Human Impact Project

Sister Agnes, a Catholic nun from China who had won asylum in the United States, was detained by ICE earlier this year. Even after she won bond in court, ICE refused to release her and kept her in prison for months. She was eventually released to be with her religious community.

Mauricio Castellanos-Gorra, a Cuban national and lawful permanent resident with a 2004 deportation order, was placed in ICE custody in October 2025 after 21 years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Kyle Dudek ordered his release in May 2026 after finding the government failed to meet its burden of proving removal was reasonably foreseeable under the Zadvydas standard. The government did not respond to the court's order requesting details about attempted removals to Mexico.

An immigration detainee was detained under immigration law 8 U.S.C. § 1225 at Orange County Jail in Florida. The court granted a temporary restraining order on May 6, 2026, enjoining respondents from detaining him and ordering his immediate release if held on immigration charges. Orange County Jail released him in accordance with the court order, making the habeas corpus petition moot. A man who entered the U.S. without inspection in December 2022 but was formally paroled by DHS and had complied with all conditions for 3.5 years was arrested during a routine traffic stop in Oklahoma and taken into immigration custody. He was transferred between detention facilities before arriving at Golden State Annex in California. The court granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release, finding his detention without pre-deprivation process violated due process rights.

The ACLU of Wyoming is investigating 287(g) agreements across the state following its lawsuit against Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak, who signed three ICE partnership agreements without county commission approval or public input. The organization has sent records requests to the Wyoming Highway Patrol and seven other counties, with plans to pursue additional lawsuits if investigations reveal similar violations of state law.

Harold A., a 58-year-old Cuban national, was arrested during a routine ICE check-in, detained for several months, and deported to Mexico without documentation, money, or personal belongings. He arrived in Mexico unable to afford food or rent. According to a Human Rights Watch report, Harold A. was one of more than 4,300 Cubans deported to Mexico between January 2025 and March 2026 under the Trump administration's expanded mass deportation plan, most of whom were never taken before a judge to contest their deportation despite expressing fear for their safety.

A man who entered the United States as an unaccompanied child in 2016 was initially placed in Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) custody. He was released after ORR determined he posed neither a flight risk nor danger to the community. On May 27, 2026, ICE re-detained him following multiple law enforcement encounters. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding that his prior release created a protected liberty interest requiring a pre-deprivation hearing before re-detention, and ordered his immediate release.

A Mexican national entered the United States without inspection on June 24, 2021. He was not encountered by immigration authorities at the time of entry, and his first interaction with the Department of Homeland Security occurred during his arrest on May 27, 2026, when he was stopped by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and taken into custody. He was detained without being provided a bond hearing, with the government arguing he was subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2). On June 25, 2026, he filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the lawfulness of his detention and seeking either immediate release or a bond hearing. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted his petition, finding that he is not subject to mandatory detention under § 1225(b)(2) and that his detention is instead governed by § 1226(a), which requires a bond hearing. The court ordered his immediate release and stated that if the government seeks to re-detain him, it must provide seven days' notice and hold a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter.

ICE arrested Lins Dos Santos-Melo, a Brazilian national, on Interstate 81 in Virginia for operating a tractor-trailer without a required commercial driver's license. Dos Santos-Melo possessed a valid Massachusetts driver's license but lacked the proper credentials for the vehicle he was operating. The arrest was part of ICE enforcement operations targeting undocumented immigrants operating commercial vehicles.

Luis Villalobos, a legal permanent resident who has lived in El Paso most of his life, was arrested by ICE agents on May 27 as he left his driveway for work. Agents claimed there was a warrant but refused to provide documentation. His family is struggling with legal fees and bills.

