Human Impact Project

John Doe 5, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in his country of origin, had stable mental health while living with family before detention. After being detained at North Lake Processing Center, his mental health sharply declined—a change noted even by the immigration judge assigned to his case. By December 2025, eight months into his detention, he became non-verbal and unresponsive to his surroundings. He was subsequently moved to a dedicated medical facility for additional care, confirming that North Lake was not equipped to handle his needs.

Jane Doe, who has had high blood pressure for 10 years, experienced a medical emergency consistent with a hypertensive crisis after being denied her prescribed blood pressure medication at North Lake Processing Center. When she signaled distress to staff, they mocked her by making hand gestures rather than providing aid. Her blood pressure reached 229/134, well beyond the threshold of a hypertensive emergency, and she was transported to the hospital in shackles. The ACLU of Michigan and Michigan Immigrant Rights Center documented her case as part of a broader investigation into dangerous medical neglect at the facility.

Z.M.A.V. and K.S.R.A., two individuals identified by A-numbers 208-272-491 and 208-272-492, were detained by immigration authorities on May 20, 2026. They had previously been released on an Order of Supervision. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted their habeas corpus petition and ordered their immediate release back to the same supervisory conditions that were in effect prior to their detention.

A teenager's father was arrested by ICE. The mother, who works as a cleaner and does not drive, now bears sole financial responsibility for the household, including $2,500 monthly rent, utilities, and legal fees. The family launched a fundraiser to help cover expenses.

Karla Soriano's husband was arrested and deported to Honduras five months prior to the article publication. Left to support two sons alone, Soriano has struggled to find stable employment—one employer threatened to call ICE when she asked to be paid. She is considering self-deporting to avoid potential detention, fearing she could be held in a detention center for five to six months.

Yanquiel Lima came to the U.S. from Cuba in 2023 under a humanitarian visa program that Trump ended in 2024. He was arrested shortly after the program's termination and denied a bond hearing under ICE's mandatory detention policy. He spent 10 months at Pearsall detention facility in a room with 64 other detainees sharing two toilets and three showers. He reported being served spoiled food and hearing racist comments from guards. He was placed in solitary confinement for six days after complaining about conditions.

Alvaro Barrera Leon, a Cuban national, was detained by ICE on November 13, 2025, after appearing for a scheduled check-in appointment despite having complied with all supervision requirements and having no criminal history. The petitioner filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the legality of his detention under the Due Process Clause. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas granted the writ of habeas corpus, finding the petitioner's detention violated constitutional protections.

ICE agents stopped a blue sedan in the area of 11th Street and Jackson Street in North Chicago on Wednesday morning around 8:20 a.m. and detained the driver while a child was present in the vehicle. The detention was part of continued ICE enforcement activity across the Lake County area, with agents also conducting operations in Waukegan on the same day.

Sarath Lon, a Cambodian national, was arrested by ICE. He was previously convicted for murder in Fall River, Massachusetts. Ramos Ortiz-Lopez, a Mexican national, was arrested by ICE. He was previously convicted for two felony counts of rape of a child in Washington County, Washington. Raul Retana-Ramos, a Mexican national, was arrested by ICE. He was previously convicted for trafficking 400 grams or more of cocaine by possession and transport in Guilford County, North Carolina. Nazarjon Gayratjonovich Abdukahorov, an Uzbek national, was arrested by ICE. He was previously convicted for lure/entice child by various means in Essex County, New Jersey, and is a registered sex offender under Megan's Law. Daniel Leal, a Mexican national, was arrested by ICE. He was previously convicted for attempted robbery causing physical injury in Jamaica, New York.

A woman identified as a parent was detained by federal agents just outside a North Hollywood elementary school immediately after dropping off her children on Wednesday morning. Witnesses recorded the detention in tactical gear near campus, and the incident sparked concern among parents about law enforcement activity near schools. No federal agency officially identified itself or stated a reason for the detention as of the latest reports.

An Indian family of four — parents Jagdish and Gurwinder, and children Guri (12) and Manpreet (11) — were detained by ICE during a routine check-in appointment in February 2026 and held at the Dilley family detention center in Texas. The family fled Punjab, India, after Jagdish converted from Sikhism to Catholicism and faced persistent threats and violence. They arrived in the U.S. in 2022 seeking asylum and settled in Los Angeles. During detention, Guri developed bleeding in his stools without specialist referral, Manpreet lost 6 pounds after a week of vomiting she attributed to tap water, and Gurwinder's arthritis and diabetes worsened without proper medication — her daughter helps her out of bed each morning. Both children have shown behavioral changes: Manpreet is often angry, Guri has stopped listening to his parents. Manpreet celebrated her 11th birthday in detention with a makeshift cake from commissary snacks — she said if there had been candles, she would have wished for her family to leave Dilley. The family reported no meat-free options on the days their Sikh-Hindu faith requires vegetarian meals. Manpreet stopped attending classes because they were taught in Spanish, which she does not speak. Guri stopped attending after his mother's health declined.

