Human Impact Project

In January, hours after Renee Good's killing, immigration agents tackled and handcuffed a school staff member in Minneapolis. "I feel lucky to be alive," he recalled, describing the encounter as terrifying.

In November, immigration agents took an 18-year-old U.S. citizen off the street and eventually left him in the woods.

During a Sept. 4 ICE raid in Dover, N.J., a Honduran man was picked up on his way to work, loaded into a van, and taken with nine other detained men to a warehouse in nearby Roxbury, where they were handcuffed and held in a parking lot for hours. Frightened, he signed deportation papers and said he regretted it the next morning; NPR later located him in Honduras, where he had been deported, and he requested anonymity out of fear for loved ones still in the U.S. During the same raid, a 59-year-old worker was cornered against a wall by two masked ICE agents in footage that later circulated on social media. His daughter recognized him in the video and received a disoriented call from him afterward saying he was handcuffed somewhere she believed was the Roxbury warehouse; she has not been able to reach him since and asked not to be named for fear of being targeted.

Tesfay T., a 35-year-old Ethiopian man who had been imprisoned and tortured in Ethiopia and later kidnapped and tortured again in Mexico, fled to the United States and spent more than a year in immigration detention after crossing the border irregularly. An immigration judge denied his asylum claim but granted him 'withholding of removal' because of the likelihood he would be tortured again if returned to Ethiopia. In February 2026, while his lawyer was pursuing a habeas corpus petition for his release, an ICE officer told him to sign a voluntary departure form and said, 'I don't care, I'm going to sign it myself' when Tesfay refused and asked to speak with his attorney. He was then flown to Cameroon chained at his wrists, legs, and stomach for the entire journey, denied the ability to stand or use a bathroom without restraints, and was not told his destination until after landing.

Luis Caiza, an asylum seeker from Ecuador with a work permit and no criminal record, was pulled from his car and thrown to the ground during a traffic stop in Maple Grove, Minnesota, part of ICE's Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities. His wife, Marjorie Flores, said officers kneed and kicked him while he was down, then pulled her from the car, threw her onto the icy street, and pointed a weapon at her as she pleaded that their three children, Camila, Sneyder, and Emilio, were at home. Caiza has since been held for nearly 10 months at the Torrance County Detention Facility in New Mexico, where he has described tooth infections, inadequate food, lack of clean clothing, and severe delays receiving legal mail. He said video calls with his children have become too painful to continue. His attorney, Danielle Molliver, disputes a judge's finding that he is a flight risk due to prior DWIs and has filed a second petition challenging his prolonged detention while his asylum appeal, which he recently lost, remains pending. Flores now works three jobs totaling 93 hours a week to support their children.

Thongxay Nilakout, who resettled in the U.S. from Laos as a child in 1980, was released from a life sentence in 2023 after a Supreme Court ruling found mandatory life sentences for juvenile offenders unconstitutional. He was working as a restaurant cook when immigration authorities detained him in early 2025 and placed him on a deportation flight to South Sudan, a country with which he had no connection, as part of a broader removal program. A federal judge ruled the deportation violated a court order requiring migrants a meaningful chance to contest removal, but he was deported anyway, joining seven other men held in a gated house in Juba under armed guard. His attorney, Tin Nguyen, said Nilakout had been willing to return to Laos all along and that Lao travel documents had already been issued before the U.S. instead sent him to South Sudan. Birte Pfleger, daughter of the woman Nilakout was convicted of killing, said she was never notified of his arrest or deportation despite requesting updates. After more than a year in detention in South Sudan, Nilakout left for Vientiane, Laos on October 8, 2026; four of the original group and a fifth deportee from Congo remained in South Sudan.

