Human Impact Project

Darius Reeves, an ICE retiree with 20 years of experience, expressed concern about changes in ICE training and tactics under President Trump's deportation push. Law enforcement experts have commented on violent encounters with ICE officers in cities like Minneapolis. Congressional hearings have addressed officer training. Leaders like former Dallas Police Chief Reneé Hall have cited aggressive policing and excessive use of force.

A CNN analysis found that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officers receive less training than almost any other federal law enforcement agents, with the Trump administration cutting training days from 20 weeks to 42 days. ICE deportation officers now receive less training than officials investigating exotic animal smuggling and odometer fraud, and only slightly more than court probation officers and federal prison guards. The agency claims it streamlined training and incorporated technology advancements without cutting essential content. ICE whistleblowers and former trainers state that the abbreviated training poses safety risks and fails to meet legal standards.

A charter flight carrying more than 100 ICE detainees landed at Portsmouth International Airport in New Hampshire around 1 a.m. on Monday, February 24, 2026, for a scheduled refueling stop before continuing to Bulgaria. The airport received only 15 minutes' notice of the arrival. A severe nor'easter with winds up to 35 mph and temperatures around 22 degrees prevented the aircraft from being towed to the terminal. Detainees remained on the tarmac for approximately 12-13 hours before being moved to a terminal around 2:45 p.m., where they were provided food, water, restrooms, medication, and welfare checks. The flight departed Tuesday morning after weather conditions improved and flight crew rest requirements were satisfied, landing in Sofia, Bulgaria.

CBP agents are allegedly attempting to return unaccompanied migrant children to their home countries before they can meet with attorneys or appear before immigration judges, according to court filings. Attorneys representing Guatemalan minors claim the Trump administration is using coercion, threats, and misinformation to pressure children into signing paperwork for expedited voluntary returns in violation of a federal court order protecting the minors.

Apprehensions of undocumented border crossers dropped 96% at the southwest border in one year, with January 2026 showing 9,726 apprehensions compared to 61,445 in January 2025. Nationwide apprehensions totaled 34,626 in January 2026, down from 81,479 in January 2025. Daily encounters averaged 1,117 in January 2026 compared to 2,628 daily average in January 2025.

A former ICE training instructor testified to Congress that the agency is graduating new officers without adequate training in use-of-force protocols and constitutional law. Internal documents show training was reduced from 72 to 42 days over seven months, with multiple use-of-force courses eliminated, despite DHS denials that training requirements were cut.

Ryan Schwank, a former ICE instructor and attorney, testified before congressional Democrats on February 23, 2026, that the agency significantly reduced mandatory training for new recruits, including programs on constitutional rights and use of force. Schwank alleged ICE deliberately condensed or eliminated training to accelerate hiring during the Trump administration's expanded deportation operation and accused the agency of lying to Congress about these cuts. He testified that agents are being trained to violate Fourth Amendment protections by using administrative removal orders instead of judicial warrants for apprehensions. His testimony was corroborated by accounts from a Minneapolis resident who described ICE agents forcibly entering her home without a warrant in January 2026.

Lorth Sim, a 59-year-old Cambodian national and lawful permanent resident, was found unresponsive in his cell at Miami Correctional Facility in Miami County, Indiana on February 16, 2026, and was pronounced dead at 7:10 a.m. Sim had entered the U.S. as a refugee in 1983 and became a lawful permanent resident in 1986 before being detained by ICE following an immigration judge's removal order to Cambodia. The cause of death is under investigation. His death marked the seventh in federal immigration custody in 2026, prompting U.S. Congressman André Carson and other lawmakers to call for answers.

Catholic investors led by Jesuit priests said private-prison operator GEO Group rejected a shareholder vote designed to review its operation of ICE detention facilities. GEO operates some of the largest ICE detention centers, including facilities in South Texas and Adelanto, California, which hold thousands of detainees. The investor group has called for transparency regarding facility operations, facility visits, and reported concerns about detainees being transferred to facilities in El Salvador.

