Human Impact Project

Shalva Javakhishvili, a native and citizen of Georgia, entered the United States without inspection in February 2023 and was briefly apprehended by CBP before being released into the country, where he resided for over three years. On August 15, 2026, he was arrested near his home in Philadelphia by ICE and transferred to the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia. The government argued he was subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A) as an 'applicant for admission' still 'seeking admission.' He filed a habeas corpus petition on August 18, 2026, arguing his detention without a bond hearing was unlawful. The court held that § 1225(b)(2)(A) applies only to newly arriving noncitizens, not those who have resided in the country for years and were arrested in the interior, and that his detention should instead be governed by § 1226(a). The court granted his petition and ordered his immediate release.

Faridun Abdulloiev, a Ukrainian national, entered the United States about two years ago under the Uniting for Ukraine humanitarian parole program, presenting himself for inspection at JFK International Airport and being paroled in. His parole was granted through May 19, 2026, and he applied to renew it before expiration, with that application still pending. He resided in the U.S. without committing any crimes during this time. On August 15, 2026, ICE arrested him near his home and transferred him to the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, where he remains detained. He filed a habeas corpus petition on August 19, 2026, arguing that his mandatory detention without a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2) was unlawful because that provision applies only to newly arriving noncitizens, not those who have resided in the country for years. The court agreed, holding his detention should instead be governed by § 1226(a), and granted his petition, ordering his immediate release.

A group of U.S. citizens returning to Miami International Airport from Cuba, where they had taken part in events marking the 100th anniversary of Fidel Castro's birth, were held and questioned by U.S. officials over the weekend of August 15-16. Some travelers were required to surrender their cell phones, laptops, and other electronic devices for inspection, according to U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press. Everyone was later released and allowed to enter the United States, with no criminal charges filed, in what officials described as a temporary secondary screening at the border.

Federal immigration agents conducted a traffic stop and arrested three men Saturday near the Akimel Smoke Shop on Gila River Indian Community land off Interstate 10 at Riggs Road. According to the Community, the men were not enrolled tribal members or residents. Gila River Police responded to the scene but were not involved in the stop, and tribal leaders said the incident raises concerns about the community's sovereignty. Tribal leaders issued an advisory urging members to carry tribal identification and know their rights when approached by federal agents.

ICE agents entered a business near SW Sedgwick Road and Sidney Road SW in Port Orchard and attempted to arrest a person wanted on an immigration warrant, prompting the person to flee on foot with agents in pursuit. A customer called 911 reporting the incident, and Port Orchard Police Department officers responded to verify the agents' credentials but were not notified before the operation and did not assist. It is unknown whether the person was ultimately arrested.

Suspected federal immigration agents smashed the windows of a car and pointed a firearm at the driver and passenger during a forcible vehicle stop in Langley Park, Maryland. The driver indicated that ICE had just detained his father. Video of the incident, which shows the shattered windshield and an agent reaching toward the occupants with a firearm drawn, was posted on Reddit and circulated widely. The caption states it is another instance of suspected ICE agents drawing firearms on U.S. citizens.

Homero Calderón, a professional soccer player from Venezuela who played for clubs in Venezuela, Portugal, Cyprus and Italy, has been held in an ICE detention center in Folkston, Georgia for about five months. He was pulled over for speeding by the Marion County Sheriff's Office in Florida in late February 2026, arrested for driving without a valid Florida license, and transferred to ICE custody despite having two pending applications with USCIS — a tourist visa extension and an EB-1A visa for people with extraordinary abilities. He is a father of two U.S. citizen children, ages 1 and 3, and recently missed his daughter's first birthday. His wife said that in 17 years together she had 'never heard him cry or ask for help like he has.' His family says he has no criminal record, and USCIS has a backlog of 11.3 million pending cases.

Jose Mejia Hernandez was detained by ICE agents and says he later woke up in a hospital with significant bruising and swelling to his face. His attorney, Carlos Jurado, said the arrest involved excessive force and reflects a rise in violence and aggressiveness during ICE detentions carried out "in the shadows" without witnesses. Mejia Hernandez is not facing any criminal charges. The incident occurred amid a broader two-week ICE operation in Maryland and Virginia that resulted in 1,328 arrests of undocumented immigrants.

