Human Impact Project

Joselyn Chipantiza-Sisalema, age 20, was detained at 26 Federal Plaza for 10 days where conditions included lights that were never shut off and unbearable summer heat. She was provided minimal food—often just cookies thrown into the detention area—and had to beg staff for food and water. She was eventually released from ICE custody following a federal judge's order. She stated: "We had to beg the people working there that they gave us something to eat, they didn't even give us water. Sometimes a few cookies they'd throw in there. A human being doesn't deserve to be treated that way. They had us in there like animals."

Roberto Chilavert Olmedo was held at 26 Federal Plaza for days during the summer 2025 surge in ICE arrests. In written testimony presented to the federal court, he described the experience as a nightmare, stating: "My time at 26 Federal Plaza still haunts me. It is a nightmare and I cannot believe that human beings can be treated like that in a place like the United States."

Reyes's husband, an undocumented construction worker, was detained last June when Florida Highway Patrol stopped his car over a plastic cover obscuring his license plate. He was charged with unlawful alteration of vehicle registration and driving without a license, then transferred to ICE custody and held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego. Reyes, who had been a stay-at-home mother of two children (ages eight and twelve), began working as a babysitter and selling homemade food to support the family and pay for her husband's legal fees, which totaled approximately $13,000. The family nearly faced eviction before relatives contributed $5,000 in back rent. After about one year in detention, an immigration judge granted her husband bond of approximately $1,500 in July 2026. A non-profit group outside the detention center and El Pueblo Unido provided additional funds for his plane ticket home. He arrived in Sarasota in the middle of the night, and for the first time in a year, reunited with his children. The family continues to fight his deportation case amid mixed emotions of relief and uncertainty.

Ramiro G., a 33-year-old man from Ecuador living in Buffalo, New York, was walking to work when he noticed an unmarked van trailing him. He texted his wife: 'Don't come outside, I think ICE is here.' When the van turned on its lights, masked officers asked for identification. Because he was undocumented, he had nothing to show and was arrested. He was handcuffed and taken to Buffalo (Batavia) Service Processing Center before being transferred to Camp East Montana.

Alonso C., a 72-year-old Cuban man who had lived in the United States for over 46 years and had a valid work permit, was playing dominos outside a bodega in Miami when masked agents without visible name tags approached looking for a man called 'El Flaco.' Although Alonso said he did not know the person and produced his work permit, agents handcuffed and arrested him. 'They didn't have a warrant, they didn't even show their faces. They didn't care that I had my permit,' he said. He was taken to Krome North Service Processing Center and eventually transferred to Camp East Montana.

Jesús, a 10-year employee at Westchester Hand Wash and primary breadwinner for his family, was arrested during ICE raids in Los Angeles in June 2025 and detained in El Paso. Immigration agents pressured him to sign documents without his glasses, and he unknowingly waived his right to remain in the U.S. He was deported to Mexico, leaving behind his wife Noémi and their four U.S. citizen children—Dhelainy (16), Esther (15), Angel (11), and Gabriel (6)—in Inglewood. The family has submitted a green card petition, but the application is backlogged and could take six years or longer to process, leaving the family separated as the children continue their education and activities in California.

An 11-year-old autistic girl was placed in foster care in Nebraska after her father was picked up by ICE in June 2025. The girl was separated from her parent and placed in the custody of the state.

Christian Cerna, a U.S. citizen, was violently arrested by ICE officers in June 2025 days after attending a protest against ICE raids. ICE officers filmed the arrest in front of his family and later posted the footage to social media. Cerna was accused of punching a border patrol agent at the protest but denies the allegation; he later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault.

Sinri Baltazar, a member of the Afro-indigenous Garifuna community from Honduras, was first separated from her then-5-year-old daughter in 2018 under the Trump administration's family separation policy. In 2024-2025, immigration officials presented her with a document they claimed would allow her family to stay together, but it actually facilitated their removal. She was deported with her three children, including one who is a U.S. citizen. Under a federal judge's order in April 2026, she was allowed to return to Louisiana with her three children. The family is currently living with an acquaintance from church while working to reestablish stable housing. Baltazar expressed gratitude that her children could seek a better life but emphasized the family's desire for a safe home of their own.

Alberto Perdomo was detained on June 1, 2025, by immigration agents in Riverside while on his way to work. He is currently held at Adelanto Detention Center. Perdomo, the sole provider for his wife and four young children, was taken into custody following a traffic stop. Multiple plaintiffs, including named detainees and immigrant advocacy organizations, filed a class-action lawsuit against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and other federal officials challenging the detention and recent enforcement sweeps.