Marvin Godoy Calderon, a 45-year-old Peruvian immigrant with valid work authorization through 2030, was arrested outside his Sunnyside home on May 27, 2026, while sitting in his parked car waiting to go grocery shopping with his roommate. ICE agents removed him from the vehicle without showing a warrant and pressed him facedown on the asphalt, with multiple agents striking him across the back and head while pinning his arms and placing knees on his shoulders and neck. Calderon works two jobs as a janitor and dishwasher to support his four children in Peru. After being detained for approximately 13 hours in a cold metal cell at immigration court, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order mandating his immediate release, prompted by video footage of the arrest and legal advocacy. Medical evaluation at SF General Hospital revealed a head injury and fluid in his left knee from the arrest. Following his release, Calderon raised $900 through selling pollada (a Peruvian chicken dish) to make rent after losing his restaurant job shifts, and continues working and attending church while awaiting a June 10 hearing.

A father and grandfather were detained by ICE in the same operation. The family cannot afford legal representation and has lost their primary income source, as the father was the sole earner. The family is seeking $3,000 to hire a lawyer to investigate the case.

A woman was detained by ICE in El Monte, California on an unspecified date after being followed from her home to a shopping mall. She was taken into custody at 11 am and transferred to LA County detention, then to Adelanto ICE facility. Her daughter Kandie Cortes is seeking funds for legal representation to fight the case.

A woman was taken into ICE custody while a passenger in a car on her way to a church event. She was reportedly going through the legal visa process and had legal representation. Her family is raising funds to cover immigration lawyer fees, legal filings, and other expenses while fighting for her release, as she is the primary caretaker for her sister who has leukemia and type 1 diabetes.

Oscar Andres Moreno Castrillon, a Colombian father, is urgently seeking legal help to establish paternity of his biological daughter before her mother is deported by ICE. The child's mother, who is currently detained by ICE and faces potential deportation, never allowed Moreno Castrillon to be fully involved in the child's life or have his name placed on her birth certificate. Moreno Castrillon fears his daughter may be taken out of the country before he can legally establish his parental rights and ensure she remains in the United States with family.

Dhaval Amratbhai Patel, an Indian national living in the U.S. without authorization, was arrested by Worcester Police on May 16, 2026, for assaulting a customer with a baseball bat at a liquor store where he worked. Local authorities released him from jail without notifying ICE. Federal immigration officials arrested Patel on May 18 after his release. DHS subsequently criticized Massachusetts sanctuary policies for the lack of cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Karliana Yosdeylin Perdomo-Gotopo, a 20-year-old women's soccer player and business major at Cleary University in Michigan, was detained by ICE on May 26, 2026, during a traffic stop in Lincoln Park. Perdomo entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor in September 2022 at age 15, fleeing political persecution in Venezuela, and graduated high school with honors in Detroit in 2023. She had a pending asylum application and her mother believed she held valid Temporary Protected Status documentation through October 2026, though the Trump administration had previously ended TPS protections for Venezuelan nationals. A witness reported the stop appeared targeted based on her Latina appearance. Perdomo was transferred to North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin, Michigan.

ICE agents in unmarked gray and blue SUVs conducted a roundup operation in McMinnville, Tennessee on May 27, 2026, detaining multiple people. Initial reports indicated at least 6 people were taken into custody, with subsequent reports showing 11 people detained and one released. Video footage showed agents exiting unmarked vehicles, handcuffing individuals, and approaching workers outside a Lowe's store. Those taken into custody were transported to Putnam County Jail and held overnight before potential transfer to other facilities.

Alina Rosales Aguirreurreta, a physician and daughter of historic Cuban general Ulises Rosales del Toro, was detained by ICE in South Florida in May 2026. She had entered the United States in 2023 on a B1/B2 tourist visa issued at the U.S. Embassy in Havana and was living in South Florida while seeking to regularize her immigration status. ICE confirmed her detention but did not publicly disclose the specific reason for the detention or the facility location.

Herber Aquino, a father of four with no criminal record and an ongoing immigration case, was detained on May 27th by multiple armed, masked agents in unmarked vehicles during a work stop in Riverside. According to accounts, agents surrounded his work truck, forcibly removed him from the vehicle, drew weapons, struck his head, and transported him and his work crew in unmarked vehicles. His family launched a fundraising effort to cover legal defense costs, bond, and living expenses while his wife recovered from childbirth.

