Human Impact Project

Santiago Merlo, a Colombian man living in California, posted his car for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Months later, a purported buyer using the name "Brian" arranged to meet him to see the vehicle. When Merlo arrived, he says about 10 patrol units with federal agents were waiting, and he was handcuffed and detained. Merlo says he had a valid work permit and a pending asylum application at the time he was later deported to Colombia.

A man from Pakistan in his early 40s was arrested and initially processed and detained in Baltimore in April 2025 before being transferred to a long-term detention facility in central Pennsylvania, where he stayed nearly three months. Over the following year he was moved 17 more times, three of them back to the same Pennsylvania facility, traveling a total of 11,347 miles before he was conditionally released this summer.

Xavier Jordán, an Ecuadorian businessman accused by Ecuadorian prosecutors of helping plan and finance the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami. His lawyer said Jordán had applied for asylum in the United States and had a hearing scheduled for May of the following year, arguing he had been legally residing in the country. The lawyer said it was not yet known where Jordán had been taken and ruled out any connection to an Ecuadorian arrest warrant, noting the Interpol red notice against him was not active.

Feride Bardakci, a 26-year-old from Turkey who worked three restaurant jobs in Jackson, Wyoming, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a bus stop while traveling between shifts. Officers wearing plainclothes with visible ICE badges handcuffed her and transported her for processing, and she is now held at Natrona County jail. Her employer, Teton Tiger General Manager Monica Rozzi, described her as "a friend to all of us" and "a wonderful person," and a search of Wyoming and federal courts found no criminal record. DHS said Bardakci was targeted for overstaying a one-year visa she first obtained in 2023, and she is expected to be transferred to an ICE facility in Aurora, Colorado.

Luis Ochoa and his friend JC, both 17-year-old U.S. citizens, were detained by ICE agents in Alamo, Texas, after stopping to film agents conducting an enforcement action near Santos Livas Elementary School. The teens said they were on their way to submit paperwork to enlist in the Marine Corps when agents pulled Ochoa from his vehicle, breaking his wrist, and pepper-sprayed both teens and struck JC in the face, despite them stating they were U.S. citizens. One agent reportedly told Ochoa, "I don't give a damn... Your parents can't help you now." Ochoa's mother, Teresa Ochoa, said she went roughly eight hours without information about her son and described it as one of the most frightening moments of her life, adding that the ordeal made both teens reconsider plans to enlist. DHS disputed the account, describing the teens as "anti-ICE agitators" who obstructed a lawful vehicle stop and became physically combative, stating two ICE officers suffered minor injuries. The Alamo Police Department forwarded the teens' complaint to the DHS Office of Inspector General for review.

Luis Galeano, a Nicaraguan journalist who directs the interview program Café con Voz, was detained by ICE agents while working as a rideshare driver near Orlando, Florida to supplement his journalism income. He fled Nicaragua in 2018 after police raided his newsroom, charged him, and imprisoned colleagues following his reporting critical of Daniel Ortega's government, and applied for asylum in the U.S. in June 2019, a case that remains pending after seven years despite his holding a work permit and social security number. His wife, Daykel Santamaría, said she received only a brief 15-second call before his phone was taken, during which he asked her to contact a lawyer and notify journalists. In 2023, the Ortega-Murillo government stripped Galeano and 93 other journalists, writers, and activists of their citizenship. He is being held at Krome detention center with a court date scheduled for October 2, and press freedom groups, Nicaraguan opposition members, and U.S. lawmakers including Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar have urged authorities to consider his history of persecution, warning that deportation would endanger his life.

Lissette Cruz, a Venezuelan mother of three who has lived in the United States for nearly 11 years, was detained by immigration authorities in Tennessee and remains in custody while her case is processed. Her family describes her as the household's primary breadwinner and a fundamental caretaker for her children. Relatives launched the "Help Lissette Stay With Her Family" campaign on social media to raise awareness and gather community support for her release.

