Human Impact Project

Sergio Ivan Chaparro Ayala, a manager at Oceanview Diner in Berkeley who lives in Richmond and supports two children, was detained by ICE agents at Oakland International Airport on August 28, 2026, while preparing to board a flight to Las Vegas for an anniversary trip with his partner, Estefani Montes. Chaparro, who entered the U.S. on a tourist visa that expired in 2020, has no criminal record and suffers from severe sleep apnea requiring a CPAP machine. He was moved between multiple detention facilities in California and Washington state, and Montes struggled to get him access to his medical equipment. Attorneys from Centro Legal de la Raza filed a habeas corpus petition arguing his detention violated due process, and a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order ordering his immediate release and barring ICE from re-detaining him without a hearing before a neutral decisionmaker. Coworkers and community members raised more than $25,000 to cover his legal costs, and a preliminary injunction hearing was scheduled for September 15, 2026.

Federal and Tennessee state agents raided El Corralón, an immigrant-owned nightclub and restaurant in Memphis's Berclair neighborhood, in a pre-dawn operation called 'Operation Corral Light' on August 30. Witnesses said patrons and employees were corralled onto the dance floor, checked for identification, and loaded onto buses while children screamed for their detained parents; advocates estimated parents of at least 16 children were taken. Among those detained were a mother and stepfather, now held in separate facilities — she in Basile, Louisiana, and he in Mason, Tennessee — leaving their four children and four cousins in the care of their grandmother, who said the youngest wakes up crying for his mother while a 16-year-old has taken on helping raise the younger children. DHS confirmed more than 120 arrests but has publicly identified only five detainees, citing prior charges such as larceny, drug possession, and assault, while the status of most remaining detainees has not been disclosed. The operation stemmed from Tennessee Bureau of Investigation warrants targeting illegal gambling machines and narcotics, prompting the ACLU, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, State Rep. Gabby Salinas, and Memphis's mayor to question whether it exceeded the warrant's scope. Some detainees were reportedly deported to Honduras within days, and four people were released at the scene after showing documentation.

Laura Rojas Ortiz, a 21-year-old mother, has been detained at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley for more than 40 days while pregnant with a high-risk pregnancy. She was detained during a mandated ICE check-in in Dallas while applying for a U visa after she and her young son were struck by a stray bullet in their neighborhood, despite regularly attending check-ins while wearing an ankle monitor. Two days before her detention, she had gone to the ER with miscarriage symptoms and was diagnosed with a high-risk obstetric condition; a physician at Dilley later determined she needed to see a specialist, but the facility has not scheduled the consultation. Now approaching her third trimester, she reports persistent abdominal pain and bleeding and says she has not received an ultrasound, blood tests, or an OB-GYN visit. Her mother, Paola, said facility staff moved her to a medical room during a congressional visit and removed her afterward, and that her toddler son, who is lactose intolerant, was given whole milk at the facility. The advocacy group Each Step Home has provided commissary support so she can buy food for her children.

Arelys Barahona-Martinez, a 40-year-old Honduran national, was detained by ICE on June 10 during a routine, scheduled check-in appointment at an ICE office in Dallas, where she had checked in without incident for years. She was transferred to a detention facility in Oklahoma and faces deportation under a removal order issued in 2005, after having entered the U.S. without authorization more than 20 years ago and again in 2018, reportedly to seek medical care for her son. She is married to retired Staff Sergeant Wilmer Trujillo, who served 20 years in the U.S. Army and Texas National Guard with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan; the couple's household includes his daughters and her 20-year-old son, a U.S. citizen with neurofibromatosis. Trujillo says she has no criminal record and that they have been working with an attorney to correct her immigration status. Her attorney argues she is eligible for permanent residency through marriage to a U.S. citizen and may qualify for a parole-in-place program for military families, though USCIS rejected her application in November 2024. She was later granted bond but remains in custody pending payment; advocates say she is one of at least 52 parents and spouses of active-duty service members detained since the administration took office.

Johnny Jules was arrested by ICE on September 15 in Columbus, Ohio after reporting for a mandatory check-in, even though he was pursuing a green card through his U.S.-citizen wife, Lourdes Miya Dorsonne. The couple, married since 2024, has a 1-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter who Dorsonne said keep asking where their father is. Jules survived a 2022 boat capsizing in the Mona Passage that killed 11 women, was later released from ICE custody with periodic check-in requirements, and was deported to Haiti on the same flight as Augustave despite having submitted marriage-based adjustment documents to ICE.

Zach Cosseboom, a 37-year-old UC Santa Barbara employee and U.S. citizen, was pepper-sprayed by a federal immigration agent while volunteering as an observer with immigrant advocacy group SB Resiste at the Santa Barbara County Jail. Cosseboom, a 12-year Santa Barbara resident, was watching ICE agents in the jail's lobby when an agent sprayed him at close range in an incident captured on video, also hitting his wife, Ana Garcia. He was treated at Cottage Health's emergency room afterward and described feeling 'a little helpless' during the incident.

Ydienays Dariana Dominguez, 26, and her six-year-old daughter Zoeh were detained by ICE agents during what the family believed was a routine immigration check-in in Charlotte. Zoeh had just started first grade at Sugar Creek Charter School, and the family had lived in the U.S. for nearly three years while seeking asylum. Their case stemmed from a July 9 virtual immigration hearing that a judge failed to attend, after which Ydienays received a removal order; she believed an advisor was filing an appeal, but it was never submitted. Zoeh's father Anderson, a barber, said an ICE officer initially indicated the pair would be transferred to Texas, but he later learned they had been deported to Venezuela and said he has not been able to reach his wife or daughter since. Advocacy group Siembra NC organized a press conference to seek community support, and State Rep. Julia Greenfield said the family did not receive due process before being removed.

