Human Impact Project

A Honduran father was detained by ICE on July 18, 2026, in Austin, Texas, in front of his young daughter who has autism. According to the source, the man is now held in immigration detention in San Antonio facing deportation. His wife stated that if he is deported, she and their daughter plan to self-deport to keep the family together.

Neride Montoya was detained by ICE in the United States for three months before being deported to Venezuela. She arrived in Caracas on the same day a major earthquake struck the country. Shortly after landing, she was taken to a building by authorities when the earthquake began. She attempted to escape down the stairs but a wall collapsed on her, injuring her severely. She sustained fractures in two bones of her right leg, multiple traumatic injuries to her left leg and other parts of her body. She was trapped under rubble but managed to remove debris from her head to her waist before someone helped free her legs. She is now hospitalized at Hospital General del Sur, where she is fighting a serious infection and severe psychological trauma.

Five immigrants detained by ICE at the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami reported experiencing severe conditions including cramped, scorching-hot cells, widespread cockroach infestations, broken toilets overflowing with waste, and denial of medical care. According to accounts from detainees, their relatives, and a prison employee, men sleep in their underwear to keep cool and sweat through bedsheets due to extreme heat. Family members and advocates reported severe overcrowding with up to 97 men in cells designed for 50, lack of air conditioning during extreme heat, inadequate medical care, cockroach-infested meals, and forced consumption of contaminated water. Families alleged that detainees who spoke to media about these conditions faced retaliation, including solitary confinement and warnings from officers not to speak publicly. The facility, a Bureau of Prisons location, has housed ICE detainees as part of mass deportation operations, with many detainees recently transferred from other regional holding centers including the now-closed Alligator Alcatraz facility.

Guadalupe Moreno Cristin is detained at Adelanto's Desert View Annex detention facility in California. During his detention, his health has worsened significantly. He spent four days in the hospital due to internal bleeding, and according to his account, doctors recommended he remain hospitalized for two additional days, but ICE returned him to the detention facility before completing the recommended care. The Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice is advocating for his release and access to necessary medical treatment.

Denise Epieyu was detained by ICE while traveling to work. Her family created a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for legal representation to help Denise navigate the immigration process and secure her release from the GEO detention facility in Aurora, Colorado. The family stated that legal expenses exceed what they can afford on their own.

Alim Garipov, an 18-year-old Russian senior at Bellaire High School in Houston, was detained by ICE at Hobby Airport on July 17, 2026, while traveling with family to visit colleges. Garipov arrived in the United States on May 7, 2022, at age 14 with authorization to remain until November 6, 2022, but stayed in the country after his authorized period expired. He has a pending asylum application from Russia. Teachers and former classmates described Garipov as hardworking, kind, and a standout swimmer who served as team captain. Educator Elizabeth Chapman stated he "has done everything right" and described him as "the kindest, most sensitive boy." Garipov founded the school's Russian Culture Club and worked to learn English. He was held in ICE detention in Conroe for more than 72 hours. U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher's office worked with the family on the case.

Shaoping Wu, a 48-year-old Chinese human rights lawyer, was detained by ICE in mid-July 2026 while working as an Amazon delivery driver in Pennsylvania. Wu fled China in 2019 after the government cracked down on lawyers challenging authorities in civil rights cases. He arrived in the U.S. on a tourist visa, filed for asylum in 2020, and received work authorization. He had been working full-time as a delivery driver since April 2025 while continuing his advocacy work criticizing the Chinese Communist Party. Wu was living in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with his wife Li Caoliu and their 17-year-old daughter, a Hempfield High School student. During his arrest, he informed police about his pending asylum application, but they notified immigration officials who detained him at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County. His wife expressed concern about lost income and mounting bills while helping with his defense. Human rights organizations have warned that Wu could face serious retaliation if deported to China.

