Human Impact Project

Ángel Muñeco (Ángel Muñoz), a content creator who went viral after proposing to his wife Blondi, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on August 6. Blondi, known online for her height, confirmed the detention and said her husband is legally in the United States and that their marriage is valid. He is now facing an administrative process that could result in deportation, and his future remains uncertain.

Ana Caridad Linares, a 45-year-old woman from Coral Gables, admitted in federal court to falsely impersonating a federal officer by inventing a non-existent "Legal Administrative Specialist" position within ICE and using that fake title to file fraudulent motions with immigration courts requesting dismissal of deportation cases. She collected fees from clients before submitting documents formatted to appear as authentic government filings. The scheme was discovered in February 2024 when an immigration judge flagged one of her motions as fraudulent, leading investigators to trace at least three more similar motions filed during the same period. Linares faces up to three years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for August 20, 2026.

Valeria Saya, a Venezuelan resident of Eagle Pass, Texas, is seeking help to free her father Ronaldo, mother Odalys, and younger brother Ronaldo Jr., who were all detained by ICE within days of each other. Her father was detained at a checkpoint while driving a truck and presented his documents; the family has work permits and Social Security numbers. Her mother and brother were later detained while returning from Laredo to Eagle Pass. Her brother, who is about to graduate high school and wants to be an engineer, has struggled emotionally in detention at Dilley, losing interest in eating and sleeping most of the day. According to Valeria's attorney, the family has strong prospects for release as both parents have no criminal history.

A Maryland federal judge held ICE in civil contempt for wrongfully deporting more than 50 unaccompanied minors in violation of a blanket court order barring their removal. The judge found that subsequent efforts to bring some of the minors back did not remedy the initial violation.

An 11-year-old unaccompanied migrant named Diego appeared alone before an immigration judge in New York City without legal representation, struggling to complete an asylum application in English. The hearing occurred after a federal contract funding legal services for detained immigrant children expired on July 31, leaving thousands of minors to represent themselves. Judge Lisa Ling, a former ICE prosecutor, gave Diego two and a half weeks to file his asylum application or face deportation, despite his expressed fear of returning to Guatemala. Multiple other unaccompanied children, some as young as 11, appeared in court that day without lawyers or adult advocates.

Brayan Sánchez, a Honduran citizen who worked as a truck driver and owned a pressure-washing and painting business, was detained by ICE on May 13 in Florida and transferred through detention centers in Colorado, Arizona, California, and Texas. On July 30, he and four Cuban detainees and one Ecuadorian detainee discovered they would be deported to the Central African Republic without being informed of the destination beforehand. Sánchez reported that ICE officials threatened the group, saying "Tomorrow you're going to get on the flight and if you don't get on the plane, we're going to beat you." He stated he was told the process was forced, not voluntary, and that he would have chosen El Salvador or Mexico instead. Sánchez asserts he had a court order preventing his deportation and believes the procedure violated his rights. He claims he cannot return to Honduras due to threats he received following the deaths of his father and other family members.

Ibrahim Mohammed, a 43-year-old Ethiopian national who legally entered the U.S. in 2014 and was granted asylum, was ordered deported following a child sexual abuse conviction. Federal officials attempted to deport him to third countries (Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, and Central African Republic) rather than his country of origin. U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles ordered Mohammed released from Angola's Camp 57 immigration detention facility in February after finding ICE had no viable deportation plan and violated his due process rights. Despite the judge's explicit warnings and orders, ICE agents rearrested Mohammed twice more in subsequent months—in April after two African nations agreed to accept him, and again last week in Maryland—each time failing to serve required deportation papers or conduct credible fear interviews. Judge deGravelles held a hearing on whether to hold DHS officials in civil contempt for repeatedly defying his court orders.

Mohamed Guezoui, born in Algeria, moved to the U.S. after marrying an American citizen. After his marriage ended, he found community through his friend Staci Tighe, whom he met at karaoke. Tighe was struggling through an illness at the time, and Guezoui visited her daily to offer support before his arrest. While working his shift at King Kabab restaurant in West Virginia, three masked ICE officers arrested him at his workplace. He was eventually deported. His detention marked the beginning of Operation Country Roads, a DHS enforcement sweep that resulted in approximately 600 arrests across West Virginia, primarily relying on local law enforcement cooperation.