Documents revealed in a federal lawsuit show that ICE officers detained up to 100 people at a time in a makeshift facility on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan in 2025, despite the Trump administration denying overcrowding. Internal emails and testimony from ICE officials themselves acknowledged the deteriorating conditions, including detainees lying on cement floors, inadequate food, lack of medical care, and failure to comply with a judge's order limiting occupancy. Detainees including Nuvia Ventura Martinez and Carlos Lopez Benitez testified about days spent in cells designed for only 12-hour stays, with no beds or showers.

A 23-year-old South American woman has been held at Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe for over a year despite an immigration judge's June 2025 ruling that she cannot be deported to her home country due to fear of torture based on her queer identity. The Trump administration has since sought to deport her to the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country where she has no connections, does not speak the language, and where LGBTQIA2S+ individuals face persecution. Her sister reports the woman has experienced physical and psychological decline during her prolonged detention.

Undocumented day laborers who volunteered to clear toxic fire debris in Altadena and Pasadena after the January 2025 Eaton wildfire were arrested in June 2025 ICE sweeps. Workers cleared roads and distributed water to fire victims without pay. ICE enforcement operations targeted job sites, Home Depot parking lots, and street vendors in wildfire-affected and recovery-zone neighborhoods. ICE arrested over 2,200 people in LA in June 2025 alone.

An immigration judge dismissed the deportation case against Narciso Barranco, a Mexican landscaper arrested in Southern California in June 2025 during a Trump administration immigration crackdown. Barranco, who came to the U.S. in the 1990s without legal status, is now eligible for legal permanent residency based on evidence that he is the father of three U.S.-born sons serving in the military. The Department of Homeland Security announced it would appeal the judge's decision.

Victor, a legal resident and father of two in Minneapolis, was detained by ICE in late May despite holding legal resident status. His family sought community support to pay legal fees for his release and cover basic living expenses while he remained in detention.

Marcelo Gomes da Silva, an 18-year-old high school student from Brazil who arrived in the U.S. at age 7, was arrested by ICE agents in May 2025 while driving to volleyball practice because his student visa had expired. He was detained in a Burlington ICE facility under poor conditions, including sleeping on concrete floors without beds or windows. After his release on bond, he remained in legal limbo for several months. He received his high school diploma in May 2026 and was invited by Congressman Seth Moulton to attend the State of the Union as a guest, where he planned to advocate for immigrants. His arrest and resilience were publicly acknowledged during his high school's commencement ceremony.

Lewelyn Dixon, a 64-year-old Filipino green-card holder who had lived in the United States for over 50 years, was detained by CBP at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in late February 2025 after returning from a trip to the Philippines. Dixon worked as a lab technician at the University of Washington. Immigration officials cited criminal cases against her, including a 2000-2001 embezzlement conviction for which she served no jail time and completed restitution payments by 2019. After approximately three months in ICE detention at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Judge Tammy Fitting ruled in May 2025 that Dixon should not be deported and granted her relief available to lawful permanent residents. Following her release, Dixon applied for citizenship to protect herself from future enforcement actions. Her niece stated: "We're not even going to chance it again." On July 20, 2026, Dixon was naturalized as a U.S. citizen, reciting the Oath of Allegiance on her 66th birthday.

Homeland Security Investigations agents raided two locations of Buona Forchetta restaurant in San Diego's South Park neighborhood on Friday evening, deploying flash bang grenades and detaining multiple employees. According to the restaurant manager, at least four workers were detained during the operation. Community members gathered outside to protest, and San Diego Police were called to assist with crowd control, though they did not participate in the enforcement action.

Rep. Yassamin Ansari visited the Eloy Detention Center in late May and spoke with over 20 detainees who reported forced outdoor walking until fainting, manipulated air conditioning, and sickness. Ansari requested information from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about the reported conditions.

A Honduran mother and her two children, ages 6 and 9, were arrested by ICE agents at Los Angeles Immigration Court on May 29, 2025, as they left a courtroom. The 6-year-old boy has leukemia and missed a medical appointment for worsening symptoms. The family was transported to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas and placed in expedited removal proceedings. Their attorneys filed a lawsuit challenging the arrests as violations of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments.

Federal immigration authorities deported a 9-year-old Torrance Elementary School student and his 50-year-old father to Honduras after they appeared for a routine immigration hearing on May 29, 2025. Both were undocumented, and an immigration judge had ordered their deportation in September 2022, though they remained in the United States and appealed. The boy had attended the school since first grade. The boy stated he was unhappy about separation from his friends and remaining family members in California.