Detainees at the ICE-run Adams County detention center in Mississippi say a mystery gas leak left them with headaches and other symptoms, and they were denied medical care. A subsequent two-day power outage left the facility without air conditioning, forcing detainees to endure hours in near 100F heat or swelter in overcrowded cells. An inspection found 23 use-of-force or restraint violations, downgrading the facility's rating.

A man was reportedly detained by ICE agents while waiting for a bus to go to work in the South Ward of Newark, New Jersey. Video footage shows officers wearing tactical vests marked "POLICE" apprehending the man near a residential street. The incident has generated concern in the local community.

Immigration agents arrived in unmarked black vans around 8 a.m. on Friday, August 14, at a food vendor corridor on Sunset Avenue and Amar Road in La Puente, California, near the Don Chilaquiles stand. Witnesses and vendors, including David González and Gabriela Hoyos, said a fellow vendor selling chicharrones spotted the agents and alerted others, allowing workers to flee to their vehicles before any arrests. Two Don Chilaquiles employees told reporters that no one was detained this time because workers received the warning in time. The same location saw Border Patrol agents detain three workers in December 2025, and vendors say fear of enforcement persists even as they continue working to support their families.

Maisa Lopes Eliaser, a 32-year-old Brazilian national, was detained by ICE on July 8, 2026, after overstaying a tourist visa she used to enter the U.S. in 2019. She spent more than a month in federal immigration detention before being placed on a deportation flight to Brazil on August 14. Mid-flight, ICE officers received a phone call and offered Eliaser the choice to return to the U.S. or continue to Brazil; she chose to return and was released from custody. Eliaser is married to Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo, a 43-year-old aviation operations specialist who has served in the Army for over a decade, and they have a 5-year-old son together. Following the incident and subsequent media reporting and Congressional investigation into deportations of military family members, Eliaser has another immigration appointment scheduled to reopen her case and advance her green card application. She reported struggling with trauma from her detention experience.

Multiple armed ICE agents in at least four vehicles arrived at the Morris Law Group, an immigration law firm in North Natomas, claiming to have a list from Washington, D.C. listing the building's address as a primary mailing address for numerous people. The agents requested to tour the office for beds, stating they could return at 3 a.m. to break windows and enter if they received follow-up orders. Law firm owner Raissa Morris instructed her staff to deny entry without a warrant. After approximately one hour, building manager Daniel Azurduy arrived and told the agents they were trespassing; they left shortly after. UC Davis Law Professor Kevin Johnson noted the tactic was unprecedented and questioned its legality, stating agents would need a warrant to search for evidence.

Guillermo Perez Ayala, a 52-year-old from Guanajuato, Mexico, was abandoned in Naco, Arizona during a border crossing attempt. According to his family, Perez Ayala last communicated with them on July 30, 2026, informing them he would wear camouflage clothing for the journey. He was allegedly left behind on Highway 80 in Arizona after injuring his foot and being unable to keep pace with the guides. His family is seeking information about his whereabouts.

Juan Francisco Monroy Turuy, a 54-year-old man, called Houston Police Department to report a shooting outside a Home Depot store on West Sam Houston Parkway South. Monroy Turuy remained at the scene and cooperated with officers to identify the suspect. While participating as a witness in the investigation, ICE agents arrived and detained him based on his immigration status. Houston Police Department confirmed it did not contact ICE or collaborate with the agency. Immigration advocates and community organizations including FIEL, PSL, and CRECEN raised questions about how ICE located Monroy Turuy at the scene, including whether automated surveillance technology like Flock cameras played a role. FIEL Executive Director Cesar Espinosa called for clarity on why ICE responded so quickly. Home Depot denied cooperating with ICE, stating it is not notified of immigration enforcement activities and does not coordinate with federal agencies.

Wendy Domingo, 18, was driving her family home from church on August 9, 2026—one day after her 18th birthday—when Border Patrol agents stopped their vehicle and detained both her parents, who are from Guatemala. The agents checked the vehicle's license plate registered to her father and took both parents into custody without arranging care for Wendy and her four younger siblings, ages 3, 11, 14, and 16. Wendy became the sole provider for her family, taking on two jobs to support her household while managing expenses and bills. She has had to pause her education due to the sudden responsibilities. Her mother was ordered deported by an immigration judge, and the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement about her father's background, though Wendy continues caring for her siblings.

