Human Impact Project

Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, one of seven people charged with stealing millions in jewelry, diamonds, emeralds, gold, rubies and designer watches in 2022, was allowed to self-deport to South America by federal immigration authorities before facing trial. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges prior to his deportation.

Osvaldo Damian Diaz Hernandez, a noncitizen who had been previously released on bond or conditional parole, was re-detained by immigration authorities on January 22, 2026 without being provided a pre-deprivation bond hearing. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his ongoing immigration detention. The federal court ruled that the Due Process Clause requires the government to provide a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter before re-detaining someone who was previously released, and ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention.

Fernando Paul Leon Pinto, a noncitizen who had been previously released on bond or conditional parole, was re-detained by immigration authorities on January 22, 2026. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his ongoing immigration detention, arguing that the government violated his due process rights by re-detaining him without providing a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter. The federal court granted his petition and ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he was subject to prior to his January 22 detention.

An immigration judge ordered Yannier Vazquez Hidalgo, a Cuban man working at SUNY Upstate Medical University, to be deported to Ecuador, a country where he has no ties. His husband, Alicbiades Lazaro Ramirez Gonzalez, received a similar deportation order to Ecuador the previous week. Both men were detained by federal agents in October during a routine ICE appointment in Mattydale after fleeing Cuba and getting married in the U.S. They had requested asylum based on persecution fears as gay men but now face potential persecution in Ecuador.

Mohanad Mohsen Metwally Ali Ahmed was detained on January 21, 2026, after previously being released on bond or parole. The court found that the government violated his due process rights by re-detaining him without providing a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention.

Rogelio Fraga-Herrejon, a 48-year-old Mexican citizen who has lived in Pomona, California for over 17 years with his spouse and four U.S. citizen children, was arrested during an interior immigration enforcement operation on January 19, 2026. He has been detained at the Adelanto Detention Facility since his arrest, with an Immigration Judge denying his bond request. The federal court granted a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release, finding his bond hearing violated due process.

A 62-year-old Somali elder was detained by ICE agents at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis on December 31 without a warrant. ICE officers remained at the patient's bedside for approximately 28 hours while she received medical care. During her detention, the patient was allegedly shackled to her hospital bed and denied family visits. She was subsequently transported to the ICU where she remains unresponsive.

Marina E., an Ecuadoran citizen who has lived in the U.S. since 2007, was taken into custody by immigration authorities on January 15, 2026. The government classified her under mandatory detention provisions, but the federal court ruled she was wrongly classified and is entitled to a bond hearing under discretionary detention statutes. The court ordered immigration authorities to provide her with a bond hearing.

Dylan Linet, a Minneapolis resident and photographer, was sprayed in the face with chemical irritant by an ICE agent while photographing federal officers conducting an arrest on Lake Street. Linet was standing approximately 10 feet away from officers when one agent screamed profanities and immediately sprayed him, causing blindness and extreme pain. This declaration is part of a class action lawsuit against DHS, ICE, and other federal agencies challenging their enforcement activities.

J.I.B.C., a 19-year-old man from Ecuador applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile status and asylum, was detained by Border Patrol agents outside a T-Mobile store in Minneapolis on January 13, 2026. He was transported to Texas and held for seven days without access to legal counsel. After attorney Kira Kelley filed a habeas petition, a court ordered his return to Minnesota and release from custody on January 20, 2026.

Brenda Beatriz Organiz-Perez De Lorenzo, a Guatemalan woman and her two minor children, petitioned for review after being denied asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture. She fled Guatemala in February 2019 after receiving threatening phone calls demanding money. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals denied her petition, finding she failed to establish eligibility for relief on multiple grounds including lack of nexus between the threats and her claimed protected social group.

Tah Lah, a Burmese refugee mother of four who was lawfully admitted to the U.S. in November 2024, was arrested by ICE agents at her St. Paul apartment on January 10, 2026, one day after USCIS announced Operation PARRIS to re-examine refugee cases. She was immediately transferred to Texas despite having a pending adjustment of status application. A federal magistrate judge recommended granting her habeas petition and ordering her release, finding her detention was not authorized under federal law. Ta Eh Doh Lah, a Burmese refugee mother who was legally admitted to the U.S. in November 2024, was arrested by ICE agents at her apartment while breastfeeding her five-month-old baby. She had properly filed for status adjustment and has no criminal history, but was detained as part of Operation PARRIS. The court ordered her immediate transfer back to Minnesota and release, noting she has congenital heart disease requiring expert medical care.

