Human Impact Project

A noncitizen was detained at Clay County Detention Center by ICE under the authority of jail commander Brandon Crowley and others. The court found that the weight of authority supports his position that ICE's detention authority derives from 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) rather than § 1225(b), making him entitled to a bond hearing rather than subject to mandatory detention. The court granted a preliminary injunction preventing his transfer outside Illinois, Indiana, or Wisconsin during the habeas petition proceedings and ordered respondents to answer the petition within seven days.

An immigration detainee filed a counseled Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus challenging the lawfulness of her ongoing detention at Washoe County Jail in ICE custody. She asserts she is a member of the certified class in Jacobo-Ramirez v. Noem and may be entitled to relief pursuant to the court's grant of partial summary judgment to class members. The court issued an order preserving jurisdiction by prohibiting respondents from removing the petitioner from the District of Nevada absent leave of court. The court ordered federal respondents to produce specific immigration documents by July 27, 2026, and to file a notice indicating whether they contend the petitioner is a class member and identifying the statutory provision authorizing detention. The court preliminarily found that the petitioner may be entitled to habeas relief under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment, and the Jacobo-Ramirez v. Mullin decision.

A native and citizen of Uzbekistan was detained by ICE on July 22, 2026, when he reported to the ICE field office in Philadelphia as required by his supervision conditions. He had been living in the United States for over one year and was enrolled in ICE's ATD/ISAP supervision program after being released from immigration custody in July 2025, during which time he complied with all supervision requirements. The court granted his habeas petition, finding he was not subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2) and ordered his immediate release on pre-July 22 supervision conditions.

Kiko, a construction worker who has lived in the Atlanta area for nearly twenty years, was arrested by ICE agents on Tuesday morning while stopped at a QuikTrip with five coworkers on their way to a job site. According to his niece Victoria Garcia, agents surrounded the parked van with Tasers drawn before taking Kiko into custody. He has been held at the Atlanta ICE field office and was briefly transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin before being returned to Atlanta. Kiko supports himself and sends money to family members in Mexico, and had previously avoided travel out of caution regarding immigration enforcement.

A community member was detained by ICE agents at a Denver DMV office while applying for a driver's license. The person had a pending asylum case, valid work authorization, and no criminal record, according to the post. Their family and church are requesting prayers and calling for justice and respect for the person's dignity while awaiting their release.

An ICE operation in Sterling, Virginia on July 22 ended when a white pickup truck being pursued by federal agents crashed into a residential home after the driver fled an unsuccessful traffic stop. The vehicle rolled down a hill into the unoccupied residence, causing property damage. ICE agents made no arrests during the operation. The homeowner reported that neither ICE nor those involved have assumed responsibility for the damage.

Luis Andrade-Garcia, 20, a Texas Christian University student from El Salvador who arrived in the U.S. at age 3, was arrested on June 28 in Arlington after police spotted his parked vehicle near Meadowbrook Park and he drove away. He was charged with disorderly conduct and fleeing from a police officer, later pleaded down to a class C misdemeanor, and paid approximately $200 in fines. An immigration hold was placed on him while in custody at Tarrant County Jail. ICE took him into custody on July 10 and deported him to El Salvador on July 22. Andrade-Garcia was a double major in accounting and business information systems at TCU, graduated as valedictorian from Sam Houston High School in 2024, ran cross country, received multiple scholarships, and mentored young Latino students in the community. Members of his fraternity, Lambda Theta Phi, described him as 'genuine, hardworking, selfless, honest, dependable and humble.' According to ICE, Andrade-Garcia had entered the U.S. in 2009 and was ordered removed by an immigration judge in March 2010 but remained in the country. His fraternity chapter launched a 'Lambda Week of Action' and created a GoFundMe that raised over $11,000 to assist him and his family.

U.S. Park Police and federal officers, including ICE, conducted an enforcement operation on Clara Barton Parkway on Wednesday morning. Three occupants fled a vehicle during the stop; after a pursuit, two people were taken into custody while a search for the third person was called off. No details regarding the identity of those arrested or charges were available. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue responded to search the Potomac River between Lock 7 and Lock 10 out of concern that some fleeing individuals may have entered the water.

