Human Impact Project

Avishay Alon, a transgender former intelligence specialist with Israel's Unit 81 who later worked as a computer engineer at Amazon and Microsoft, was transferred from New Hampshire state custody into ICE custody on Aug. 20, a day after signing a parole certificate, and is now held at an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia. Alon, who uses the name Allison, had been serving a two-to-six-year sentence imposed July 7, 2025, following a 2024 kidnapping conviction. A federal judge had previously noted that immigration detainers are capped at 48 hours and ordered the state to show cause. Alon separately filed a federal lawsuit in December 2025 against the New Hampshire Department of Corrections over housing in a men's facility and access to gender-transition care, with some claims still pending.

Curtis Wright, a 40-year-old Edmonton-born permanent resident who moved to Houston as a child and worked in the oil and gas industry, was detained by ICE at a Houston-area airport in November 2025 after returning from a work trip to Mexico. Authorities cited a drug possession conviction from when he was 17, involving Xanax tablets found in a car he was in, for which he had already completed community service. During nearly nine months in detention across several Texas facilities, including the South Texas ICE Processing Centre, Wright described freezing cells, contaminated water, poor food, and being denied medication for a chronic condition. His attorney pursued appeals and a habeas corpus request, but a judge ultimately ordered his deportation, and Wright gave up further legal fights. His fiancée Kayla Thomsen said their toddler daughter learned to walk during his absence, while his two older sons, ages 8 and 11, remained in Texas with their mother. Wright was deported to Canada and is now staying with his parents in Kelowna, B.C., planning an eventual move to Edmonton.

A Mexican national living in Maryland, whose testimony for the Justice Department against drug cartels led an immigration judge to bar his deportation to Mexico under the Convention Against Torture in July 2024, was released from custody that November but re-detained during a routine ICE check-in in January 2026 and held for six months in a Louisiana detention facility. In July 2026 he was deported three times in two weeks: first to Guatemala, which refused him and handed him to Mexican consular officials who also declined to take him; then directly to Mexico twice more after officials there initially refused him, and again after the administration terminated his CAT protection based on diplomatic assurances it said were provided by the Mexican government and deemed reliable by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and acting ICE Director David Venturella. He has been in hiding in Mexico since Aug. 1 fearing retaliation from the cartels he testified against, and U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher found the government likely violated his due process rights, ordering it to take immediate steps to facilitate his return within 200 miles of Baltimore.

A Mexican man in his late 40s, identified in court filings only as "John Doe" and a father of two, had cooperated with U.S. prosecutors in cases against Mexican drug cartel members and was granted deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture in July 2024. While living in Maryland, he was detained by ICE in January 2026 at a routine check-in and held for six months at a facility in Louisiana. Authorities attempted to deport him multiple times, first to Guatemala on July 10, which refused him and turned him over to Mexican officials, and then to Mexico, most recently on August 1 to a region with active cartel activity. He has since gone into hiding without money, belongings, or his phone, fearing the cartels he testified against will find and kill him. U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Baltimore ruled that the termination of his CAT protections likely violated due process and placed him in imminent danger, ordering the government to facilitate his return within 14 days and to hold him near Baltimore with attorney access if detained again.

Border Patrol agents in the San Diego Sector rescued two individuals in separate incidents in the East County mountains amid extreme heat. On Aug. 1, agents located a person lost in the Jacumba Mountains suffering heat exhaustion, disorientation and blurred vision after running out of water in roughly 107-degree heat; the person was airlifted and taken to a hospital for treatment. In a separate incident on July 26, agents using surveillance equipment spotted a person near Cottonwood Canyon who was unable to walk out unassisted; emergency responders carried the person out and transported them to a hospital. Border Patrol said both individuals were determined to be in the country without authorization and will be processed for removal after receiving medical clearance.

Martin Martinez-Ballinas, 38, a Mexican national, was transferred to ICE custody on July 22, 2026, after completing a federal prison sentence for illegal reentry at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and now faces deportation proceedings for the third time. He was previously deported in 2020 following a 2017 felony hit-and-run conviction in Maryland that killed 21-year-old U.S. Marine James Ray Walden III, who had worked as a cryptology analyst for the National Security Agency. After illegally reentering, he was apprehended by Border Patrol in Texas in 2021, sentenced to 15 months for unlawful reentry, and deported again in October 2022. He reentered again in 2023, was apprehended in Maryland, sentenced to 37 months in federal prison followed by a year of supervised release, and is now in ICE custody pending deportation.