A driver was pulled over on Highway 211 near Clackamas County, Oregon on July 17, 2026, by men in an SUV using emergency-style lights who identified themselves as ICE agents. Two of the three masked men, one carrying a rifle, forced the driver from their vehicle and searched them before placing them in the back of the SUV, where a third man assaulted them. The driver was held for 15 to 20 minutes before being released and later sought hospital treatment for injuries. The victim later received a text message from a number claiming to be a law firm offering legal help. Oregon State Police and the FBI confirmed the men were not actual federal agents and are investigating the incident as an impersonation of federal law enforcement and assault.

Phu Nguyen, a 57-year-old Australian citizen born in Vietnam, was confronted by plainclothes ICE agents at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on July 13, 2026. Video footage shows agents holding him on the ground and attempting to handcuff him while he was in Terminal 3. When onlookers and a TSA officer intervened, the agents walked away, leaving him with a handcuff attached to one wrist. Las Vegas police officers arrived and removed the handcuff after determining there were no outstanding warrants against him. According to DHS, Nguyen's valid two-year visa had expired in 2015. ICE arrested him the following day at Los Angeles International Airport, and he is currently held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center pending removal proceedings.

The petitioner, a native of Venezuela, was released under an order of supervision in the United States in August 2011 after applying for withholding of removal, though her exhibits do not confirm the withholding was actually granted. She was detained by ICE during a scheduled check-in appointment on July 17, 2026, and was told her order of supervision had been revoked. She is currently held at Richwood Correctional Center. She filed a habeas corpus petition arguing that revocation of her supervision order violated her due process rights and that authorities were unlikely to deport her to a third country within a reasonable timeframe. She later filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order after being informed she was scheduled for removal to either Venezuela or Mexico, seeking immediate release or an order blocking her removal pending review of her habeas claims. The court denied the TRO motion, finding no threat of imminent harm beyond her impending removal and ruling that federal courts lack jurisdiction over claims tied directly to execution of removal orders.

Celestin Dima, a gay asylum seeker from Burkina Faso, fled kidnapping, military persecution and police torture after being outed before crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in 2024. An Arizona immigration judge granted him withholding of removal, finding he would likely face persecution if deported home, but ICE held him at the Eloy Detention Center for nearly two years while searching for a third country willing to accept him, considering Ghana, Cameroon and Uganda—all countries where homosexuality is criminalized. While detained, he grew depressed, stopped eating, and was placed in solitary confinement for two weeks. A federal judge ordered his release in June 2026 after granting a joint habeas petition, but ICE redetained him on July 17 during a mandatory check-in at a field office in Lower Manhattan. He was then transferred through detention facilities in New Jersey and near Dallas, fitted with a GPS ankle monitor, and scheduled for deportation without being told in advance where he would be sent.

Rosendo Lira, a 59-year-old Wise County business owner and father of five, was detained by ICE after Wise County sheriff's deputies pulled him over for a traffic violation on July 17, 2026, just three minutes from his home. Despite holding a valid work permit and driver's license, Lira was transferred to ICE custody based on a 2020 immigration court order of removal that his family says is under appeal. Lira was preparing for his daughter Bella's quinceañera celebration; Bella was born with Down Syndrome, and Lira has been her primary advocate and caregiver throughout her life. His daughter Synthia stated that Lira had no reason to be detained as he had not violated the terms of his work permit, committed no crime, and cannot legally be deported while an appeal is pending. The detention occurred following the sheriff's office's April 2026 adoption of a 287(g) agreement with ICE.

Giovanni Henriquez-Osorio, a native of El Salvador, was arrested in Provo, Utah and held at Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump. Federal authorities asserted he was a member of MS-13 gang, but U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware found no evidence supporting the claim. Boulware noted Henriquez-Osorio feared torture and persecution if deported and that his detention caused financial harm to his family — a partner and infant son facing eviction. After initially denying him a bond hearing, the judge in March ordered he be released or receive a constitutionally adequate hearing. When an immigration judge again ruled him dangerous based on prior DUI and domestic violence convictions, Boulware found the decision misstated the record and misconstrued facts. The judge ordered his release on July 17, 2026, threatening contempt sanctions against ICE and DHS if they did not comply.

