HUMSI — Human Security Initiative

Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

We collect individual stories of people impacted by U.S. immigration enforcement from news reporting, court records, and community accounts into one searchable public database, updated daily and reviewed by our team. The Human Impact Project is run by the Human Security Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

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4153 incidents with known locations
⚐ Highlighted incident #13187 (not on this page in normal date order)Clear

Trans woman who won protection after years of violence given six hours' notice of deportation to Mexico

2026Westminster, COEl Salvador

A trans woman from El Salvador who survived years of sexual and physical violence won withholding of removal, but ICE kept her detained instead of releasing her. One day she was told she would be removed to Mexico in six hours, even though she had been sexually assaulted while transiting through Mexico and trans people there face violence and homicide. She says that when she told an ICE officer she was afraid, he replied that it was her "word against an order from the president of the United States." She was shackled and put on a bus; her deportation was narrowly averted when her attorney at the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network filed an emergency motion in federal court.

North Texas mother detained after traffic stop, faces deportation to Mexico

May 8, 2026Flower Mound, TXMexico

Lourdes Minerva Coronado, a North Texas resident who had lived in the United States for more than 30 years, was arrested after a Flower Mound traffic stop for driving with a suspended license and no registration, and was subsequently detained by ICE. Her daughter, Karen Gonzalez, said Coronado had just been approved for a work permit and had no criminal history when she was detained. An immigration judge denied her bond request in July, classifying her as a flight risk, and on September 8 ordered her removed to Mexico; she has until October 2 to appeal while her family works to find and pay for an attorney. ICE said Coronado entered the country without legal status, and that it does not carry out removals while a timely appeal is pending; her arrest also came months after Denton County expanded its cooperation agreement with ICE to allow trained deputies to detain people suspected of immigration violations.

Naturalized citizen held for months at Texas bridge after returning from Mexico

May 8, 2026Laredo, TX

María Gloria Lopez Alcala, a mother of five who has lived in the U.S. for three decades, was detained by CBP on May 8 at International Bridge 2 in Laredo while returning from Nuevo Laredo after forgetting her ID. She had passed her citizenship test in November but never received an oath ceremony date, and her family says she also holds a permanent resident card. Officials told her family she is being held on suspicion of identity fraud, an accusation her family denies, and as of early August she remained at the Laredo Detention Center, where she developed a skin condition requiring medical treatment. ICE says her case remains in the adjudication process.

Noncitizen detained after fleeing traffic stop granted bond hearing

May 8, 2026Bakersfield, CA

A long-term undocumented resident of the United States was detained by ICE officers on May 8, 2026, after fleeing from law enforcement during a traffic stop of a vehicle in which he was a passenger. Officers pursued him on foot for 5-10 minutes before detaining him pursuant to an administrative arrest warrant. He has lived in the United States for an unspecified extended period without having been admitted. He is currently detained at Mesa Verde Detention Facility. The court granted his petition for writ of habeas corpus and motion for temporary restraining order, ordering respondents to provide him a bond hearing before an immigration judge within 14 days pursuant to 8 C.F.R. § 1236.1(c)(8), where he must demonstrate he is not a flight risk or danger to community safety. If respondents fail to provide the hearing within 14 days, he shall be immediately released.

Chinese man denaturalized for alleged fraud in naturalization process

May 8, 2026China

Pin He, a native of China, was targeted for denaturalization for obtaining citizenship under the identity Pin He in 2013 after being ordered removed under the name Chun Di He in 1992. He applied for immigration benefits under a different identity the following year and obtained permanent residence in 2007 without disclosing his prior removal order.

Marine denaturalized for allegedly concealing criminal history during naturalization

May 8, 2026Fairdale, KYKenya

Abdallah Osman Sheikh, a resident of Fairdale, Kentucky, was targeted for denaturalization for concealing that he possessed indecent digital images of two minors in July 2019 while serving in the Marines and posted such an image to social media. He also received an other-than-honorable discharge from the Marines for misconduct, disqualifying him from naturalization based on military service.

Bolivian man denaturalized for alleged fraud in naturalization process

May 8, 2026Bolivia

Kevin Robin Suarez, a native of Bolivia, was targeted for denaturalization after pleading guilty in 2020 to conspiracy involving the illegal purchase and trafficking of firearms through straw purchasers from South Florida to Bolivia and other Latin American countries for drug trafficking organizations. The conspiracy began in May 2016 and continued ten months after his January 2017 naturalization, during which he lacked the required good moral character.