Federal officers in tactical gear and unmarked vehicles arrested a man outside his home in San Francisco's Sunnyside neighborhood on a Wednesday morning. Witnesses reported the officers, wearing vests identifying themselves as federal and police, restrained the man and transported him in vehicles without license plates. An activist later observed the man being escorted into the ICE field office on Sansome Street.

A father was detained by ICE agents on May 27, 2026, at 5:40 AM in Eastvale during a traffic stop while traveling to work with two of his brothers. Agents initially confused him with his older brother due to sharing the same name before ultimately detaining him. The father is the primary financial provider for his family, which includes his mother and three younger brothers, one of whom has autism. He has severe diabetes and requires daily medication. His family is seeking legal representation and financial assistance to secure his release and ensure he receives necessary medical care.

U.S. Representatives Wesley Bell and Nikki Budzinski visited Ste. Genevieve County jail on May 26-27, 2026, and found ICE detainees in overcrowded conditions, some sleeping on thin trays instead of beds, with insufficient access to clean water, medical care, and legal representation. The facility, which houses over 150 ICE detainees on contract, was found to have gaps between stated conditions and detainee experiences, with particular concerns raised about a pregnant detainee's lack of prenatal care and vitamins. Both representatives committed to following up with jail staff and detained constituents to ensure improved conditions and fulfillment of commitments made during the visit.

Senator Andy Kim visited Delaney Hall, an ICE detention center in Newark, to mediate between protesters and detainees conducting a hunger strike. ICE agents fired tear gas at Kim and demonstrators while the senator stood between them with his arms raised. Kim reported witnessing detained individuals, including an 18-year-old high school student and a woman who had suffered a miscarriage, under poor conditions. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill was denied entry but heard complaints from family members about spoiled food and lack of medical care.

A Human Rights Watch report documents that the Trump administration deported over 4,300 Cuban nationals to Mexico between January 2025 and March 2026, many sent to high-violence border areas where they lack legal status, citizenship, or prior ties. Based on interviews with 41 deported Cubans and migrants from other countries, the report reveals that deportees experienced inhumane detention conditions in U.S. facilities, were pressured into going to Mexico under threat of prolonged detention or deportation, and now face severe conditions including homelessness, lack of access to food and healthcare, vulnerability to violence from organized crime, and inability to regularize their status or return to Cuba. The U.S. and Mexican governments maintain an undisclosed agreement to deport Cubans to Mexico despite Cuba's refusal to accept such deportations.

Luis Fernando Cabrera, an 18-year-old senior at Northeast Early College High School in Austin, was detained by ICE on May 1, 2026, after a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper pulled him over for expired vehicle registration. Body camera footage shows the trooper photographed Cabrera's school ID and used the encrypted messaging app Signal to contact federal immigration agents, receiving a message instructing him to "detain." Cabrera, who had an active pending asylum case dating to 2019 with no deportation order or criminal history, was transferred to Karnes County Immigration Processing Center over 100 miles away. His detention sparked protests from classmates and community members, with support from his school and St. James Episcopal Church. On May 20, a federal judge ordered ICE to release Cabrera, barring deportation and allowing him to graduate and take his final exams.

Leonardo Garcia Venegas, a U.S. citizen born in Florida, was detained by ICE agents three separate times within 12 months despite carrying valid identification. In May 2025, he was tackled and handcuffed during a construction site raid in Foley while filming his brother's arrest. In June 2025, he was detained at a home in Fairhope after agents rejected his REAL ID. On May 2, 2026, ICE agents followed him home, pulled him from his vehicle, and placed him in leg shackles despite his presentation of citizenship documentation. Venegas filed a federal lawsuit against the federal government alleging Fourth Amendment violations, assault, battery, false arrest, and warrantless, suspicionless detentions.

Henry Morales Hernandez, 55, a former Venezuelan Army Major with an active asylum case, has been detained by ICE since May following a traffic stop in Florida. Prosecutors dismissed the driving under the influence charge, with breath test results below the legal limit. Morales Hernandez arrived legally on a tourist visa in 2021 and has been granted Temporary Protected Status while his asylum case proceeds in immigration court.