A man is detained by United States immigration enforcement officials at the Port Isabel Service Processing Center in Cameron County, Texas. He filed a habeas corpus petition seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent respondents from transferring him outside the court's jurisdiction while his case is pending. The court denied his motion, finding he failed to demonstrate substantial irreparable harm, since his counsel is located in New York City and cannot communicate with him in person regardless of his detention location.

Floridalma Chinchilla, an immigration detainee held at Washoe County Detention Center in Nevada, filed a federal habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 challenging her ongoing detention. She filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent her transfer outside the district and secure her release pending resolution of her habeas petition, alleging she is subject to a final removal order and at risk of imminent removal. The court found the petition stated a prima facie case for relief and issued an order prohibiting her transfer out of the district or removal unless the court grants a motion to modify the order.

A non-citizen from El Salvador who entered the United States in 2021 was arrested and detained by ICE agents outside his apartment building in San Francisco on July 17, 2026. ICE agents arrested him without presenting a warrant at the time, claiming it was at their office. He has no criminal record, filed an asylum application, received work authorization, and is the sole provider for his pregnant wife and two young children. The court granted his temporary restraining order requiring immediate release and prohibiting re-detention without a pre-deprivation bond hearing where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that detention is necessary to prevent flight or protect the public.

U.S. Border Patrol agents pulled over suspects at a Circle K gas station near Bemidji Regional Airport. The suspects fled on foot to the airport and ended up on the runway, where they were apprehended with assistance from a Bemidji Police Officer, Minnesota State Trooper, and two Border Patrol Agents. Separately, ICE officers detained at least one person, and possibly more, at the SouthShore Hotel the same morning, an action Mayor Jorge Prince said local police were not involved in or asked to assist with, though officers did respond to reports of people fleeing into the lake. Prince said both actions were targeted efforts to find specific individuals rather than broader sweeps, while acknowledging community anxiety following the earlier Metro Surge operation.

Maikel Guerra Morales, a Cuban national convicted of aircraft piracy in 2003 after hijacking a commuter plane, was released from ICE custody by Senior U.S. District Judge John E. Steele on July 8, 2026, after more than six months in detention. Judge Steele ruled that ICE lacked a concrete plan to deport Morales and was violating the 2001 Supreme Court decision in Zadvydas v. Davis against indefinite detention. Morales had been released under supervision in March 2023 but was re-arrested in December 2025 despite complying with all supervision terms. Judge Steele ordered ICE to release Morales within 24 hours under the same conditions that had previously applied. In an exclusive statement, Morales expressed gratitude for Judge Steele, saying he would "always remember Judge Steele as a man who honored the oath he took" and calling him someone who applied "the law with independence, integrity, and justice." Judge Steele died at age 77 days after issuing the ruling. U.S. Rep. Greg Steube subsequently filed articles of impeachment against the deceased judge, making Judge Steele the first federal judge to die during impeachment proceedings.

Two construction workers from National City were arrested by federal immigration agents around 7 a.m. on July 17, 2026, outside a residential construction site in Cardiff. According to a co-worker, the brothers have worked at construction sites for nearly two decades. One is married with two children; his son is now an adult aspiring to become an architect. The arrest occurred quietly and quickly in unmarked vehicles, with some neighbors unaware of what happened despite being nearby. The workers' silver Nissan Frontier was left abandoned at the scene with their equipment and lunch still inside.

Twin sisters Angely and Alexka Jerez-Medina, 18-year-old students at Western International High School in Detroit, were detained by ICE in Buffalo, New York on June 24, 2026, while working a summer job cleaning an Amazon warehouse. According to court documents, the twins have never been arrested or convicted of a crime, have attended all immigration court appointments, and had previous removal proceedings dismissed by an immigration judge with no current removal proceedings pending. Their teacher described them as excellent, hardworking, shy students, with Angely participating in the school's JROTC program and Alexka interested in pursuing a career in the sciences. Both are active members of Pan de Vida Lutheran Church in Detroit. The twins were subsequently transferred to ICE detention facilities in El Paso, Texas and Louisiana. An attorney filed a habeas corpus petition on their behalf on June 25, and U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and multiple state and local officials have requested their release.