A man was pursued on foot by ICE agents in Bonita Springs, Florida while riding a bicycle. According to witness video, an unmarked vehicle made a U-turn to intercept him, and when the agents exited the vehicle, the man abandoned his bicycle and ran. He was detained in a nearby commercial parking lot.

Min Khant Zaw, a Rohingya man who fled genocide in Myanmar, was detained by ICE on July 21 when he landed at a U.S. airport. According to the post, Zaw had been residing legally in the U.S. and is described as an activist and environmentalist. He remains in custody without having committed any crime, according to the account.

A native and citizen of El Salvador who entered the United States in 2007 was detained on July 21, 2026, and has been held at the Farmville Detention Center in Virginia. He filed a federal habeas corpus petition arguing that he was being detained under the discretionary detention provisions of 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) rather than the mandatory detention provisions of § 1225(b)(2), and that his prolonged detention without a bond hearing violated his due process rights. He sought release or, alternatively, a bond hearing before an Immigration Judge. The government argued he remained an 'applicant for admission' subject to mandatory detention under § 1225(b)(2) because he had not been lawfully admitted. The court found his case indistinguishable from numerous similar rulings in the district and concluded that § 1226(a)'s discretionary framework applies to him since he was already inside the country. The court granted the petition, ordering that he receive a bond hearing within seven days and enjoining the government from denying bond based on § 1225(b)(2) or from rearresting him after release except under limited circumstances.

Garnet Smith, a 44-year-old U.S. Army veteran originally from Jamaica, was released from the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma on July 21, 2026, after spending over nine months in ICE detention. During his detention, Smith reported experiencing sexual assault by a GEO Group guard during a pat-down search, as well as inadequate medical care for a broken hand and poor detention conditions including inedible food and foul drinking water. A federal judge granted Smith's habeas corpus petition on July 20, finding that his earlier bond hearing violated his due process rights and that his prolonged detention was unlawful. Smith continues to fight a deportation order to Jamaica while advocates call for an investigation into the alleged sexual assault.

ICE arrested Rocael Ordonez-Cruz, 23, a Guatemalan national, on July 21 at the Middlesex County House of Correction following his release from state custody. Local authorities had arrested him on June 25 and charged him with assault to rape, rape, indecent assault and battery on a person 14 years or older, and indecent exposure. ICE alleged he entered the United States illegally and served him with a notice to appear before an immigration judge; he remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

An Indian national who entered the U.S. in September 2022 was arrested by ICE on July 21, 2026, immediately after an Immigration Judge ordered his removal at a scheduled hearing in Sacramento Immigration Court. He had been released on recognizance and enrolled in an Alternatives to Detention program, where he maintained lawful employment and complied with all requirements. On July 22, 2026, he timely appealed his removal order to the Board of Immigration Appeals, making it not administratively final. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause, and ordered his immediate release.

Eduard Portillo, described by his mother Fanny as a dedicated father, son, brother, and friend who works hard to support his child, was arrested by ICE. His family is raising money to cover legal expenses needed for his immigration release and to help reunite the family.

Artemio Romero, 28, was arrested by ICE on July 21, 2026, while commuting to his job in Paducah, Kentucky, and taken to a holding facility in Hopkinsville. He has lived in the United States since age two and is the primary breadwinner for his mother and two younger brothers, whom he has helped raise. Described as a gifted artist, dancer, and gamer known for his humor and warmth, Romero is a role model and father figure to his younger brother Luis. His family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for legal representation, living expenses, and potential resettlement in Mexico if he is deported.

Agustin Morales-Renteria, a 24-year-old, was deported to Mexico on July 21, 2026, where he is wanted for aggravated homicide. Morales-Renteria first entered the U.S. without authorization in September 2021 and was expelled under COVID-19 protocols, but reentered without authorization in October 2021 to evade prosecution after Mexican authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. In December 2024, ICE encountered him at a sheriff's office in Jackson County, Missouri, following his arrest for tampering with a motor vehicle and felony drug possession, though no immigration action was taken at that time. In November 2025, he was convicted of being a noncitizen in possession of a firearm and sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. After his release from federal custody in May 2026, ICE took custody of him, and an immigration judge ordered his removal on July 2, 2026. He was deported from the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, to Mexican authorities at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge in Laredo, Texas. Juan Becerra Ruiz, 24, was deported to Mexico on July 21, 2026, after an immigration judge ordered his removal. Becerra Ruiz is wanted in Mexico for intentional homicide on a warrant issued in Querétaro on October 21, 2022. He entered the U.S. without authorization at an unknown date and location. In May 2026, U.S. Border Patrol received notice of the warrant and his location in the Houston area. On June 4, 2026, Border Patrol agents detained him during a traffic stop in Spring, Texas, and transferred custody to ICE. An immigration judge ordered his removal on June 30, and ICE completed the deportation on July 21, transferring him to Mexican authorities at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge in Laredo, Texas.