Senator Adam Schiff released a report documenting that ICE and CBP committed more than $144 million to weapons, ammunition, and tactical gear during the first year of Trump's second term, with ICE increasing weapons spending by 360 percent and CBP doubling its spending compared to 2024. The purchases include AR-style rifles, pistols, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and less-lethal weapons like tear gas and TASERs.

ABC7's special report investigates rampant prostitution and human trafficking along a four-mile stretch of Figueroa Street in South Los Angeles known as 'the Blade.' LAPD vice units patrol the area, focusing on identifying underage victims and connecting adults with resources rather than arrests. Officials are stepping up enforcement efforts as the city prepares to host major global events.

Immigration agents are using 18 U.S. Code 111, a federal statute, to detain American citizens who protest or document their operations. The Trump administration has increased use of the statute, with federal prosecutors charging approximately 12 times as many people under it in the first year compared to Biden's last year. Many cases have been dismissed or resulted in acquittals. Agents have charged individuals for recording and following officers. Senior administration officials have stated that recording agents in public does not violate federal law.

A federal judge issued a ruling criticizing the Trump administration's immigration enforcement actions for violating the law in its efforts to deport millions of people living in the country illegally.

A U.S. District Court in Minnesota ordered ICE to immediately release Michael Opeoluwa Egbele, a Nigerian immigrant detained in January 2026, ruling that the government unlawfully revoked his supervised release without due process or prior notification. Egbele had entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2003, was charged with a drug offense in 2012, but was released on supervised release where he remained compliant for over a decade before his arrest during a routine check-in.

ICE agents in Minnesota are detaining immigrants and confiscating their documents—including work permits, IDs, and passports—then failing to return them upon release. According to immigration lawyers, this practice affects dozens of clients with valid legal status, forcing them to live without proof of authorization despite federal law requiring noncitizens to carry such documents. Judges have found ICE in contempt of court for defying orders to return documents, but the practice continues across cases involving asylum seekers, visa holders, and refugees.

ICE deported 363 pregnant, postpartum, or nursing women between January 2025 and February 2026, with 86 additional pregnant detainees in custody as of February 16, 2026. The agency reported 16 miscarriages in detention by late September 2025 and acknowledged inadequate medical care access. DHS stated a general policy against detaining pregnant women for administrative violations unless release is prohibited by law or exceptional circumstances exist.

ICE agents were reported at a Boys & Girls Club in Olathe, Kansas on Friday morning, with teachers saying four or five agents looked through windows of the facility around 7:15 a.m. Children were moved to interior spaces without windows for safety. Community members quickly mobilized to gather outside the center in support, with approximately 40 people showing up to protect families and prevent wrongful detentions, including Kansas state Senator Cindy Holscher.

The Department of Homeland Security expanded its use of undercover techniques to infiltrate social media, introducing a new program called "masked engagement" that allows over 6,500 federal agents to assume false identities and interact with users in private groups. The policy permits officers to friend users, join closed groups, and access private postings without the rigorous legal oversight required for formal undercover operations.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel ordered ICE to dramatically revamp conditions at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where detainees had been denied attorney access, rapidly transferred out of state without notice, and pressured to sign self-deportation papers without legal counsel. The court found ICE likely violated detainees's constitutional rights and ordered: detainees must receive their A-number within one hour of arrival, must have confidential phone access, cannot be transferred for the first 72 hours, and attorneys must have in-person access seven days per week. One detainee had access to only two flip phones shared among 72 people in a single holding cell. ICE agents arrested Jesus Emmanuel Flores-Aguilar after disguising themselves as women with car trouble to lure him from his Minnesota home. The family claims the agents used deception to trick Flores into coming outside, where he was surrounded by additional ICE vehicles and arrested. DHS stated Flores was a previously deported individual with gang affiliations, while his family emphasized he is a hardworking father supporting six U.S. citizen children.

An immigration enforcement raid in Idaho resulted in the use of zip ties on detainees, according to NBC News. An ACLU lawsuit has been filed against ICE in relation to the incident.