Laura Rojas Ortiz, a 21-year-old mother, was detained at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas for more than 40 days while five months pregnant with a high-risk pregnancy. She was detained during a routine ICE check-in in Dallas while in the process of applying for a U visa after being shot at in her neighborhood, despite regularly appearing for check-ins while wearing an ankle monitor. During her detention, Rojas Ortiz did not receive an ultrasound, specialist care, or blood tests despite her high-risk pregnancy status. Her mother, Paola, reported that her infant son, who has a lactose intolerance, was given whole milk at the facility. According to family accounts, facility staff moved her to a medical room during a congressional visit, then removed her when lawmakers left. Advocacy groups including Each Step Home provided commissary support to help her purchase food for her children.

Omar David Panqueva, a Colombian DJ known as DJ Tunjo, and his husband Santiago Páez were arrested by ICE agents at Chicago's Midway International Airport as they prepared to fly out and join reggaeton star Karol G's tour for DJ after-parties. The couple, both members of the LGBTQ+ community, had applied for asylum due to persecution they faced in Colombia and held work permits while their case was pending, though their visas had expired in 2022. Panqueva had recently performed at Chicago's Fiesta del Sol and the Sueños music festival and was planning a tour to Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. He described being 'chained, handcuffed on a bus with bars' during the arrest. The couple was held in Indiana and released on bond on August 12 after supporters rallied around them, with their immigration case continuing in court and a hearing scheduled for August 19.

Four construction workers were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday, August 6, 2026, following a traffic stop conducted by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers outside Austin City Hall. DPS troopers, who are federally certified Designated Immigration Officers under the 287(g) program, pulled over a vehicle at Guadalupe Street and César Chávez Street after observing it driving the wrong way on a one-way street just before 9:30 a.m. The driver did not have a valid driver's license. After determining that all four occupants were not lawfully present in the United States, troopers contacted ICE agents, who arrived within three to four minutes and took the individuals into custody, confiscating their phones. The detention occurred while the Austin City Council was holding a budget meeting, and community members expressed outrage during public comment. By Thursday evening, family members did not know where the detainees had been taken. City Council members, including Mike Siegel, condemned the operation, with Siegel characterizing it as "state-sponsored kidnapping" and criticizing the collaboration between DPS and ICE.

Alberto, a DACA recipient who has lived in the U.S. since 1996, worked as a painter, contractor, and Amazon delivery driver, and is a father of three, was pulled from his vehicle by masked ICE agents while making deliveries in Seattle's Wedgwood neighborhood on August 5. Five of the six agents present were masked; one reached into his car, unlocked the door, and physically removed him before placing him in an unmarked truck. In footage of the roughly 20-minute encounter, Alberto identified himself as a DACA recipient and gave observers his name, Social Security number, and the location of his car keys for his family. Neighbors and local business owners gathered to witness and record the arrest, later organizing a vigil at the site and staying in contact with Alberto's family and immigration attorneys.

A Black DoorDash delivery driver was arrested by masked ICE agents on a Jersey City street while working. According to the post, the agents did not provide a warrant or demonstrate they had legal reason to detain him. The arrest occurred days after another person died in ICE custody at Delaney Hall in Newark.

Three women who fled LGBTQ+ persecution in Ghana were deported from the United States to Cameroon as part of the Trump administration's secretive agreements with at least 30 countries to accept people the U.S. cannot legally deport to their home countries. According to DW reporting, the deportees described being shackled during the process.

José Eliezer Martinez-Andino, a 20-year-old Honduran man, was deported to Honduras in April 2026 after being detained while traveling to Seattle, despite holding Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) granted in 2023. He had been living in Raleigh with relatives and is the father of a three-year-old U.S.-born child. In June 2026, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell ordered DHS to return him to the U.S. and restore his legal status. Martinez-Andino returned on August 5, 2026, but was flown to a detention facility in Harlingen, Texas rather than North Carolina, where he remains detained awaiting legal relief.

