Human Impact Project

The petitioner, who had lived in the United States for years while complying with ICE check-ins and other alternative-to-detention requirements, was taken into ICE custody on August 8, 2026 when he voluntarily appeared for a scheduled ICE check-in. He had maintained a known residence and employment and remained continuously available to immigration authorities for nearly three years prior to his detention. Immigration officials claimed he violated the conditions of his prior release on an order of recognizance after being arrested for public intoxication on July 28, 2026, though no criminal charges were ever filed and he was not notified of any alleged violation until his check-in. He was previously released under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) and is currently held at a detention facility while pursuing a federal habeas corpus petition and motion for a temporary restraining order challenging his re-detention without a pre-deprivation bond hearing. The court found the government failed to identify any exigency justifying detention without prior process and ruled his re-detention violated due process. The court granted the habeas petition and TRO, ordering his immediate release under the same conditions as before his detention, with no additional restrictions such as electronic monitoring unless later deemed necessary at a hearing.

Jack Chung, a lawful permanent resident and asylee who fled China after participating in pro-democracy protests, was taken into ICE custody on August 8 following what his family describes as a retaliatory report from a business associate. Chung, a father of three including a newborn, was transferred through Washington State and Virginia before being detained at a facility in Natchez, Mississippi, thousands of miles from his wife and children in Alaska. His wife Mojo is now caring for their newborn and two young sons alone in Alaska without his income, and the family is raising money for legal representation to fight the detention.

Marco Uriel Rodriguez Hernandez, an immigration detainee, had won a finding that the government was unlawfully denying him a bond hearing. He was then transferred out of the privately run Aurora detention center to an unknown location and later found to be held in Texas. After his attorney, Skylar M. Larson, filed a new habeas petition, Colorado's Chief Federal Judge Daniel D. Domenico issued a temporary restraining order barring ICE from removing him, and the order was emailed to federal prosecutors. Despite this, ICE deported Rodriguez Hernandez to Mexico the following morning without allowing him to contact his attorney. Government attorneys said officials in Texas who carried out the removal were unaware of the court's order and said they 'greatly regret the error.' Domenico ordered the government to take all available steps to facilitate his return to the United States.

A leaked video filmed by a detainee inside the River Center ICE Detention Center in Louisiana shows 76 people held together in a single crowded space. Detainees allege exposure to outbreaks of tuberculosis, flu, and conjunctivitis, and say sick people are being placed in punitive isolation cells instead of receiving medical care. The detainee who filmed the footage asked media outlets for help publicizing the conditions.

Shohrat Saparov, a devoted husband and father of two from the Turkmen community, was arrested on May 29, 2026, after accepting a Lyft pickup request for a package he believed to be legal. He was wrongfully charged in a scam orchestrated by others, but on August 7, 2026, the Wake County prosecutor dismissed the charge entirely, finding him an "unwitting mule without guilty knowledge." The next morning, ICE took him into custody. Saparov is a recently certified Network Engineer who has volunteered with the Divan Center supporting families in need, and his family is now seeking $20,000 to fund his immigration defense and secure his release.

Tonny Quesada-Ramirez, a Costa Rican national who has lived in the United States for approximately 26 years, was detained by ICE agents on August 7, 2026, while working on a home addition project near his South Orange residence. He lives with his wife and two children, one of whom has Down's syndrome, and had begun the green card application process when he was detained. Through efforts by South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum, Detention and Deportation Defense Initiative attorneys, immigration attorney Kate Reilly, and the group SOMA Community Cares, Quesada-Ramirez and two other local men were released from Delaney Hall detention center a few days after their arrest. ICE has stated he remains in removal proceedings, citing a prior 2001 removal order after he failed to appear in court and a 2010 arrest followed by release on bond in 2011; community members had raised over $50,000 to support him and others detained in the same enforcement action.

Daniel Palencia arrived in the United States in 2016 at age 11 with his mother, crossing the Mexico-U.S. border at El Paso, Texas, where they turned themselves in to immigration authorities and sought legal status. He was detained for three months in deplorable conditions, including cold rooms where temperatures dropped at night and blankets were confiscated, and overcrowded holding areas he described as "cages" designed for 4-5 people but sometimes holding 40 individuals where "we were sleeping on top of each other." After being transferred to JK Airport in New York for additional detention, his family hired a lawyer and obtained asylum status. Palencia moved to Southold to live with his grandparents, attended local schools, and has worked for Marcello Masonry for two years. Reflecting on his experience and that of detained coworker Hugo Leonel Ardon Osorio, he stated: "There are bad people out there. But you can't arrest everybody for the way they look or if they speak Spanish. You can't arrest hard-working people who are trying to support their families."

Sebastian Ralios Tino, a Guatemalan landscaper with no known criminal record, was detained in summer 2025 after nearly two decades in the U.S. without legal status. His son, Army Spc. Romero Ralios, spent nine months in 2024 deployed to the Southern Border Joint Task Force supporting Customs and Border Protection, and has since struggled with sleep and expressed remorse over families separated during his deployment. His commanding officer, Capt. Mohamed Elmaola, publicly criticized ICE for detaining Ralios' father, telling the AP that his father deserves due process and that it is difficult to lead when subordinates lack support. An AP investigation found more than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty service members have been detained since the start of the Trump administration, with at least six deported and eight still in custody; DHS said military service does not exempt individuals from immigration law.

Juan Carlos Maspache, a detainee at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California, documented evidence of a cockroach found in his detention cell and shared the video with L.A. TACO. His documentation is part of mounting claims from detainees about inhumane conditions at the facility.