Rodrigo, a lawful permanent resident living with advanced throat cancer and other serious medical conditions, endured what his attorneys describe as substantial medical neglect during nearly a year in ICE custody at the California City Detention Facility. He suffered two strokes while detained, and his throat tumor grew to the size of a lemon without proper treatment. Senior Staff Attorney Victoria Petty filed a habeas petition on his behalf and secured his release, after which Rodrigo began speaking publicly about the medical neglect and dangerous conditions he experienced in ICE custody.

Angie, 26, learned she was pregnant a few weeks after being booked into the Mesa Verde detention center in California. A few weeks later she woke up passing large amounts of fluid, and medical staff at the facility told her she had miscarried and that it was not her fault. She is among at least 18 women ICE recorded as having miscarried in custody during the first nine months of the Trump administration, though the agency says it has no data on miscarriages after October 2025.

Edgar Martinez, 33, was detained outside his West Phoenix home after men allegedly posing as electricians cut power to check a breaker box, according to his partner, Marisol Lopez. Lopez said the agents never identified themselves or showed a warrant before pinning Martinez to the ground and taking him into custody. She said Martinez had no serious criminal record and was in the process of applying for a T visa as a victim of human trafficking. ICE said Martinez lacks lawful status and cited two prior domestic violence misdemeanors on his record. Martinez was being held at a detention facility in Florence, Arizona, due to capacity issues at other facilities and was set to appear in immigration court.

Walto Deshommes was detained by ICE agents just outside a North Park Head Start program moments after walking his 2-year-old daughter into her classroom. Deshommes and his partner, Suze, had a pending asylum case and had been living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status until the Trump administration ended TPS protections for Haitians in July following a Supreme Court ruling. Their toddler was handed off by school staff to an emergency contact, and Suze said she remains committed to appearing at her scheduled immigration court date despite facing the process without Deshommes.

An unnamed client of immigration attorney Javier Rivera, a victim of domestic violence with legal protections meant to shield her from removal, was deported to Nicaragua in August. A federal court has already ordered her return to the United States. Rivera said the administration is 'in such a hurry to kick people out... that they aren't actually looking at the legality of some of this stuff.'

Post Falls police announced they made 15 arrests of people suspected of violating federal immigration law after joining the 287(g) program with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE agents accompanied Post Falls officers during joint patrol operations from Aug. 24 to Aug. 28, resulting in 13 arrests, with two additional arrests made later. The department said it does not anticipate the number of arrests during the training period reflects future operations.

In late August, ICE deported three Nicaraguan men to the Central African Republic, even though none of them had ties to that country and at least two had protections in place that barred their return to Nicaragua. The men reported being transported in handcuffs under duress and were left stranded in Bangui with uncertain immigration status. The deportations are part of a broader U.S. policy of sending migrants to third-party African countries when legal barriers prevent their return to their countries of origin.

Gerardo Chavez Lopez, a longtime Clatsop County resident who owned and operated businesses in the area, was arrested by ICE officers in June along with at least one other person. ICE officers used property at the Port of Astoria to move people between vehicles during the arrests, prompting complaints to the Oregon Department of Justice over a potential violation of the state's sanctuary laws. The Port of Astoria said staff faced a difficult situation and did the right thing by allowing ICE agents access to port property.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained four men in Montclair's Fourth Ward on a Monday morning, stopping their pickup truck near Elm Street and Bloomfield Avenue. Witnesses said agents smashed the truck's window and pushed the men against the vehicle while handcuffing them, just a block from Charles H. Bullock Elementary School as children were arriving for the day. Mayor Renee Baskerville and Deputy Mayor Susan Shin Andersen said they were seeking more information from ICE, which did not notify local police of the operation. A local attorney who responded to the scene offered legal assistance and said he was disturbed by how the men were treated.

