades. Ajayi entered the U.S. in 2007 on a student visa but did not return to school and remained in the country without authorization. He accumulated multiple criminal convictions including domestic violence, trespassing, intimidation, obstruction, and charges related to kidnapping, rape, and family neglect. ICE attributed the deportation to Trump administration immigration enforcement policies.

On June 23, 2026, ICE agents and Greene County Sheriff's deputies conducted a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Ruckersville, Virginia, near Routes 29 and 33. ICE agents rode in sheriff's vehicles and conducted numerous traffic stops targeting work trucks, resulting in dozens of arrests. Many vehicles were abandoned or towed during the operation. Detainees were processed in sheds behind the sheriff's office. An attorney attempting to observe and offer legal representation was stopped at gunpoint by ICE agents and cited for multiple violations. The operation occurred eight days before new Virginia state laws prohibiting local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration authorities were set to take effect.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted an operation at a Sheetz gas station on Freedom Road in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning, June 23, 2026. ICE officers, assisted by Butler County Sheriff's deputies, detained at least one person from a white van. Witnesses reported that ICE agents broke the vehicle's window to remove the individual within minutes. Video from the scene showed masked agents placing the person in handcuffs and loading them into a white van. Sheriff Slupe confirmed the person was wanted by ICE but did not provide details about the reason or the individual's immigration status.

U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts of California's Northern District issued a nationwide ban on Trump administration policies authorizing ICE arrests of immigrants at or near immigration courthouses, ruling the policies were arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act. The order also vacated a policy extending ICE detention time from 12 to 72 hours. The ruling restores prior Biden-era guidance limiting courthouse arrests to those posing threats to national security or public safety.

A federal judge in San Francisco ruled that Trump administration policies authorizing widespread civil immigration arrests at courthouses and allowing migrants to be held in short-term detention cells for up to three days violate the Administrative Procedure Act. The decision vacates the policies on a nationwide basis. The lawsuit was brought by Carmen Aracely Pablo Sequen, a Guatemalan asylum-seeker whom ICE arrested as she was leaving a routine hearing at the San Francisco immigration court.

ICE agents detained 42-year-old Diana Socha Torres and her 8-year-old son at their home in Wisconsin Dells on June 23, 2026. Socha Torres was wearing an ankle monitor as part of her ongoing asylum case when agents arrived, claiming to conduct a monitoring system change but instead taking both into custody. A deportation order had been entered in April 2026 after Socha Torres missed an asylum hearing; she stated she never received notice of the hearing. An attorney had filed an appeal, but ICE reported having no record of it. Mother and son were taken to ICE offices in Milwaukee and subsequently transferred to Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas.

Eight anti-ICE activists were sentenced to 30 to 100 years in prison on June 23, 2026, following convictions on federal charges including riot, material support for terrorism, and explosives-related offenses stemming from a July 4, 2025 noise demonstration at Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. Benjamin Hanil Song received a 100-year sentence after being convicted of attempted murder for allegedly shooting a police officer during the protest. Daniel Sanchez Estrada, a lawful permanent resident who was not present at the protest, received a 30-year sentence for transporting a box of antifascist zines after his wife attended the demonstration. The remaining six defendants received 50 to 70-year sentences. Defendants and their supporters challenged the convictions, arguing the government presented insufficient evidence and that the prosecution constituted political persecution, but sentencing proceeded despite pending motions to overturn the convictions.

Janeth, a 50-year-old nursing assistant from Honduras with 23 years of experience, lost her job after the Trump administration revoked Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for her country, rendering her legally without status overnight. She had lived in the U.S. for over two decades under TPS and won seven prestigious national nursing awards. The policy is straining the healthcare system as approximately one in six hospital workers involved in patient care are immigrants, creating shortages that cannot be easily replaced.

Aliaksei Shcharbachenia, a 35-year-old asylum-seeker from Belarus, has spent nearly a year at Farmville Detention Center in Virginia, where he says he is experiencing medical neglect as a tumor grows on his arm. He claims the U.S. government attempted to illegally deport him back to Belarus in a botched operation, and that despite requesting specialist care in December, he has not received a diagnosis or seen a specialist for the growth.

A federal judge ordered the immediate release of seven immigrants who were separated from family members during the Trump administration's 2018 border enforcement crackdown and were later detained again by immigration officials. Two of the seven had already been released without explanation; the remaining five were ordered freed by U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw after the ACLU argued their detention violated a 2023 court settlement.

ICE agents conducted enforcement operations in Page County, Virginia on June 12, 2026, detaining 16 people in coordination with local law enforcement. Among those arrested was a 48-year-old woman who had lived in the U.S. for 18 years, was married to a U.S. citizen, and was in the process of obtaining her paperwork. She was detained at her home shortly after attending a church service at the REC Center, with her son present during the arrest. Pastor Audre King witnessed multiple ICE operations throughout Luray that evening and subsequently organized community efforts to educate immigrants about their legal rights.

Cameron Arnold, Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Bradford Morris, and Elizabeth Soto were each sentenced to 50 years in federal prison for participating in the July 4, 2025 protest at Prairieland ICE Detention Center. All five were convicted on terrorism-related charges. Prosecutors pointed to defendants wearing black clothing and using encrypted messaging as evidence. The combined sentences for all eight defendants sentenced that day total 450 years — longer than any sentences given to January 6 Capitol assault participants.