A pregnant woman was arrested by ICE at Harry Reid International Airport in late July after returning to the United States from a vacation in Las Vegas. She was detained on immigration charges related to allegedly overstaying her visa. Her fiancé expressed concern about whether he will be able to meet his child.

The Guardian's investigation reveals at least 10 cases since January 2025 in which ICE subjected detained immigrants to involuntary force-feeding through nasogastric tubes. Three cases are detailed: an Afghan man force-fed daily for nearly six months at Port Isabel in Texas starting September 2025; Andriy Shepitsen, a Ukrainian man with severe bipolar disorder, whose attorney intervened to stop his force-feeding at Krome Service processing center in Miami after 44 days on hunger strike; and a Saudi Arabian woman who went on hunger strike in Louisiana in June 2025 and was transferred to Texas, where ICE sought permission to force-feed her before she broke her strike. Medical experts and human rights organizations have condemned force-feeding as torture. In six of the 10 cases reviewed, detained immigrants lacked legal representation during court proceedings, and most records remain sealed.

Amy Lucia López Belloza, a 19-year-old Babson College freshman, was detained by ICE at Boston Logan Airport on November 20, 2025, while attempting to board a flight to Texas for Thanksgiving break. A federal judge issued an emergency order on November 21 blocking her removal and prohibiting her transfer outside Massachusetts for 72 hours. Despite this court order, ICE transferred her to Texas that evening and deported her to Honduras on November 22. The Trump administration later apologized in court for violating the judicial order but argued the violation should not affect her deportation case. In February 2026, the government offered her a return flight to the United States, which she declined, leading to dismissal of her habeas corpus lawsuit in March 2026. Her case is part of a broader pattern of detentions and deportations of international scholars and students at U.S. airports.

Paola Vanessa Prieto Valles was detained by ICE, creating emotional and financial hardship for her family. Described as a caring family member and dear friend, her absence has deeply affected those who love and depend on her. Her family is raising funds to cover legal representation, court-related expenses, communication costs, and other essential needs during her detention.

A father and husband was recently detained by ICE and deported to Mexico, leaving his family of five—a mother and three children—to cope with sudden separation and financial devastation. The children are experiencing severe emotional distress, crying at night and struggling to sleep. The mother is overwhelmed trying to keep the family safe and healthy while managing her own grief and anxiety. DHS seized $7,800 from the family's savings, leaving them unable to pay rent, utilities, food, school supplies, transportation, or medicine. The father is now in Mexico attempting to build a new life, while the family seeks funds to cover immediate expenses and eventually reunite with him.

Protesters are staging a tree-sit in Lochiel, Arizona to prevent Customs and Border Protection contractors from destroying a 200-year-old cottonwood tree in the path of new border wall construction. Contractors working for Fisher Sand and Gravel already crushed three large cottonwoods on July 27. Environmental activists, including members of the Sierra Club, say the wall threatens critical wildlife corridors and have drawn national attention to the demonstration.

An Iranian woman detained at ICE's Stewart Detention Center in South Georgia has received a notice that ICE intends to deport her to the Central African Republic, a country she has never visited and that the U.S. government warns citizens to avoid due to violent crime and civil war. She said she fled Iran after converting to Christianity, an act severely punished there, entering the U.S. without authorization at the southern border in 2024 and settling in Atlanta. "I just started shaking. I was just so scared," she told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I don't have anyone (over) there. I don't know the language, or anything."

Kuya Rob, a Filipino migrant father, was detained by ICE in California and has been held for more than 400 days at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. His detention has separated him from his son and elderly mother. Advocates with the Tanggol Migrante Movement have organized a petition campaign, gathering over 439 signatures, citing detention conditions and what they describe as neglect by the Philippine Consulate.