As the school year began in Queens, immigrant families expressed fear over ICE activity in their neighborhoods. In one incident, a father was detained by ICE agents while running morning errands in Corona before he could return home to drive his son to school, prompting his wife to rush to the scene in tears. Community members and local advocates, including the group Las Doñas, responded to support the family, while other parents like Margarita described ongoing anxiety about enforcement affecting daily routines like school drop-offs.

A Colombian mother seeking asylum after fleeing domestic violence says she has suffered months of delayed and inadequate medical care for a serious kidney and urinary tract infection while detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego. She crossed the border in the San Diego-Tijuana area in September 2025 and has been held since October while her asylum case, which the government sought to redirect to Honduras, remains on appeal. Medical records show repeated visits for pain, bleeding, and blood in her urine that went undertreated for months, including delayed antibiotics, a delayed ultrasound and CT scan, and two emergency room visits before she was hospitalized and diagnosed with pyelonephritis. She said a guard mistreated her, including a 30-day suspension of her phone privileges that cut off contact with her two children.

Gabriel Johnson, a 55-year-old pastor and father originally from Liberia who had held legal status since age 15, was detained by ICE in Cary, North Carolina in mid-July, which his family described as stemming from a misunderstanding over a missed immigration appointment. His daughter, Gabri Johnson, said officials later pursued his removal under a broader immigration policy change, and that ICE denied him consistent food, water, and medication for more than 16 days in custody. On July 30, Johnson suffered a stroke that left the left side of his body completely paralyzed. His family said ICE initially refused to let hospital staff contact his daughter and denied the family visits, calls, or health updates, and that he was unable to access needed rehabilitation care while detained. ICE denied mistreatment allegations, stating Johnson was taken to a hospital after showing stroke-like symptoms and remained under medical care. An emergency stay of removal was filed on his behalf, and he has since been released from ICE custody and is moving to a 24-hour rehabilitation hospital for treatment.

Jose Rafael Alambarrio, a Venezuelan national who fled political persecution and arrived in the U.S. in 2023, was detained on January 15, 2026 during a routine annual check-in at the Dallas ICE office while applying for a green card and pursuing asylum. He had no criminal record and had faithfully attended all previous check-ins. He was initially held at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, before being transferred without notice to an ICE facility in Mississippi. His wife, a McKinney teacher and U.S. citizen, has publicly pleaded for his release and continues to fight for him from a distance. Nine months later, Alambarrio remains in detention while appealing the denial of his asylum application, with a decision on his residency process still pending.

ICE agents conducted a targeted enforcement operation in Woodstock, Illinois, arresting six men ranging in age from 23 to 48. Those detained were identified as Alex Francisco Diaz-Quintanilla, 47, of El Salvador; Israel Espinal-Diaz, 48, of Mexico; Daniel Nehemias Martinez-Esteban, 30, of Guatemala; Lazaro Cruz-Morales, 43, of Mexico; Gabriel Martinez-Quintanar, 26, of Mexico; and Jayson Josiel Ruiz-Figueroa, 23, of Honduras. At least one man was taken into custody in the parking lot of Woodstock Automotive Service. ICE said Diaz-Quintanilla had a 2024 weapons conviction, and all six remain in custody pending removal proceedings, with several held at the Clay County, Indiana Jail and one at Miami Correctional Center in Indiana. A separate federal drug trafficking warrant was served at the same location about two and a half hours later by DEA, Illinois State Police, FBI and local agencies, which authorities said was unrelated to the immigration enforcement action.

Marco was recently detained by ICE, according to his daughter Leire, who is raising money to cover immigration legal representation and attorney fees. The family is working to secure his release and asked for donations, prayers, and help sharing their story.

Jorge was detained by ICE agents who followed him until he stopped his vehicle on his way to work. His brother Geovanni describes him as a hard worker with no criminal record who has lived in the U.S. almost his entire life, and a devoted father whose four children depend on him. The family is raising funds to hire a lawyer to fight his deportation and seek his release on bail while he remains in detention.

