Human Impact Project

Santos Edilberto Banegas Reyes, a 42-year-old Honduran construction worker from Hempstead, died on September 18, 2025 after less than 18 hours in ICE custody at Nassau County Correctional Center in East Meadow, New York. He was arrested by ICE Long Island Fugitive Operations on September 17, 2025 and processed at the jail the same day. He was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead at 6:30 a.m. on September 18. Initial reports cited liver failure related to alcoholism complications, but ICE later revised the cause of death to acute alcohol withdrawal. His sister told reporters he had no underlying health conditions and said officials had not contacted the family. His death prompted a protest on September 29, 2025 at the County Executive Building in Mineola, where advocates called for ICE to leave Long Island and demanded abolition of the 287(g) program. His family's attorney alleged a cover-up after ICE missed the federal 90-day deadline to release a death report, and the family requested an independent autopsy and video footage from the jail.

Huabing Xie, a Chinese national, died on September 29, 2025, at El Centro Regional Medical Center after experiencing a seizure while in custody at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico, California. Xie was initially arrested by Border Patrol near Tecate on December 31, 2023, and released on recognizance. He was re-arrested on September 12, 2025, in Indio and transferred to ICE custody. When he experienced an apparent seizure on September 29, facility staff performed CPR and life-saving measures before transporting him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His death marks at least the 20th death in ICE custody since Trump's inauguration in 2025, prompting calls from immigrant justice groups for an investigation and public release of findings.

Miguel García-Hernández, an undocumented immigrant awaiting intake at an ICE facility in Dallas, was shot on September 24, 2025, when a gunman opened fire outside the facility. He died from his injuries on September 29, leaving behind his wife Stephany Gauffeny and three children. García-Hernández had been in ICE custody following a DUI arrest and was working toward legal status through a Biden administration initiative when the shooting occurred.

Jaime Ramirez was detained by ICE agents in Millennium Park on September 28 along with his wife and two children during a family outing. He was taken to the Broadview processing facility before being flown to a Texas immigration facility. While his wife and children were released on October 2 after a federal judge ordered their protection from deportation, Ramirez remains detained in Texas. The family, originally from Guatemala, has an asylum appointment scheduled for October 2027.

Watchdog groups alleged in a court filing that children and families held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas face prolonged detention beyond legal limits, along with shortages of clean drinking water, chronic sleep deprivation, inadequate medical care, and lack of hygiene products. Legal experts filed accounts describing the facility environment and conditions for detainees.

Noemi Chavez and her two children, ages 8 and 3, were detained by ICE agents in Millennium Park on September 28 while on a family outing. Video showed the 8-year-old clinging to a doll and crying as heavily armed federal agents in camouflage detained the family. The mother reported agents targeted them based on appearance. Chavez and the children were released on October 2 after a federal judge ordered they be protected from deportation while a habeas corpus petition is reviewed. The family, originally from Guatemala, has an asylum appointment scheduled for October 2027.

Noemi Chavez, her husband Jaime Ramirez, and their two children (ages 8 and 3) were detained by federal agents at Millennium Park on September 28, 2025, without a warrant while the children played at the Crown Fountain. When Chavez asked to see a warrant, agents ignored her request. The family originally came from Guatemala in 2023 seeking protection and have an asylum hearing scheduled for October 2027. Chavez and the children were released after detention, but Jaime Ramirez was transferred to detention facilities in Texas and Indiana. A federal judge characterized the stop as "unconstitutional" based on the family's appearance, and attorneys filed a habeas corpus petition alleging the family was stopped because of their skin color. The case is part of broader litigation challenging ICE's warrantless arrest practices in violation of a 2022 consent decree.

Esteban Rios, a Mexican national who immigrated to the U.S. over 30 years ago, was detained by ICE agents on September 28, 2025, at Camp Pendleton while attempting to visit his pregnant daughter with his wife Luisa Rodriguez. Initially released with an ankle monitor, he was detained again when he checked in with ICE days later and was deported on Friday, October 10, 2025. The family has pending green card applications sponsored by his son, U.S. Marine Steve Rios, and says they have no criminal history.

Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez was fatally shot by an ICE officer following a traffic stop in Franklin Park, Chicago in September 2025. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Villegas-Gonzalez struck an officer with his vehicle and dragged him while attempting to flee, prompting the officer to use lethal force. DHS initially characterized the officer's injuries as serious. However, video evidence obtained after the shooting showed the officer sustained injuries he described as "nothing major," contradicting the agency's account of the incident's severity. Community members and state lawmakers called for the release of video footage and transparency regarding the shooting.