Two ICE agents have been suspended and are facing a criminal investigation for allegedly lying to a jury about the shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during a traffic stop on January 14. The officers claimed Sosa-Celis and his cousin attacked them with a snow shovel and broom, but video evidence contradicts this. A federal judge dismissed felony assault charges against the cousins after the U.S. attorney acknowledged the officers made false statements under oath.

At least 32 children entered foster care over the past year after their parents were detained or deported by ICE, officials in seven states told NOTUS — including four toddlers in Vermont, ten children in Kansas, and nine in Maryland. Advocates note this may be an undercount since no federal dataset tracks family separations caused by immigration enforcement, and some states worry that collecting the data could expose families to further risk. More than 71,000 people are in ICE detention.

A POLITICO review of hundreds of cases reveals ICE's pattern of noncompliance with court orders to release detainees, causing frustration among federal judges nationwide. Judges report that even when ICE complies with release orders, it frequently delays compliance for days or weeks, sometimes releases detainees without their belongings or documents, and in some cases has deported people in violation of court orders. Federal judges from multiple states have issued pointed rulings criticizing ICE's conduct as illegal and unconstitutional.

Body camera footage and text messages released by the U.S. attorney's office reveal details of a shooting incident in which Border Patrol agent Charles Exum shot Marimar Martinez five times in Chicago. Martinez was accused of using her car to assault federal law enforcement, but the case against her was dismissed in November. Evidence shows Exum was not wearing his body camera during the incident, though footage from another agent captures the moments leading up to and following the shooting. Border Patrol agents have carried out more arrests than ICE in the Chicago area under the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign. Since September 16, CBP recorded roughly 1,500 arrests compared to over 1,400 by ICE in the region. The Trump administration has expanded Border Patrol's traditional border enforcement role to conduct interior immigration enforcement operations in major cities across the country, led by Border Patrol sector chief Gregory Bovino. Border Patrol agents shot a woman in Chicago during an encounter with immigration personnel. The incident occurred as protesters confronted immigration enforcement officers at the scene. Details about the circumstances of the shooting and the woman's condition were not provided in the available text.

U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney ordered ICE to provide constitutionally adequate healthcare, legal representation access, temperature-appropriate clothing, and daily outdoor recreation at the California City Detention Facility, the largest immigration jail in California. The ruling came in response to a class-action lawsuit filed by detainees in November alleging medical neglect and unsanitary living conditions, with specific cases including a man with a heart condition denied cardiology care and another with suspected prostate cancer whose biopsy was missed. Judge Chesney appointed an external monitor to oversee compliance through medical record reviews and on-site inspections.

Becky Ringstrom, a 42-year-old mother of seven, was arrested by ICE agents in suburban Minneapolis after following federal immigration officers in her vehicle. She was charged under federal law for impeding law enforcement and her information was added to a government database. The Trump administration has prosecuted at least 533 people under this charge across the U.S. since city-focused immigration enforcement began last summer.

Medina County commissioners tabled a proposed resolution that would limit law enforcement cooperation with ICE to cases involving criminal activity or judicial warrants. The measure drew heated public comment, with multiple residents opposing ICE enforcement cooperation while one speaker supported it. The sheriff indicated he has no ICE prisoners and no intention of entering a contract.

ICE agents detained at least 100 asylum seekers and refugees in Minnesota and transported them by air to detention facilities in Texas for questioning and reprocessing, with some released without documentation, money, or phones. During enforcement operations across multiple cities, federal immigration agents used facial recognition technology via smartphones and professional cameras to photograph and scan faces of people, including bystanders and activists, often without consent. The practices have sparked panic in immigrant communities, with residents afraid to seek medical care, send children to school, or leave their homes. Civil rights groups are challenging the facial recognition program through lawsuits and legislation, citing Fourth Amendment privacy violations.

An analysis by the League of Women Voters of Kentucky found that ICE detained 1,041 individuals in Kentucky jails as of February 2026, more than double the 434 held in September 2025. Nearly 72% of detainees have no criminal record or pending charges. Five county jails are operating at or above capacity while housing these detainees.

