Human Impact Project

A 26-year-old St. Paul man is federally charged with assaulting an ICE agent after allegedly ramming his car into the agent's vehicle on Nov. 25 while fleeing an immigration arrest at a St. Paul home. According to a federal affidavit, agents had come to arrest another man living there when he fled in his car, struck the agent's vehicle, then returned to the home and ran inside. He has since pleaded not guilty and was released from jail. The raid drew demonstrators who threw rocks and bricks, and St. Paul police responded with chemical irritants and projectiles, injuring several photojournalists.

Two 16-year-old Venezuelan cousins were detained by ICE agents during a raid on their Detroit home in late November 2025. The teens arrived in the U.S. in 2023 and were formally seeking asylum with valid work permits. Both were students at Western International High School, where a teacher described one cousin as an excellent student eager to learn English. One cousin worked at Chili's. During the raid, agents also detained two of the teens' parents while searching for a different individual. All four family members were transferred to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Texas, hundreds of miles from their support network. Both teens had pending asylum cases scheduled for immigration court. Community members, students, and advocates held a rally at Clark Park calling for their immediate release.

Josue Rodriguez Perez, a Cuban immigrant who fled Cuba with his father in 1993 and held legal U.S. residency, was detained by ICE at a federal office in Miami in July while trying to renew his work permit. He spent 40 days in the Natrona County jail in Wyoming and was later deported in September to Mexico, a country where he has no ties. Rodriguez, a commercial truck driver with a valid U.S. work permit, is now sharing an apartment in Cancun with other deported Cubans, unable to be with his wife and family or see his brother, who is battling advanced cancer. He had lost his legal residency years earlier following a felony conviction tied to a car accident and subsequent addiction, but had since married, rebuilt his life, and worked as a truck driver.

Allan Marrero, originally from the Cayman Islands, has been detained by ICE for 113 days following a marriage-based green card interview at Federal Plaza in New York City on November 24, 2025. His husband Matthew Marrero and advocates including clergy and legal counsel have been working to secure his release.

Vahid Abedini, an assistant professor of Iranian Studies at the University of Oklahoma's College of International Studies, was detained by ICE at Will Rogers International Airport while preparing to board a flight to a Middle East Studies Association conference in Washington, D.C. Abedini holds an H-1B visa for specialty occupation employment. He was held for three days before being released, and federal authorities characterized the detention as standard questioning, though colleagues said he was asked very few questions. After his release, Abedini described the experience as deeply distressing on LinkedIn, thanking colleagues at the University of Oklahoma, the Middle East Studies Association, and the broader Iran studies and political science community for their support. He has remained fearful of retaliation and has limited his public comments about the incident.

Matthew Marrero and his husband Allan Dabrio Marrero attended a green card interview at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan on November 24, 2025. Allan was detained by ICE after it was discovered he had missed an immigration court hearing in December 2022 and had a deportation order against him, which neither he nor Matthew knew about. Matthew says they were told Allan could leave the facility but were then handed over to ICE agents, and he had only 30 seconds to say goodbye before they were separated. Allan has since been transferred to Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Thi Dua Vang and her family found asylum in the U.S. in 2023 and she applied for her green card, which is awaiting final approval. ICE agents showed up at her doorstep, which Vang believed to be a mistake given her pending legal status.

Edwin Josue Padilla Molina, who entered the U.S. in 2013 as a 14-year-old and has lived continuously in Central Islip for twelve years, was detained by ICE on November 23, 2025 while driving his pregnant partner and mother-in-law. A federal judge granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding that his detention without an individualized custody determination violated federal law and constitutional due process rights. The court rejected the government's argument that he was subject to mandatory detention, ruling instead that he was entitled to a bond hearing.

Christian Jimenez, a 17-year-old U.S. citizen and McMinnville High School senior, was detained by ICE agents off school grounds during his lunch period on November 21, 2025. Agents broke his car window and transported him to an ICE facility in South Portland despite his assertions of citizenship, which his family confirmed; ICE alleged he followed and obstructed federal agents in a vehicle and faced potential federal prosecution for impeding law enforcement. He was released later that day. The detention was part of ICE sweeps in Yamhill County that week resulting in at least 7 total detentions, including at least 4 U.S. citizens. McMinnville School District Superintendent Kourtney Ferrua said the district had not previously experienced ICE activity and was working to support students' emotional needs. Students nearby witnessed the detention, and a protest was held in response.

