Human Impact Project

ICE chartered a private Gulfstream IV jet owned by Florida property developer Gil Dezer, a Trump associate and donor, to deport Palestinian men from the United States to the West Bank. At least two deportation flights occurred on January 20-21 and February 1-2, 2026, transporting eight or more detainees from an Arizona detention facility through multiple countries (New Jersey, Ireland, Bulgaria) before reaching Tel Aviv and the West Bank. Among those deported was 24-year-old Maher Awad, a long-term green card holder who had lived in the U.S. for nearly a decade and had a newborn son in Michigan. The men were shackled throughout the multi-country journey and reported being abandoned at checkpoints with minimal resources. A joint investigation by +972 Magazine and The Guardian documented the flights, with former U.S. officials and immigration lawyers characterizing them as indicative of a shift in Trump administration deportation policy toward more aggressive mass deportation tactics.

Four unnamed immigrants detained by ICE in West Virginia during a January 2026 operation were ordered released by federal judges who ruled their detentions unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Thomas Johnston, Judge Robert C. Chambers, and Judge Joseph R. Goodwin each issued orders for release, finding that the government violated due process rights by detaining the immigrants without explanation, hearing, or notice. The releases were part of a broader challenge to a two-week ICE operation in January that resulted in 650 arrests; fifteen detainees have filed petitions for release arguing unconstitutional detention, with more expected.

An 11-year-old girl's mother from Ecuador was detained by federal immigration agents on February 5, 2026, after leaving her apartment for the first time in over a month to buy groceries. She was transferred to a detention facility in Texas approximately 1,400 miles away before attorney John Hayden secured a federal court order demanding her return to Minnesota. She was returned to a Minneapolis detention facility on Friday morning. The mother had applied for asylum in the U.S. and was later transferred to a jail in Willmar, Minnesota.

Civil rights and immigrant advocacy groups, including the ACLU of Florida, issued a travel alert on February 5 urging international tourists attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Miami to exercise caution due to expanded immigration enforcement. The advisory highlighted risks from Florida's statewide partnerships between local and federal immigration authorities, noting that visitors could face detention during routine activities like traffic stops. Groups cited the case of Carlos Gonzalez Meza, a Mexican tourist with a valid U.S. visa who was detained for 10 days after a traffic stop in Orlando. The coalition emphasized the alert is informational and not a call for boycotts.

Yadira Córdoba, a member of the Asociación Madres de Abril and mother of Orlando Aguirre Córdoba, who was killed during Nicaragua's 2018 protest crackdown, sought asylum in the United States after reporting her son's death, but her application was denied. She was held in ICE custody starting August 20, 2025, and after exhausting legal remedies was ordered deported; Honduras refused to accept her, and on February 5, 2026, she was deported to Mexico, where she remained in Tapachula under the supervision of Mexico's National Human Rights Commission while filing an asylum application there.

A 22-year-old native of Peru fled to the United States with her family in September 2022 to escape death threats. She was paroled into the US after brief detention at the border due to facility overcrowding. While living in Illinois, she updated her address with ICE, filed an asylum application in July 2023, and married a naturalized U.S. citizen in April 2024. ICE issued her a Notice to Appear on May 2, 2024, but served it at an outdated Florida address, so she was unaware of removal proceedings held in her absence on October 2, 2025. At a virtual check-in appointment on February 5, 2026, ICE arrested her despite no warning in the appointment confirmation. She was held at Clinton County Jail in Frankfort, Indiana (later transferred to Clark County Jail in Jeffersonville). She sought to reopen her removal proceedings, which was granted on February 20, 2026. She filed Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) and Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence) with USCIS. She petitioned for habeas corpus relief, arguing her detention without a bond hearing violates federal law. The court granted her petition, ordering the government to provide her an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) by 5:00 p.m. on May 26, 2026, or release her under reasonable conditions of supervision.

ICE agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. drove an unmarked SUV on a highway shoulder, pulled up next to another vehicle, and pointed his gun at the heads of two civilians inside. The driver called 911. Morgan was charged with felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

Luis, a 53-year-old Mexican immigrant handyman, was detained by ICE for over three months at a Conroe-area detention center after being arrested in October 2025. He was granted bond and released on February 5, 2026, following a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Lee Rosenthal. While released, Luis faces an ongoing court case with possible deportation, as he has lived in the U.S. without legal status for 25 years while raising five children and establishing himself as a homeowner and community member.

Hundreds of high school students organized a peaceful march from City Hall to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center on February 5, 2026 to protest ICE raids. LAPD in riot gear formed skirmish lines and charged at the students multiple times throughout the afternoon, resulting in at least two arrests. Officers were documented using force against minors, including throwing students to the ground and striking a protester with a baton, while ICE agents were observed coordinating with LAPD at the detention center.

