Human Impact Project

Following the September 11 attacks, over 1,000 South Asian and Arab men were arrested in sweeps across New York City and nationwide, primarily for visa overstays. Most were held in detention for months with limited contact with families and faced physical and verbal abuse, particularly at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. A Justice Department Inspector General review found the "hold until cleared" policy meant detainees stayed for months despite no evidence of terrorist connections, with officials questioning the legality of prolonged detentions.

Aliaksei Shcharbachenia, a 35-year-old asylum-seeker from Belarus, has spent nearly a year at Farmville Detention Center in Virginia, where he says he is experiencing medical neglect as a tumor grows on his arm. He claims the U.S. government attempted to illegally deport him back to Belarus in a botched operation, and that despite requesting specialist care in December, he has not received a diagnosis or seen a specialist for the growth.

A federal judge ordered the immediate release of seven immigrants who were separated from family members during the Trump administration's 2018 border enforcement crackdown and were later detained again by immigration officials. Two of the seven had already been released without explanation; the remaining five were ordered freed by U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw after the ACLU argued their detention violated a 2023 court settlement.

ICE agents conducted enforcement operations in Page County, Virginia on June 12, 2026, detaining 16 people in coordination with local law enforcement. Among those arrested was a 48-year-old woman who had lived in the U.S. for 18 years, was married to a U.S. citizen, and was in the process of obtaining her paperwork. She was detained at her home shortly after attending a church service at the REC Center, with her son present during the arrest. Pastor Audre King witnessed multiple ICE operations throughout Luray that evening and subsequently organized community efforts to educate immigrants about their legal rights.

Cameron Arnold, Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Bradford Morris, and Elizabeth Soto were each sentenced to 50 years in federal prison for participating in the July 4, 2025 protest at Prairieland ICE Detention Center. All five were convicted on terrorism-related charges. Prosecutors pointed to defendants wearing black clothing and using encrypted messaging as evidence. The combined sentences for all eight defendants sentenced that day total 450 years — longer than any sentences given to January 6 Capitol assault participants.

A mother was detained by ICE while dropping her sister off at school. She was followed by unmarked government vehicles, cornered, and taken into custody. An ICE agent later returned her keys without explanation. The detention left her 20-year-old son responsible for caring for his two younger siblings and caused significant emotional distress to the family. The funds are being raised to help the mother get situated in Mexico and support the children's transition.

A Guatemalan citizen who entered the United States 22 years ago on a temporary visa was arrested by ICE on June 22, 2026, while on his way to work in Baltimore. He is married with a child who has special needs and requires frequent medical care. He is the sole financial provider for his family. He was arrested without a warrant and has not been presented with one. He filed a habeas corpus petition and application for temporary restraining order challenging the lawfulness of his warrantless arrest under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) and § 1357(a)(2). On August 7, 2026, the federal court granted his petition, finding that his warrantless arrest was unlawful because no statutory exception applied. The court ordered his immediate release and converted his temporary restraining order application into a preliminary injunction, also waiving bond requirements.

A 13-year-old child was restrained by Menomonee Falls Police Department officers in an encounter documented by body camera footage. The child's lawyer characterized the officers' use of force as excessive and has threatened to sue the department, calling for the officers' dismissal. The police department stated that officers used only the level of force necessary to detain the minor.

Sebastian Mihai Caraba, a Hungarian-Romanian national, was arrested by ICE on June 10, 2026, in Washington, D.C. for overstaying his visa and alleged credit card fraud. Caraba entered the U.S. on August 11, 2018, under the Visa Waiver Program via San Juan, Puerto Rico, and had previously visited the U.S. twice under the same program, departing within the authorized period each time. He was wanted in Fairfax, Virginia for illegal use of credit cards and had been convicted abroad for similar credit card fraud, receiving a three-year prison sentence. An immigration judge issued a final removal order on June 22, 2026.

A Mexican citizen was arrested by ICE on June 22, 2026 in Weber County, Utah while on his way to work. He had previously been removed from the United States in 2013 pursuant to a final removal order, but subsequently reentered illegally. He was detained in the Weber County and Tooele County detention centers. On June 23, 2026, he filed a habeas corpus petition seeking his release, but on July 2, 2026, the court denied his petition, finding his detention lawful under 8 U.S.C. § 1231, which mandates detention for previously removed noncitizens who reenter.