Roxana Valladares, a 29-year-old Salvadoran woman, spent the night at a hospital in Homestead, Florida with her 6-year-old son, who had a fever and was struggling to breathe, before rushing to line up outside the Miami immigration court for a mass hearing. She arrived by Uber at 4 a.m. with a blanket, a change of clothes, a cooler with water and snacks, and a folding beach chair, ending up third in line for a 1 p.m. hearing amid crowds stretching around the building. Her son slept on a blanket on the sidewalk while she fanned him as they waited. Valladares said she had originally been scheduled for a hearing in September 2027 but received a notice the week before to appear instead. She said she crossed the border two years earlier to seek asylum after fleeing domestic violence and fearing for her life and her son's, and that she was told missing the hearing could result in an automatic deportation order.

Two young men were stopped by ICE agents at a stoplight in Alamo, Texas. One was taken by agents while the other, who was driving, was pepper sprayed. Both were taken into ICE custody, and a local politician intervened to secure their release; both are now reported to be home.

A 16-year-old minor was chased by several ICE agents in Livonia, Michigan, and climbed onto a residential rooftop with his hands raised while an agent pointed a gun directly at him. Video shared by @metrodetroitnews shows additional agents then climbing onto the roof and taking him into custody.

An unidentified immigrant man with an active work permit was detained by ICE agents in a West Palm Beach parking lot on September 11, according to the nonprofit Guatemalan-Maya Center. His two U.S. citizen children, one of whom is deaf, were left without a parent because their mother was already in ICE custody. The nonprofit's assistant director rushed to the scene to provide legal guidance and care for the remaining family members.

Ainara Andreina Calderon Pena, a woman from Ecuador who legally entered the U.S. through New York City in August 2022, was arrested by ICE agents at Tweed New Haven Airport on September 11, 2026. A DHS spokesperson said she is being held for overstaying her visa and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. State court records show no pending criminal cases or convictions associated with her, and she has filed a sealed petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts contesting the legality of her arrest and detention.

Six employees of GLC Property Maintenance, a landscaping company in Highland Township, Michigan, were stopped by nine ICE vehicles while driving to work. The company says all six workers are legally employed in the U.S. on H-2B visas, and agents released them after reviewing their paperwork. Company owner Tyler Ralko, whose parents founded the business 25 years ago, said the employees are hardworking and pay taxes, and he has contacted an immigration attorney and U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin's office seeking clarity on why they were stopped.

A former Guilford County detention officer, Michael Diehl, was charged with 20 counts of felony forgery after allegedly submitting fake magistrate signatures on ICE detainer forms. The forged documents allowed the jail to hold inmates beyond their release time so ICE could take custody, even though the inmates had not been properly presented to a magistrate. Diehl was fired and arrested, and the investigation into additional forged documents is ongoing.

Pietro Graza de Lima, a gay Brazilian man who lived in Orlando, Florida for about seven years running a small services business, fled Brazil after corrupt police shot him over his sexuality, an attack that cost him a kidney and left lasting physical damage. After his student visa expired and he was arrested for drug possession, ICE detained him for nearly two years, including time at Eloy Detention Center in Arizona. On April 16, 2026, an immigration judge granted him protection from deportation to Brazil under the Convention Against Torture, but ICE continued holding him while seeking another country to deport him to. After he refused to sign a document accepting removal to Liberia, he was shackled for roughly 36 hours and flown to Liberia—where he and other detainees refused to disembark—and then to Equatorial Guinea, a country with which he has no ties. His attorney said he was denied the interview he was entitled to under CAT protections before being sent there. He and about a dozen other deportees have been confined at a decommissioned hotel, Hotel Bamy, in Malabo, where armed officers confiscated his phone on September 8, 2026 after he spoke with journalists, cutting off contact with his attorneys and leaving him unreachable since September 9, 2026.