A man detained at T. Don Hutto Detention Center has filed a federal habeas corpus petition challenging the lawfulness of his detention without bond. He claims his detention violates his Fifth Amendment rights and the Immigration and Nationality Act. The petition indicates he is in removal proceedings but does not specify his country of origin, immigration status, employment history, family ties, or how long he has lived in the United States. On July 23, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas ordered respondents to show cause by July 27, 2026, why the writ should not be granted. The court also issued a stay preventing his removal from the United States or transfer outside the Austin Division pending litigation.

F.S., a 32-year-old asylum seeker from Guatemala, was arrested by ICE after beginning the vetting process to gain custody of her 13-year-old son, who has been in a federal shelter for over eight months as of July 2026. F.S. fled Guatemala in 2023 due to violence and had been living in the U.S. while her asylum case was pending, making four-hour drives to visit her son weekly at the shelter. When she came forward to sponsor him, ICE arrested her as part of the Trump administration's operation targeting undocumented sponsors. Her son's mental health has severely deteriorated during his prolonged shelter stay; he has been prescribed anxiety medications and was recently admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Both mother and son have agreed to accept deportation to reunite sooner. F.S. fears retaliation for speaking publicly about her case.

Chantal Alejandra Morales Rojas, a 27-year-old Ecuadorian au pair and software developer, was detained by plainclothes ICE agents at Denver International Airport while boarding a Southwest Airlines flight to Oakland. She had entered the U.S. lawfully on a J-1 exchange visitor visa in early 2023 and, before that visa expired, filed an immigration application allowing her to remain with federal authorization while her case was pending, according to her attorney Laura Lichter. ICE alleged she had overstayed her visa, but Lichter said Rojas "followed the rules of her program" and worked legally under federal employment authorization as a software developer for a recycling app company in Oakland. Agents in civilian clothing removed her from the jetway and placed her in a Homeland Security van as friends and fellow passengers watched, and the arrest was captured on video that circulated widely amid a broader increase in ICE enforcement at U.S. airports. She was transferred to the Aurora ICE Processing Center, where a federal immigration judge later ordered her release on a $3,000 bond. The family she worked for said, "She is a part of my family. She has never hurt anyone and just lives a quiet life. She came here legally and tried to do everything right."

Multiple people were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a migration enforcement operation in Canton, Georgia. According to a Facebook Live recording by a witness, the detainees were transported in different vehicles to a parking lot, where agents made them exit the vehicles and gathered them before transferring them to a van for continued transport.

Josue Isai Pire-Hidalgo, a 31-year-old custodian at Farnsworth Elementary School in Chicago Public Schools, was detained by ICE on July 17 during what he believed was a routine immigration appointment tied to his family's asylum case. Pire-Hidalgo, a Venezuelan national with Temporary Protected Status and a pending asylum application, has no criminal record. His wife, Yulexis Padilla Julio, and their two children, ages 13 and 6, were detained alongside him but released; his wife was fitted with an ankle monitor and continued advocating for his release. Their 6-year-old daughter has asthma requiring daily medication, and Pire-Hidalgo has hearing loss in both ears and relies on hearing aids. He was held at a jail in Clay County, Indiana, describing the conditions as difficult, while the school community and SEIU Local 73 organized support including a GoFundMe that raised nearly $15,000 and meal trains for the family. After 42 days in ICE custody, he was released and reunited with his family.