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 Manuel Chavarría-Galeano, a 48-year-old exiled Nicaraguan journalist who directs the interview program Café con Voz, was detained by ICE agents on September 14, 2026 while working as an Uber/Lyft driver near Orlando to supplement his journalism income. He fled Nicaragua in 2018 after police raided his newsroom, charged him, and imprisoned colleagues over his reporting critical of Daniel Ortega's government, and filed for asylum in the U.S. in June 2019, a case that has remained pending for seven years despite his holding a work permit and social security number. In 2023, the Ortega-Murillo government stripped Galeano and 93 other journalists, writers, and activists of their citizenship. 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, and she has expressed fear he could be deported back to the regime that persecuted him. He was transferred to Baker Correctional Facility and then to Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami-Dade, where he awaits an October 2 immigration hearing, with press freedom groups including the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, Nicaraguan opposition members, and U.S. lawmakers such as Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar calling for his release and asylum review.

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.

Miran Kostic, a 66-year-old Bosnian national living in Boise, Idaho, was indicted by a federal grand jury following an investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, with cooperation from Bosnian authorities and a UN tribunal. Prosecutors allege that as a high-level official in the so-called Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia, Kostic personally pistol-whipped, beat, and kicked prisoners, and ordered subordinates to abuse detainees as well. He is accused of lying about this conduct and concealing war crimes charges filed against him in Bosnia and Herzegovina during his naturalization process, including in applications and interviews with USCIS and the FBI. He faces charges of attempted naturalization fraud and making false statements to federal agents, carrying penalties of up to 10 years in prison per fraud count and five years for the false statements charge.

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.

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.

Deng Deng, a 19-year-old Southern Connecticut State University basketball player originally from Aweil, South Sudan, was arrested by ICE agents at Tweed New Haven Airport on September 4, 2026, while boarding a flight to visit his girlfriend in North Carolina. Deng attended high school in New Jersey and was lawfully admitted to the U.S. as a minor on an F-1 student visa; he has a pending asylum application based on fear of persecution in South Sudan and holds a valid Employment Authorization Document. A witness described the arresting officers as "very aggressive." His attorneys, Glenn Formica and Steven Strom, filed a habeas corpus petition arguing an officer falsely claimed Deng was violating Temporary Protected Status he never held, that he has no criminal history, and that the arrest violated his Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. A federal judge barred his transfer to any ICE facility beyond 150 miles of the Connecticut border, though the case was later moved to the District of Massachusetts; he remains held at the Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island. SCSU said it is in contact with him and assisting where appropriate.

An Afghan man who worked as a U.S. military interpreter and cultural adviser during Operation Enduring Freedom was detained by ICE and FBI agents outside his St. Louis County home as he left for a morning run. He entered the U.S. legally in 2014 through the Special Immigrant Visa program and is a green card holder who built a life with his wife, Cata Estrada, and their children, including one born weeks before his arrest. A scientist with multiple degrees who hoped to become a doctor, he is also a plaintiff in a 2023 federal lawsuit over being placed on terrorist watchlists. ICE alleges he provided material support to a terrorist organization, citing a 2021 FBI search warrant linking him to a group associated with al-Qaida, and claims he lied on his 2019 naturalization application. He denies the allegations, says his rights as a permanent resident have been violated, and is seeking a jury trial. He is being held at the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center in Missouri, with an immigration court hearing scheduled for Sept. 14 in Kansas City.

Jose Mejia Hernandez, a 45-year-old Mexican immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for 18 years, was walking to work along Columbia Pike in Arlington, Virginia on August 11 when plainclothes ICE agents in an unmarked vehicle approached him without identifying themselves. He fled, was struck by a vehicle, and was shocked with a stun gun before losing consciousness, waking hours later at George Washington University Hospital with two black eyes, facial lacerations, brain swelling, and a subarachnoid brain bleed. He was hospitalized for several days with ICE officers stationed in his room, returned for an MRI on August 14 due to worsening symptoms, and was later fitted with an ankle monitor he says delayed further medical testing. His attorneys, Denisse Gastélum, Carlos Jurado and Margaret Hellerstein, say he now struggles to eat, sleep, speak normally, or work, and have filed a police report seeking criminal charges against the officers and driver, notified federal agencies of intent to sue under the Federal Tort Claims Act, and are pursuing a U visa on his behalf. DHS disputes his account, saying officers used necessary force after he attempted to flee, and cites a prior voluntary return to Mexico and a 2020 public intoxication conviction. He has been placed in deportation proceedings with a hearing scheduled for September 14. Virginia officials including Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and Reps. Don Beyer, Suhas Subramanyam and James Walkinshaw have criticized the circumstances of his arrest, and Arlington County Police have opened an investigation. Separately, the Arlington County Board approved $50,000 in emergency grants, distributed through Arlington Thrive, to support families whose primary wage earner was detained during a broader ICE enforcement surge that led to roughly 1,300 arrests across the D.C. area in August.

Sirena Prosper, a hairdresser and mother of seven who owns Royal Hands Salon in Pompano Beach, was detained by ICE agents outside her shop while three of her young sons watched, one recording on his phone. Family members said agents lured her to the back door under the pretense of returning her ID before taking her into custody; ICE said she resisted arrest. Prosper was born in the Bahamas to Haitian parents and has lived in Florida since infancy, but faces deportation to Haiti, a country her family says she has never visited, based on a 2002 removal order tied to a decades-old burglary and larceny conviction. Her family said she had legal residency, served her sentence, and had complied with ICE check-ins for years. She is being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, a facility advocates say saw two deaths over the summer. Relatives held a prayer vigil outside her salon demanding her release and are now caring for her three youngest children while seeking a hold on her deportation.