Genesis Valadez, owner of Las Pollitas food truck, captured footage on her business cameras of a federal raid on an unauthorized nightclub near Basse Road and San Pedro Avenue in San Antonio. The operation on November 17, 2025, involved 14 state, local, and federal agencies and resulted in the arrest of more than 150 people, including 27 alleged members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang. Video from Valadez's cameras shows federal agents using flash bangs and smoke bombs, zip-tying detainees, and intentionally destroying a neighbor's surveillance camera. The raid also resulted in the seizure of three guns, cocaine, and approximately $35,000 in cash. Valadez and other lawful business owners operating food trucks in the area were forced to relocate due to community fear following the operation.

Mor Ba, a 19-year-old asylum seeker from Senegal, was detained by ICE on the morning before Thanksgiving while entering his car to go to work. Ba, who had no criminal record and was months away from his asylum hearing, was taken to the North Lake Processing Center in northwest Michigan. His aunt, Seydi Sarr, a Detroit-based immigrant rights advocate, learned of his detention when he called her from the ICE office and eventually posted a $10,000 bond for his release in January.

Isaias Eduardo Soto Elias, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE Border Patrol agents in Yamhill County after allegedly following and obstructing the agents in a vehicle on Friday. He was transported to the ERO Portland office for investigation and federal prosecution for impeding federal law enforcement officers. DHS stated the detentions occurred during ICE sweeps in the county that resulted in at least seven other arrests.

Miguel Angel Garcia Martinez, a 24-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested by Border Patrol agents in Charlotte on November 16, 2025, while photographing and documenting agents' operations to warn immigrants of their locations. He was charged with using his van as a deadly weapon to assault, resist, and impede federal agents after driving away when agents approached and tried to open his vehicle's door; an agent was injured breaking the van's window during the incident. Court video later reviewed in the case showed ICE agents had planned to 'smash' into Martinez's vehicle during the chase. A federal judge is now determining whether ICE agents had probable cause to charge Martinez with assault.

Bryan Cuautle Romero, 29, a long-term U.S. resident married to a U.S. citizen with two U.S. citizen children, was detained at West Tennessee Detention Facility in Mason on November 21, 2025, after checking in at an ICE office. ICE invoked a mandatory detention policy for individuals without admission or inspection. Despite a subsequent Sixth Circuit Court ruling against the mandatory detention policy in May 2026, Bryan had already accepted voluntary deportation to Mexico with a final removal date of June 6, 2026. His wife Lauren plans to pursue an I-130 petition to bring him back to the United States.

Alejandro Orrego Agudelo, a 27-year-old Colombian asylum seeker, was arrested by Boston police on November 21 after a dispute over a parking space on Falcon Street in East Boston. He was charged with assault and battery on a police officer and released by a judge that same day at East Boston District Court. However, ICE agents arrested him in the courthouse lockup and detained him for four months at Plymouth County jail under the Laken Riley Act. After legal challenges including a habeas corpus petition and dismissal of criminal charges, an immigration judge granted him bond, and he was released.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted enforcement operations in Long Beach on Thursday, resulting in at least nine detentions at workplaces. Mayor Rex Richardson and Supervisor Janice Hahn commented on the operations, with Richardson referencing a violent incident involving a gardener at a restaurant. DHS stated six people in the country without authorization from Mexico were arrested who had prior criminal histories.

Two U.S. citizen women were detained by ICE agents in Canby on Thursday after filming the agents in a parking lot. They were held for hours without access to an attorney before being released. The Oregon for All coalition, which reported the detentions, noted the women have chosen to remain anonymous due to fears of retaliation. The detentions occurred during ICE sweeps in Yamhill County that resulted in at least seven other arrests.

ICE agents detained a 16-year-old high school intern at the Licht Judicial Complex in Providence on November 20, 2025, after misidentifying the teenager as their target. Superior Court Judge Joseph J. McBurney intervened, and agents verified their information and released the intern. Governor Dan McKee and Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos issued statements regarding the incident.

Victor Rodriguez Ocampo Sr., 54, longtime owner of La Playa Taco Shop in Pacific Beach, was detained by ICE agents outside his National City home on Oct. 31, 2025. He was held at Otay Mesa Detention Center before being deported to Mexico in January 2026. His son, Victor Jr., ran the restaurant in his absence before joining the Navy, and the taco shop, which had served the community for 30 years, permanently closed on Sept. 19, 2026.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been holding 23-year-old Eric Sebastian Ferrales, a Laveen landscaper who has lived in the United States since age 3, for two weeks. Although Ferrales lacks legal status, his family states the U.S. is the only country he has ever truly known. He now faces deportation proceedings.