Ezequiel Pacas Sr., a 37-year-old contractor, was arrested by ICE during a traffic stop on Interstate 5 near Chehalis, Washington on June 27 while driving with his 14-year-old son Ezequiel Jr. to a painting job. According to video and the son's account, ICE agents arrived with guns drawn and told Pacas Sr. they had a warrant for his arrest, though his wife Kassondra says agents never showed her any documentation. The arrest left Ezequiel Jr. overwhelmed and abandoned at the scene until his mother arrived after receiving his location. Pacas Sr. is being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. His wife says the family's four children are all U.S. citizens and the family has struggled emotionally since the arrest, living in constant fear.

Marco Antonio Roblero Pérez, a 25-year-old Guatemalan immigrant, was arrested by ICE agents at a gas station in Chamblee, Georgia on July 19, 2026, while stopping to buy drinks on his way to work. According to his family and eyewitness accounts, agents subjected him to physical strikes, a chokehold, and electric shocks with a taser during the arrest. He was hospitalized in Atlanta with a broken nose, broken teeth, severe facial trauma, and spinal injuries requiring a cervical neck brace. An ICE agent remained stationed at his hospital bed during his recovery. His family has questioned the medical care he received, while ICE agents stated they used a stun gun during the operation.

José Gregorio González, a 43-year-old Venezuelan immigrant, traveled to the United States to donate a kidney to his brother José Alfredo Pacheco, who has end-stage renal disease. González was arrested in March 2025 after accompanying his brother to a dialysis appointment, despite having no criminal record and a deportation order on file. ICE temporarily released him in April 2025 to proceed with the kidney donation. The transplant occurred in August 2025. González's one-year humanitarian parole expired in March 2026, and his attorney was seeking an extension to allow him to remain in the country through March 2027 for post-transplant medical monitoring. On July 21, 2026, González was detained by ICE during a routine immigration check-in while the parole extension was being pursued. Pacheco has experienced complications since the transplant and relies on González for care.

Clayton Herman, a 54-year-old Canadian citizen who immigrated to the U.S. legally in 2002, was detained by ICE in October 2025 following a routine check-in at an ICE field office in Camarillo. During his initial eight-month detention at Adelanto ICE Processing Centre in California's Mojave Desert, Herman reported inhumane conditions including mold, inadequate medical care, poor food quality, and irregular schedules. Four detainees died at the facility during his detention. A federal magistrate judge ruled in June 2026 that his detention violated his rights and ordered his release. Herman was freed but re-arrested on July 21, 2026, after missing a July 10 deadline to file an appeal to his removal order; he stated his priority mail appeal was delayed in transit between Santa Barbara and Virginia. He was returned to Adelanto ICE Processing Centre and is now facing deportation to Canada, having refused to sign expedited deportation papers due to concerns about being separated from his cats and the life he built in the Ojai Valley.

Joseph Andrey Londono Rodriguez, a six-year-old Deaf student at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, was detained by ICE on March 3, 2026, along with his mother, Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez, and younger sibling during what the family believed was a routine check-in appointment in the San Francisco Bay Area. Rodriguez Gutierrez, an asylum seeker who fled domestic violence in Colombia and had lived in Hayward for four years working as a cleaner and child care worker with no criminal record, was under a supervision order at the time. Her attorney said she repeatedly asked agents to let a relative bring Joseph's hearing aids and cochlear implants, but the family was deported within days without the devices, legal representation, or accurate information about their whereabouts. State officials alleged ICE misrepresented the family's location to obstruct legal intervention. California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and members of Congress have called for an investigation and humanitarian parole to return the family. Joseph's case is one of more than 650 children detained by ICE in California during Trump's second term, 61% of whom were ultimately deported.

The petitioner is a detainee in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), held at Imperial Regional Detention Facility since being detained on July 20, 2026. He filed a pro se Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, challenging his detention. The court found that appointment of counsel would serve the interests of justice given the complexity of the constitutional, statutory, and procedural issues raised, and conditionally appointed Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc. to represent him. The court also issued an injunction barring the respondent and those acting on his behalf from removing the petitioner from the United States or the district while the case is pending. The court set a briefing schedule, allowing the petitioner to file an amended petition, ordering the respondent to file a Return showing cause why the petition should not be granted, and allowing the petitioner to file a Traverse in reply.