Dylan Lopez Contreras, a 21-year-old Venezuelan student at ELLIS Preparatory Academy in the Bronx, was detained by ICE in May 2024 after attending a mandatory immigration court hearing in Lower Manhattan. He was transferred to Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania, where an immigration judge denied his asylum claim in September 2024 and ordered his deportation to Venezuela. After nearly 10 months in detention, Contreras was released on March 18-19, 2025, while his legal team pursued an appeal of the deportation order. He returned to school while applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, subject to an ankle monitor and ICE check-ins as his asylum appeal remains pending. Dylan Lopez Contreras, a 20-year-old high school student at Ellis Preparatory Academy in the Bronx, was arrested by ICE agents in May 2025 at a Lower Manhattan courthouse after attending a mandatory immigration hearing. He was held in federal custody for nearly 10 months before being released on March 18, 2026, on his own recognizance with an ankle monitor. His detention was notable as the first widely documented case of a public school student in New York City being detained by federal agents under the Trump administration. A teenager named Ricardo was held in ICE detention and spent time in solitary confinement, prompting outrage from the Chicago community. His mother, Martha Liliana, and community members organized a rally calling for his release. Dylan, a 16-year-old high school student in the Bronx, was arrested by ICE when attending a routine court date at an immigration courthouse in New York City. The arrest occurred as part of ICE's campaign of arresting people at mandated immigration court hearings and fast-tracking deportations. Dylan, a 20-year-old student from Ellis Prep High School, was detained by ICE in May during an asylum hearing. He remains in ICE custody. This case is part of a pattern of ICE detention of NYC public school students attending legal hearings.

A 14-year-old minor was handcuffed and detained during an ICE raid in Manassas despite not being targeted by the operation. Virginia State Delegate Michelle Maldonado criticized the detention, stating that the minor was not charged with a crime and calling the incident a reckless disregard for human decency and constitutional protections.

A man who arrived in the United States at age two and was part of the DACA program was arrested during a traffic stop for a headlight violation and driving without a license. He was detained by ICE for six weeks across three facilities before being released on bond. He now faces deportation to Mexico within 120 days despite having no criminal history and having lived in the U.S. for nearly his entire life.

Marvin Len Morales was arrested by ICE during a raid in Manassas on Friday. According to reports, Morales has a criminal record and has been deported twice before. The raid was attended by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

Maria Pérez, a Guatemalan asylum-seeker and nursing mother, was arrested by ICE at her Nashville home on May 19, 2026, while preparing to take her two young children to a doctor's appointment. She fled extreme domestic violence in Guatemala and had cleared a credible fear interview after entering the U.S. in 2022. At the time of her arrest, she was breastfeeding a 10-month-old infant and caring for a 2-year-old daughter with Down syndrome who requires weekly medical therapy. She has no criminal history. Her children have been cared for by a neighbor since her detention, and she is now held nearly 700 miles away in a Louisiana detention facility. Advocacy groups including Sanctuary of the South, the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition, the ACLU of Louisiana, Amnesty International, and the Kennedy Human Rights Center filed a civil rights complaint alleging that her detention violates ICE policy prohibiting detention of nursing mothers except in exceptional circumstances such as national security risks.

A Cuban national was initially detained upon entering the United States on March 8, 2024, then released on humanitarian parole. After living at liberty for over a year while following all conditions of release and filing an asylum application, he was re-detained by ICE on May 19, 2026, following a routine traffic stop. The court found his re-detention violated due process rights because the government provided no finding of changed circumstances showing he was a flight risk or danger to the community, and granted his habeas petition ordering his immediate release.

Roswell Enrique Pérez Nieto watched as immigration agents detained his wife and 3-year-old son at an immigration court in San Antonio, Texas. The encounter was captured in footage obtained by Newsweek, which documented masked officers taking the family into custody.

A man who entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor in 2014 and was released to his mother's custody was arrested by ICE on May 19, 2026 after a traffic violation conviction. The court granted his petition for habeas corpus, finding his detention violated due process because he had been released by immigration authorities and established a life in California with his mother and two U.S.-born children. The court ordered his immediate release and required the government to provide a pre-deprivation bond hearing with clear and convincing evidence of flight risk or danger if it seeks to re-detain him.