Ahmed Soliman, a 30-year-old gay man whose family fled Egypt for Tucson, Arizona when he was four, had won protection from deportation to Egypt under the Convention Against Torture due to his sexuality and his family's persecution by the Egyptian government. Despite a pending habeas petition that should have barred his transfer, he was moved from Arizona to Louisiana in April 2026 and deported without notice to a decommissioned hotel in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, a country with which he has no ties, alongside another deportee, Pietro Graza. His attorney, Kate O'Donnell, said the men face potential violence and discrimination there because of their sexual orientation. After guards confiscated detainees' phones, police pointed assault rifles at Soliman and forced him to his knees for 10-15 minutes when he began filming, and he was later beaten after speaking to journalists about conditions at the facility. He was then taken into custody and removed from the hotel; O'Donnell said she could not confirm what charges he faces, where he is being held, or whether he was beaten, but that he had wanted the world to know what deportees were experiencing.

Wisteguens Jean Quely Charles, a Haitian national, was arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Mattapan, Massachusetts on January 22, 2025, and a video of the arrest in which he shouted 'Biden forever' while resisting deportation went viral. DHS said Charles had originally been granted Temporary Protected Status in 2013, which USCIS terminated in 2022, and DHS described him as having 17 prior criminal convictions, including assault and drug-related offenses, and alleged gang membership. He was held in federal custody for about 19 months while his case proceeded, and a federal immigration judge issued a final removal order in November 2025. ICE deported Charles to Haiti on September 10.

A man was detained by ICE, according to a GoFundMe campaign started by his cousin, Ashley Zuniga. He has a young daughter he is trying to get home to. The family says this is the fifth time a family member has been detained by ICE, and funds raised will go toward paying for a lawyer and other needs related to his detention.

Gustavo Barrera Reyes was also arrested by ICE officers in Seaside around the same time as another local resident. According to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Barrera Reyes entered the United States without authorization in 2014 and now faces removal proceedings.

Martin Anguiano, 63, a longtime Clatsop County resident who has owned and operated Guadalajara Taco Shop in Seaside for 23 years, was arrested by ICE officers on Sept. 10 while picking up supplies at a Safeway. Officers cited a 1993 removal order tied to a decades-old drug possession arrest, after which Anguiano was previously deported and later returned to the country. His wife, Michelle, said she is struggling to understand what happened and described him as a hardworking father, grandfather and husband well known throughout the community. Anguiano is currently held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, where his family says conditions are poor, and a GoFundMe campaign started by his daughter has raised more than $14,000 to help pay bills and legal fees.

The petitioner is currently held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. He filed an ex parte application seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from transferring him to another detention facility. The federal court denied the motion, finding that he failed to meet the procedural and substantive requirements for ex parte relief under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65. The court also held that it lacked jurisdiction to enjoin DHS from transferring him under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii), citing precedent that ICE has authority to determine detention locations and transfer individuals between facilities. The case has been placed on an expedited schedule for further resolution. The document does not specify the petitioner's nationality, family circumstances, employment, or the circumstances of his initial detention.

James Mervil and Josselene Polidor were arrested by ICE agents near John Marshall Elementary School in the Chollas Creek neighborhood of San Diego minutes after dropping off their 2- and 5-year-old children. Witnesses said officers boxed in the family's car, and the mother ran barefoot into a nearby home under construction, where she was handcuffed while pleading with workers for help and explaining her daughter attended the nearby school. Construction workers reported that an officer unholstered his gun and threatened pepper spray when a supervisor tried to intervene, and that the officer entered the home without the owner's permission. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrests, stating the parents had overstayed their visas. San Diego Unified School District confirmed both parents were taken into ICE custody, said the children were not present and were doing well, and arranged for a family friend to pick them up, while also condemning ICE arrests near its campuses. Local elected officials, including Rep. Scott Peters and Mayor Todd Gloria, condemned the arrests, saying such actions traumatize children and families.