A mother was detained by ICE while dropping her sister off at school. She was followed by unmarked government vehicles, cornered, and taken into custody. An ICE agent later returned her keys without explanation. The detention left her 20-year-old son responsible for caring for his two younger siblings and caused significant emotional distress to the family. The funds are being raised to help the mother get situated in Mexico and support the children's transition.

Roger Moisés Flores Oviedo, 19, a construction worker with no criminal record and a pending asylum application, was detained by ICE agents on Saturday as he left a gas station in Pompano Beach after buying lunch. He was placed in a van and taken to the Miramar ICE facility, where he was held in a room with 50 other men sitting on the floor with their hands behind their backs, given only one bottle of water a day and a piece of bread with peanut butter. He remained there until Tuesday, when he was transferred to the Krome detention center, where his wife Koren Noblig reports he was able to shower, sleep in a bed, and communicate with her.

Joel, a 25-year-old landscaper and father of a 10-month-old U.S. citizen daughter, was detained by ICE in an unmarked vehicle stop while en route to work. He was held for five days in an unapproved Baltimore detention facility where he reports being denied food and water and forced to sleep on the floor. He was subsequently transferred through Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and back to Pennsylvania before being deported to Guatemala without opportunity to say goodbye to his daughter, leaving his 22-year-old partner and infant child without income or support.

Edvin Obdulio Barnica-Esquivel was arrested by ICE agents at Danbury Superior Court on June 22, 2026, on a federal charge of illegally reentering the United States after prior deportations. According to federal records, Barnica-Esquivel had been deported to Guatemala twice previously (in 2012 and 2019) and had recent local arrests in Danbury for assault and arson-related charges. ICE executed a judicial warrant issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti on June 10, 2026.

On March 11, 2026, ICE agents conducted an enforcement operation at a Dorset Street residence in South Burlington, Vermont, targeting one person on a warrant. Over 100 community members gathered to block the operation. ICE initially considered abandoning the effort but requested assistance from Vermont State Police, South Burlington Police, and Burlington Police. State and local officers deployed riot equipment, physically confronted community members, and cleared a path for ICE agents to enter the home. Three residents were detained, none of whom were named on the warrant: Cristian Jerez and sisters Johana and Camila Patin. Community members reported being pepper sprayed, shot with pepperballs, choked, and tackled. Within a week, a federal judge ordered all three released, finding the arrests unconstitutional. Internal police reviews concluded there were no excessive force violations by state or local officers, though civil rights advocates and political leaders condemned the operation and questioned police collaboration with ICE in violation of Vermont's Fair and Impartial Policing Policy.

Mutasim Ibrahim Abdoulrahman Nour, a Sudanese citizen, has been in ICE custody for 23 months without receiving a hearing to argue for temporary release on bond. He was apprehended upon entering the U.S. on July 7, 2024, initially held in Minnesota, then transferred to Muscatine County Jail in December 2025. A federal judge has ordered the government to explain the prolonged detention. Nour's lawsuit seeks his immediate release and a court order preventing his transfer outside Iowa while his CAT asylum case is pending.

Carlos De-Los-Santos-Sosa, 25, was arrested on charges of assault and unlawful restraint after allegedly grabbing a 31-year-old woman at a Burlington Coat Factory store on Holland-Sylvania Road. An ICE detainer was issued for him. The case will be handled in Sylvania Municipal Court.

Dimitri Albert Edouard Vorbe, a 52-year-old Haitian businessman, was detained at Krome Detention Center in Miami following his ICE arrest on September 23, 2025. On May 12, 2026, U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles approved a negotiated agreement prohibiting Vorbe's deportation to Haiti and instead directing his transfer to the Dominican Republic within seven days, though Dominican authorities stated they would not allow his entry. On June 22, 2026, Vorbe was transferred to a detention facility in Mississippi as part of an emergency evacuation due to brush fires. His attorneys contend this transfer violated the federal court order prohibiting his removal from the Southern District of Florida, noting he was moved out of state without notice despite the judicial prohibition.

On June 21, ICE agents boxed in a vehicle at a QuikTrip gas station at 555 North 78th Street in Kansas City, Kansas, and detained two people who had stopped for fuel. The two were transported to the Leavenworth detention center, a CoreCivic facility reopened in March 2026 as the first ICE detention center in Kansas. Community witnesses and video documented the operation.

Javier was detained at a routine ICE check-in appointment after 15 years of pursuing legal permanent residency and U.S. citizenship through the proper channels. He had maintained perfect attendance at all ICE appointments and hired legal representation throughout the process. He now faces deportation and is held in a detention center, separated from his wife Evette and their three daughters.

Anmolpreet S., an immigration detainee who entered the United States without inspection in December 2022, was released on his own recognizance while removal proceedings were underway. On June 21, 2026, after three years of maintaining stable residence, valid employment authorization, and attempted compliance with ICE reporting requirements, he was detained without notice or process when he reported to ICE as instructed. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding the detention violated due process rights, and ordered his immediate release with a permanent injunction against re-detention absent constitutional protections including pre-deprivation notice and a hearing.