Jose Pablo Trejo Guzman, a 42-year-old Salvadoran national, was arrested by ICE agents on January 9, 2026, when he and his wife appeared at the Santa Ana Field Office for a scheduled interview regarding their pending I-130 petition. Guzman had been living in the U.S. since 2004 and was previously released on his own recognizance in 2011 after removal proceedings were initiated. He is the primary financial provider for four U.S. citizen children. The court granted his application for a temporary restraining order and ordered his immediate release from custody.

This is a legal filing in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon in which plaintiffs M-J-M-A- and Victor Cruz Gamez seek a preliminary injunction against DHS and ICE officials. The case challenges what plaintiffs characterize as an 'Arrest First, Justify Later' policy regarding immigration enforcement operations. The filing argues this policy has caused extensive harm and requests expedited hearing and oral argument.

Dulce Consuelo Díaz Morales, a 22-year-old Maryland mother, was detained by ICE on December 14, 2025, and held for 25 days across facilities in Louisiana, Texas, and New Jersey. She presented a U.S. birth certificate and other documentation to support her citizenship claim, but DHS maintains she is not a citizen and crossed the border without authorization in 2023. Following legal intervention, a federal court judge issued an order preventing her immediate deportation, resulting in her release with an ankle monitor requirement and reunification with her 5-year-old son. She remains subject to ongoing deportation proceedings with a hearing scheduled for July 2026.

Alberto C.M., a Mexican citizen with a valid H2B visa, was arrested by ICE agents during Operation Metro Surge and suffered severe head injuries including skull fractures and brain hemorrhages. The court found his detention unlawful because he was arrested without a warrant and ordered his immediate release after 15 days of hospitalization under ICE custody. ICE agents had refused to explain the cause of his injuries, telling hospital staff only that 'he got his shit rocked.'

Sithy Yi, a Cambodian Genocide survivor who came to the U.S. in 1981, was detained by ICE at a routine immigration check-in in Santa Ana on January 8 and held at Adelanto Detention Facility for almost two months. A federal judge ordered her immediate release following a lawsuit arguing she was held unconstitutionally and that ICE failed to follow required procedural steps. Yi's attorney alleged she experienced retaliation, verbal abuse, and poor detention conditions while in custody.

Hongbo Zhao, a Chinese citizen with a pending asylum application, was detained by ICE on January 7, 2026, during a routine check-in at an ICE field office. He had been released on his own recognizance since April 2024 and had complied with all reporting requirements. The federal court ordered his immediate release, finding that ICE violated his due process rights by detaining him without notice or a pre-deprivation hearing.

ICE agents detained Mubashir, a 20-year-old Somali-American U.S. citizen, during a raid in Minneapolis's Cedar Riverside neighborhood. He was tackled, handcuffed, and held at Fort Snelling for several hours despite showing his passport multiple times. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O'Hara condemned the operation, with Frey stating the detention violated law and the Constitution. ICE agents also checked IDs at East African restaurants but found only U.S. citizens and made no arrests.

Nawras Maklad, a Syrian citizen who entered the U.S. without inspection in January 2022 and filed for asylum, is detained at the ICE Detention Center in Adelanto, California. An immigration judge denied his bond on March 27, 2026, finding him a flight risk. The court denied his ex parte application for a temporary restraining order to challenge his continued detention.

ICE officers entered Hennepin County Medical Center without a warrant on December 31, 2025, and guarded a patient seeking medical care for approximately 28 hours. The patient was reportedly shackled to their hospital bed at times and denied family visits while officers maintained watch. Immigration advocates and healthcare workers held a press conference demanding policy changes to protect patients from immigration enforcement in hospitals.

Brayan Stiven Martinez Cardona was re-detained by immigration authorities on December 29, 2026, after having been previously released on bond or conditional parole. The petitioner challenged his ongoing immigration detention through a habeas corpus petition, arguing that his re-detention without a pre-deprivation bond hearing violated due process. The court granted his petition and ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to his December 29 detention.

ICE agents stopped a U.S. citizen named Said Mohamed during a traffic stop and demanded he prove his citizenship. Mohamed repeatedly asked why he was being stopped. Agents cited the vehicle's possible connection to individuals without legal status. After showing his ID, Mohamed was allowed to leave. ICE agents confronted a woman outside her home and demanded she provide ID to prove U.S. citizenship. When questioned, agents claimed to have a warrant for an unspecified target at the address but refused to present it.

Fatima Issela Velazquez-Antonio, 23, was detained by Customs and Border Patrol agents at her job site in Raleigh in November and transferred to a Georgia federal detention facility. She was released from ICE custody and returned to North Carolina on December 23, 2025. Velazquez-Antonio, who has lived legally in the U.S. since age 14 fleeing gang violence in Honduras, has valid work authorization and no criminal record, and her case remains pending.