A man was taken into custody by ICE on February 4, 2026, after being referred by the Stanislaus County Probation Department. He had previously turned himself in to ICE in June 2015 and was released on an order of recognizance with the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program. He was convicted of a crime in 2022 and violated the terms of his supervision, leading to his re-detention. On March 24, 2026, an immigration court denied bond, stating it lacked jurisdiction. He filed a federal habeas corpus petition challenging his detention and seeking immediate release. On April 24, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted his petition, ordering his immediate release on the same conditions he was subject to before his February 4, 2026 re-detention, and enjoining ICE from re-detaining him without notice and a pre-detention hearing before an immigration judge.

Beth Jackson, a Twin Cities resident, was detained by federal officers and faced subsequent action after documenting ICE agents. The detention occurred while she was recording immigration enforcement activities.

Two Afghan brothers with pending asylum claims were detained by ICE during a routine check-in with the Alternatives to Detention unit on Tuesday morning. Mohammad Emran Kohistani and Mohammad Sajad Kohistani, who presented themselves at the U.S. border in 2023 and were released on their own recognizance, were told they were not "appropriately vetted" at the border. Their attorney filed an emergency habeas petition and temporary restraining order, with a federal court hearing scheduled for Thursday.

Federal ICE agents conducted arrests in downtown Phoenixville, Pennsylvania on February 4, 2026, targeting individuals in vehicles. Witnesses reported the arrests involved agents smashing windows and forcibly removing people from cars.

Valentina Timaran Restrepo was taken into ICE custody while attending a regularly scheduled check-in appointment on February 4, 2026, and has since been held at the Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga, Oklahoma. Weeks earlier she had undergone multiple invasive surgical procedures requiring continuous post-operative monitoring, and she later developed a painful, visibly growing mass at the site of her surgeries, rating her pain 8 out of 10. Although facility medical staff ordered an "urgent" ultrasound on March 27, 2026, she was told it could take up to a month to receive treatment because the procedure required external approval, prompting her to file an emergency petition for a temporary restraining order seeking immediate medical care.

Martir Zambrano Diaz, a 50-year-old native of El Salvador, was detained by ICE agents on February 4, 2026 during an enforcement sweep in Greenport. According to a federal habeas corpus petition filed on his behalf, he arrived in the United States in 2001 and has never been arrested or convicted of any crime, directly contradicting ICE's claims that he was previously removed in 1998 and reentered illegally. He had worked at Pindar Vineyards for 23 years, where he was known for his strong work ethic, kindness, and positive attitude. His detention left his family without their primary breadwinner. Community members and advocacy groups, including OLA of Eastern Long Island, launched fundraising campaigns and legal support efforts to assist his family.

Alexandro Rivera Magaña, a longtime Greenport resident and El Salvadoran national, was detained by ICE agents on February 4, 2026 during an enforcement sweep in the area. He had worked at Pindar Vineyards in Peconic as a foreman since 2023 and was known for his leadership and work ethic. He is the primary breadwinner for his family, which includes a son with severe autism and a 5-year-old child. His detention left his wife and children facing immediate financial hardship, unable to pay for food and rent. The community organized fundraising campaigns to support his family while legal advocates began assessing his case.

Francisco Benjamin Sanchez Obregon was initially apprehended at the border on September 22, 2022, then paroled the next day until November 2022. Over three years later, he was arrested on February 4, 2026, and detained pending removal proceedings. The court found he had a protected liberty interest from his initial parole and ordered his immediate release due to lack of due process.

Melissa Tran, a Maryland mother of four and former health care worker, was shackled at her wrists, waist, and ankles without food or water for over 10 hours before takeoff on an ICE deportation flight operated by Omni Air International. She remained shackled for approximately 80 hours total across a multi-day journey to Hanoi, Vietnam. Her wrists became dented and red from the restraints. She reported soiling herself during the flight and described feeling like she was less than an animal.

Cristian, a Colombian immigrant with an asylum claim, was detained by ICE agents on February 4 while heading to a new job in St. Paul. He was transferred to detention centers in Texas and Louisiana before self-deporting to Colombia. His wife Alejandra was left as the sole provider for their two young sons and is now trying to save money for plane tickets to return to Colombia, saying their experience made clear they are not welcomed in the United States.

Dylan, a 20-year-old Venezuelan student at Ellis Prep High School in the Bronx, was detained by ICE on May 21, 2025, immediately after appearing at federal immigration court in Lower Manhattan for an asylum hearing. He entered the United States legally under Biden-era policies and has no criminal record. His attorney stated he was entitled to full legal protections to pursue asylum relief. Dylan's mother reported he has been suffering from untreated stomach problems and has been moved to at least four different detention centers within five to six days. The Department of Homeland Security placed him under expedited removal proceedings.