Elton Purvis, a 55-year-old legal permanent resident from Trinidad and Tobago, Rastafarian priest, and father of nine U.S. citizen children, was detained by ICE at Boston Logan International Airport on May 13, 2025, while returning home for his sons' graduation ceremonies. A community fixture for more than 30 years, Purvis had Type 1 diabetes and was suffering from malaria upon arrival; he says ICE agents ignored his malaria symptoms for 12 days and confiscated his prescription diabetes and malaria medications. During roughly seven months in detention, mostly at the Geo Group-run South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Purvis filed over 100 grievances, was found unresponsive in his cell at least three times, and was hospitalized multiple times for dangerously low blood sugar. Staff allegedly refused to accommodate his strict vegetarian, lactose-free diet required for religious and medical reasons, forcing him to eat leftover cornbread and filter dirty water himself. Purvis said he begged guards for help as he experienced shortness of breath, dizziness and hallucinations. He was deported to Trinidad and Tobago on December 6, 2025, and the ACLU Foundation of Texas filed a $10 million federal tort claim on his behalf, part of a nationwide effort that has filed more than 50 claims across 17 states and Washington, D.C. alleging medical and food neglect in immigration detention.

A man detained in ICE custody filed a habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 in the Eastern District of California on July 31, 2026, along with an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order. The same day, District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston found that he appeared likely to succeed on at least one of his claims and that some form of immediate relief may be appropriate, and ordered the government to show cause by August 7, 2026, why a TRO should not issue. Citing exigent circumstances, the court ordered that the government may not remove him from the United States or transfer him out of the district while the case is pending. The court also directed the government to produce documentation related to any asserted violations of release conditions, and set the matter for further briefing and a possible hearing.

Ariel, a skilled mason who worked on homes throughout the Petworth neighborhood, was taken into ICE custody and deported to El Salvador, a country where he no longer has family. His wife Diana remains in Petworth with their two young children, now the sole provider for the family. Described by neighbors as incredibly hardworking and an amazing father, Ariel's deportation has left Diana facing heavy financial responsibilities while neighbors provide logistical support.

Cesar has spent most of his life in the United States, where he built his family, friendships, and future. In May, he was unexpectedly taken into ICE detention. His two young daughters have been without their father's love, comfort, and security since his detention. His family is raising funds to cover attorney fees, court costs, and living expenses while fighting for his return.

ICE Miami, working with the Miami-Dade County Sheriff's Office, arrested Roberto Gonzalez-Fonseca, a 57-year-old lawful permanent resident from Cuba, on July 31. Gonzalez-Fonseca had been ordered removed by an immigration judge in 2010 following a prior conviction. He is currently in ICE custody pending removal from the United States.

Mohamed Barry, 52, a truck driver from Guinea who had lived in the U.S. for 25 years and held a withholding of removal order protecting him from deportation to his home country, was captured by Border Patrol outside his home in Brownsburg, Indiana on July 1 and later placed on a July 31 ICE charter flight to Africa carrying an estimated 71 detainees. Barry, who has five U.S. citizen children including a nine-year-old daughter, said ICE-contracted GEO Group guards drank alcohol, refused to let shackled passengers use the lavatory, and placed at least two people in restraint devices during the 26-hour flight to Sierra Leone, the Central African Republic, and Ghana. After being held under armed guard in a Ghana hotel for three days, Barry agreed to return to Guinea despite his protection order, then fled across a border into a neighboring country where he is now in hiding without identification and with a dwindling supply of heart medication. "I can't tell you how heartbroken I am leaving my younger girls," Barry said. "I'm the one who takes them to the bus stop."

Zena Gebrgzabher, a 39-year-old Eritrean truck driver who lived in Maryland, was deported by the Trump administration to the Central African Republic after being arrested during a routine ICE check-in appointment. He had won protection under the Convention Against Torture in 2017 barring his deportation to Eritrea, after fleeing forced military conscription and imprisonment there, but that protection did not prevent officials from sending him to a third country. His wife and 5-year-old son, both U.S. citizens, live in Maryland; his wife, Yrgalem Gehrehiwet, called the deportation "unfair and inhumane" and said their son has been deeply affected by his father's absence. CBS News found no criminal record for Gebrgzabher beyond traffic and immigration violations, and he is now stranded in Bangui without documents.

A man who was granted voluntary departure by an immigration judge in 2017 but never left the country, causing that order to automatically convert into a final removal order under federal law. In June 2025, he was detained after law enforcement executed a search warrant at his place of employment, and he was held for nearly a year at the Montgomery Municipal Jail under a material witness warrant. On May 22, 2026, a magistrate judge dismissed the material witness warrant and ordered his release, but he was not released and remained in custody for reasons unknown to the court. He filed a federal habeas corpus petition on July 31, 2026, seeking release or a bond hearing before an immigration judge. Respondents indicated that ICE had only lodged a detainer at the time the petition was filed and did not take physical custody of him until August 4, 2026, after which he was transferred to a facility within the Northern District of Alabama. The court dismissed the petition without prejudice, finding both that Petitioner failed to comply with a show-cause order and that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction because he was not in ICE custody at the time of filing, noting jurisdiction now lies only in the district of his current confinement.