Luckner Jean Louis, a Haitian immigrant, was arrested by ICE officers on the morning of August 9, 2026, in West Park while on his way to work. Video footage captured the moment officers approached, handcuffed him, and took him into custody. Details about Jean Louis' immigration status, where he was taken after arrest, and the reason ICE targeted him were not immediately available. The arrest sparked concern within the Haitian community, which includes many TPS beneficiaries, asylum seekers, and people with pending status adjustments. Community leaders and immigrant rights advocates called for increased vigilance, urging people to consult immigration attorneys and monitor developments in U.S. immigration policy.

Adonys Francisco Mata Martinez, a Venezuelan freestyle rapper known as AdonysX who held Temporary Protected Status and had a pending extraordinary-talent artist visa application, was detained by ICE in late May after a traffic stop in Florida in which officers found no violation but identified his immigration status via his license plate. He said, 'We are not criminals for them to treat us this way,' describing five days sleeping on the floor at a Miramar processing center without the ability to bathe, followed by about a month at Krome Detention Center before being transferred with roughly 50 others to a facility in Louisiana. There, he said he works in the kitchen for one dollar a day amid cockroaches and insects, and reported chest pains dismissed as anxiety and a dental nerve problem he tried to self-treat after being denied a dentist. Nearly three months into his Louisiana detention, with his immigration court hearing repeatedly delayed by continuances, he alleged staff are overcrowding detainees—citing 76 people in a single cell—and reported widespread cases of tuberculosis and pink eye, saying in Spanish, 'They're trying to kill us.' ICE denied the allegations, stating that being in detention is a choice.

Isreal Cruz Gonzales, a Mexican national, was arrested by ICE agents at Denver International Airport on August 13, 2026, while attempting to board a Southwest Airlines flight to Sacramento. According to ICE, Gonzales entered the country legally on February 16, 2020, but overstayed his authorized departure date of March 16, 2020. He remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Miguel Lorenzana Márquez, known as Mike, was detained by ICE agents after checking in for a scheduled USCIS appointment on the morning of his daughter's 8th grade graduation in Bell Gardens, California. His family had been preparing to celebrate the milestone but instead faced unexpected separation when he was taken into custody by ICE agents shortly after his appointment began.

Luis Alfredo Morales Pérez, 50, a Venezuelan pastor who leads four Seventh-day Adventist congregations in the Houston area, primarily in Pasadena, and has served the Texas Conference since January 2023, was detained by ICE agents on Aug. 6, 2026, at George Bush Intercontinental Airport as he and his wife, Karina, prepared to fly to New York to see their daughters. His wife said two agents approached the couple by name and arrested him before they passed through security. Morales entered the U.S. in 2020 and was granted Temporary Protected Status in December 2023, which ICE says was terminated in November 2025 after the Supreme Court allowed DHS's termination of TPS for Venezuelans to take effect; his wife and attorney say he has a pending asylum case and no criminal record. The Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists said he holds valid employment authorization and described his 'commitment to our mission and the families he serves' as 'unwavering,' asking congregants to pray for him and his family. He is being held at an ICE detention center in Livingston, Texas, where he has been able to speak with his family by phone while his legal team gathers documents to request bond; his case is reported to be at least the third involving a Texas pastor detained at an airport in the past month.

Armelle Bondonga, a 21-year-old immigrant who came to the U.S. from the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a child in 2013 as part of her father's asylum case, was detained by ICE on Aug. 12 during her final scheduled green card interview with USCIS. She had voluntarily appeared with her husband, U.S. citizen Terrance Bradshaw, and their 19-month-old child, who is a U.S. citizen. Bradshaw said ICE agents separated the couple during the interview and he left the building with their son without his wife. Bondonga, co-founder of the youth leadership group Future Ancestors, had received a final removal order in November 2025 but was pursuing permanent residence through her marriage, with her husband's I-130 petition still pending. Her attorney, Arianit Osmani, said she had complied with all government requirements and was not evading authorities. Community leader Sadiqa Reynolds, a state representative, and her former high school teacher have spoken out in support of her release. She is currently held at the Clark County jail in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Leyner De La Rosa Villafana, a native of Cuba, is currently detained at the Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center in Pine Prairie, Louisiana. He filed a habeas petition along with an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, seeking to enjoin the government from removing him from the United States, prohibit his transfer to a facility outside the court's jurisdiction, obtain an expedited briefing schedule, and secure his immediate release or a bond hearing. The court found it lacked jurisdiction to block his removal under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(g), which bars claims connected to the execution of removal orders. The court also denied the request to block a facility transfer, finding no evidence a transfer was likely and noting that jurisdiction attaches upon filing and is not destroyed by transfer. The court declined to expedite briefing beyond its standard procedures. Finally, the court denied the request for immediate release, characterizing it as an improper attempt to resolve the merits of the habeas petition through injunctive relief rather than through the normal litigation process.