Valentín, a hardworking family man, was detained by ICE for more than seven months in inhumane conditions. During his detention, he endured days without meals and was served cold or contaminated food, including food with worms. He was separated from his family with minimal meaningful communication and was unable to be present when his daughter gave birth, learning only later in custody that he had a newborn granddaughter. After his eventual release and reunification with his family, Valentín faces significant accumulated debt as he works to rebuild their lives.

Selvin Alfredo Ramos Perez, a kitchen worker at a Roanoke restaurant, was arrested by Roanoke County Police on August 4, 2026, for public intoxication. ICE lodged a detainer with the county jail the same day, and Ramos Perez was transferred into ICE custody pending removal proceedings. According to DHS, Ramos Perez entered the United States illegally on multiple occasions beginning in 2011, was removed and deported in 2017, and unlawfully re-entered the country multiple times after his removal. DHS also reported he has a prior criminal record including traffic offenses, public order crimes, fraud charges, and a DUI.

Adela Margarita Angel Melendez, an immigrant from El Salvador living in West Liberty, Iowa, was detained during a routine immigration check-in at the Cedar Rapids Department of Homeland Security office on August 4, 2026. She had been waiting seven years for the office to process a residency petition filed by her U.S. citizen sister. Two additional immigrants were also detained during routine check-ins at the same office that morning, according to advocacy group Escucha Mi Voz, which had been outside the office supporting immigrants at their regular meetings with the department.

Migrant children as young as six years old were detained at the Homestead facility adjacent to Homestead Air Reserve Base, a Superfund site with arsenic and lead contamination, according to over 20,000 pages of records released in federal litigation. The facility, which closed in 2019, also exposed children to constant noise from F-16C fighter jets. Some children detained there were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. The federal government agreed to pay legal fees after the lawsuit concluded, with environmental and social justice groups citing the case as part of a nationwide pattern of migrants held in harmful environments.

Gabriel Johnson, a pastor and father who had legal status since age 15, was arrested by ICE in Cary, North Carolina. According to his family, ICE denied him consistent food, water, and necessary medications for over 16 days while in custody. Johnson suffered a stroke on July 30th, resulting in complete paralysis of the left side of his body. His family reports ICE agents refused to allow hospital staff to contact his daughter and has since denied the family visits, phone calls, or health updates. An emergency stay of removal has been filed on his behalf.

Andre Kalyakin entered the United States legally on a J-1 exchange visitor visa more than sixteen years ago and married a U.S. citizen. He is currently detained by ICE at Winn Correctional Center and reports being denied basic medical care, given spoiled milk, and brown tapwater while in custody. Kalyakin wrote a letter describing his detention conditions.

Edwin Jovanny López Cornejo, a 39-year-old Salvadoran national who had lived in the U.S. for nearly 20 years, died August 1, 2026, at University Hospital in Newark following a medical emergency at the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility. He suffered from epilepsy, diabetes, and high blood pressure requiring daily medication, and leaves behind a 12-year-old U.S. citizen daughter, Ashley. ICE arrested him June 18, 2026, in Plainfield, New Jersey, reviving a 2006 deportation order, though his family said he held a valid work permit. His mother, Maria Cornejo, said he called her feeling very ill with numbness in his face and hand after seeing a facility medical provider, and described him as hardworking and a good father, saying, "I lost him to the hands of immigration authorities." The ACLU of New Jersey and his family allege he was denied adequate medical care, which DHS denies, stating he received proper treatment. His death was the second at Delaney Hall since it opened in May 2025, following months of detainee complaints and lawsuits alleging denial of medication, and prompted Governor Mikie Sherrill and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka to call for the facility's closure.

Berhanu Kibret, a pharmacy instructor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy since 2023, was detained by federal immigration agents at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on July 21, 2026, while returning from an American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy conference where he had just been honored as a teacher of the year. Authorities alleged he was undocumented and had overstayed a visa that expired May 31, 2024, despite his holding valid work authorization. University of Maryland officials described him as "an effective and beloved teacher" and a "highly valued" colleague. Kibret remained in detention following the arrest. His detention occurred the same day Ecuadorian traveler Chantal Morales Rojas was detained at Denver International Airport, amid a broader increase in ICE enforcement activity at U.S. airports.