Roger Moisés Flores Oviedo, 19, a construction worker with no criminal record and a pending asylum application, was detained by ICE agents on Saturday as he left a gas station in Pompano Beach after buying lunch. He was placed in a van and taken to the Miramar ICE facility, where he was held in a room with 50 other men sitting on the floor with their hands behind their backs, given only one bottle of water a day and a piece of bread with peanut butter. He remained there until Tuesday, when he was transferred to the Krome detention center, where his wife Koren Noblig reports he was able to shower, sleep in a bed, and communicate with her.

Joel, a 25-year-old landscaper and father of a 10-month-old U.S. citizen daughter, was detained by ICE in an unmarked vehicle stop while en route to work. He was held for five days in an unapproved Baltimore detention facility where he reports being denied food and water and forced to sleep on the floor. He was subsequently transferred through Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and back to Pennsylvania before being deported to Guatemala without opportunity to say goodbye to his daughter, leaving his 22-year-old partner and infant child without income or support.

Edvin Obdulio Barnica-Esquivel was arrested by ICE agents at Danbury Superior Court on June 22, 2026, on a federal charge of illegally reentering the United States after prior deportations. According to federal records, Barnica-Esquivel had been deported to Guatemala twice previously (in 2012 and 2019) and had recent local arrests in Danbury for assault and arson-related charges. ICE executed a judicial warrant issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti on June 10, 2026.

On March 11, 2026, ICE agents conducted an enforcement operation at a Dorset Street residence in South Burlington, Vermont, targeting one person on a warrant. Over 100 community members gathered to block the operation. ICE initially considered abandoning the effort but requested assistance from Vermont State Police, South Burlington Police, and Burlington Police. State and local officers deployed riot equipment, physically confronted community members, and cleared a path for ICE agents to enter the home. Three residents were detained, none of whom were named on the warrant: Cristian Jerez and sisters Johana and Camila Patin. Community members reported being pepper sprayed, shot with pepperballs, choked, and tackled. Within a week, a federal judge ordered all three released, finding the arrests unconstitutional. Internal police reviews concluded there were no excessive force violations by state or local officers, though civil rights advocates and political leaders condemned the operation and questioned police collaboration with ICE in violation of Vermont's Fair and Impartial Policing Policy.

Mutasim Ibrahim Abdoulrahman Nour, a Sudanese citizen, has been in ICE custody for 23 months without receiving a hearing to argue for temporary release on bond. He was apprehended upon entering the U.S. on July 7, 2024, initially held in Minnesota, then transferred to Muscatine County Jail in December 2025. A federal judge has ordered the government to explain the prolonged detention. Nour's lawsuit seeks his immediate release and a court order preventing his transfer outside Iowa while his CAT asylum case is pending.

Carlos De-Los-Santos-Sosa, 25, was arrested on charges of assault and unlawful restraint after allegedly grabbing a 31-year-old woman at a Burlington Coat Factory store on Holland-Sylvania Road. An ICE detainer was issued for him. The case will be handled in Sylvania Municipal Court.

Dimitri Albert Edouard Vorbe, a 52-year-old Haitian businessman who owned one of Haiti's largest electric power providers, entered the U.S. legally with a valid visa in January 2020. He was arrested by federal agents on September 23, 2025, at his South Miami home and detained at Krome Detention Center. Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked a rarely used foreign policy authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to target Vorbe for deportation, claiming he engaged in violence and gang support that destabilized Haiti—allegations Vorbe's lawyers deny. On May 12, 2026, U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles approved a negotiated agreement prohibiting Vorbe's deportation to Haiti and directing his transfer to the Dominican Republic within seven days, though Dominican authorities stated they would not allow his entry. On June 22, 2026, Vorbe was transferred to a detention facility in Mississippi as part of an emergency evacuation due to brush fires. His attorneys contend this transfer violated the federal court order prohibiting his removal from the Southern District of Florida, noting he was moved out of state without notice despite the judicial prohibition.

On June 21, ICE agents boxed in a vehicle at a QuikTrip gas station at 555 North 78th Street in Kansas City, Kansas, and detained two people who had stopped for fuel. The two were transported to the Leavenworth detention center, a CoreCivic facility reopened in March 2026 as the first ICE detention center in Kansas. Community witnesses and video documented the operation.

Javier was detained at a routine ICE check-in appointment after 15 years of pursuing legal permanent residency and U.S. citizenship through the proper channels. He had maintained perfect attendance at all ICE appointments and hired legal representation throughout the process. He now faces deportation and is held in a detention center, separated from his wife Evette and their three daughters.

An immigration detainee who entered the United States without inspection in December 2022 was released on his own recognizance while removal proceedings were underway. On June 21, 2026, after three years of maintaining stable residence, valid employment authorization, and attempted compliance with ICE reporting requirements, he was detained without notice or process when he reported to ICE as instructed. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding the detention violated due process rights, and ordered his immediate release with a permanent injunction against re-detention absent constitutional protections including pre-deprivation notice and a hearing.