Two Minnesota school districts and the state's teachers' union filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's decision to revoke a policy that prohibited ICE and Border Patrol agents from conducting enforcement activity at schools and sensitive locations. The suit alleges that immigration agents have staged enforcement operations from school parking lots, pulled over district vans, and detained people at or near schools, bus stops, and daycare centers.

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday barring federal immigration officers from making warrantless arrests without determining that a person represents a risk of escaping or fleeing. The ruling came after Innovation Law Lab lawyers presented videos in court, including footage of a November immigration stop involving a Cottage Grove woman who holds a permanent residence card and works as a Spanish interpreter for local police.

A federal judge ordered the release of Ta Eh Doh Lah, a Burmese refugee mother who was detained by ICE while breastfeeding her five-month-old baby and awaiting heart care. The court ruled her detention was unlawful, noting she had no criminal record, complied with immigration requirements, and applied to adjust her status on the first day eligible. The court also blocked Operation PARRIS across Minnesota, preventing the arrest or detention of refugees solely because they are awaiting status adjustment.

One-quarter of students in the Greenport school district stayed out of school on Wednesday following reports of ICE presence and arrests in the community. Latino community leaders reported that three longtime residents with no criminal records were arrested by federal immigration agents.

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals is considering a potential ban on ICE arrests conducted during green card interviews. This case addresses whether immigration enforcement should be permitted at official immigration benefit interviews.

ICE conducted "Operation Guardian Sweep" enforcement actions on Oklahoma tribal lands without warning tribal leaders, who learned about the operations through social media instead of federal officials. Tribal leaders accused federal agents of racial profiling and stopping people without reasonable suspicion, arguing the actions violate tribal sovereignty and that tribal citizens are categorically outside immigration jurisdiction.

American volunteers in Springfield, Ohio converted spare bedrooms and basements into safe houses to shelter Haitian families after the Trump administration moved to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) effective February 3, 2026. A federal judge blocked the termination on February 2, keeping TPS in place while litigation proceeds. Approximately two dozen immigrant families were sheltered through the network.

The Trump administration released hundreds of detainees from the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, placing them under government supervision with ankle monitors as an alternative to detention. A Venezuelan mother and her son, who were detained for two months after an ICE check-in appointment, were released to Laredo after refusing a $5,000 offer to leave the country. Released detainees must continue periodic ICE check-ins. The detainees reported detention conditions including worms in food and denial of medical care.

A federal appeals court is reviewing whether ICE can resume detaining undocumented spouses at USCIS green card interviews, following a 2024 injunction that barred such arrests in the Fourth Circuit. The case centers on whether ICE's practice of arresting immigrants immediately after approved marriage-based green card interviews violates due process and the provisional unlawful presence waiver program designed to help undocumented spouses obtain legal status.

Human Rights First's ICE Flight Monitor report documents ICE Air Operations' expansion in February 2026, with 183 removal flights to 31 countries and new charter carriers. The report documents expanded domestic transfer flights and removal operations.

ICE apprehensions in the Pacific Northwest increased in late 2025 under an operation internally called 'Operation Black Rose.' Multnomah County experienced a 600% increase in apprehensions, while Washington County saw a 2,100% increase. Paulino Martin San Pedro was arrested in Washington County and subsequently deported to Mexico, where he died in February 2026 from pneumonia complications.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a February 2026 policy memo reinterpreting Section 209 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, stating that refugees who have lived in the U.S. for at least one year but have not yet acquired lawful permanent resident status may be arrested and detained. The new policy rescinds a 2010 DHS policy that limited such arrests and could affect approximately 100,000 refugees currently in the country with lawful immigration status. Immigration attorneys are advising refugee clients to file for permanent status immediately, though approval delays and country-specific holds mean some could face detention despite following proper procedures.

As of mid-January 2026, 7,252 people had been detained in ICE custody for at least six months — including 79 held for more than two years — compared to 2,849 long-term detainees recorded in December 2024 under the Biden administration, according to ICE data reported by the Associated Press. The increase is partly driven by a Trump administration policy generally prohibiting immigration judges from releasing detainees on bond. Among those detained are people who have won protection under the UN Convention Against Torture but cannot be sent to their home countries.