Juan Gerardo Alatorre Martinez, 46, a Mexican national who has lived in the U.S. for more than 25 years, was detained by ICE agents as he arrived for his shift at a gas station in Conway, Washington. Neighbors and coworkers described him as a beloved, well-known figure in town, sometimes calling him the 'unofficial mayor,' noting he paid taxes, kept his immigration paperwork in order, and spent years helping others in the community. Martinez had been seeking lawful permanent residency through his U.S. citizen brother. His attorney said prosecutors later acknowledged in court documents that agents had been searching for a different person and may have mistakenly targeted Martinez after finding a car he recently purchased. He remains in ICE custody at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, with community members organizing support and an online fundraiser for his legal defense raising more than $9,300.

Kenis Alberto López, a Nicaraguan man, was detained in Minnesota and held in U.S. immigration detention for about eight months before being deported to the Central African Republic on August 28, along with two other Nicaraguans, Luis Carlos Mendoza Santamaría and Isaac Cruz. López says ICE officers shot him with rubber bullets, injuring him, then bound, hooded, and dragged him before tying him to a stretcher to force him onto the deportation flight from a Texas airport, which carried about 100 deportees from various countries. He says he has no criminal record and had received a deportation stay in 2024, though DHS told Noticias Telemundo he had re-entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was later released under the Biden administration before his removal. López says he cannot return to Nicaragua due to danger there, and he and the other two men are now confined under police custody in a housing complex in Bangui alongside roughly 40 other migrants, facing severe mobility restrictions and limited access to water and electricity. ICE has not responded to the allegations of mistreatment.

Chang Yeon Cho, 71, a Gardena, California resident known as 'Auntie Jo' who ran a clothing alteration business with her husband Jongs Soo Kim, was detained by ICE in June during her permanent residency interview despite having no criminal convictions. Her detention reportedly stemmed from an old, uncharged arrest linked to a dispute with a customer over unpaid alteration fees. Cho, who speaks Korean and Portuguese but not English after years living in Brazil, was physically restrained on her first night in custody following a communication breakdown, then collapsed and was hospitalized for eight days; the Korean consulate attributed this to low blood pressure and vomiting caused by stress and unfamiliar food. She is held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, where her bond request was denied on August 25 and she received a final order of removal. The Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles has visited her multiple times, and a GoFundMe campaign has raised over $20,000 toward a $24,000 goal for her legal expenses.

ICE officers detained a mother and father near John Marshall Elementary School in San Diego's Chollas Creek neighborhood shortly after morning drop-off. Witnesses say officers boxed in the couple's Toyota Prius at an intersection, prompting the pair to flee on foot into a nearby house under construction, where the woman pleaded with workers for help, saying her daughter attends the school. A construction worker said the ICE officer unholstered his gun and drew pepper spray after the crew tried to intervene. San Diego Unified confirmed the parents' 2- and 5-year-old children attend a school program and were picked up by a family friend after both parents were taken into ICE custody.

Wilfredo Giron, a construction worker and father, was taken into ICE custody after someone posing as a potential client contacted him about a job, luring him into an encounter that resulted in his detention. He has been held for more than two weeks, leaving behind his wife, Rachel, who is pregnant, and their 2-year-old son. The family is raising funds for immigration attorney fees, legal filings, and a potential bond to secure his release while his case continues.

Marta was detained by ICE after attending a routine biometrics appointment at the USCIS center in Gardena, California. She was seated in a room when she was seen on video being taken away by immigration officers. Her nephew Victor started a fundraiser to help cover her bills and provide family stability, noting she may lose the job she worked hard to get while she remains detained.