A volunteer with an immigrant activist group monitoring ICE enforcement activity was bear-sprayed by an ICE agent on Father's Day in Santa Barbara. The agent deployed bear spray through the open rear window of her vehicle after she stepped out to observe ICE activity near San Pascual and Sola streets. The woman covered her face with her arm to protect it from the spray and reportedly recovered well.

A U.S. citizen was detained by ICE agents on Father's Day in Santa Barbara after going outside to witness enforcement activity in his neighborhood. According to activists, he was racially profiled and detained when an agent ran after him as he approached the area. He was taken to the Camarillo ICE Field Office and subsequently released at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard after his citizenship was confirmed. He was treated for unspecified injuries sustained during the operation.

César is a hardworking father who has been detained by ICE for six months. He has no criminal record and no outstanding judicial warrants. He has three young children ages 6, 4, and 2 years old. Since his detention, his wife has struggled to cover legal fees for his attorney, send money for his food and phone calls at the detention facility, and provide for the family's basic needs including food, utilities, and childcare. César's family describes him as a responsible and dedicated man who has worked hard for ten years to support his family.

Seven ICE vehicles conducted an early-morning enforcement operation on Santa Barbara's Westside and Eastside on Father's Day, June 21, 2026, detaining 9 to 11 individuals on unspecified immigration-related charges. Three mariachi musicians were apprehended near San Pascual and Mulberry streets, either while performing or en route to perform Father's Day serenades. A fourth musician reportedly escaped. ICE agents were observed traveling at high speeds, exceeding 100 miles per hour on the freeway.

Pavel Snegir, a Russian asylum seeker, was detained at Otay Mesa ICE facility after refusing to self-deport at San Diego airport in May 2025. ICE separated him from his 11-year-old son Aleksandr during the incident, threatening deportation and stating he may never see his son again if he did not comply. Both Pavel and Aleksandr passed initial asylum screening. After 11 months in ICE custody, Pavel was released following asylum approval. However, Aleksandr remained in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody at a youth shelter over one year after separation. Pavel's sponsorship request to reunify with his son was denied due to lack of stable housing and employment documentation, citing Trump administration policies that create barriers to family reunification.

Approximately a dozen asylum seekers were deported by the U.S. to Sierra Leone in June 2026, marking the second deportation flight to the country. Despite prior U.S. court orders protecting them from deportation to their home countries due to credible fears of persecution, the deportees now face being returned to those countries where they risk harm. According to attorney Erica Reilly, who represents one of the migrants, this follows nine West African migrants who arrived in Sierra Leone the previous month. The Trump administration has struck third-country deportation deals with at least nine African nations as well as multiple Latin American and Caribbean countries. Legal advocates argue the policy creates a loophole that indirectly forces asylum seekers back to dangerous conditions with limited U.S. oversight or legal recourse.

Florencio, a Guatemalan immigrant who had lived in the U.S. for nearly 13 years, was tackled and arrested by ICE agents in Corona, Queens while walking home from work. Agents had been searching for an Ecuadorian man but arrested Florencio anyway, claiming he resembled their intended target. According to court records, Florencio disputed ICE's account that he admitted to illegal border crossing, saying he was already handcuffed when agents questioned him. His case is among hundreds of street arrests in New York and New Jersey between October 2025 and March 2026, with over 93% of detainees who filed legal challenges being from Latin American countries.

Francisca's partner and father of her five children was taken by ICE on June 20, 2026, and subsequently deported. Francisca now faces the burden of supporting her children—including a 2-year-old—while also navigating support for her deported partner. The family struggled to pay rent and basic necessities including food, diapers, and utilities after his removal.

An immigrant who entered the United States without inspection on November 17, 2023, was initially detained and released two days later. On June 20, 2026, he was re-detained by ICE during a routine check-in appointment without explanation. The federal court granted his habeas petition, finding that his prior release created a liberty interest in continued release and that re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process. The court ordered his immediate release and enjoined ICE from re-detaining him without notice and a hearing before an immigration judge.

José de Jesús Cortez Delgado, a Mexican national, was detained on June 20 after federal marshals dressed as municipal electrical workers approached him in South Los Angeles, claiming they needed him to move his vehicle so they could work on a light pole. When Cortez Delgado moved his truck, armed agents emerged from unmarked vehicles and arrested him at gunpoint. According to DHS, Cortez Delgado had been wanted on a murder charge from December 2020 in Nevada and had remained in the United States without authorization since his tourist visa expired in October 1999. However, activist Ron Gochez reported that Cortez Delgado's wife claimed the charges had been dropped and her husband had no outstanding legal issues. After his arrest, Cortez Delgado was transferred to ICE custody.