On August 12, 2026, federal authorities conducted Operation Guardian Angel, a coordinated enforcement action across seven Southern California counties (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura), resulting in 362 arrests of previously deported migrants. The operation targeted foreign nationals who had been arrested by local police on criminal charges and who had prior deportations. Among those arrested were José Cristian Saravia-Sánchez, 31, who was removed from the United States in 2013 and illegally returned, and was accused of shooting and killing an Inglewood man during a catalytic converter theft in 2025; Daniel Garcia, a Mexican national deported for illegal entry who paid $10,000 to a smuggler to re-enter and faced domestic battery charges; Raul Aranda Gutierrez, arrested for reckless driving in a car wreck that injured two women; Jaime Rodríguez Ladesma, 70, deported in December 2023 after a conviction for lewd acts with a child; Héctor Bueno-Moreno, 55, deported in September 2001 and January 2020, with a 1995 rape conviction in Kern County; and Lauro Alberto Rivas, a Mexican national with a criminal record including weapons offenses, grand theft, and drunk driving convictions, who after serving eight months in jail for carrying a gun in public expressed remorse for his actions, stating "I regret what I did. I understand I make mistakes. I want to be sent home now. I want to see my family." Federal prosecutors filed new federal criminal charges against these individuals, allowing ICE to assume custody before they could be released from county jails under California sanctuary policies.

More than 140 detainees at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma are on a hunger strike to protest insufficient and unsanitary food, lack of medical care, and poor detention conditions. According to La Resistencia, detainees are being denied adequate meals and medical attention by GEO Group, the private company operating the facility, with meal times delayed for hours and food quality described as unacceptable. The detainees are demanding better food and medical care.

Margarita, a woman from New Jersey, was detained at the Elizabeth Detention Center for two months following what was described as a violent arrest. During her detention, she received only about a quarter of her prescribed diabetes medication, and her doctor and pharmacy were not contacted despite her family's concerns. Rep. Analilia Mejia (D-NJ) visited her and raised concerns about her treatment, with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries also expressing concern. Mejia characterized the conditions as a "slow death sentence."

Alex Pereira-Alves, a Brazilian immigrant who has lived in West Hollywood for over a decade, was detained by ICE agents on August 12, 2026, during a sudden summons to a federal building downtown. Pereira-Alves had been working legally as a security guard and personal trainer since 2018, when a judge granted him withholding of removal from the country. His attorney, Jane Oaks, says he was not scheduled to check in until November but received an unexpected call ordering him to report the next day. Within minutes of arrival, ICE agents handcuffed and detained him, telling him he would be deported to Guyana, despite having no connection to that country. His friend Jeff Markwardt expressed concern for Pereira-Alves' wellbeing and noted that his beloved dog, Bella, remains in the community. Pereira-Alves' attorney is filing an emergency habeas corpus petition, arguing he was denied due process.

Reny Jesús Colina Torres, a 27-year-old Venezuelan mariachi musician and trumpet player who works as a dishwasher at a Cracker Barrel, was detained by ICE agents during a vehicle stop near Culebra Road and North Navidad Street in San Antonio's Woodlawn Lake area on Monday morning while returning home from driving his brother-in-law to work. His sister said he previously applied for asylum and has work authorization while his immigration court case proceeds, with his next hearing scheduled for January. DHS stated that Colina Torres was in the country illegally and would remain in custody during removal proceedings, though his family said they entered through an official port of entry two years ago to escape dire economic conditions in Venezuela. He was sent to the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, the same facility where his friend and fellow mariachi musician Hebert Kaleth Ibarra Castro was detained in late June before being released on bond.