Omar, a Peruvian sous chef at the restaurant Perla in New York City, was detained by ICE agents on the morning of Friday, August 7, while on his way to work. According to his employer, Omar has been following the lawful path to citizenship, was recently awarded a social security number, pays taxes, and works every day. His employer describes him as a hardworking, dedicated, and morally-just person who has played a significant role in shaping the restaurant over nearly two years of employment and serves as a mentor to the employer's sons. Omar is currently detained at Delaney Hall.

Debora Kapisha, a registered nurse from Zambia working at Maine Medical Center in Portland, was detained by ICE on July 30 after agents intercepted her during a return trip, with reports differing on whether this occurred at Boston Logan Airport or Portland International Jetport. ICE said she overstayed a visa that expired in November 2024, but Kapisha has a pending asylum claim and, according to the Maine State Nurses Association, held valid work authorization and a nursing license in good standing since June 2025. Colleagues and advocates described her as a trusted, compassionate caregiver whose detention disrupted patient care. The Maine State Nurses Association organized a rally within 24 hours, drawing more than 100 nurses, supporters, and Democratic officials including Senate nominee Troy Jackson and gubernatorial nominee Hannah Pingree. After her attorney, Kerry Doyle, challenged the detention in federal court, Kapisha was released on August 7, though her removal case continues. MaineHealth and the nurses' union are working to sponsor her for permanent residency through an EB-3 visa. Advocates noted at least five other people were detained at the jetport in the prior two weeks amid increased airport immigration enforcement.

Katerina was recently detained by immigration authorities at an airport and is currently held in immigration detention. Her supporters are raising funds for emergency federal legal representation to file a habeas corpus petition and temporary restraining order in federal court challenging the legality of her detention and seeking her release.

Two U.S. citizens were detained during an immigration enforcement operation in Norfolk, Virginia. The incident was among cases documented in a ProPublica investigation identifying more than 500 U.S. citizens detained by immigration agents since January 2025.

Aminata (Amina) Seck, a 26-year-old graduate student and basketball center for Kentucky State University from Dakar, Senegal, was detained by ICE on Aug. 7 at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport while preparing to fly with her team to an HBCU tournament in New York. Seck entered the U.S. on a student visa in 2019 and was ordered removed after missing an immigration hearing; her attorney, Sadiqa Reynolds, said Seck never received notice of the hearing and missed the deadline while recovering from back surgery and an ACL injury. Wearing a leg brace at the time of her arrest, she has since been moved between at least four detention facilities in Kentucky and Chicago as well as a hospital over 48 days, reportedly experiencing seizures and limited access to phone calls, visitors, or basic medical care. Seck started most games last season, averaging more than 11 points and 7 rebounds, and earned All-Conference and SIAC Elite 16 academic-athletic honors. Her head coach, Amani Williams, has advocated on her behalf, and U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey said he is monitoring her situation.

An 18-year-old and his father were detained during a required immigration check-in, according to the ACLU of North Carolina. The pair were held at a detention facility in Georgia before being granted bond, and the son was released on Aug. 7, 2026.

A Haitian man who had entered a national parole program in Manchester before relocating to White River Junction in 2025 was arrested by ICE agents at his door at 7 a.m. on Aug. 7, according to Yvonne Lodico of Grace Initiative Global. The man had employment authorization and an asylum application under review, and was moved between detention locations before arriving in New Hampshire. His wife, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, said that when she followed and asked ICE agents where they were taking her husband, an agent pulled out a gun and pointed it at her while she sat in her car.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested at least nine people across Vermont over a weekend in August 2026, including five construction workers arrested in Londonderry, one person in White River Junction, and two roof repairmen in a raid in Cornwall. A Haitian man with employment authorization and an asylum application under review was arrested at his home in White River Junction after ICE agents arrived at 7 a.m.; his wife reported that an ICE agent pointed a gun at her while she was in her car when she asked where they were taking him. Immigration advocates say at least one additional arrest occurred in the Upper Valley, and a local volunteer group reported three people were separately detained by ICE in West Lebanon, New Hampshire. The arrests, described by advocates as rare workplace and commuting operations involving groups of workers, occurred amid months of heightened federal enforcement across the state; the ACLU of Vermont has filed federal claims against ICE over a separate March raid in South Burlington, alleging constitutional violations.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement concluded Operation Safe Community-Atlanta on August 7, 2026, with 1,226 arrests across Georgia in one of the largest single-state immigration enforcement operations in recent memory. According to ICE, 720 of those arrested had been charged with or convicted of crimes in the United States, including sex crimes, crimes against children, assault, drug violations, burglary, weapons offenses, and impaired driving. All 1,226 people arrested violated U.S. immigration law. The operation was conducted across multiple Georgia jurisdictions with participation from federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, including five arrests at a local trucking company. The operation occurred during a period of increased ICE enforcement, as the agency set a new monthly record high for detentions in July with more than 46,000 arrests nationwide.

Luis (Kike) Espinoza, an Executive Chef who has lived legally in the United States since 2022 with a valid work permit, was detained by ICE during what was supposed to be a routine monthly immigration court hearing in Texas. Espinoza, who formerly worked as head chef at El Secreto de Rosita restaurant, moved to Texas to build a life and support his two children in Peru. His sister, Cinthia Espinoza, who works as a chef at Nabiha restaurant, is organizing a GoFundMe campaign to help cover legal costs as the family works with an attorney to seek his release. The community has described Espinoza as a beloved member who has given much to the people around him.

Two men were detained after officers in ICE garb arrived in six vehicles at a gas station in Marshall on Tuesday morning, boxed in their vehicle at a gas pump, and smashed the windows before taking them into custody. Bystanders witnessed the enforcement action.