Brian José Morales García, a 25-year-old HVAC worker from Austin born in Denver, Colorado, was riding in his employer's truck near Fredericksburg, Texas, on April 3, 2026, when a state trooper stopped the vehicle over an alleged window-tint violation. He repeatedly told officers he was a citizen and offered his birth certificate, Social Security card, and baptismal record, but said they refused to accept the documents; the Gillespie County Sheriff's Office held him before Border Patrol took custody. He said agents mocked his citizenship claim and pressured him into signing paperwork admitting illegal entry, which he did to avoid prolonged detention and reunite with his pregnant wife in Mexico. He was deported four to five days after the stop, missing the birth of his daughter and spending nearly five months with relatives in Mexico. His attorneys, including Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, filed a federal lawsuit alleging coercion and racial profiling, submitting his birth certificate, hospital records, baptismal certificate, and witness affidavits, while DHS disputed his citizenship claim. A federal judge called the case 'highly unusual' and ordered discovery; the Department of Justice agreed to let him return to Austin on August 30, 2026. His civil rights lawsuit continues, and his case is cited among more than 500 reported instances of U.S. citizens detained by ICE nationally.

Silverio Villegas González, a 38-year-old line cook from Irimbo, Michoacán, who had lived in the Chicago area for nearly 20 years, was fatally shot by an ICE agent on September 12, 2025, during a traffic stop in Franklin Park, Illinois, shortly after dropping his two young sons off at daycare and school. ICE agents, operating five days into Operation Midway Blitz, targeted him over alleged old traffic violations and positioned their vehicle to block his car; DHS claimed he dragged an agent with his vehicle, but witnesses and video reviewed by reporters showed him driving away before crashing into a tractor-trailer, and body-camera footage later showed the agent describing his injuries as 'nothing major,' contradicting DHS's claim of 'serious injuries.' Policing experts said the agents' tactics violated standard traffic-stop safety protocols. His body was repatriated to Michoacán for a funeral attended by hundreds; his mother and brother have said the family wants justice. His two sons were placed in foster care in Idaho, and relatives, aided by the Mexican Consulate, are seeking reunification. A year later, the FBI has refused to release details of its investigation, including the agent's name, prompting the family, working with the MacArthur Justice Center and National Immigrant Justice Center, to file a federal wrongful death claim on October 8, 2026, alleging ICE agents created an avoidable dangerous confrontation and that DHS and the agency failed to properly train and supervise officers. Federal prosecutors have declined to charge the agent, though the Illinois State Police opened a separate investigation in May 2026 at local police's request.

Fidel was detained by ICE, leaving his fiancée Ciara facing the prospect of raising their child alone. Ciara is raising funds to cover legal costs, bond, rent, and household bills as she fights to bring him home and keep their family together.

Héctor López was detained by law enforcement and taken into ICE custody on October 7 while on his way to work, according to his partner Andrea. He is described as a loving, responsible, and hardworking man who is the primary caregiver for his two children. His family is seeking legal representation for his immigration case and has lost a key source of household income since his detention.

Osmar, a fiancé described by his family as a loving son and loyal friend, presented himself to immigration authorities as part of his immigration process and was unexpectedly detained. He was placed in ICE custody following an attempted deportation to Argentina that could not be completed, and he remains in custody while his family seeks funds for attorneys and legal costs. His fiancée started a fundraiser to help cover legal fees, transportation, and other expenses related to his case.

Jennifer Guernsey, a 75-year-old San Luis Obispo County resident who volunteers as a rapid responder with 805 UndocuFund, was filming ICE agents waiting in the San Luis Obispo County Jail lobby for an inmate's release when an agent placed his hands on her shoulders and shoved her backward, telling her to get out of his way. Guernsey, who said she did not touch any agents, described the agents as being in 'a really antagonistic mood' and said the agent was 'using his physicality to intimidate' her.

Federal immigration agents broke a driver's window during a traffic stop outside Century High School in Hillsboro, Oregon, on Oct. 7, shortly after 10 a.m. It remains unclear whether the driver was detained. The stop was part of a broader enforcement surge that advocates say detained at least 21 people across Oregon between Oct. 6 and Oct. 8, including activity in Hillsboro, Cornelius, Forest Grove, Gresham, Troutdale and eastern Portland. Washington County follows Oregon's sanctuary law, and local officials said deputies do not collaborate with ICE or honor administrative warrants, though no county statement addressed the October surge as of publication.