Gambian ex-soldier faces denaturalization over concealing war crimes in naturalization bid

May 8, 2026Gambia

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a case to revoke the citizenship of Baboucarr Mboob, 58, a native of Ndungu Kebbeh, Gambia, accusing him of concealing war crimes during his U.S. naturalization in 2011. Mboob, who entered the U.S. in 2002, previously served as a military police officer and orderly under former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh, and in 2019 testimony before The Gambian Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission admitted to participating in the 1994 execution of six fellow officers, naming five victims: Lt. Gibril Saye, Lt. Buba Jammeh, Lt. Bakary Manneh, Cadet Amadou Sillah and Lt. Abdoulie Bah. The case is part of a broader DOJ action against 12 individuals accused of offenses including war crimes, support for terrorism and sexual abuse of a minor, with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stating that those who concealed such histories during naturalization will face legal consequences.

Minnesota man faces denaturalization for allegedly concealing criminal history during naturalization

May 8, 2026Somalia

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil complaint in federal court seeking to denaturalize Salah Osman Ahmed, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Minnesota. Ahmed was naturalized in August 2007, months before providing material support to al-Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization. In 2009, he pleaded guilty to one count of providing material support to terrorists after admitting to attending secret meetings in Minneapolis in 2007, traveling to Somalia in December 2007 to help build a training camp, receiving weapons training including on PKM machine guns, and raising money from the Somali-American community. He served three years in prison and was granted relief from supervised release in 2022. The DOJ contends Ahmed was not genuinely attached to U.S. constitutional principles at the time of naturalization and must prove by clear and convincing evidence that his citizenship was not obtained through fraud or misrepresentation.

Khalid Ouazzani stripped of U.S. citizenship over alleged fraud and immigration misconduct.

May 8, 2026Morocco

Khalid Ouazzani, a native of Morocco, was targeted for denaturalization after pleading guilty in 2010 to bank fraud, money laundering, and providing material support to Al-Qaeda. He falsely swore attachment to the U.S. Constitution during his 2005 citizenship application and 2006 naturalization, while planning with others to support terrorism and sending tens of thousands of dollars to Al-Qaeda by 2007.

Longtime Güero cook detained by ICE while driving to work in Portland

May 8, 2026Tacoma, WA

José 'Poni' Góngora Poot, a cook who worked at Portland restaurant Güero for a decade, was detained by ICE agents on May 8 while driving to work near his home. He was removed from his vehicle and taken into custody. Góngora Poot is being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. A GoFundMe fundraiser was created to support him, raising over $30,000.

Deportees shackled for 69 hours on ICE charter flight through Southeast Asia

May 8, 2026Guam

An ICE deportation charter flight operated by Omni Air held passengers shackled at the wrists, waists, and ankles for over 69 hours during a multi-country journey from Guam through Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. The passengers included elders, people with disabilities, and individuals who had agreed to voluntary departure, with limited ability to move during the lengthy transport.

Woman detained at Adelanto after St. Paul ICE operation, facing $35,000 bond

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May 8, 2026St. Paul, MN

Virginia was detained in January 2026 during the Midway Blitz Operation in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was transferred to Adelanto Detention Center in California, where a judge set her bond at $35,000. She was released in CA, where she had no contacts, without any means for returning home to MN.

Russian asylum seekers detained at Louisiana ICE facilities amid abuse allegations

May 8, 2026LARussia

Anstasiia and Andrei, Russian activists who fled Russia fearing retaliation for their involvement with the Navalny campaign, sought political asylum in the U.S. but were detained at separate ICE facilities in Louisiana. Anstasiia was held at Basile ICE jail, where she alleges she was stripped naked and confined to a glass room for 24 hours. She also reported that women detainees were subjected to male guards while showering and using the bathroom. Andrei was detained at Allen Parish Public Safety Complex. The facilities are reported to have conditions including physical and sexual abuse, medical neglect, rat infestations, black mold, expired food, and prolonged solitary confinement.

Pennsylvania man released after 258 days in ICE detention, reunites with family

May 8, 2026Downingtown, PAMexico

Carlos Della Valle, a Mexican national and long-term resident of Chester County, Pennsylvania, was detained by ICE in December 2024 after being arrested at an airport in St. Thomas while on family vacation. He was held across 12 different detention facilities, including centers in Louisiana and Florida, and reported inhumane conditions during his confinement. Despite claiming a judge had declared him not guilty, Della Valle was detained under a 1997 deportation order. His wife Angela, a U.S. citizen, and supporters rallied for his release. He was released in late April 2026 after 258 days in custody and returned to his home in Chester County.