Erik Maradiaga Alvarado was detained by ICE without warning or judicial warrant. He is the sole provider for his family, which includes two sons, one with a medical disability (Apert Syndrome). His wife is seeking funds for legal fees, rent, and living expenses during his detention.

A man who entered the United States in 2007 and had lived in the country for multiple years was detained by ICE on May 26, 2026, without being provided a warrant or notice of the reason for detention. The court found his detention unlawful due to denial of a bond hearing for over two months and ordered his immediate release, rejecting ICE's arguments for mandatory detention.

ICE agents pursued someone into Central Diner and Grille in Robinson Township after a traffic stop on Route 60. The restaurant's manager, a U.S. citizen, refused to allow agents to search the kitchen without a warrant. The confrontation escalated and the manager was pinned to the floor by an agent and injured. The manager had been hospitalized for heart issues the week before. Workers were so shaken that the restaurant closed for the day. ICE searched the business but did not locate the person they were pursuing.

Oso, a Pomeranian, was left at a shelter after his family was deported by ICE in Prince George's County, Maryland during the current administration's mass deportation enforcement. The dog was surrendered with only his name on his collar and no explanation. Since mass deportation enforcement ramped up in early 2025, animal welfare groups across the country report a surge in pets abandoned or surrendered by deported families, with some rescues taking in three times as many animals as they did a year ago.

A Chinese national lawfully admitted on a B-2 visa in 2015 who overstayed and subsequently applied for adjustment of status was arrested by ICE officers without prior notice or warrant on May 26, 2026, during her USCIS adjustment of status interview. ICE alleged she was being arrested for visa overstay. After a bond hearing on June 17, 2026, where an immigration judge denied her release, she filed a habeas corpus petition. The federal court granted her petition on July 1, 2026, finding she had a liberty interest in remaining free from detention and ordered her immediate release, enjoining future detention without notice and a pre-detention hearing.

An Indian national who entered the United States on December 31, 2022, was detained by ICE on May 26, 2026, following a commercial vehicle inspection and transferred to Central Valley Annex Detention Facility in McFarland, California. He had no criminal history, was not subject to a final removal order, and had previously been paroled under INA § 212(d)(5). The court found his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause and ordered his immediate release, enjoining respondents from re-detaining him without providing seven days' notice and holding a bond hearing before a neutral arbiter.

Alejandro, a 10th-grade student at Churchill High School, and his father Jairo were detained by ICE on May 17, 2026 while driving to an after-school soccer game in San Antonio. Unmarked vehicles surrounded their car and transported them to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley. Both are asylum seekers who followed proper legal procedures to enter the country. During detention, Alejandro reported difficulty eating and emotional distress while missing critical final days of his school year and his mother. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro visited them on May 26 and advocated for their release, citing the need for humane treatment. Following these advocacy efforts, their release was set to occur.

A pregnant constituent from Illinois' 13th Congressional District was detained by ICE at the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center in Missouri and required two hospital visits for pregnancy-related emergencies while in custody. During a congressional tour on May 26, 2026, U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski and Rep. Wesley Bell observed conditions at the facility, where detainees reported serious access issues including insufficient drinking water (forcing some to drink from showers), inadequate medical care, and limited access to notaries and legal representation. The facility, which operates under a federal contract allowing ICE to hold up to 400 detainees, housed detainees in overcrowded cells with up to 48 people per room using inflatable mats or thin pads on trays for bedding. While facility operators claimed basic needs were being met, detainees—many from across Missouri and southern Illinois—reported being detained unexpectedly during their asylum process after initially being assured they would not be held.

