Human Impact Project

On March 19, ICE and Border Patrol agents conducted a multi-person enforcement operation in the parking lot of a market in Christiansted, St. Croix. Video footage showed agents subduing a man on the pavement with one agent appearing to have his knee on the man's head and neck. Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett commented on the enforcement action and the manner in which it was carried out.

An Iraqi citizen and national was detained by ICE on March 18, 2025 after serving sentences for felony firearm possession and assault convictions. He was informed he would be deported to Iraq pursuant to an administrative removal order, but claimed he could not return due to fears of torture. Despite an initial credible fear finding, an Immigration Judge denied his Convention Against Torture relief and ordered his removal to Iraq on November 20, 2025. The court granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release from immigration detention.

José Eliezer Martínez-Andino, a young Honduran man with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and a work permit, was stopped by Border Patrol agents in a car crossing Montana in March 2025 over an alleged forged license plate. Despite trying to withdraw a voluntary departure form he says he signed out of fear, he was deported to Honduras in April, separating him from his 3-year-old U.S.-citizen daughter and family in Raleigh, North Carolina. A federal judge later ordered the government to bring him back, calling his removal a case that 'boggles the mind,' but when he returned in August he was sent to an ICE detention facility in Texas rather than home, and DHS has filed a new removal case against him.

A 43-year-old Mexican citizen who has lived in the U.S. since 1997 was detained on March 17, 2025, at the GEO Group's ICE Processing Center in Aurora, Colorado. She is the mother of three U.S. citizen children. In 2011, an Immigration Judge denied her cancellation of removal application but granted her voluntary departure with 60 days to leave. She appealed that decision, which tolled her departure period. In September 2012, while her appeal was pending, she traveled to Mexico to see her dying mother; her departure was deemed a withdrawal of the appeal, triggering her timely compliance with the voluntary departure order. She returned to the U.S. in April 2013 without inspection and was subsequently apprehended and charged criminally. On July 24-25, 2013, ICE issued a Form I-871 purporting to reinstate her prior removal order, but the petition alleges the reinstatement was procedurally deficient because it was signed before she was notified of her right to challenge it. ICE granted her a stay of removal on August 8, 2013, which has been repeatedly extended since then. She is now challenging her detention through a habeas corpus petition, arguing she has no valid removal order and therefore no statutory authority supports her detention.

Frontline DIGNITY reported ICE activity in the Cranberry area on March 17 around 10:00 AM, with ICE collaborating with the Butler County Sheriff's Office to detain individuals near Brandt Drive. The organization shared this information to support community awareness and provided instructions for witnesses to report enforcement activity safely.

Ricardo Navarrete, an 18-year-old Chicago high school senior, and his mother Liliana were detained outside Chicago Immigration Court on March 16 after being told to come sign papers. Both had active asylum cases and no criminal records. They were from Colombia and arrived in the U.S. in 2022. Ricardo has been transported multiple times between facilities and placed in solitary confinement; he and his mother are currently separated in different facilities in Kentucky.

Robert Antonio Bastardo Llovera, a Venezuelan national in unauthorized status, was sentenced to eight months and two days in federal prison on March 16, 2025, for assaulting an ICE deportation officer near Mission Bay in San Diego. Bastardo Llovera pleaded guilty on March 3, 2025, admitting he bit an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on the forearm during a deportation operation on July 15, 2025.

A Cameron County grand jury issued a 'no bill' on March 15, 2025, in the death of 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez, who was shot by a Homeland Security Investigations agent on South Padre Island. Federal officials claimed Martinez attempted to run over an ICE agent, but a passenger's statement indicated the car was moving slowly and the agent fired without warning. Martinez's family requested a federal investigation and release of records.

Wilker Miguel Gutiérrez Sierra, 23, was arrested in February 2024 in Chicago on charges of attempted murder, robbery, and aggravated battery after allegedly assaulting a stranger on a train. He pleaded not guilty and was on electronic monitoring awaiting trial when ICE agents arrested him on the street in five black trucks in February 2025. Three days later he was deported to CECOT prison in El Salvador on March 15, 2025, removing him from the criminal justice system before his case could be resolved.

Gladys Yoleida Caricote Tovar, 28, a Venezuelan with Temporary Protected Status and mother of three young children, was arrested in Colorado on December 10, 2024 in front of her mother and children. Her children were placed in foster care and only returned to their grandmother weeks later. On March 15, 2025, she was deported despite a federal judge's order halting deportations. She was told she was being flown to Venezuela but was instead taken to El Salvador, where she was kept on the plane and sent back to the United States the same day. Since returning from El Salvador, she has been held in a Texas detention center where she was beaten a few days ago, covered in bruises, and is locked in solitary confinement following a panic attack.

Scarleth Rodríguez, 21, a Venezuelan with Temporary Protected Status, was arrested in August 2024 after turning herself in to border authorities and held in detention for nine months without being allowed to leave. On March 15, 2025, she was deported despite a federal judge's order halting deportations. She was told she was being flown to Venezuela but was instead taken to El Salvador, where she was kept on the plane and sent back to the United States the same day. Since returning from El Salvador, she has been held in a Texas detention center where she was recently beaten. Her mother in Venezuela had prepared a meal expecting her arrival.