Luis Tenelanda, an Ecuadoran construction worker who lived in the United States for over 30 years, was detained by ICE and held at Butler County Jail in Ohio in June 2025. On June 8, 2025, Sgt. Corneal Rowe allegedly punched Tenelanda in the stomach after he joined other inmates in requesting their scheduled daily break, causing him to lose consciousness and sustain injuries to his stomach and arm. Witnesses report Rowe also used racial slurs against Tenelanda and other detainees. Jail staff allegedly failed to provide proper medical care following the assault. Tenelanda was deported to Ecuador in August 2025 and filed a federal civil lawsuit in May 2026 against Sheriff Richard Jones, Sgt. Corneal Rowe, and Butler County, alleging assault, civil rights violations, failure to train staff, and patterns of excessive force. An internal affairs investigation found Rowe used only "minimal force" but violated policy by not filing an incident report.

Yerlys Moreno López, a Venezuelan asylum seeker who entered the United States legally in 2024, was injured during an ICE enforcement encounter on May 19 after agents attempted to pull her over near her home on Detroit's eastside. According to her sworn statement and medical records, after crashing her SUV, she exited the vehicle and was tackled to the ground by ICE agents, sustaining a fractured kneecap, lacerations, head trauma, and injuries requiring emergency surgery. Medical records indicate she told hospital staff her injuries occurred after exiting the vehicle, contradicting ICE's account that she was injured in the crash itself. She was transferred to North Lake detention center despite doctors' recommendation for transfer to a Cincinnati ICE facility better equipped to meet her medical needs. Her attorneys filed a federal habeas corpus petition seeking her immediate release, citing inadequate medical care at the facility.

A man was detained by ICE while attending his asylum appointment. His wife describes him as hardworking and someone who followed the legal process. The family is now facing legal fees, bond costs, and emotional stress while he remains in detention.

A 53-year-old Laotian refugee and lawful permanent resident was abruptly re-detained by ICE on May 19, 2026, during a routine check-in after being on supervised release for over 20 years. He came to the U.S. as a child refugee in 1979 due to his father's service with the CIA in the Secret War in Laos. The federal court granted a temporary restraining order and ordered his immediate release, finding violations of due process and ICE regulations.

A Dominican man was detained by plainclothes ICE officers immediately after an immigration hearing at the immigration court inside the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York on June 6, 2025. This arrest occurred one day after a federal judge issued a ruling barring federal agents from routinely detaining people who appear for immigration court proceedings in New York City, finding that people should not have to risk arrest to exercise their legal right to pursue asylum claims or attend deportation hearings.

A Mexican national who entered the United States in 2003 at age 17 and lived in the country for approximately 23 years was arrested by ICE on May 18, 2026, and charged with inadmissibility under INA § 212(a)(6)(A)(i). He was detained without a bond hearing based on the government's interpretation of 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2). The federal court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding that his detention should have been governed by § 1226(a), which provides for a discretionary detention process with bond hearing rights.

A noncitizen previously released on bond or conditional parole was detained on May 18, 2026, at Central Valley Annex Detention Facility after having been previously released on bond or conditional parole. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California found that the Due Process Clause requires the government to provide a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter before re-detaining a noncitizen who was previously released. The government failed to provide such a hearing before detaining him. The court granted his petition for a writ of habeas corpus and motion for temporary restraining order, finding his case indistinguishable from prior decisions establishing this constitutional requirement. The court ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he was subject to prior to his May 18, 2026 detention, and prohibited the government from imposing additional restrictions unless determined necessary at a future pre-deprivation hearing. If the government seeks to re-detain him, it must provide at least seven days' notice and hold a constitutionally compliant pre-deprivation bond hearing.

Oliver Mata Velazquez, a 19-year-old living in Buffalo, was arrested by ICE at an immigration courthouse, detained, and fast-tracked for deportation. The NYCLU filed a lawsuit challenging his arrest and secured his release.

New Orleans is seeing a growing population of stray animals linked to immigration enforcement. A dog named Chia was left behind after ICE detained her owner and gave birth to 9 puppies at an auto shop in New Orleans East. The Louisiana SPCA reports that previously owned animals surrendered in 2025 were nearly double prior years. Residents are driving nightly to feed growing numbers of stray cats in affected neighborhoods.