Babucarr Touray, a Gambian immigrant, was taken into ICE custody on October 7 after reporting for a scheduled immigration check-in at the USCIS field office in Tukwila, Washington, according to his attorney and family members. Touray had attended similar appointments many times before without incident. His family and the Pacific Northwest Seattle Gambian Association are raising funds to cover an immigration bond and ongoing living expenses, including rent, while he remains in custody. As of Thursday, the family had not confirmed the bond amount, his location, or next steps in his case.

Immigration attorneys and court observers say the closure of San Francisco's immigration court has overwhelmed the Concord court with new 'mega-master hearings' and scheduling changes that threaten due process. Devony Hodson, a migrant from Nicaragua, said her final hearing was abruptly moved from 2027 to this past July, giving her little time to prepare, though she has since received extensions to December 2028. The Executive Office for Immigration Review said scheduling changes are meant to prevent cases from languishing, while advocates and a local congressman question the rationale behind the court closure.

A Venezuelan man detained by an ICE agent on an Ogden street on Aug. 25 has been released after a federal judge in California ruled his detention unconstitutional, according to his attorney Sergio Garcia. The man, who came to the U.S. in 2022 and had applied for asylum and received a work permit, was held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California before the judge granted his habeas petition. His arrest drew scrutiny after an Ogden police officer, who was responding to an unrelated call, became caught between the ICE agent and the man, and after a city councilman filmed part of the encounter. Garcia said the man still faces deportation and will now have to pursue his asylum case in immigration court rather than through USCIS.

Daury Baez Seri, a DACA recipient who grew up in Boston after arriving from the Dominican Republic at age six, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for more than 24 hours at Logan International Airport. He was returning from a gaming convention in Puerto Rico when his flight was diverted to Bermuda due to a medical emergency onboard, inadvertently turning a domestic flight into an international one. His attorney, Todd Pomerleau, said Baez Seri was not allowed to call a lawyer while detained and has no criminal record. He was released from custody late Wednesday evening.

Oscar Bracamontes Trinidad, a Medford, Oregon father of five, was detained by ICE agents while at work and later deported to Mexico. His wife, Margarita Bracamontes Torres, said she wasn't notified of his arrest until hours later, by which point he was already being transported to Tacoma, Washington, and said ICE paperwork falsely stated he was picked up at an ICE facility rather than his workplace. Oscar was held in Tacoma for about 30 days before being transferred to a detention facility in Natchez, Mississippi, making visits impossible; the family ultimately decided not to fight his case in detention, which could have taken six months to a year, and he returned to Mexico. Margarita said their children struggled emotionally during his detention, and she is now raising money to relocate the family to Mexico while they pursue an I-130 petition to return to the U.S.

Melanie Tinoco, a 29-year-old mother of two from Ecuador who fled in 2024 after mafia threats, was arrested by Boston police at a Target over an alleged shoplifting incident her family calls a misunderstanding involving Uber Eats shopping. She has a pending asylum application, a valid work permit, and no prior criminal record. After being released from the District 4 police station, plainclothes ICE agents detained her outside without showing identification or a warrant, according to her husband Martin Gurfinkiel, who witnessed the arrest. She has since been held at the Burlington ICE processing center, where her family says agents injured her wrists and she has struggled to access her prescribed anxiety medication, reporting sleepless nights and panic attacks. Her husband is now caring alone for their two children, including a 7-year-old son with autism who has struggled emotionally without her. Her attorneys have filed a federal habeas petition seeking her release, citing her scheduled 2027 immigration court hearing and alleging a possible violation of Boston's Trust Act limiting police cooperation with ICE.

Christian Jimenez, a 17-year-old U.S. citizen and high school senior in McMinnville, Oregon, was detained by ICE officers on November 21, 2025, while driving off campus during his lunch break. Officers broke the driver's side window of his car after he told them he was a U.S. citizen; video reviewed by ProPublica captured the exchange, with an agent responding, "I don't care." Jimenez was held at ICE's facility in South Portland for nearly seven hours before being released around 7 p.m. DHS alleged Jimenez attacked officers with his vehicle, a claim disputed by his family and immigrant-justice groups, and authorities sought obstruction-related charges, with some reports differing on whether Jimenez or his brother was the intended target. The detention was one of four involving U.S. citizens in the Portland area that week, prompting a 300-student walkout and community protests over ICE tactics near schools.