Kaitlyn Tracey, a 33-year-old Canadian citizen, was arrested on July 3, 2026, after allegedly slapping a teenage girl twice on the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk during Fourth of July weekend. The confrontation occurred after Tracey objected to the girl's sweatpants displaying political slogans and allegedly verbally harassed her about her clothing. Police documented the assault on video. Tracey had entered the U.S. on April 14, 2024, on a tourist visa that expired September 6, 2024, remaining in the country illegally. She was charged with simple assault, endangering the welfare of a child, harassment, and obstruction. On August 4, 2026, a federal immigration judge ordered her deportation to Canada after she pleaded guilty to assault; she received a one-day jail sentence credited to time served. Her husband, Matthew Geroni, a U.S. citizen married to Tracey for over three years, disputed the characterization of events and alleged the arrest was politically motivated, claiming the viral video had been taken out of context. He launched fundraising efforts and social media campaigns to secure her release, raising $4,857 toward a $10,000 goal.

Bassirou A. Dante, a citizen of Mali who has lived in the United States since January 2001, was granted withholding of removal to Mali by an immigration judge in March 2013. He was detained by immigration officials on August 3, 2026 during a routine check-in, at which point he was given a Notice of Imminent Removal indicating he would instead be removed to Cameroon. Dante alleges he expressed a fear of persecution in Cameroon and requested a third-country screening interview with his immigration counsel present. He is currently detained at the Alexandria Staging Facility, where officials told him removal was scheduled for August 19, 2026. Dante filed a habeas petition alleging due process violations for being denied an opportunity to challenge his removal to Cameroon, along with an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to halt his removal. The court denied the motion, finding it lacked jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(g) to stay the removal and that Dante failed to provide evidence, such as travel documents, substantiating that removal was truly imminent.

José Efraín Chajón-Raxón, a Guatemalan immigrant and father, was detained by ICE at the Delaney Hall facility in Newark, New Jersey on July 18. The next day, a nurse observed him experiencing seizure-like activity and he was hospitalized at University Hospital. DHS said he was released from ICE custody on July 22 but has withheld further details, including the exact date of his death or whether he died before or after leaving the hospital, citing a policy that ICE no longer tracks deaths after release from custody. His death became publicly known after Democratic U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez disclosed it, saying he received conflicting information and conducted an oversight visit to the facility. He is the third detainee to die in connection with Delaney Hall. His body was returned to his home village in Guatemala, where hundreds attended his funeral, mourning him as a father who had left to support his family; his mother said pursuing justice for his death was impossible without money.

Blerim Skoro, a citizen of Kosovo, was granted deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture (CAT) on November 9, 2022. He was detained by immigration authorities at the Newark Field Office and filed a habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 on August 3, 2026, challenging the legality of his detention. Skoro argued he is being wrongfully held under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b) and sought release or a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). The court noted there is no indication Skoro is currently in removal proceedings, and clarified that a CAT grant does not preclude detention or removal to a third country. The court denied Skoro's motion for a temporary restraining order without prejudice, finding insufficient facts to determine whether his detention is lawful under 8 U.S.C. § 1231. The court declined to dismiss the petition and ordered an expedited briefing schedule, requiring the government to file a full answer within 7 days addressing the statutory basis for detention. A prior stay of transfer from the District of New Jersey, entered by the Chief Judge, remains in effect during the proceedings.

Pablo Santiago Gonzalez was detained by ICE officers on August 3, 2026, after they smashed the window of his car and dragged him out while he was buying work supplies on his way to work. He was taken alongside his uncle. Gonzalez is the primary breadwinner for his family of nine, including his wife and seven children—one adult and six minors under age 18, with three under age 10. He was deported to Mexico on August 11, 2026. His family, unable to afford legal representation, organized a fundraiser to cover legal fees, bail, fines, and household expenses while facing financial hardship.