Ian Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools and a native of Guyana, was arrested by ICE on September 26, 2025, on a fugitive warrant after living in the U.S. illegally following a federal immigration judge's removal order. Roberts entered the country on an F-1 student visa in 1999, and his work authorization expired in 2020; he had falsely claimed U.S. citizenship when hired by the district in 2023. During the arrest, authorities found him in possession of a loaded handgun, a hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash, and he reportedly fled in a school-provided vehicle before being apprehended with state patrol assistance. He has prior weapons charges on his record and is expected to plead guilty to federal charges of making false statements on employment verification forms. Roberts is no longer serving as superintendent of the district.

Three women—Cynthia Raygoza, Sandra Carmona Samane, and Ashleigh Brown—have been federally indicted for allegedly following an ICE agent home and publicly disclosing his personal information on social media. On August 28, 2025, the women livestreamed their pursuit of the agent from Downtown Los Angeles to his residence on Instagram, then shouted to neighbors about his identity and posted his address online. Each faces federal charges of conspiracy and disclosing a federal agent's personal information, with sentences of up to five years in prison per count. Raygoza remains at large while her codefendants have been arrested.

Freelance photojournalist Dave Decker was shot multiple times with pepper balls by federal officers and had his camera lens damaged while covering protests outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois on September 27, 2025. Officers appeared to target Decker specifically, pointing him out before firing. The incident occurred during protests at an ICE detention and processing facility.

A 42-year-old Honduran national died while held by ICE in Nassau County, New York in the week prior to September 26, 2025. The death was among at least 16 ICE detainee deaths recorded since January 2025, contributing to concerns about deteriorating detention conditions.

Maikol Carreno, a 24-year-old Venezuelan barber in Yuma, Arizona, was detained by ICE agents while giving a haircut at Stay Faded Barbershop. Carreno, who is seeking asylum, was transferred to Eloy Detention Center. His U.S. citizen wife, who is three weeks away from giving birth, is pleading for his release with community support.

An ICE officer was placed on administrative leave after video footage showed him shoving a woman to the ground in a courthouse hallway in New York. The incident occurred after federal agents attempted to detain the woman's husband during an immigration enforcement action. DHS stated the officer's conduct was unacceptable and initiated a full investigation into the incident.

A 25-year-old paraprofessional at a special education school in Inver Grove Heights was taken into custody early Monday after an apparent collision with a federal vehicle in the parking lot of Concord Education Center. She was held at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility at Fort Snelling for nearly 12 hours before being released pending an investigation. Her mother reported a lack of communication during the detention. U.S. Rep. Angie Craig's office commented on the detention.

On September 26, 2025, federal immigration agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection forcibly removed a U.S. citizen from her white Toyota in Key Largo, Florida, while she stated her citizenship status. The woman, wearing medical scrubs, was handcuffed and placed in an agent's vehicle before being released after approximately 10 minutes when agents confirmed her U.S. citizenship through her driver's license found in the car. According to CBP, the woman had refused to provide identification or roll down her window during the stop. Legal experts subsequently noted that individuals generally retain the right to refuse identification during immigration stops and that agents require individualized reasonable suspicion to conduct such stops.

Leigh Kunkle was shot in the face with pepper balls by federal agents while protesting outside the Broadview ICE facility approximately one week before October 3. She recorded video of agents shooting weapons directly at protesters' faces and torsos. After being hit, Kunkle's hand filled with blood from the impact. She is planning to take legal action with her fiancé Kyle Frankovich to hold the federal government accountable for the assault and violations of rights during Operation Midway Blitz.

Hilda Ramirez Sanan, 50, a legal permanent resident, was violently arrested by ICE on September 26 while accompanying a family member to a court hearing in Chelsea with her 13-year-old son in the car. According to a federal complaint filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights, eight armed and masked officers surrounded her vehicle, smashed the car glass, and forcibly restrained her, kicking her and slamming her face on the ground while twisting her arms to handcuff her. Her son, who has autism, was also removed from the car and questioned by agents about his legal status while being held against a fence. When local police arrived and verified her valid green card, ICE released her. Ramirez Sanan and her children were taken to a hospital emergency room for medical evaluation. The complaint alleges violations of Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights and ICE protocol violations.

Nicolas W., a 43-year-old father of four from Guatemala who owned a tow truck company, had a valid work permit, and had lived in the United States for 10 years, was arrested by ICE on September 26, 2025. He was walking to his truck after buying tools at Home Depot when a masked agent grabbed him by the arm, refused to let go, and told him to shut up. Agents searched him and told him he did not have the right to speak. He was taken to a station in Burlington, Massachusetts, and later transferred to Camp East Montana.