A Mexican national who has resided in the United States for over 30 years and is married to a U.S. citizen with four U.S. citizen children was arrested at a McDonald's in Fontana, California on June 20, 2026 pursuant to a Warrant of Arrest (I-200). He had been removed to Mexico in 2001 but reentered without authorization. ICE reinstated his prior 2001 removal order and provided him written notice on Form I-871 on the date of arrest. The court denied his emergency application for a temporary restraining order staying his removal, finding he failed to demonstrate likelihood of success on his claims that the arrest was warrantless, the removal order reinstatement was invalid, or that his detention violated due process.

Juan, a longtime resident with nearly two decades in the country and two U.S. citizen children, was arrested by ICE agents on Staten Island while playing dominoes with neighbors. The arrest left him in a state of constant anxiety about daily activities. His case exemplifies the pattern of street-based enforcement operations targeting Latino neighborhoods in the New York and New Jersey area between October 2025 and March 2026, during which over 93% of detainees who filed legal challenges were from Latin American countries.

Isaias Jose Rodriguez Manzanares, a Honduran national, was deported to Honduras on June 20, 2026, following completion of a Texas prison sentence and a final removal order issued by a Department of Justice immigration judge. According to ICE, he entered the United States illegally at an unknown time and location. He was arrested by Irving Police in January 2024 for a liquor-related offense, and again in June 2025 on drug and weapons charges. He was convicted of felony drug possession in December 2025 and sentenced to two years in prison. After his release, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice transferred him to ICE custody in May 2026.

ICE conducted a targeted enforcement operation near Aurora Avenue and Shoreline Street in Seattle on June 20, 2026, resulting in the arrest of at least three Mexican nationals. Emmanuel Perez-Martinez, 33, was arrested and is pending voluntary departure to Mexico. Juan Ruiz-Perez, 61, and Jose Gutierrez-Diaz, 47, were both arrested and detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center pending return to Mexico.

Jander Alexander Cordero-Silva, 29, was stopped by Gainesville Police on May 18 for driving with a suspended license. He told officers a judge had told him his license was not suspended three days prior, but his license was under administrative suspension by Florida for accumulating points and financial obligations. He was arrested and charged with driving with a suspended or revoked license, a second-degree misdemeanor. On June 18, he pleaded no contest and was convicted; the judge imposed a time-served sentence but he remained in custody on an ICE hold. He was transferred to ICE custody two days later and held at Baker Correctional Institute.

A man was arrested after ICE officers disguised as electric company workers knocked on his door and asked him to move his pickup truck under the pretense of fixing streetlights. When he stepped outside, approximately eight additional officers emerged and apprehended him.

A Venezuelan woman with active Temporary Protected Status was arrested and has remained detained at Eloy Detention Center for nearly nine months. Court filings show a federal government attorney acknowledged her legal status, yet she continues to be held in custody.

Franklin Humberto Coral-Garrido, a Colombian activist and lawyer aligned with President Gustavo Petro, was detained by ICE on June 16-17, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona while walking with his 12-year-old son. Coral entered the U.S. in December 2015 on a B1/B2 tourist visa valid for six months but remained in the country for approximately ten years. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a memorandum authorizing his detention and deportation, citing his political activities supporting Petro and opposition to right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo De la Espriella as harmful to U.S. foreign policy interests. Colombian President Petro accused the U.S. of political persecution timed to interfere in Colombia's June 21 presidential runoff election and demanded clarification from the Trump administration. Coral had filed an asylum application in 2016 and held work authorization through 2028 granted by a federal judge, but authorities allegedly informed him the authorization was being canceled. He has been transferred between detention facilities in Phoenix, El Paso, and Louisiana pending formal deportation proceedings.

Daniel Ojambo Adongo, 36, a former Indianapolis Colts linebacker and the first Kenyan to sign with an NFL team in 2013, was detained by ICE at the Miami Correctional Facility in Indiana beginning September 11, 2025, after overstaying his visa following the end of his NFL career in 2015. Adongo had a history of arrests by Indiana law enforcement for crimes including intimidation, battery, disorderly conduct, and criminal mischief. An immigration judge issued a final order of removal on March 23, 2026, and ICE executed the removal on June 20, 2026.

Lucy's husband was deported by ICE to Mexico, leaving Lucy and their four children without his income. Lucy is seeking financial support for rent, groceries, and family stability while she works additional jobs to support the family.