Jorge Luis Eliecer Ruiz, a 36-year-old Venezuelan national, was detained by ICE on August 3, 2026, after being stopped near the intersection of Wiles Road and State Road 7 in Coconut Creek. He is married to Courtney Walter, a U.S. citizen who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The couple married in 2025 and filed an I-130 family-based petition in September 2025 to establish Ruiz's lawful permanent residency. Walter said the stress of her husband's detention has worsened her health, causing her to lose weight and struggle to eat. Ruiz is being held at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach. His attorney, David Estrella, is pursuing a habeas corpus petition and argues that Ruiz has withholding of removal protection that prevents his return to Venezuela.

Mesheal Magdy Mesheal Shafik is an Egyptian citizen who entered the United States without inspection on July 21, 2023, and sought asylum. He was subsequently released on his own recognizance and has lived in the United States continuously since his entry. On August 3, 2026, he was apprehended by immigration officers while attending an ICE check-in meeting that he was required to attend pursuant to his pending appeal of a removal order to the Board of Immigration Appeals. Shafik remains in custody at the West Tennessee Detention Facility and has not received a bond hearing. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention without prior notice, a warrant, or a bond hearing, alleging violations of his statutory and due process rights. The court issued an order staying his transfer and requiring the respondent to respond, noting that under Lopez-Campos v. Raycraft (6th Cir. 2026), noncitizens who have spent significant time in the U.S. interior and have not committed disqualifying offenses cannot be detained without an individualized bond hearing.

Linda Wolff, a 72-year-old fashion stylist and longtime immigrant rights supporter, was pepper-sprayed by a masked ICE agent while filming federal agents near Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan. Wolff had gone to the area after learning of ICE's presence on social media and was recording near a community garden when an agent approached and sprayed her without any physical altercation. She said her eyes and skin burned afterward but continued documenting ICE activity in the neighborhood. Her attorney says she was exercising her First Amendment rights and has filed a claim against ICE under New York's newly enacted Bivens Act, allowing individuals to sue federal immigration agents in state court, in what he called one of the first tests of the statute. DHS said agents used pepper spray to control a crowd that became 'combative and verbally assaultive' while recovering a vandalized government van, adding that agents acted within their training using only minimal force.

Claudia Rodríguez, a 29-year-old Venezuelan immigrant who earned her master's degree in business administration from St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, was detained by ICE at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in July while attempting to board a flight to North Carolina. Rodríguez arrived in the U.S. legally in 2017 on a tourist visa, applied for asylum within six months, and was granted Temporary Protected Status in 2023 while her asylum case remains pending. She was transferred between two South Florida detention facilities, spending eight days at the ICE office in Miramar in severely overcrowded conditions—sleeping on floors in a cell with 75 people, unable to shower or change clothes, and losing 15 pounds. Her cousin Gabriel Domínguez described her as an exemplary athlete with no criminal record. U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz visited the Miramar facility to advocate for her release, calling the detention "unacceptable." Rodríguez was released on Monday evening.

A Guardian investigation found that the Trump administration's ICE officials attempted to subject at least 10 hunger strikers in immigrant detention to involuntary medical procedures including force-feeding between 2025 and 2026. At least three detainees were definitely subjected to force-feeding, and two more were probably forced to undergo the procedures, while five others ended their hunger strikes before the procedures began. DHS obtained court orders authorizing detention center guards to physically restrain hunger strikers while medical staff inserted feeding tubes and performed other involuntary procedures considered torture by human rights groups.

Carlitos Ricardo Parias, detained at the Adelanto ICE facility near Los Angeles, revealed video footage showing a bottle of drinking water apparently contaminated with worm-like creatures or larvae. The footage emerged weeks after a federal judge ordered ICE to ensure 24-hour access to clean drinking water at the facility in response to a class-action lawsuit alleging dangerous conditions including inadequate food, contaminated water, and poor medical care. Parias preserved the contaminated water as evidence after staff distributed it to detained residents.