A California man who arrived in the U.S. as a young boy with refugee status and held a green card had his sentence commuted in 2018. Instead of being released, he was shackled and transferred to an ICE processing center. After spending close to a year in ICE detention, he was released to continue his immigration case through the courts. In subsequent years he started a family and obtained employment. After the courts vacated his conviction last year, ICE has not recognized the case as cleared and a final deportation order remains in effect.

Three activists—Jac Archer, Justice Forral, and Bajun Mavalwalla II—were convicted on federal conspiracy charges on May 28, 2025, for their roles in a June 2025 protest at an ICE facility in Spokane aimed at preventing the transfer of two detained asylum seekers to a facility near Tacoma. The three defendants were among nine people arrested on federal charges stemming from the protest, which involved hundreds of demonstrators who blocked ICE vehicles for approximately nine hours. Six other protesters, including former City Council President Ben Stuckart who posted the social media call that mobilized the demonstration, accepted guilty pleas and received reduced sentences. The three convicted defendants face up to six years in prison and fines up to $250,000, and plan to appeal.

Boanerges Flores-Bravo, a Nicaraguan national who entered the U.S. in 2022 and was seeking asylum with his wife, was detained by ICE agents during a routine check-in appointment on May 18, 2026. He is now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. His wife Alba Matamoro-Hernandez was released with an ankle monitor and placed in the Alternatives to Detention program. The couple has an 8-year-old daughter and both worked for the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District.

Mojtaba, an Iranian national who fled persecution for his participation in the Women, Life, Freedom movement, was released from ICE detention after 17 months. He won a bond hearing but faced a $35,000 bond set by Immigration Court. Hundreds of individuals and organizations raised the funds to secure his release, and he is now building a life in New Jersey.

A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper stopped a white Volvo truck on Interstate 35 in Webb County on May 18 during Operation Lone Star and discovered 20 undocumented immigrants—16 adults and 4 minors from Mexico and Guatemala—hidden in the truck's sleeping compartment. The driver, 25-year-old Miguel Angel Velazquez Chavez, a Mexican national, fled on foot but was arrested and charged with evading arrest and smuggling people. All 20 migrants were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol.

A Mexican citizen who entered the US as a minor in 1996 and lived continuously in the country for 30 years with two US citizen children was arrested and detained by ICE on May 18, 2026. He was transferred to the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia under mandatory detention provisions. The court ruled his detention unlawful and ordered his immediate release, finding that the detention statute does not apply to long-term residents arrested in the interior.

Alejandro Josue Cervantes-Mencia was arrested by ICE officers on Lafayette Street in Hartford on May 18, 2026. Several officers wore masks and lacked clear identification, violating Connecticut's recently signed law prohibiting immigration officers from wearing masks during enforcement actions. According to ICE, Cervantes-Mencia entered the U.S. illegally in 2016 and had a final removal order issued by an immigration judge on April 5, 2022. He was also facing state charges for possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to sell.

Angel Lemus-Linares, a 32-year-old from El Salvador seeking political asylum, was placed in solitary confinement at T. Don Hutto Detention Center in Texas for seven consecutive days after being beaten by ICE officers following an altercation with another detainee. He reported being locked in isolation without adequate medical care or bathroom access, and experienced multiple additional solitary confinement placements and prolonged lockdowns during his 28+ months in ICE custody. After an immigration judge denied his asylum claim in December 2025, Lemus-Linares was deported to Mexico and is now applying for refugee status.

Ursula Gomez completed over two decades in California state prison and participated in rehabilitation programs and college coursework. Upon her release in July 2024, the California Department of Corrections transferred her to ICE custody rather than releasing her. After 11 months in multiple ICE detention centers, facing threats of deportation to countries she had no ties to, Gomez agreed to voluntary removal to Mexico, the country she left at age 5. She was deported later in 2024.

A father was detained by ICE on February 26, 2026, in Escondido, California, while on his way to pick up his children from school. His family exhausted their savings on legal fees and fell three months behind on rent while seeking to secure his release. By May 18, 2026, with assistance from legal aid organization Clue Justice, the family secured the remaining funds needed for his $4,000 bond, and he was set to be released. The legal aid organization warned that DHS may appeal the case if release did not occur quickly.

Besnik "Nik" Shembitrasi, a 49-year-old barber from Albania who immigrated to the U.S. in 2006, was arrested by ICE on May 17, 2026, outside his home in Elmwood Park as he was leaving for work. Shembitrasi has built a life in Illinois over two decades, working as a barber at Frank's Barber Shop in Oak Park, married to a U.S. citizen, and father to an 8-year-old daughter born in the U.S. His uncle and employer Frank Shemitraku described him as hardworking, respectful, and dedicated to supporting his family, noting that Shembitrasi had recently purchased a home in Elmwood Park and works two jobs. At the time of reporting, Shembitrasi was being held by ICE in Brazil, Indiana, and his family expressed concern about his separation and uncertain immigration status.