Arístides Fernández García, a 37-year-old Cuban trucking company owner who fled Cuba in 2021 after being kidnapped and robbed in Mexico, was living in South Florida under an I-220A release order when ICE arrested him following a Miami immigration court hearing on January 6, 2026. He spent about seven months in detention at facilities including Krome, 'Alligator Alcatraz,' and centers in Louisiana and Texas. On July 30, he was shackled and flown roughly 22 hours with about 80 other detainees, including Cubans, an Ecuadorian, and a Honduran, to Bangui, Central African Republic — a country under the U.S. State Department's highest 'Do Not Travel' advisory due to risks including unrest, crime, kidnapping and terrorism. He said he was not told the destination until mid-flight and was stripped of his identification, money, and phone upon arrival, now confined to a guarded building without legal status, a passport, or embassy support. "I paid taxes, I never got a traffic ticket. I did everything right," he said, and described feeling "kidnapped," saying "we are prisoners here, they won't let us leave or go anywhere... they have violated all the rights that exist in life, because we are human beings." He said he still wants to pursue his asylum claim, while immigration attorney Morella Aguado said there is no legal basis for sending migrants to a country not designated by an immigration judge.

A man was detained by ICE in Fairbanks, Alaska on July 31, 2026, despite being in the United States legally and actively working toward permanent resident status. His sister describes him as hardworking and honest, someone who pays taxes, works steadily, and helps support their mother and his grandchildren. Within 24 hours of his detention in Fairbanks, he was transferred to Anchorage; his family fears further transfers out of state will make it increasingly difficult for them to communicate with him, secure legal representation, and advocate for his rights. The family is raising funds to cover immigration attorney fees, legal filings, travel, and communication costs necessary to fight for his release.

A Honduran citizen who entered the United States through the southern border in 2021 and was briefly detained by ICE before being released. He subsequently settled in New Jersey. On July 31, 2026, ICE apprehended him in Pottsville, Pennsylvania and detained him at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia. On August 6, 2026, ICE transferred him to Moshannon Valley Processing Center and detained him under Section 1225 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which provides for mandatory detention. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention. The federal court granted his petition, holding that Section 1226(a)—not Section 1225(b)(2)—governs the detention of noncitizens who have entered without admission but have long resided in the interior. The court ordered his immediate release and a temporary seven-day enjoinder against re-detention. If the government seeks to re-detain him after that period, it must first provide him with a bond hearing before an immigration judge.

Iemad Saifo, a 65-year-old Syrian-born chef who owns Zena's American Mediterranean Cuisine and Catering in Collingswood, New Jersey, was detained by ICE on July 31 at their Mt. Laurel office during what he believed was a routine check-in, despite having a pending immigration case with a December court date. Saifo came to the U.S. with his family on a B1/B2 visa from Syria in 2002, is the primary caregiver for his son with autism, and suffers from several chronic health conditions including a rare neurological condition and kidney disease. His wife and four children are U.S. citizens, and a residency petition filed by his U.S. citizen son had cleared its first approval stage. He was held at Delaney Hall, a privately run detention facility in Newark that has been the site of protests over detainee treatment, prompting his daughter Zena, for whom the restaurant is named, to voice concern over reports of detainee deaths there. His attorneys filed an emergency habeas petition, after which a federal judge barred ICE from transferring him out of state. A petition supporting him gathered more than 12,500 signatures, with support from the Council on American-Islamic Relations and over 150 notarized letters from community members. An immigration judge later granted bond and he was released, with his daughter saying, 'We are so relieved to have him safely back home as the immigration process continues.'

Cornelius Kaihau Holani, a 20-year-old citizen of New Zealand of Tongan ethnicity, was lawfully admitted to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program in July 2023. He lives in Seattle, cares for his elderly grandmother, and volunteers at his church teaching traditional Tongan dance. His mother is a green card holder and his stepfather is a U.S. citizen. On July 31, ICE agents detained Holani at Oakland International Airport as he waited to board a domestic flight to Seattle, handcuffed him, and transported him to an ICE office in San Francisco. Agents presented him with a document and instructed him to sign it; when he asked if it was related to deportation, an officer allegedly told him "No, it's nothing like that." U.S. District Judge Noël Wise ruled that ICE coerced Holani into signing the document without knowing its contents and that the government violated his due process rights by relying on it as a waiver of his right to contest removal. The judge ordered his release and barred re-detention or removal pending a hearing.

Paula Sofia Ramirez Clavijo, a 33-year-old Colombian asylum seeker and survivor of sexual assault, was detained by ICE on July 24, 2025, immediately after appearing at San Francisco Immigration Court for a scheduled removal hearing. She had entered the U.S. without inspection in December 2023 and been released on her own recognizance. ICE arrested her outside the courtroom pursuant to a Warrant of Arrest. Attorney Erin Meyer filed a habeas corpus petition on her behalf. A U.S. District Court judge issued an order for her release while she was already on a United Airlines flight to Honolulu with ICE officers. The court granted her petition, ruling that she has a protected liberty interest and cannot be re-detained without a pre-deprivation bond hearing where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that she is a flight risk or danger to the community.