Anabella Gyasi, 38, a pregnant Ghanaian woman, and her 4-year-old son who has a physical abnormality affecting his hands arrived at Dulles International Airport on valid tourist visas to seek medical care for her son at Akron Children's Hospital in Ohio. At customs, she disclosed a fear of returning to Ghana because of persecution she faced for her son's disability. CBP officers took them into custody as asylum seekers after she stated under oath that she did not intend to return to Ghana, which led officials to nullify her tourist visa. Gyasi, who was about four months pregnant, was held in a windowless room at the airport with her son for more than a week without adequate food or medical care. She was twice transported to a hospital for treatment. DHS denied her care was inadequate. The ACLU of Virginia filed an emergency petition, and Judge Leonie Brinkema called the detention a "terrible situation," saying Gyasi should not spend another night at the airport. A Justice Department attorney said immigration authorities were prepared to deport Gyasi and her son back to Ghana that night. CBP had interviewed her and judged she did not have a "credible fear" of returning. The judge ordered the government to confirm her departure and ruled the petition moot. Gyasi and her son were deported to Ghana.

Idaho State Police transferred 30 immigrants from state prisons and county jails to ICE custody for deportation following completion of their criminal sentences as part of Operation No Return, a state program utilizing the 287(g) partnership between Idaho law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Officials stated the individuals had been convicted of crimes including child sexual abuse, drug trafficking, assault, and DUI. The transfer brings the cumulative total of people moved through the operation to 130.

Jose Pineda, a Salvadoran man with Temporary Protected Status working as a landscaper in East Boston, was stopped by ICE officers while on his way to work. Despite presenting valid Social Security and work authorization cards, agents refused to accept his documents and detained him for nearly two days in an overcrowded holding cell at the ICE Boston Field Office with approximately 50 other people where conditions were poor—he could not sit or sleep and received minimal food and water. His $600 in rent savings was not returned. The detention caused him frequent headaches, anxiety, memory loss, and worsened gastritis. His absence from work resulted in a demotion from lead foreman to assistant. He now experiences recurring nightmares and sleeps separately from his wife out of fear of harming her. He has filed a tort claim against the federal government.

Aliya Rahman, a Bangladeshi American U.S. citizen with autism and traumatic brain injury, was detained by ICE agents in Minneapolis on her way to a doctor's appointment during Operation Metro Surge. At the intersection of 34th Street and Park Avenue, agents smashed her passenger side window and violently pulled her from her car despite her calling out that she was disabled. Four agents carried her handcuffed in a hogtied position before placing her in an SUV and transporting her to the Whipple Federal Building. At the facility, her requests for medical care were denied for more than an hour until she lost consciousness and was transported to the emergency room. She was released without charge and never cited, and subsequently filed formal complaints alleging violations of her First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rights, as well as human rights breaches, and pursued a tort claim for damages from unlawful detention and detention conditions.

A Mexican man was arrested by Border Patrol agents outside his apartment in Winooski after agents tracked him near his home for months during the summer. The case illustrates Border Patrol's expanded interior enforcement operations in Vermont, going beyond traditional border patrol duties.

Two Guatemalan women were arrested and deported after an ICE agent positioned an unmarked cruiser outside a large apartment building in Colchester where the agency had previously located undocumented seasonal workers. The agent ran checks on out-of-state license plates in the parking lot, eventually leading to their identification and deportation.

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center and a U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by federal agents on January 24, 2026, during a protest against Operation Metro Surge immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. Pretti was peacefully observing and filming agents when they shoved him, sprayed him with a chemical agent, and beat him with a metal canister before shooting him ten times. Multiple witnesses and bystander video contradicted federal authorities' initial claims of self-defense; footage showed Pretti on the ground holding a mobile phone, and showed an agent removing a gun from his hip holster before the shooting began. Although Pretti was a legal firearm owner with a carry permit, he did not brandish a weapon or attack agents. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and other state and local officials rejected the federal government's characterization of the shooting. Pretti's death was one of at least 14 shooting incidents involving agents during the enforcement surge and prompted resignations and removals of ICE commander Gregory Bovino and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, along with congressional scrutiny over use of force, training, and body camera protocols.