A Watsonville resident was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials at approximately noon on Tuesday, May 28, 2025, according to Your Allied Rapid Response Santa Cruz County. The advocacy group confirmed the arrest appeared to target one individual rather than being part of a sweep or raid. The detainee is expected to be held until brought to immigration court to determine deportation eligibility.

Miguel Angel López, a Livermore father deported to Mexico in June 2025, lost a federal court case on a statute of limitations technicality in April 2026. López, who lived in the U.S. for 27 years and worked as a welder, was detained during a routine immigration check-in and deported hours before a court order could have allowed him to stay. His family is pursuing an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court, with support from U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell, as a final legal pathway for López's return.

ICE agents arrested Paola Clouatre, a 25-year-old mother of two and wife of a Marine Corps veteran, at a USCIS office in New Orleans on May 27, 2025, following her permanent residence status interview. She was detained based on a final order of removal issued in 2018 that she was unaware of due to a missed immigration hearing by her mother. Her husband, Adrian Clouatre, is caring for their two young children while seeking to overturn the removal order through an emergency motion.

Maximo Londonio, 42, a green card holder who immigrated from the Philippines to the United States at age 12 and is the father of three living in Olympia, Washington, was detained by CBP agents on May 15 as he returned from a family vacation to the Philippines with his wife Crystal, a U.S. citizen, and their 12-year-old daughter. He was celebrating his 20th wedding anniversary during the trip. Londonio was pulled aside at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport upon landing and transferred to an ICE detention facility in Tacoma after receiving a notice to appear before an immigration judge. His wife and community organizers with Tanggol Migrante Network WA believe the detention may be connected to a 2002 guilty plea to grand theft when he was 19 years old, for which he completed his sentence and probation without issue. Crystal described him as hard-working, family-oriented, devoted, and the primary provider for their family. Londonio works as a lead union member at Crown Cork and Seal manufacturing company in Lacey, Washington, and his union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, called for his immediate release. The Port of Seattle Commission expressed being "deeply concerned" about the prolonged detention, noting that CBP's own standards generally limit detention to 72 hours. The Philippine Consulate was notified and has been coordinating with U.S. immigration authorities. Community members gathered outside the airport demanding his release.

Gonzalo Ladron de Guevara, a lawful permanent resident since 2003, was detained by ICE in May 2025 after returning to Chicago from Mexico where he had scattered his mother's ashes. He was held for seven days by CBP for secondary screening before being transferred to ICE custody and charged federally. The detention is linked to a dismissed felony fraud charge from approximately 13 years prior related to prescription fraud.

At least eight people were arrested by ICE agents as they left San Diego's immigration court on Thursday. ICE agents waited in hallways and arrested people after their hearings. The tactic has also occurred in New York City, Miami, and Seattle. Immigration lawyers stated the practice discourages people from attending their court hearings.

Federal agents arrested 13 undocumented immigrants at a window supply business in Paducah, Kentucky during a worksite investigation into employment fraud. Eight of the arrestees were indicted on charges of using stolen or false Social Security numbers on employment verification forms (I-9s) between June 2021 and August 2025. The eight indicted defendants each face up to five years in prison if convicted. The remaining five arrested individuals were not criminally charged and remain in ICE custody pending immigration removal proceedings.

A federal judge dismissed trespassing charges against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka related to a standoff at a migrant detention center. The judge stated that the 13-day process from arrest to dismissal was problematic and instructed prosecutors that their duty is to justice and not solely to securing convictions. Baraka had visited Delaney Hall, a facility housing immigrant detainees, as part of an oversight visit with members of Congress. Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted for allegedly impeding the arrest and assaulting federal officers; she has pleaded not guilty.

Leo Garcia Venegas, a U.S. citizen born in Florida, was detained twice by ICE agents while working in construction in southern Alabama in 2025. On May 21, federal agents raided a construction site where Venegas was working, detained him along with Latino coworkers, and dismissed his REAL ID-compliant driver's license as fake, keeping him handcuffed for nearly an hour before confirming his citizenship via Social Security number. On June 12, he was again detained at a residential construction site when officers refused to accept his REAL ID and was released only after they confirmed his lawful status. Venegas has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the raids.

A Guatemalan national identified as O.C.G. who was deported to Mexico has been returned to the United States following a federal judge's order. O.C.G. had sought asylum after experiencing violence in Guatemala and during border transit. He is now in ICE custody while his case challenging third-country deportations proceeds through the courts.