On the morning of September 9th, two family members—an aunt's husband and her son-in-law—were detained by ICE agents outside their home as they left for work. The men had lived in the U.S. for nearly 13 years and have three children between them, one of whom was born in the U.S. They were taken to the Buffalo detention center, where they were pressured into signing voluntary departure forms, and were later transferred to a facility in Louisiana. One of the men has heart problems requiring five medications nightly, and one reported experiencing abuse in custody; family members say they are unsure if he is receiving needed medical care. ICE confiscated the men's passports, leaving the family without a way to relocate, and the wives have had only brief phone calls with the detained men since their arrest.

The petitioner is a citizen of Nepal who entered the United States without authorization roughly four years before this order. In August 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A) pending his removal proceedings. He filed a habeas corpus petition seeking immediate release or, alternatively, a bond hearing. The court held that binding Fifth Circuit precedent forecloses his statutory argument, as § 1225(b)(2)(A) mandates detention without bond for unadmitted individuals like him throughout removal proceedings. The court also rejected his due process claims, finding both that a precedential stay order forecloses such claims and that, independently, his detention does not violate procedural or substantive due process. The court further noted that any prior release on recognizance under a different statute does not exempt him from mandatory detention here. His Fourth Amendment argument was likewise rejected. The court denied the habeas petition and all pending motions as moot.

Tareq Zakarneh, a 44-year-old Palestinian man who lived in Portland and Vancouver, Washington for more than a decade, has been in ICE detention since May 2024, mostly at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. He said ICE agents beat him and broke his teeth, restraining him on the floor for four hours without access to water or a bathroom after he refused to board a Sept. 9 deportation flight to the West Bank via Israel. Zakarneh said his hand and shoulder swelled and went numb, and he received only ibuprofen for his injuries. He moved to the U.S. on a student visa in 2013 to attend Portland State University and later married a U.S. citizen, but lost his legal status after a divorce in 2017, with an immigration court finding the marriage was not entered in good faith. Advocates and Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden have raised concerns about his treatment and the danger he could face if deported amid escalating violence in the West Bank.

A man was arrested by ICE agents alongside Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers near 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Miami Beach. According to a witness account, two unmarked vehicles and a Florida Fish & Wildlife truck were used in the operation, and children were reportedly present as a school crossing guard had to stop traffic during the arrest. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission has a 287(g) agreement with ICE authorizing its officers to conduct immigration arrests.

Marianela Pujol and Nelson José Díaz, a Venezuelan couple originally from Ciudad Ojeda, Zulia, were detained by ICE agents on the night of Sunday, September 6, while stopped at a Wawa charging station on 87th Avenue in Doral, Florida, to recharge their electric vehicle. The couple, who work as insurance agents, entered the U.S. legally in 2021 on a visa and have a still-pending asylum application. Their 21-year-old daughter, Daniela Pujol, said an officer told her mother there was no specific infraction but that she was being taken into custody because of the pending asylum case, leaving Daniela alone in the country. Family members said the couple has no criminal record, and Daniela has sought legal representation, appealed to a local council member and advocacy organizations, and started a GoFundMe campaign to cover legal defense costs.

Ernestina Pavlovsky, a 33-year-old Argentine personal trainer who lived in Aspen, Colorado for 13 years, was detained by plainclothes ICE agents at Miami International Airport on August 1 while returning from visiting family. She was held for several days in Miramar/Pompano Beach, Florida, where her partner said constant lighting felt like 'a torture chamber,' before being shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles and driven overnight to the CoreCivic-run Laredo Processing Center in Texas. She has no criminal record, had entered the U.S. on a tourist visa, and had a stalled application to regularize her status after a divorce from a U.S. citizen. She and her family described conditions at the Laredo facility including rats, cockroaches, ants, mold, contaminated water, restricted bottled-water access, and sleep deprivation from overnight guard patrols. A judge initially denied her bond over flight-risk concerns, but at a September 1 hearing granted her request for voluntary departure. She remains in ICE custody in Texas awaiting a flight back to Argentina, and supporters have raised roughly $50,000 through a GoFundMe campaign for her legal costs.