Brayan Omar Sánchez, a Honduran man who arrived in the United States as a refugee after losing family members to criminal gangs in Honduras, says he was detained by ICE on May 13 and subsequently deported to Senegal despite claiming he had asylum protection and a K visa that prohibited deportation. Sánchez states he never signed deportation paperwork and was placed on a plane to Africa without his consent. He describes dire conditions in Senegal, including lack of water, food, electricity, and money, and says he arrived with only $20 which was confiscated by customs authorities. He is requesting intervention from the Honduran government to secure his return to the United States.

Ana Granados Sanchez, a 49-year-old Salvadoran national held in ICE's Eloy Detention Center, was deported while still having a nephrostomy tube (urine-collection tube) attached to her body, three months after it was surgically placed. Her urologist at Banner Desert Medical Center had advised against deportation until the tube could be removed, and Granados Sanchez requested to see her specialist in person to have it taken out before leaving the country, citing concerns about medical care availability where she was being deported. While in ICE custody, she did not receive recommended follow-up care. During her detention, she was held in a processing facility with about two dozen other people and forced to use a shared toilet with no privacy, and was not given water at the initial processing center—conditions her urologist said may have contributed to her kidney problems. Advocates' efforts to appeal to ICE to delay her deportation were unsuccessful. The Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project opposed the deportation, citing medical neglect and danger to her health.

Paul, an Indian national with an order withholding his removal based on Convention Against Torture protections, was detained by ICE officers at Dulles Airport after returning from a family trip to Hawaii. As he was being processed at an ICE field office in Virginia, Paul suffered a heart attack, was hospitalized and treated, then released back to ICE custody. He was subsequently released under a preexisting ICE supervision arrangement with his next check-in scheduled for September. His attorney, Jay S. Marks, noted that Paul has protection from removal to India but could be deported to a third country.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested multiple undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes including murder, sexual assault of children, kidnapping, and robbery across the United States. The arrests included individuals from El Salvador, Honduras, Burma, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Laos, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, Peru, and Costa Rica. The DHS spokesperson stated that these enforcement actions removed dangerous criminals from communities.

Ana Castro, a long-time Wyoming resident and immigrant advocate who arrived as a child, is leaving the state amid fears for her safety as red state leaders increasingly cooperate with ICE and pursue hard-line immigration policies. Castro, who worked for a nonprofit and founded the Wyoming chapter of Juntos, an immigrant advocacy group, had spent decades contributing to her rural community despite lacking legal status. Immigrants comprise nearly 30% of rural Wyoming's recent population growth and fill critical gaps in service and construction jobs, but mounting deportation concerns are causing an exodus that threatens rural economies. State leaders acknowledge immigrants' economic importance while supporting stricter enforcement policies.

A long-time member of the Grace St. Paul Episcopal Church community in Tucson was recently detained by ICE and is being held in immigration detention facing deportation. He has lived in Tucson for many decades, works full time, has no criminal record, and is the family's primary breadwinner supporting his wife and children. His sudden detention has left his family unable to cover rent, utilities, groceries, school expenses, and other essential bills, forcing his wife to take on extra work to keep the family afloat.

Pritesh Walia, a rising Indian jazz guitarist born in New Delhi, was arrested at Los Angeles Airport on August 2 for overstaying his O1B visa, which was set to expire in August 2025. Walia arrived in the U.S. in January 2019 and has studied at Musician's Institute, Berklee College of Music, and New England Conservatory, earning degrees in music. He is now being held at Adelanto ICE processing center in Southern California. According to his friend and former classmate saxophonist Joey Rosin, Walia suffers from persistent postural perceptual dizziness, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, and chronic vestibular migraines requiring aggressive physical therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and carefully balanced medication regimens. Rosin expressed concern that the detention facility's fluorescent lighting and conditions may prevent Walia from sleeping and worsen his chronic health conditions. Walia's newest album, "Journey to Nowhere," featuring a 27-piece ensemble, is being released this month.

On August 2, a man was reportedly detained inside the emergency room at NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital by masked federal agents. A DHS vehicle pulled into the emergency bay while protesters gathered outside, and the detained man was removed through another exit. The incident prompted community concern about immigration enforcement in medical settings.