Victor Cruz, a 56-year-old handyman from Portland, Oregon, was arrested without a warrant by ICE agents and held for 24 days at the Tacoma detention center. An immigration judge granted him a bond hearing and he was released in October 2025. He won his immigration case in February 2026.

Border Patrol's Targeting Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, and ICE conducted a targeted operation at a home in El Paso on May 26, 2026, and arrested two individuals alleged to be members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Both were found to be in the country without authorization and are scheduled for removal. Authorities have not released the identities of the suspects or additional details about the operation. The arrests are part of a broader multi-state federal enforcement campaign against alleged Tren de Aragua members announced by the Department of Justice in early May.

Diego Hernandez Garcia, a 24-year-old construction worker who had lived in the U.S. since age 13, was detained by ICE on December 11, 2025, during a raid at a Hardin Valley construction site in Knoxville. Hernandez Garcia had been granted protective status in 2022 and had an approved I-360 petition for lawful permanent status. His attorney claimed he had valid work authorization at the time of detention and that ICE revoked his deferred status only after taking him into custody. A federal judge denied his habeas corpus petition and lifted a stay on a 2016 removal order, ruling the government was not constitutionally obligated to provide due process before terminating his deferred action status. Hernandez Garcia was subsequently deported to El Salvador.

ICE conducted a workplace raid at a mushroom farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, resulting in the arrest of approximately a dozen workers. The incident appeared to be the first major workplace raid in the region's mushroom industry since the 1990s and signaled an intensified enforcement effort targeting undocumented immigrants. The raid prompted heightened anxiety among immigrant workers in the area.

ICE conducted a targeted enforcement operation in the Green Drive area of Cleveland, Tennessee that resulted in the arrest of eight undocumented immigrants at a gas station on May 22, 2026. The operation targeted a specific individual with a history of DUI convictions and prior deportations; several people attempted to flee as agents approached. On May 26, ICE released the identities and backgrounds of those arrested, noting that some were apprehended as collateral arrests during the operation. Three of those arrested accepted Incentivized Voluntary Departure, while the remaining five remained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

At least 20 detainees at Desert View Annex (Adelanto ICE Processing Center) in Adelanto, California, launched a hunger strike in mid-May 2026 to protest inadequate health care, food portions, unsafe conditions, and demand bond reform and accountability. The facility, operated by the GEO Group, experienced four deaths between September 2025 and March 2026. A lawyer with the National Day Labor Organization described the hunger strike as a last resort when other options have been exhausted. One detainee's wife spoke publicly about the inhumane treatment at the facility. The facility's population increased dramatically from 424 detainees in 2023 to 2,087 in 2025.

Dolores Bustamante Romero, a 54-year-old apple picker and farmworker advocate from Wayne County, New York, was detained by ICE on April 22, 2026, during a mandatory check-in appointment at the Buffalo office without notice that her supervised release was being revoked. A Mexican national who fled gender violence in 2003 and arrived in the U.S. seeking asylum, Bustamante has lived in upstate New York since 2012 and was a well-known advocate for migrant farmworkers and member of Alianza Agricola. She was instrumental in securing New York's Green Light Law and an executive order banning State Police from inquiring about immigration status. She had no criminal record and had attended four previous check-in appointments without incident while enrolled in an alternatives-to-detention program under the Biden administration. U.S. District Judge Meredith Vacca ordered ICE to return her to Western New York and held an evidentiary hearing on May 26, 2026, to review whether ICE violated her due process rights by detaining her without proper notice.

Marimar Martinez, a U.S. citizen, was shot by Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum during an immigration operation in Chicago in October 2025, sustaining seven wounds from five shots fired. Exum later bragged about the shooting in a work group chat, stating "I fired 5 shots and she had 7 holes." Federal prosecutors initially charged Martinez with assaulting federal agents but dismissed the charges after Exum's text messages became public. The government had labeled Martinez a "domestic terrorist," but the agent's own testimony acknowledged the collision was merely a side swipe, not a ramming attack. Marimar Martinez was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in Chicago. She has filed a tort claim against the federal government seeking damages.