Carolina Molina, a U.S. citizen, licensed mental health therapist, and counselor working with immigration lawyers, was confronted at gunpoint by an ICE agent on August 10, 2026, in a Falls Church parking lot. Molina was distributing business cards with immigration legal services when she witnessed ICE agents conducting enforcement operations on two Latino men. After shouting profanities at the agents from her car window, ICE vehicles boxed in her vehicle and an agent drew his firearm and pointed it at her through her driver's-side window. The agent accused her of attempting to run them over and following the agents; Molina denied the allegations and stated she was turning her car around to avoid drawing attention to an immigration attorney's office. Molina recorded the interaction on dashcam and cellphone video, which contradicted the federal account according to local officials. Though the Department of Homeland Security claimed Molina was "weaponizing her vehicle" against officers, no charges were filed. Democratic Representatives Don Beyer and Suhas Subramanyam called for accountability, with Beyer describing Molina as a mother and noting the incident reflects a pattern of DHS misconduct.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 14 people during an immigration enforcement operation near Hackettstown, New Jersey on August 6, 2026. According to DHS, all 14 individuals entered the United States illegally and are now in removal proceedings or undergoing removal. Two of those arrested had prior criminal histories: Rafael Salazar, a Dominican Republic national previously arrested twice in Miami on cocaine possession charges, and Luis Rivera Guillen, a Honduran national with prior convictions in New York. DHS did not provide details about the circumstances of the operation or identify the remaining 12 people arrested.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a husband and wife outside the Cumberland County courthouse in Portland after they left the building on Tuesday. According to ICE, both are from African countries and had entered the U.S. legally approximately 10 years ago but overstayed their authorized periods of stay. One of the two had been scheduled to be arraigned that afternoon on a theft charge. The Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition said the arrests were the first it was aware of occurring outside the Cumberland County courthouse and expressed concern that such enforcement near courthouses discourages immigrants from reporting crimes, testifying as witnesses, or attending their own court proceedings.

Fabián Guarín, a Hispanic immigrant and asylum applicant with valid work authorization and a current driver's license, was detained by ICE during a traffic stop in Provo, Utah. His wife Natalia says he is the sole economic provider for their family of five, including three young children, and that he has no criminal record and proper documentation. The family is seeking financial support and assistance to secure his release.

Luis Morales, a Venezuelan-born Seventh-day Adventist pastor who has overseen four churches in the Houston area since January 2023, was detained by ICE agents at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on August 6, 2026, while traveling with his wife for vacation. According to ICE, Morales's Temporary Protected Status was revoked on November 20, 2025, and he remained in the country afterward. His wife, Karina, said the couple has a pending asylum claim. The Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists stated that Morales holds valid employment authorization and expressed concern for him and his family.

A 14-year-old girl from Guatemala was detained by ICE and deported while pregnant. She is now in a rural area of Guatemala preparing to give birth to a baby boy with a due date of August 15th. The mother and her 14-year-old boyfriend, a U.S. resident, had planned to raise their child together in the United States, but her deportation has separated the young family. The family is seeking legal assistance to establish the baby's citizenship, determine the mother's immigration options, and reunite all three in the U.S.

Juan Francisco Areche Minaya, a 49-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic, entered Puerto Rico without inspection around 1998 and has lived in the United States for more than 28 years without any reported criminal history. He has two U.S.-citizen children, ages 20 and 12, whom he financially supports, and he also supports his U.S.-citizen mother, who has documented illnesses; his mother twice filed I-130 petitions on his behalf, both of which were approved. On August 11, 2026, seven masked ICE agents approached and detained Areche in San Juan, Puerto Rico while he was waiting to retrieve electrical materials for a job, and he was taken into immigration custody without prior warning. He is currently detained at the GSA Guaynabo Immigration Center. Areche filed a habeas corpus petition arguing his detention violates the INA and his Fifth Amendment due process rights, along with an emergency motion for a TRO seeking to block his transfer out of Puerto Rico and to obtain a bond hearing. The court found he is likely governed by the discretionary detention framework of 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) rather than mandatory detention, and granted the TRO, ordering that he not be transferred outside the District of Puerto Rico and that he receive a bond hearing before an Immigration Judge by August 25, 2026. The habeas petition itself was held in abeyance pending further briefing from the government.

A 9-year-old child with special medical needs and their parent, Adrián Espinoza De La Cruz, were detained by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents on August 11 and are being held at the Havre Border Patrol Station, according to a petition filed in federal court by attorneys with Upper Seven Law. The petition alleges the arrest was made without a judicial warrant and that the facility lacks basic amenities such as proper bedding, despite the family's ties to Billings, where the parent has lived for four years and the child for three years while attending elementary school. The child has upcoming medical appointments, including bloodwork and an ultrasound, that took months to schedule. The U.S. Attorney's Office acknowledged the warrantless arrest but argued releasing the parent and child would not be appropriate, while attorneys are seeking their immediate release or a bond hearing as part of a broader case alleging the government is unlawfully detaining 17 people at the Cascade County Detention Center.

