Human Impact Project

An opinion piece argues that ICE detention facilities function as camps rather than mere detention centers, citing over 65,000 people currently confined and at least 52 deaths in ICE custody since the second Trump administration began. It highlights a woman in Arizona detained for 16 months without adequate treatment for her leukemia, who has lost more than 70 pounds and regularly vomits blood, and describes a now-closed Florida facility where detainees were allegedly held in a two-by-two-foot outdoor punishment cage.

Debora Kapisha, a Maine Medical Center nurse originally from Zambia, was taken into ICE custody at Portland International Jetport on July 30 after an agent told her she needed a luggage inspection in a separate room, where immigration agents were waiting, according to her attorney Kerry Doyle. ICE has accused her of overstaying a visa that expired in November 2024, though she has a pending asylum claim and, according to the Maine State Nurses Association, is legally authorized to work in the U.S. After she challenged her detention in federal court, Kapisha was ordered released from ICE custody last week, though her removal case continues. Her colleagues protested her detention, and Maine immigrant advocates say at least five people have been detained at the jetport in the past two weeks amid a nationwide increase in airport immigration enforcement.

An elderly woman, identified as Linda Wolff, a 72-year-old immigrant rights supporter, was pepper-sprayed by a masked ICE agent on July 30 while filming an enforcement operation in Inwood. She has since filed a federal tort claim against ICE and appeared with Gov. Kathy Hochul to highlight new New York laws barring local police from immigration enforcement and allowing people to sue individual ICE officers in state court. ICE said its officers "followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary."

A citizen of Armenia was admitted to the United States in February 2013 and has lived in the U.S. for over 13 years. He was placed into removal proceedings in 2023 and found removable by an immigration judge in September 2023. The Board of Immigration Appeals affirmed this determination in January 2024. In April 2024, an immigration judge released him from custody on a $20,000 bond with an order of supervision, which he complied with for over two years. On July 30, 2026, he was unexpectedly detained by ICE during a routine check-in. He is married to a United States citizen, and his wife is due to give birth to their first child on August 17, 2026. On August 4, 2026, a federal judge granted his motion for a preliminary injunction, ordering his immediate release based on a violation of his due process rights, as he was re-detained without a pre-deprivation hearing before a neutral decision-maker.

Jesus Verde Hernandez, a Worden man who has lived in Montana for 10 years with his partner of 14 years and their three children, ages 9, 6 and 4, was arrested on July 30 by Customs and Border Patrol without a warrant or probable cause while agents searched for another man they said resembled him. He is also stepfather to his partner's two adult children, and his partner and all five children are U.S. citizens. During his 30-hour transport between Lewistown, Jordan, Malta, Havre and Great Falls, he was given only crackers and water, denied medication for chronic pain, and pressured by federal authorities to self-deport. Chief District Judge Brian Morris ordered his release, ruling the detention violated his constitutional rights and that the government lacked statutory authority to hold him, and his attorneys at Upper Seven Law are pursuing class certification for roughly 17 people similarly detained at the Cascade County Detention Center, with a court order barring authorities from moving any of them out of Montana before an Aug. 18 hearing in Missoula.

Eight noncitizens were arrested during a U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE operation at a solar farm on Riches Corners Road in Albion, New York on July 30, 2026. Seven of the men are from Venezuela and one is from Jamaica. All were working on the solar farm project at the time of the operation, which was conducted after ICE received a tip through its tipline. The arrested individuals were processed at Rochester and Buffalo CBP stations before being transferred to ICE for deportation proceedings. Nearly three weeks later, nearly 20 people marched in Albion to protest the detention and deportation of immigrants and farmworkers, an event organized by the nonprofit Rural & Migrant Ministry after a local youth group member, Analiah Figueroa, and her family said they encountered federal agents near the same field during the operation. Figueroa said her family, who are U.S. citizens, were stopped by an agent at a stop sign and later saw agents repeatedly drive past their home, which she said felt intimidating.

Mario Alfonso Rivera Santiago, detained at Rio Grande Processing Center in Laredo, Texas, filed a pro se Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 against the Department of Homeland Security and the Warden of Rio Grande Detention Center. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ordered respondents to submit their response by August 7, 2026, with Rivera Santiago able to reply by August 21, 2026. The court also ordered respondents to notify it at least five days before any anticipated transfer or removal of Rivera Santiago outside the Southern District of Texas.

A noncitizen who has resided in the United States since 2024 was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island. The Government argued he was subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2), claiming all noncitizens not admitted or paroled are "applicants for admission" seeking entry. The District Court granted his habeas petition, finding the detention unlawful because § 1225(b)(2) applies only to those at the border seeking admission, not interior arrests. The court ordered his immediate release and a bond hearing before an immigration judge under § 1226(a).