A Cuban national who entered the United States on July 14, 2024, was arrested on May 17, 2026, by local law enforcement in Florida for Battery (Domestic Violence) under F.S. 784.03.1a1. He was subsequently transferred to ICE custody and detained at Golden State Annex Detention Facility in McFarland, California. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause, and ordered respondents to provide an individualized bond hearing within 14 days or immediately release him.

Sara Yazmin Garcia was arrested on May 15, 2026, and taken into ICE custody on May 17, 2026, due to her immigration status. She is being held in Atlanta, Georgia, over seven hours from her family. She has no criminal record and has lived in the United States for over 20 years, leaving behind her husband of 10 years, her 15-year-old son, and extended family who depend on her emotionally and financially.

Peter Booth was arrested on charges of unlawful trespass and resisting arrest during a protest at an ICE digital surveillance center on May 14, 2026. Booth was carried out of the building by Vermont State Police officers. He had previously been cited for criminal trespass at a similar protest in February 2026.

Vivian Do's father was detained by ICE on March 5 at a GEO processing facility in Adelanto, California. Despite legal assurances and ICE's own notification that he would not be moved until June 5, he was transferred without notice on May 14, flown from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and deported to Vietnam the same day. The family had spent over $50,000 in legal fees seeking his release.

Ernesto, a construction worker, was detained by ICE on December 10 while traveling to his job in Washington, DC. He was transferred to a detention center in Texas, leaving his wife Ana and their three children (ages 3, 7, and 8) without their primary source of income. Ana now works nights as a university cleaner and relies on a moped for transportation while struggling to afford rent, groceries, medical bills, and legal fees.

A man detained by ICE in March after 30 years in the U.S. was released this month after an immigration judge vacated a decades-old drug conviction from 1999 and restored his lawful permanent resident status. The judge found he had not been informed of immigration consequences when he entered the plea. His case is among roughly 19 Laotian cases handled by the Seattle Clemency Project this year, part of a broader enforcement sweep affecting longtime residents in the region.

An uncle and aunt who had attended yearly ICE check-ins since the early 1990s were suddenly detained during a routine check-in and held for over four months. During detention, they were denied access to medications for serious health conditions, and the aunt was transferred to Florence, Arizona without family or attorney notification. Both are stateless individuals from the former USSR facing potential deportation to an unknown country. They were released on January 16, 2026, and are now pursuing a legal appeal.

Obi, who arrived legally on a visa and was in the process of obtaining a green card, was detained by ICE on October 20th without due process. He was held in a detention facility for ten days after a judge ordered his release and bond was posted. His wife, who relies on him as her caregiver due to chronic illnesses, was forced to attend their green card interview alone while he remained detained. He was released with conditions including GPS monitoring and travel restrictions.

The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas granted provisional class certification and a preliminary injunction blocking four key provisions of Texas Senate Bill 4, a 2023 law the court found could allow states to pass their own immigration laws and undermine federal uniformity. The blocked provisions include a reentry crime applicable to anyone reentering Texas even with federal permission, magistrate power to issue deportation orders, criminalization of failing to comply with removal orders, and requirements that magistrates continue prosecutions despite pending federal immigration cases. The class-action lawsuit, filed by the ACLU of Texas and Texas Civil Rights Project on May 4, represents thousands of people across the state, including a lawful permanent resident and a person provisionally approved for a U Visa after assisting law enforcement.

Carlos Alborozo was detained by ICE while working in a construction job. His family launched a fundraising campaign to help cover legal expenses and immigration lawyer costs to support his case.

Airida Gould, a Lithuanian national and licensed massage therapist who has lived in the United States for 26 years, was detained by ICE on May 16, 2026, during a green card interview at which USCIS had just approved her marriage petition. Gould is married to U.S. Army veteran Mark Gould and has three U.S.-born adult children. ICE officers handcuffed and detained her based on a 2009 removal order issued after she missed a court hearing due to road construction. During her 66 days in ICE custody, Gould was held at multiple facilities including Broadview, Illinois, Brazil, Indiana, and Kentucky. She described conditions at the Brazil facility as extremely poor. Her legal team, led by former immigration court Judge Carla Espinoza Grcic, filed an Emergency Motion to Reopen with the Board of Immigration Appeals. According to her husband's social media posts, Gould was deported on July 21, 2026.