José Mejía Hernandez, a 45-year-old Mexican immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for 18 years, says he was walking to a bus stop on his way to work in Arlington on August 11 when agents in unmarked vehicles chased him. He says he ran out of fear and was shocked with a stun gun, causing him to lose consciousness; he woke up in a hospital with two blackened eyes, facial lacerations, and a brain hemorrhage, where he was hospitalized for three days with ICE officers stationed in his room. His attorney, Carlos Jurado, said Mejía Hernandez has no violent criminal history and had no removal order at the time. DHS disputed his account, saying he was responsive and that officers used necessary force and 'rendered aide' after he tried to evade arrest. He was discharged with an ankle monitor that he says delayed his ability to get a full MRI for more than a week, and he was later diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury at a second hospital. Rep. Don Beyer, Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti, and Commonwealth's Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti have called for an investigation.

Lovejeet Singh, a citizen and national of India, is detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. He first filed a habeas petition and TRO motion on December 17, 2025, after which a district judge ordered an individualized bond hearing and barred his transfer out of the district; an immigration judge subsequently denied bond on the merits. After briefing on the merits, the parties voluntarily dismissed that case without prejudice on August 5, 2026. Six days later, with new counsel, Singh filed a second habeas petition seeking the same relief—immediate release or a bond hearing—along with another emergency TRO application, citing ongoing detention, an unevaluated cardiac abnormality (documented via ECGs showing sinus tachycardia and T wave abnormality), and the lapse of the prior no-transfer order. The magistrate judge denied the TRO application without prejudice, finding no showing of imminent irreparable harm beyond what standard expedited habeas briefing could address, noting Singh's own dismissal created the transfer risk, and pointing to General Order 26-05's two-day transfer notice requirement. The court ordered the government to answer the petition by August 18, 2026, with the matter to be submitted for final disposition shortly after.

Petitioner Adelda Mercado Posas, a national of Honduras, is currently detained at ICE's Washington Field Office in Chantilly, Virginia under 8 U.S.C. § 1231 pursuant to a final order of removal. An Immigration Judge previously granted her application for Withholding of Removal, which legally prohibits her removal to Honduras. Despite this protection, she remains in ICE custody and fears she may be removed to a third country instead. She filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 arguing that her continued detention violates her due process rights under Zadvydas v. Davis. She also filed a Motion for Temporary Restraining Order seeking to block her removal to a third country while her habeas petition is pending. The court granted the TRO, enjoining respondents from removing or transferring her from the district, and ordered respondents to show cause by August 17, 2026 why the habeas petition should not be granted, with any reply due by August 21, 2026.

Daniela, a Salvadoran woman, was detained by ICE while three months pregnant. She suffered a miscarriage during her detention. She now wears an ankle monitor and fears deportation to El Salvador, the country she fled after being a victim of crime.

Venkata Vasamsetty, a green card holder since 2013 who moved to the U.S. from India in 1999, worked as a special-needs substitute teacher with Wake County Public School System in Cary, North Carolina, and is a grandmother. Her immigration troubles began after a 2022 trip to India to care for her ill father, during which she contracted COVID-19 and stayed abroad for over seven months, prompting DHS to allege she had abandoned her permanent residency. An immigration judge dismissed that case in May after DHS missed a court deadline, but she was detained anyway during a scheduled check-in at the Charlotte ICE office and transferred to a detention facility in rural south Georgia. Her daughter Teja, an immigration attorney, said she was shackled and family members pleaded with officers during the arrest, describing themselves as frantic. Family members say she is severely diabetic and has not received proper insulin, medications, or food in custody. Attorney Zoe Wilson and family friends launched a 'Free Venkata' campaign and filed an emergency habeas corpus petition, and she has a scheduled bond hearing.

Magdalena Jimenez Juan and her husband Antonio Pedro Andres came to the United States from Guatemala over 25 years ago seeking medical treatment for their son Rafael, who has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a genetic neurological disorder causing progressive muscle weakness. The couple has four American citizen children, including their 18-year-old son Yoni who also has the same rare disorder and requires wheelchair assistance. Despite ICE permitting them to live and work in the country for decades and their documented medical hardship and clean criminal record, ICE denied their stay of removal on June 23 without explanation. Antonio is detained at Krome Detention Center in Miami awaiting deportation to Guatemala, and Magdalena has until August 27 to self-deport or face detention. If deported, Yoni and Rafael will be placed in state custody while their 22-year-old brother Ervi becomes the sole guardian of their 15-year-old sister Erica.