An immigrant detained at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas filed a habeas corpus petition. The court ordered respondents to provide information about when the petitioner entered the United States, whether the petitioner was previously apprehended and released by immigration authorities, and the status of the petitioner's immigration and removal proceedings. The court ordered respondents to file a response within 7 days of electronic service.

A Laotian refugee admitted to the U.S. in 1983 and lawful permanent resident since 1986 was detained by ICE on July 30, 2026, during a routine check-in without prior notice or opportunity to be heard. ICE officers informed him they had obtained travel documents for his deportation to Laos and cancelled his 26-year order of supervision, placing him into custody despite his attorney's notice of intent to file a motion to reopen immigration proceedings. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release and prohibiting his re-detention without notice and a pre-deprivation hearing before a neutral decisionmaker.

Fadel Cherif, 56, a Philadelphia resident with 20 years of legal status in the United States under Withholding of Removal protection, was arrested by ICE and detained at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in central Pennsylvania. An immigration judge granted Cherif's petition for asylum on December 18, 2025, though the Department of Homeland Security has appealed that decision. On January 29, 2026, a federal judge granted Cherif's habeas corpus petition, ordering that he receive an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge by February 9, 2026, or be released from custody. Cherif was represented by attorney Rafael Urena in his legal challenge to his detention. His eldest son Ahmad, 22, expressed concern about the impact on his younger brothers, ages 13 and 15, saying his father's presence is important to them.

A man whose daughter was killed has been detained by ICE while fighting to remain in the United States. He has been actively involved in investigating his daughter's death and pursuing justice in her case. Despite progress in his legal efforts to stay in the country, he remains in ICE custody as his case continues.

A woman was detained by ICE agents during a traffic stop in Kenner on a Wednesday morning with at least two of her three young children (ages 14, 10, and 2) in the vehicle. According to ICE, the woman had reentered the country illegally and faced a final removal order. Her employer and family members said the woman has minimal family support in the U.S. and that a close friend is now caring for all three children, who are scared and in need of basic necessities. The youngest child was born in the United States. The case illustrates the challenges families face when a parent is detained by immigration authorities.

ICE conducted a raid at an Abbeville manufacturing facility in Louisiana. A warehouse manager described the operation as chaotic, though specific details about the number of people detained, their identities, or the circumstances of their apprehension are not provided in the available article text.

A family was detained by ICE less than two days after a federal court ordered their release, violating the court's directive. The family had been in immigration proceedings when the court issued an order for their freedom, but ICE apprehended them again shortly after, defying the judicial decision.

ICE agents conducting enforcement operations across New York City's five boroughs on July 30-31, 2026 were documented on video pepper-spraying Linda Wolff, a 72-year-old immigrant rights supporter, in Inwood, Manhattan while she filmed them on her cellphone. Wolff, who says her civil rights were violated, has filed a federal tort claim against ICE and plans to pursue a lawsuit under a new New York law allowing people to sue individual ICE officers in state court. She appeared alongside Gov. Kathy Hochul at a press conference this week highlighting the law, which also bars local police from participating in immigration enforcement. An ICE spokesperson said officers used "the minimum amount of force necessary."

An 18-year-old was detained by masked individuals alleged to be federal agents during an operation on the 400 block of West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale, California, and forced into an unmarked vehicle. Video of the incident shows the teenager struggling with the agents, calling out in Spanish for help and his mother, and repeatedly stating he did nothing wrong. Bystanders attempted to intervene but were warned they could be arrested for interfering. He is currently being held at the Desert View ICE facility in Adelanto, California, pending removal proceedings, and federal officials say he had previously been encountered by Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas, in January 2024.

Don Graham, 54, a Canadian resident of the United States for over 22 years, was forcibly removed from his work van by federal agents on a Tacoma freeway. According to his daughter Madyson Graham, six black SUVs forced his vehicle off the road, and agents aggressively removed him, shackled him, and transported him to the Tacoma ICE Detention Center. Graham's family—his wife, who is a stay-at-home mother homeschooling their eight-year-old daughter, and his three adult children who are U.S. citizens—are now facing financial hardship as he was their primary income provider. The family is seeking legal representation and hopes to either have him released or, if deported, be able to reunite in Canada.

ICE conducted a targeted operation at a construction site off Franklin Road in Nampa on July 30, 2026, arresting and detaining six undocumented immigrants. DHS stated the individuals will remain in ICE custody pending removal or removal proceedings and will receive full due process.

Mabel, an Oakland resident from Ecuador, was detained by ICE agents at Phoenix airport while waiting for a connecting flight. She had a pending asylum claim and held a valid work permit issued by U.S. immigration authorities. According to her husband Abraham Sanchez, an ICE officer approached the couple with a photo of Mabel on his phone, asked her to confirm her name, and took her away. She spent her first night detained near the airport before being transported to Eloy Detention Center. Her case is part of a broader ICE airport crackdown targeting individuals with expired visas and pending immigration applications.