Yajaira, a 37-year-old Honduran mother of two with a valid work permit, was pulled over and arrested by federal immigration officers while driving through the Florida Keys on July 20. She was held for five days in an overcrowded concrete holding cell at the ICE field office in Miramar, Florida, jammed in with roughly 50 other people, given little food, no room to sleep, and limited phone access. She suffered an anxiety attack and passed out, was taken to a hospital by ambulance, and was returned to the facility still carrying an IV in her arm, according to her sister Marlene. Yajaira was later transferred to a detention center in El Paso, Texas, and is now held at an ICE facility in Spokane, Washington, while her family has hired an attorney to file a habeas corpus petition on her behalf.

A national from Sierra Leone was placed under a final removal order but had her removal statutorily withheld after an immigration judge found her life and freedom would be threatened if removed. She was released from immigration detention on an Order of Supervision approximately one year ago. Three weeks ago, the government revoked her Order of Supervision and re-detained her. The government announced plans to remove her to Ghana, a country to which she has no connection. She filed a habeas corpus petition challenging her detention and a motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent removal. The court granted her motion, finding she demonstrated sufficient likelihood of success on the merits and that the balance of equities strongly favored her. The court expressed concerns about the government's actions, particularly the plan to remove her to a third country despite diplomatic assurances that Ghana might return her to Sierra Leone where her safety is threatened.

A Turkish national is an immigration detainee held at Mesa Verde Detention Center. He was previously released from immigration detention pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) but was subsequently re-detained under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A). He filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus challenging his detention without a bond hearing. The court granted his petition, finding that the Due Process Clause requires a bond hearing where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that he is a flight risk or danger to the community. The court ordered respondents to provide him with a bond hearing before a neutral decisionmaker within ten days, with the government bearing the burden of proof. The court directed that he be given 72 hours' written notice in a language he can understand, may be represented by an attorney, and that the decisionmaker must consider his financial circumstances when setting bond or alternative release conditions. If respondents fail to provide the hearing within ten days, they must release him.

A Salvadoran national entered the United States near the southern border on November 23, 2022, presented himself to immigration authorities, and was released on humanitarian parole. While released, he complied with all reporting requirements, filed a pending asylum application, obtained employment authorization valid through January 2029, and was issued a Social Security number. He has been steadily employed at a printing company in Los Angeles since March 2024, filed federal and state taxes, and has been married to a U.S. citizen since March 2026, serving as the principal financial provider for his household. On July 20, 2026, ICE re-detained him at his scheduled check-in appointment at the ICE Los Angeles Field Office without notice or a pre-deprivation hearing, despite his full compliance with parole conditions and lack of criminal history. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted his habeas corpus petition, finding that re-detention without a hearing violated procedural due process under the Mathews v. Eldridge test, and ordered his release on his prior conditions within 24 hours.

Alevtina Soboleva, a 59-year-old Russian asylum seeker from Sunnyvale, California, was detained by ICE agents at Buffalo Niagara International Airport on July 20 while returning from a vacation to Niagara Falls with her adult daughter, Daria. Soboleva had entered the U.S. legally on a visitor visa in 2021 and applied for asylum before it expired, citing fears of persecution in Russia over her opposition to the war in Ukraine. Her attorney said she held valid asylum documentation and work authorization. Daria said her mother, who has a progressive neurological disorder and gum disease requiring special hygiene care, was restrained with handcuffs and chains that caused her pain, developed an untreated fever, and was held in a cage without adequate water or bathroom access. She was transferred through multiple facilities, including Mahoning County Jail in Ohio and a South Louisiana ICE processing center. A federal judge later set her bond at $10,000, and she was released after nearly a month in custody and reunited with her daughter in the Bay Area.

Vlad, a 23-year-old Russian asylum seeker, was deported to Moscow on July 20, 2026, after missing his May asylum hearing in Tucson. Vlad fled Russia in 2022 and presented himself at the San Ysidro port of entry in December 2022 requesting asylum protection. He had been living in Tucson with his partner Andrea Landavazo. Vlad expressed deep fear of being conscripted into the Russian military or imprisoned upon return due to his political beliefs and opposition to the Russia-Ukraine war. He was detained by ICE in June 2026 and held at ICE's Florence Service Processing Center during a measles lockdown. An order of deportation was issued in absentia, and Vlad did not receive the standard $2,600 in departure funds typically provided for voluntary departure, as ICE stated he did not leave voluntarily.