Marta Alicia Dominguez, 51, from El Salvador, was arrested by Dallas Police in May 2025 on a family dispute charge. After her criminal case was dismissed, ICE placed a detainer and transferred her to custody. She presented herself at the Paso del Norte port of entry in 2017 and was granted entry after a credible fear interview. A judge granted her asylum in October 2025, but DHS filed an appeal and continues to hold her in Eloy Detention Center. She has contracted Hepatitis A and B, lost 30 pounds, and her health has significantly declined while in detention.

Leonardo García Venegas, a Florida-born U.S. citizen with valid REAL ID, was arrested by ICE agents at a construction site in Alabama on May 21. When he provided his identification, agents claimed it was fake and handcuffed him. He was released hours later after reciting his Social Security number to prove his citizenship.

ICE agents arrested multiple individuals outside the Phoenix immigration court on Tuesday, May 21, 2025, including at least two people immediately after their court hearings. One documented case involved a Venezuelan man in his 20s who had entered through the CBP One program and was preparing for a credible fear interview. Attorneys noted that some individuals whose cases appeared to be dismissed were taken into custody. The arrests followed a January DHS directive that reversed protections for courthouse arrests, a policy that had previously restricted ICE enforcement in sensitive locations. Similar enforcement actions occurred at immigration courts across the country, with agents in Los Angeles positioned to coordinate notifications when cases were dismissed. The Trump administration has expanded immigration enforcement by enlisting agents from multiple federal agencies including the U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, ATF, and FBI.

Dong Van Nguyen, a 64-year-old Vietnamese refugee who fled to the U.S. in 1980, was detained by ICE on May 21, 2025 during a scheduled check-in appointment at the Burlington ICE office. He was enrolled in the alternatives to detention program. Greater Boston Legal Services filed a habeas corpus motion to challenge his detention. Nguyen now faces deportation to Vietnam after 45 years in the United States.

Sara Lopez Garcia, a 20-year-old student at Suffolk County Community College with a 3.9 GPA, was arrested by ICE agents on May 21 during a raid on her family home in Mastic. She claimed she had special immigrant juvenile legal status and a valid work permit. She was detained for over two months and subsequently deported to Colombia in August.

During an ICE checkpoint in Bon Secour, Alabama staffed by ICE agents, Alabama State Troopers, and Baldwin County Sheriffs, a young person's arm was broken during an attempted detention into an unmarked vehicle. According to witnesses, an officer told him to "pop it back in." The person was released without charges but required hospitalization for the arm injury. A trooper's badge number was recorded at the scene.

A person died after a human smuggling attempt ended in a vehicle chase and river crossing at the Rio Grande near Laredo. After Texas Department of Public Safety troopers attempted to stop a black Tahoe, nine people jumped into the river. One person was rescued, another drowned, and the suspected smuggler fled to Mexico.

A.D., a 16-year-old from Guinea, was arrested by Suffolk County Police on May 16, 2025, and transferred to ICE, which held him in an adult detention facility at Moshannon Valley Processing Center for nearly two months due to a clerical error. ICE mistakenly believed he was 26 years old based on a secondary school entrance exam document from Guinea that erroneously listed his birth year as 2000, despite multiple federal and state documents—including his passport, birth certificate, and HHS records—showing he was born in May 2009. Federal Judge Marilyn J. Horan ordered ICE to transfer A.D. into the custody of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement while conducting an age reassessment. A.D. had fled Guinea in December 2023 after local police threatened to burn down his family home due to their Fulani heritage, and had been living in a foster home overseen by New York City's Administration for Children's Services when he was arrested.

ICE conducted a series of raids in Waltham, Massachusetts in May 2025, resulting in at least 40 detentions. The operations sparked widespread fear in the community, with business districts becoming deserted and families worried about loved ones. Community groups launched neighborhood patrols and residents gathered for protests demanding limits on ICE actions and greater protections for immigrants.

Luis Miguel Lopez-Ramos, a Guatemalan national previously deported from the United States following a 2011 Texas drug conviction, was detained by ICE after being booked into Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on a DWI charge. He is charged with illegal reentry after removal following a felony conviction, a federal immigration offense. Court records show he made his initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge and was detained pending a detention hearing.