A federal judge in Charlotte ruled that ICE violated a man's due process rights by unlawfully detaining Mostafa Said, an Egyptian asylum seeker, during a routine check-in. The judge ordered immigration officials to hold a bond hearing for Said within 48 hours. Said had been released on humanitarian parole after entering through the U.S.-Mexico border and was arrested in Charlotte and transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have collaborated on a data-sharing program since March 2025 to identify and detain individuals with deportation orders at airport security checkpoints. The program has resulted in several high-profile cases, including the detention of college student Any Lucía López Belloza and DACA recipient Catalina Santiago, raising concerns about due process violations and civil liberties.

Spencer Gair Harrington, a Canadian citizen residing in the U.S. since 2019, was arrested on December 18, 2025 during a USCIS interview for his green card application based on marriage to a U.S. citizen. He remained detained until February 3, 2026 when an immigration judge released him on bond, finding he posed no flight risk or danger. Despite the judge's determination, ICE placed Harrington on an ankle monitor and in intensive supervision, prompting his habeas petition challenging the conditions as violating his due process rights.

Habel Russbel Hinostroza Alarcon was re-detained on December 18, 2025, after being previously released on bond or conditional parole under immigration law. The federal court found that his re-detention without a pre-deprivation bond hearing violated due process rights. The court ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention and required the government to provide seven days' notice and a bond hearing before any future re-detention.

Families of immigrants arrested in a federal ICE surge in Maine are struggling to find basic information about their detained relatives as the government rapidly transfers them to detention facilities across multiple states. Erik Orellana-Mejia was arrested at his worksite on January 20 and has since been transferred to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Louisiana, and Missouri. ICE has been building out detention and deportation infrastructure in New England and across the country to support intensified enforcement operations.

Six foreign nationals were arrested between November 2025 and January 2026 and charged with being inadmissible as persons present without admission in the United States. They were detained at the Adelanto Detention Center and Desert View Annex without individualized bond hearings. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring bond hearings within 7 days or immediate release.

Martina Martin Garcia, a Guatemalan asylum seeker who fled to the U.S. in April 2024, was arrested on December 11, 2025, while attending a scheduled ICE check-in at 630 Sansome Street in San Francisco. Garcia had been released on her own recognizance, complied with all supervision conditions, and had no criminal history. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring her immediate release, finding her detention likely violated her constitutional due process rights.

ICE agents arrested Mubashir, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen of Somali descent, in Minneapolis's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood during Operation Metro Surge. Video footage showed agents slamming him against a door, placing him in a chokehold, and detaining him despite him repeatedly stating he was a U.S. citizen with identification. He was released after approximately two hours when agents confirmed his citizenship status.

Three U.S. citizens of Somali and Latino descent filed a class action lawsuit challenging DHS's "Operation Metro Surge" in Minneapolis, which began after President Trump called Somalis "garbage" in December 2025. The plaintiffs allege federal agents are conducting warrantless stops and arrests based solely on race and ethnicity, violating the Fourth Amendment and federal immigration law. The operation involves 3,000 federal agents targeting predominantly Somali and Latino neighborhoods despite 95% of Somali Minnesotans being U.S. citizens.

Vilma Cruz, a 38-year-old Honduran national, was arrested by ICE agents in Kenner, Louisiana during an operation called "Catahoula Crunch." Her 18-year-old son, Jonathan Escalante, a U.S. citizen, is now the sole caregiver for his 9-year-old sister and worries about being detained himself despite being a citizen.

ICE detained a critically ill man who was traveling to receive medical treatment. Williams Javier Toro Enamorado, a 27-year-old Honduran man with end-stage kidney disease, was detained by ICE agents on November 19 while traveling to a dialysis appointment during an operation called "Charlotte's Web." He claims he was denied dialysis treatment and pressured to sign a voluntary deportation order, with officers allegedly telling him "If you want to leave, sign. If not, you're going to die here." He is being held at an ICE detention center in Folkston, Georgia, over 360 miles from his family in North Carolina.

During court testimony in an immigration detention case, ICE officers revealed they were assigned an unwritten quota to arrest at least eight people daily as part of a temporary task force in Portland. A woman identified as MJMA was arrested without a warrant in Woodburn, detained, and released the next day without conditions. Immigration lawyers are challenging what they call an unlawful dragnet operation, arguing officers arrested the woman without probable cause.