A member of the Delgado family was arrested by ICE in San Antonio, Texas. According to community members, the family has been part of the San Antonio community for a long time, with children attending local schools and parents involved in community activities including youth sports and advocacy for community rights.

Daniela lost her three-month pregnancy while in immigration detention custody. She was transferred between detention facilities across multiple U.S. states over nearly four months and reports she did not receive appropriate medical treatment for her pregnancy while detained.

Indoniel Lázaro Barrio, a 15-year-old Cuban boy, was deported from the United States to Guyana with his father. After his father's sudden death, the boy was left alone in Guyana. His mother, Indala Saura, a legal resident in Miami, is seeking urgent help to bring her son back to Florida, where he had lived and studied for the past four years.

The United States has deported hundreds of unaccompanied Mexican children on flights to southern Mexico cities including Tapachula, Villahermosa, and Mérida, where human rights organizations confirm more than 350 cases. Many children lack resources to return home safely and have become stranded in unfamiliar cities with inadequate local support services. Some children have disappeared from shelters, and human rights advocates have received information suggesting possible deaths of at least three children attempting to return to their home communities. The policy, discovered in December 2024, represents a shift from prior practice of rapid deportations at the land border where children received care through Mexico's child welfare system.

Jasmir Urbina, a 35-year-old Nicaraguan asylum-seeker living legally in New Orleans with her husband, was defrauded by a scammer posing as attorney "Susan Millan" affiliated with Catholic Charities USA. Through WhatsApp messages and fake documents, the scammer convinced Urbina she had won residency in a virtual hearing and instructed her to skip her real immigration court check-in scheduled for November 24, 2025. Urbina and her husband paid nearly $10,000 through Zelle for the fraudulent services—money they had saved to purchase their first home. After reporting the fraud to authorities, ICE changed her scheduled December virtual check-in to an in-person meeting. When Urbina appeared for the in-person appointment, ICE agents arrested her, shackled her hands and feet, and deported her to Nicaragua in January 2026. She is now living with her mother in a remote village in Nicaragua, separated from her husband who remains in the U.S. Her case was documented in a ProPublica investigation revealing that immigration scam complaints have doubled since Trump's election, with victims reporting at least $94.4 million stolen over five years.

On August 10, 2026, ICE agents detained at least 33 people across the Capital Region of New York, including Albany, Schenectady, and Colonie, in more than 15 separate incidents over roughly six hours. Among those detained was a family of four, including two children, who were separated and sent to two different detention facilities, with one family member transferred to the Dilley Detention Center in Texas. The Capital Region Sanctuary Coalition, which documented the incidents, said the true number detained may be higher since ICE was also seen patrolling additional neighborhoods that day.

Petitioner Dani Osiel Muy Elias, a Guatemalan national who fled to the US in 2022 at age 16 to escape domestic violence, has lived in the country for about four years. He was initially processed as an unaccompanied minor, held by DHS/ORR, and released to his aunt Sucely Muy Elias, a vetted sponsor, after being deemed neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community. He currently lives in Daly City with his mother, works at a Korean restaurant, and has no criminal history. On August 10, 2026, four ICE officers arrested him outside his home, handcuffed him despite his complaints of pain, and drove him to a parking structure where he was pressured to sign a document. He filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus and a TRO motion challenging the lawfulness of his detention and seeking release plus protection from re-detention without notice and a hearing. The court found he was likely to succeed on his procedural due process claims and granted the TRO, ordering his immediate release, barring removal or transfer out of the district, and setting a show cause hearing for August 24, 2026.

Iliana Noeli Lick, 30, an Argentine national who legally entered the U.S. on a tourist visa and was awaiting an asylum interview with USCIS, was arrested by ICE at Philadelphia International Airport on July 11 while attempting to travel to Kansas City to watch the Argentina national team play in the World Cup quarterfinal. Lick has worked as a nanny caring for three young children in South Philadelphia for two years and has no criminal record. She was transferred between multiple ICE detention facilities in Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Texas, and New Mexico, where she was held with nine others in a small cell with one window and one toilet. After one month in custody, Lick was released on a $10,000 bond and required to surrender her passport and license and wear an ankle monitor. She is awaiting a court date to determine whether she will be deported or allowed to remain in the country.