V.M.L., a 2-year-old U.S. citizen born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on January 4, 2023, was detained by ICE on April 22, 2025, during a routine check-in at an Intensive Supervision Appearance Program office in New Orleans. She was apprehended alongside her undocumented mother and 11-year-old sister. When her father provided citizenship documents and his attorney filed emergency motions for habeas corpus and a temporary restraining order to prevent deportation, an ICE officer told the father they would deport his family anyway. The child and her mother were deported to Honduras on April 25, 2025, before the court could rule on the legal motions. The mother was held in an undisclosed location, cut off from family and counsel, and reportedly coerced into accepting deportation under duress. Federal Judge Terry Doughty expressed strong suspicion that the government deported a U.S. citizen "with no meaningful process" in violation of due process protections and scheduled a hearing for May 16 to investigate.

Edgardo David Campos, a 55-year-old Salvadoran man who has lived in the United States for 30 years, was arrested by ICE agents in tactical gear at a gas station in South Nashville in early May on his birthday. A Tennessee state trooper was present during the arrest, which was captured on video by bystander Dinora Romero, who helped locate his family and return his vehicle to his home. Campos is a construction and tire installation worker and devoted family man married with a wife. His cousin Laura Campos described him as "the first to arrive and the last to leave" at his church, always willing to volunteer and help others. The Nashville Catholic Diocese and local parishioners rallied around him, with a parish petition describing him as the "heart of our parish" who has faithfully served in multiple church ministries for years. The arrest was part of "Operation Flood the Zone," a coordinated week-long effort between Tennessee state police and ICE targeting Latino neighborhoods, during which over 600 vehicles were stopped and ICE claimed nearly 200 arrests. Campos was held at Putnam County Jail over the weekend with no charges filed, then transferred to Knox County Jail where charges remained unfiled. Spanish-speaking parishes in Nashville saw a 50% drop in Mass attendance following the operation.

Rodrigo Sandoval-Baltazar, 23, was pulled over for an improper lane change in New Town, North Dakota on May 14, 2025, and referred to CBP after providing a Mexican passport. He was taken into federal custody based on two prior removals from Texas in 2024, making him subject to federal reentry charges. A magistrate judge ordered his release on May 23, but prosecutors sought a stay, and a district judge granted the government's motion on June 6, ordering him detained pending trial. His case is among 42 criminal immigration cases filed in the District of North Dakota in the first half of 2025, exceeding the total for any full year in the previous five years.

On June 11, two asylum seekers who reported for immigration court were detained by ICE in Spokane. A protest ensued where demonstrators blocked an ICE bus and deflated its tires. Military veteran Bajun Mavalwalla II, who participated in the protest, was arrested by FBI agents at his home on July 15.

Dr. Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national and postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University on a valid research visa, was arrested by federal agents on March 17, 2025, outside his home in Arlington, Virginia. Plainclothes ICE agents detained him and transported him over 1,300 miles to detention facilities in Texas, where he remained for nearly two months in poor conditions. The Trump administration cited his social media posts supporting Palestinian rights and his wife's family connection to Gaza as grounds for visa revocation. On May 14, 2025, Federal Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ordered his release on bond, ruling that his statements constituted constitutionally protected political speech, that the First Amendment applies to noncitizens, and that his detention violated due process protections with no evidence of wrongdoing.

ICE agents conducted workplace enforcement actions at Manitou Equipment America and Global Polymer Industries in Madison, South Dakota on May 13, 2025. Eight workers were arrested on immigration violations across the two facilities: two from Nicaragua and one from El Salvador at Manitou Equipment, and three from Nicaragua and two from Guatemala at Global Polymer Industries. All eight were taken into federal custody and are pending deportation proceedings. ICE stated the raids were based on information about illegal employment operations.

Two men were detained by ICE agents in Waltham after one agent broke a van window during the encounter on Tuesday. A 16-year-old witness recorded the incident and informed the men of their rights. It remains unclear what charges the men face or the reasons for their arrest.

Giovanna Mercedes Moreno Occhipinti, a 32-year-old Venezuelan national living in the U.S. illegally, was arrested by ICE on May 13, 2025, in connection with a December 2, 2024 mass shooting at a Chicago house party that killed three people and injured five others. She allegedly drove the two gunmen to the scene and helped them evade law enforcement. Occhipinti had overstayed her visa after entering under the Visa Waiver Program in October 2021.

Daniela Joly Serrano Landin, a 24-year-old Colombian asylum seeker married to an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, was arrested by ICE on May 12 after an ankle monitor malfunctioned, despite being granted parole. She was held at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia and later transferred to El Paso Processing Center. On Wednesday, she was released on a $10,000 bond after a hearing where her attorney argued her case.