Two brothers from Guatemala who worked as kitchen staff at El Nopalito restaurant in Haddonfield were arrested by ICE agents on July 20, 2026, while walking near their home in East Camden. The longtime employees, who sent money home to support family members including children, were taken into custody and are believed to be detained at Delaney Hall in Newark. The restaurant's owners and local community members expressed shock at their arrests, with hundreds of supporters offering legal services, volunteer kitchen help, and financial assistance through social media.

Three noncitizens were released from immigration detention by federal judges in Texas in February and March after being pulled over in traffic stops. According to their attorney, the men have no criminal records, have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years, and have U.S. citizen children. While in detention, they experienced inadequate conditions including rotten food, inadequate medical care, and maggot- and fungus-ridden mattresses. The Trump administration is now asking an appeals court to return them to detention as part of a broader effort to overturn court rulings that have found the mandatory detention policy unconstitutional.

Adrian Mendoza, an Ecuadoran man who fled persecution in 2023, was detained during an ICE raid at a food manufacturing plant in the Kansas City area. His wife, Aylin Castro, was not notified by ICE and learned of his detention through social media when agents detained eight people at the facility. Castro told KCUR 893 that the last message she received from Mendoza came as he said goodbye, telling her he loved her and thanking her for breakfast she had packed in his lunchbox.

ICE announced it removed several immigrants convicted of crimes including sexual assault, voluntary manslaughter and driving while intoxicated on July 19. The agency said the removals are part of its ongoing effort to arrest and deport immigrants deemed threats to public safety.

A Liberian national has lived in Philadelphia under an Order of Supervision (OSUP) since 2000 after receiving withholding of removal due to danger he would face in Liberia, a status reaffirmed in 2025. ICE recently revoked his OSUP, citing a significant likelihood of removal in the near future based on a new agreement between the United States and Ghana to accept deportees from West African nations. He was taken into custody and given a revocation notice citing only vague 'changed circumstances' and the securing of a travel document, with no mention that Ghana was the intended destination. An ICE informal interview conducted with him also failed to address Ghana or any third-country removal plan. He filed a habeas petition arguing due process violations, including mandatory detention without individualized review and lack of notice regarding his destination country, which would prevent him from raising claims about the safety of removal to Ghana. The court found that ICE's revocation procedures failed to comply with due process and its own regulations because he was never properly notified that Ghana was the target country, denying him a meaningful opportunity to contest that designation. The court noted unresolved concerns, including litigation before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice alleging Ghana quickly repatriates deportees to their countries of origin despite persecution risks. The judge ruled that ICE's procedures did not comport with due process, rendering his removal unlawful at this time.

A Ukrainian refugee is a Ukrainian citizen who fled Russia's invasion in early 2024 after his home in Luhansk was destroyed by a Russian missile. He arrived in the United States on February 28, 2024 with DHS travel authorization and was granted parole under the Uniting for Ukraine program. Over more than two years in the US, he obtained employment as a commercial truck driver, paid taxes, developed strong community ties, and committed no criminal offense. On July 19, 2026, local law enforcement in Cheyenne, Wyoming detained him during a routine traffic stop after learning he lacked lawful immigration status, and transferred him to ICE custody without any criminal charge, warrant, prior notice, or individualized assessment of flight risk or dangerousness. DHS initiated removal proceedings on July 21, 2026. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the lawfulness of his detention and seeking either immediate release or a prompt bond hearing before an Immigration Judge. On August 7, 2026, the federal district court granted the petition, finding the detention violated both the Immigration and Nationality Act and Fifth Amendment due process rights, and ordered his immediate release by August 9, 2026 on his own recognizance with no additional conditions beyond his original parole.

Sanan Atou, 43, was held in solitary confinement for approximately three weeks in January at North Lake Processing Center in Northern Michigan. He says the isolation cell had poor heating, with a vent that did little to warm the corner room with two exterior walls from the former Baldwin prison facility. Atou stated: "I felt like I was going to freeze to death. I didn't know if I was going to wake up." Data shows that as immigration detention has expanded under the Trump administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has increasingly used solitary confinement, a practice experts say causes mental, physical, and psychological harm.