Narcisa Andundia-Carillo, an asylum seeker from Ecuador who fled extortion and death threats, was detained by ICE on December 3, 2025 during a routine check-in at 630 Sansome Street in San Francisco. Despite having no criminal record and consistently appearing for immigration hearings, ICE alleged she missed a July 23, 2025 check-in that was not visible on her application. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring her immediate release and prohibiting re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing.

Angelica Martinez Chavelas, a Mexican citizen who entered the U.S. in 2015 and was released on parole under the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP), was re-detained by immigration officials on December 2, 2025, after missing mandatory check-ins. She had voluntarily presented herself at an ISAP appointment when she was taken back into custody. The court ordered her immediate release, finding the re-detention violated due process because she was not provided notice or a hearing before being detained.

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

Paramjit Singh, a native of India who entered the U.S. without inspection in 2004, was re-detained by ICE at a New York office during a scheduled check-in on November 18, 2025. Singh had been previously detained, placed in removal proceedings, and released, with an asylum application pending since 2024. The court ordered respondents to provide Singh with a bond hearing within seven days or release him.

Transgender immigrant Britania Uriostegui Rios was deported to Mexico on November 11, 2024, despite a judge's order blocking her removal due to torture risk. ICE and Department of Justice officials acknowledged the deportation was improper and made in violation of the immigration judge's March order concluding she was likely to face torture in her home country. Uriostegui Rios was deported without medications, identification, money, or a cell phone and went into hiding in Mexico. As of November 2025, the Trump administration was working to bring her back to the U.S. from Tijuana while seeking an alternative country for deportation. Uriostegui Rios filed suit seeking forced release from custody upon her return.

Border Patrol detained Moises Benitez Diaz, a 27-year-old Raleigh construction contractor, on November 18 during Operation Charlotte's Web. His wife Esmeralda Escobar, who is 8 months pregnant, is now managing the family business while he is held at a Georgia facility. Despite DHS claiming he was a criminal convicted of felony larceny, court records show his charges were dismissed and he completed a misdemeanor diversion agreement.

Christian Elian Mendoza Barragan was re-detained by immigration authorities on November 14, 2026, after previously being released on bond or parole. The court found that the government violated his due process rights by failing to provide a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter. The court ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention and required the government to provide seven days' notice and a proper hearing before any future re-detention.

Josefa Hernandez Bernal, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela with pending asylum applications, was detained by ICE officers on November 13, 2025, during a routine check-in at the ICE field office in San Francisco. Bernal had been released on an Order of Recognizance after arriving at the border in June 2024 and had complied with all release requirements and court hearings. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring her immediate release from custody and prohibiting re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing.

Giorgi Gvedashvili, a Georgian citizen who entered the U.S. in 2022 and filed an asylum application, was detained by ICE in November 2025 during a routine check-in. He had originally been released on his own recognizance after being apprehended by Border Patrol. The federal court ruled his detention unlawful and ordered his immediate release, finding he did not meet the criteria for mandatory detention under immigration law.

J.A.M.C., who arrived in the U.S. at age 3 in 1991, was detained by ICE on November 7, 2025 during a scheduled check-in at the San Francisco ICE Field Office. ICE alleged he violated his GPS monitoring terms by visiting Stinson Beach on Labor Day, though he claims he had permission from his ISAP officer. The court ordered his immediate release and prohibited re-detention without a hearing before an immigration judge.

Nazario Radilla Valdovinos, a Mexican citizen, was taken into ICE custody on November 3, 2025 and detained at Adelanto ICE Detention Center pending removal proceedings. ICE issued a custody determination continuing his detention without providing an opportunity for bond or release. The court granted his habeas petition in part, ordering that he receive a bond hearing within seven days under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a).

Armando Garcia Picazo, detained by ICE in August without legal status, was ordered released by federal judge Leonard Strand after being denied bond approved by an immigration judge. Garcia Picazo was held at Woodbury County jail for over two months before filing a habeas corpus lawsuit. He was required to post $6,000 bond and will continue his immigration case on a non-detained docket.

A Venezuelan family seeking asylum in the United States self-deported after the father and 20-year-old son Anderson Contreras-Hernandez were detained by ICE. The family had fled Venezuela due to gang extortion and sought better medical care for two sons with sickle cell disease. After months in detention and legal proceedings, the family chose to return to Venezuela.

Leo Martinez, a volunteer with VC Defensa, was arrested by federal agents after a collision involving an ICE vehicle on October 16, 2025. Video evidence showed an ICE Jeep ramming Martinez's Nissan truck. Martinez was released the same day at a federal facility in Los Angeles, and the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to pursue charges.