Maikol Gabriel López Lizano, a Venezuelan migrant working as a mechanic in Chicago, was arrested in February 2025 on suspicion of gang membership in Tren de Aragua. He was deported on March 15, 2025, via charter plane to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 without due process or the opportunity to challenge the allegation. Maikol Gabriel López Lizano, 23, was arrested in Chicago in August 2023 on misdemeanor charges for riding his bicycle on the sidewalk while drinking a beer. He was deported to CECOT prison in El Salvador on March 15, 2025, as part of the Trump administration's mass deportation of 238 Venezuelans. His partner, Cherry Flores, described his deportation as a gross injustice for such a minor offense.

Wuilliam Lozada Sanchez was deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison on March 15, 2025, under the Alien Enemies Act. He described being forced into stress positions for hours with guards watching for movement, and those unable to endure 24 hours on their knees were taken to 'the island'—a dark punishment cell with no light or ventilation where guards regularly beat detainees. He said 'the torture was never-ending.' He was released on July 18, 2025, as part of a prisoner swap.

Luis Muñoz Pinto, a 27-year-old college student from Venezuela, had a scheduled appointment with Customs and Border Protection as part of the CBP One program but was detained from that appointment. He was deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison on March 15, 2025, under the Alien Enemies Act where he was beaten, forced into stress positions, denied adequate food and medicine, and subjected to 24/7 lighting. He said 'lights were on in the cells 24/7, food and medicine were withheld and the same water they had for bathing and going to the bathroom had to be used for drinking.' He was released on July 18, 2025, and returned to Colombia. He had no criminal record in the U.S.

Andry Omar Blanco Bonilla, a 40-year-old food delivery driver and mechanic from Venezuela, was detained at an ICE office in Dallas in February 2024 after notifying them of an address change and being asked about his tattoos—which he said represented his family, not gang affiliation. Released pending deportation when Venezuela would not accept deportees, he was detained again after Trump's inauguration and deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison on March 15, 2025. He endured four months of beatings and humiliation before being returned to Venezuela on July 18, 2025. He had no criminal record in the U.S. and came to the country to support his seven children.

Juan José Ramos Ramos, a 39-year-old former telephone technician from Venezuela, was detained during an ICE appointment and deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison on March 15, 2025, under the Alien Enemies Act. The Trump administration alleged he was a Tren de Aragua gang member, but he was detected by immigration agents riding in a car with a Venezuela sticker. During his four months in CECOT, he said he endured severe beatings, humiliation, and psychological abuse. He was returned to Venezuela on July 18, 2025. ProPublica's investigation found he had no criminal convictions in the U.S.

A grand jury issued a 'no bill' in the March 2025 shooting death of 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez by a Homeland Security Investigations agent at South Padre Island, Texas. DHS stated Martinez attempted to run over a federal agent, but a witness affidavit indicated the vehicle was moving slowly and the agent fired without warning. The shooting was not publicly disclosed until February 2026.

Yoderlyn Daviana Acosta Peña, a 21-year-old Venezuelan migrant living and working in Chicago, was arrested in February 2025 on suspicion of gang membership in Tren de Aragua based on subjective criteria including tattoos. On March 15, 2025, while being deported via charter plane, an ICE officer physically assaulted her, grabbing her by the hair and punching her in the face. She was deported to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act without due process.

Fabian Schmidt, a 34-year-old German-born electrical engineer and green card holder living in New Hampshire with his U.S. citizen partner Bhavani Hodgkins and their 8-year-old daughter, was detained by CBP officers at Boston Logan Airport on March 7, 2025, upon returning from a trip to Germany and Luxembourg. According to his family, Schmidt was interrogated for hours and subjected to mistreatment including being stripped naked, placed in a cold shower, denied food and water, denied access to anxiety and depression medication, and deprived of sleep. He collapsed during the interrogation and was transported by ambulance to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was diagnosed with influenza. Schmidt was subsequently transferred to ICE custody at the Donald W. Wyatt detention facility in Rhode Island, where he remained in custody. His mother, Astrid Senior, stated she has no idea why he is being held and noted his green card was recently renewed with no active legal issues, though he faced misdemeanor marijuana-related charges approximately a decade ago and may have missed a hearing in 2022. CBP denied allegations of mistreatment, stating officers took "proper action" due to drug-related charges. The German embassy confirmed awareness of the case and stated it has been in close contact with relevant U.S. authorities and the family.

Twelve restaurant workers at a Mexican restaurant in Liberty, Missouri were barricaded inside by armed Department of Homeland Security agents and arrested without warrants. According to legal documents filed by attorneys, federal agents allegedly created arrest documents retroactively to justify the warrantless arrests. The operation violates the Nava Settlement, which covers Missouri along with five other states including Illinois. Attorneys argue this represents an attempt to evade settlement protections limiting warrantless ICE arrests.