An Indian national who arrived on a student visa, married to a U.S. citizen for 6 years, was arrested by ICE and detained at a facility in Tennessee. He was offered the choice to fight deportation in a Louisiana state prison for 6 months with no guarantee of legal status approval, or to self-deport. He chose self-deportation. His wife, a U.S. citizen, suffers from a debilitating medical condition and their child has special needs. With the father's self-deportation, the family decided the mother and child would relocate to India to reunite with him, leaving behind their life in Tennessee. The mother, who has no family support locally and whose husband's family lives overseas, faces the challenge of traveling internationally for the first time with her child to a country where neither speaks the language, while managing her medical condition and her child's special needs.

Gonzalo Roberto Yasaca Arellano, a national of Ecuador, was arrested by ICE Boston officers during targeted enforcement operations in Brockton, Massachusetts. According to ICE, Yasaca Arellano has a documented criminal history in the United States.

Jhorland Atehortua, a 22-year-old Colombian national, was arrested by Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies on Interstate 4 after being clocked traveling 101 mph in a 70 mph zone and driving erratically. Deputies observed signs of impairment and found marijuana and a smoking pipe in his vehicle during a search. Atehortua faces charges including driving under the influence, dangerous excessive speed, reckless driving, possession of cannabis, and possession of drug paraphernalia. ICE has placed a detainer hold on him.

Daniel Hernández has been detained by ICE. His daughter Daniela launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for his legal representation and to support the family during his detention.

Maikol, a 22-year-old Venezuelan national, was detained in Utah and held in immigration custody for five months. He was transferred through multiple detention centers across the country and housed at Desert View Annex in Adelanto, California, where he says conditions were inhumane. He was recently released with conditions requiring him to return to Utah by a specific deadline to maintain his release status.

Martha Sias, a Mexican national and green card holder, was arrested by ICE on July 15 in Chaparral, New Mexico during a targeted immigration enforcement operation. According to court records, Sias pleaded guilty in October 2025 to manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance after CBP officers discovered approximately 20 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the door panels of an SUV she was driving across the Paso del Norte border bridge in January 2022. She was sentenced to 10 years of probation with 400 hours of community service. ICE said Sias is subject to removal proceedings and will have an opportunity to present her case before an immigration judge.

Elder Yuvini Aguilar Macario, a 19-year-old senior and soccer team captain at Trion High School in Georgia, was detained by ICE on May 1-2, 2026, following a traffic stop when officers discovered he lacked a valid driver's license. ICE discovered a prior deportation order dating back 13 years to his mother's denied asylum application when he was six years old, and placed a detainer on him through the 287(g) program. He was transferred to Irwin County Detention Center and later to Folkston ICE Processing Center, approximately 300 miles from his home in northwest Georgia, where he described being shackled during transport. Before his arrest, Aguilar Macario was a member of the soccer team and had begun taking welding classes at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. He missed his high school graduation ceremony, though his classmates gave him a standing ovation when his name was called and placed his cap, robe, and photo on an empty chair in his honor. His attorneys have filed to reopen his immigration case.

Jose Chajon-Raxon, a Guatemalan man, was detained at Delaney Hall, a privately run immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on July 18. The next day, he experienced a seizure and was taken to University Hospital. He was released from ICE custody on July 22 but subsequently died. DHS did not publicly disclose his death, citing a 2023 policy change stating that ICE is no longer responsible for monitoring or reporting deaths occurring within 30 days of someone's release from custody. U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez disclosed the death publicly and criticized the policy as creating a "loophole" that allows ICE to avoid accountability.

A professional drummer who entered the U.S. on a B-1 visa in July 2023 and filed for asylum a month later was arrested by ICE at Los Angeles International Airport on July 18, 2026, while returning home to Florida with his wife after a work trip teaching marimba to younger musicians. His visa expired in May 2024, but he was never detained; instead, he was granted employment authorization valid through February 2029 and continued performing for arts organizations. In 2024 he began dating a U.S. citizen, whom he married in August 2025, and shortly after marrying he filed an alien relative petition; both his asylum and relative petitions remain pending. He has no criminal history and was held at the Desert View Annex detention facility in Adelanto, California. He filed a habeas corpus petition seeking a bond hearing or immediate release, arguing the government's years of tolerance created a liberty interest requiring due process before detention. The court agreed, finding his detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Fifth Amendment, and ordered his release within 24 hours under the same conditions that existed before his detention.