Woman Still Mourns Miscarriage After ICE Detention, Now Living in Rural Guatemala

May 7, 2026TX

Iris Dayana Monterroso-Lemus, detained by ICE at Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana after missing a court hearing in a child custody case, lost her pregnancy mid-term while in custody and was deported to Guatemala in May 2025. Medical staff performed invasive procedures and administered medication without her consent or clear explanation, and she was returned to detention despite severe pain and bleeding, with ICE denying follow-up care for over two months until she was treated for an infection after deportation. She now lives in a rural area of Petén, Guatemala without reliable electricity or running water, separated from her partner, Gary Bivens, who keeps their son's ashes until they can bury him together, and from her three children, who remain in Lenoir City, Tennessee with her mother. Department of Homeland Security data shows 16 recorded miscarriages in ICE custody between January 2025 and February 2026, during which 363 pregnant, postpartum, or nursing women were deported.

At least one person arrested by ICE at Cook County courthouse in violation of state law

May 7, 2026Chicago, IL

Federal immigration agents were spotted at four Cook County courthouses on May 7, 2026, where they arrested at least one person. One person was detained at the Branch 23 & 29 courthouse for a misdemeanor property damage charge that was dismissed. Since February, federal agents have been at or nearby Cook County courthouses at least once a week, detaining at least 12 people at the facilities. Public defenders and watchdog groups said the arrests violate state law and undermine due process rights. The previous Tuesday, federal agents detained a man at the Clinton Blue Line station following his appearance at domestic violence court, using a taser and throwing him against a wall.

Marathon man with TPS deported to Haiti despite court order, returns to U.S.

May 7, 2026Marathon, FLHaiti

Brulan, a Haitian man who has lived in Marathon for 22 years and held valid Temporary Protected Status, was detained during a routine traffic stop on April 12, 2026, and spent nearly a month in ICE custody, including at the state-run "Alligator Alcatraz" facility in the Everglades, before being deported to Haiti on May 7 despite a federal judge's order keeping TPS protections in place. Working three jobs as a bus driver, hotel worker, and restaurant employee, Brulan sent money home every two weeks to support as many as 50 family members in Haiti. In Haiti, he encountered armed gangs controlling highways and the capital, feared for his life, and remained confined to his brother's house. His lawyer filed a wrongful detention lawsuit, and Brulan was allowed to return to South Florida two weeks after deportation; public records show only traffic citations in his background and an outstanding 2004 deportation order before he later obtained TPS, and his restaurant employer described him as a "very good soul." His case follows a similar deportation of a Tampa man with Venezuelan TPS, as the Supreme Court weighs the future of Haiti's protections, which a federal judge has kept in place through at least July 1.

Immigration detainee re-detained during routine check-in at Dallas ICE office

May 7, 2026Dallas, TX

An immigration detainee with no criminal history was re-detained by ICE during routine non-detained lobby duties at the Dallas Field Office. The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding no evidence of any encounter with law enforcement other than ICE's re-detention. The court enjoined respondents from re-detaining him without clear and convincing evidence that he is a flight risk or danger to the community.

Man granted release from ICE custody after habeas petition granted

May 7, 2026Nicaragua

A man previously granted humanitarian parole filed a habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 challenging his detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The petitioner was being held in ICE custody and sought release from that detention. On May 20, 2026, the United States District Court for the Central District of California granted the unopposed habeas petition. The court ordered that he be released from ICE custody immediately on the original terms of his humanitarian parole. Additionally, the court ordered that respondents return all identification documents that had been confiscated from the petitioner.

Asylum seeker detained 8 months after credible fear approval, denied bond

May 7, 2026Colombia

Luis Enrique Cuellar-Padilla, an asylum seeker from Colombia, was detained by ICE after a court hearing despite having his credible fear application approved. He has been held for nearly 8 months and denied bond, with immigration officials claiming he is a flight risk due to insufficient community ties, though his legal team attributes the detention to the current anti-immigrant political climate. Since entering the U.S. in 2022, Cuellar-Padilla has maintained a stable job, attended all immigration appointments and court dates, and held an apartment lease.