Cameron Kennedy, a Minneapolis resident and immigration enforcement monitor, was arrested by federal homeland security agents in tactical gear at his apartment. Kennedy had been tracking ICE activity in the city and displayed signage opposing ICE operations on his residence. He is being prosecuted as part of a broader federal investigation into alleged antifa activity, which he and other defendants argue is a Trump administration effort to criminalize dissent and protest.

Katsiaryna Bartko, a 33-year-old Belarusian cancer survivor, has been in ICE custody since June 4, 2026, and held at the Midwest Regional Reception Center in Leavenworth, Kansas since June 19. After thyroid cancer surgery, Bartko requires daily hormone medication and calcium supplements to manage permanent hypoparathyroidism and chronic hypocalcemia. Medical records show she was hospitalized three times in four days in early June with dangerously low calcium levels, including an emergency visit on June 6 where she appeared "in acute distress" and required intravenous calcium treatment. Her partner alleges she was initially denied prescribed medications despite facility intake records documenting her medical needs, though she has since received some medications after media contact. Bartko, who entered the U.S. legally on an F-1 student visa in March 2022, filed for asylum in February 2023 based on her political activism in Belarus's pro-democracy movement and opposition to Belarus's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A support letter from a Belarusian democratic organization states she could face arrest and persecution if returned.

Victor Martin was arrested by ICE agents on June 19, 2026, after they stopped him as he left his driveway. The agents aggressively tailgated his vehicle until forcing him to stop. He is currently detained at Stewart Detention Center alongside his wife, leaving his four children, ages 12, 14, 22, and 24, without parental support and facing significant financial strain.

Alejandra Santiago was stopped by ICE agents while leaving for work on June 19, 2026. Four ICE vehicles cornered her car, and agents removed her from the vehicle, questioned her, confiscated her phone, handcuffed her, and transported her to her home where her husband was also arrested. She is currently detained at Stewart Detention Center, leaving her four children, ages 12, 14, 22, and 24, to manage mortgage payments, attorney fees, and care for the two younger minors.

Three people were arrested during an ICE operation on June 19, 2026 in the Rio Grande section of Middle Township, according to Cape May Immigrant Support. Federal and local officials did not confirm the arrests or provide details about those detained. The operation prompted members of the Spanish-speaking community in the area to stay away from work or keep children home out of fear.

Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, a data analyst employed by the New York City Council, was detained by ICE on January 12, 2026, when he appeared for a routine asylum appointment at the Bethpage Asylum Office on Long Island. Bohorquez, a Venezuelan national with Temporary Protected Status and no criminal record, was held at multiple detention facilities including Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Orange County, and Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey. An immigration judge initially denied him bond on February 2, but he was granted asylum in immigration court on May 2, 2026. He was released on a $5,000 bond on June 19 after 158 days in detention. City Council Speaker Julie Menin stated that Rubio "had done nothing wrong" and was "wrongfully in ICE detention for months on end." The Department of Homeland Security appealed the asylum ruling.

A male from El Salvador was detained by ICE agents during a targeted vehicle stop on June 19, 2026, at 303 E. Cesar Chavez Ave. in Lansing. According to DHS, the individual admitted to unauthorized entry in 2020 and had a final judicial order of removal to Guatemala issued June 9, 2026. He is currently in ICE custody at North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan.

Saray Yuliandris Gonzalez-Gonzalez, a Venezuelan mother, and her child were detained by ICE agents at Cook County's Bridgeview Courthouse while appearing for court proceedings related to a retail theft charge. According to DHS, Gonzalez-Gonzalez was released by the Biden administration in September 2023 and received a final order of removal in May 2024. Both she and her child remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Two fathers were detained on their way to work on Thursday morning after recently relocating from Encinitas to San Marcos. One of their children received a Student of the Year award at elementary school graduation the same day. One mother was pregnant and due to give birth shortly after the detention, leaving two mothers together responsible for six children ages 4–11 without household breadwinners. The family faced immediate crisis with medical needs, baby supplies, food, housing, and childcare expenses.

A 10-year-old girl, Nayeli Gomez, protested outside Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, where her diabetic father has been detained for nearly a year. During her birthday visit, she was denied family visitation by ICE agents. The girl fainted and sustained injuries outside the facility during a confrontation in which a female guard cursed at and insulted her. Her visit occurred amid ongoing labor and hunger strikes by detainees protesting inhumane conditions, including rotten food, lack of medical care, and poor sanitation. Activists expressed concern that a large influx of federal immigration officers entering the facility may signal transfers of detainees to disrupt organizing efforts.