Human Impact Project

Juan Carlos Barreto, a Venezuelan college professor, was arrested by ICE at his Shakopee apartment in January while claiming to have followed all legal asylum procedures. He has been released but is monitored with an ankle monitor.

Flora, a Venezuelan trafficking survivor with an active asylum claim and pending T visa application, was detained by ICE on January 30, 2025, at a routine check-in appointment after reporting her alleged trafficker to federal authorities. She was transported 1,200 miles to a detention center in Louisiana and separated from her 4-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter for two months. Flora had fled her alleged abuser in early 2025 with help from a local nonprofit and was in the process of obtaining a T visa for trafficking survivors when ICE detained her. She was released on April 2, 2025, hours before a court hearing on her habeas corpus petition, but the detention caused significant retraumatization to her and her children.

A Venezuelan mother of two arrested during an ICE check-in in January 2025 remains detained and faces deportation despite pending asylum and trafficking visa applications. She was allegedly trafficked to the US in 2023 and subjected to sexual abuse, forced labor, and physical violence. Her lawyers filed a habeas corpus petition in February 2025, alleging unlawful detention and violations of due process rights. Her alleged trafficker, a foreign national, remains free and has reportedly tracked her down at a Maryland church where she sought refuge.

A Puerto Rican family of U.S. citizens, including a toddler, was wrongfully detained by ICE in Milwaukee after being overheard speaking Spanish while shopping. The family was transported to a detention center before officials acknowledged the error and apologized. After presenting official documents proving their citizenship, they were released but left to arrange their own transportation home.

Jose Alvaro, an undocumented immigrant from Central America applying for a green card, was detained by ICE after a Lubbock police officer pulled him over for a license plate issue and called federal immigration authorities. The traffic stop has left his U.S. citizen wife Ashley and their three U.S.-born children facing deportation proceedings. Advocates have noted that routine police interactions can lead to deportations.

An Ethiopian national died in ICE custody at a Phoenix-area hospital on February 7, 2025. The death occurred during the first 100 days of the Trump administration, one of seven migrant deaths in ICE custody reported during that period. An ACLU investigation found that most ICE custody deaths in recent years could have been prevented with proper treatment.

Jesus Romero-Hernandez, 27, a Mexican citizen, pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally entering the United States after a previous removal. He faces a maximum two-year prison sentence, a $250,000 fine, and potential deportation. Romero-Hernandez is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17, 2025 in Utica, New York. He was arrested by federal agents on January 30 after being released from Tompkins County Sheriff's custody the previous day.

A 45-year-old Ethiopian man died on January 29, 2025, from complications of untreated HIV while in ICE custody at Eloy Detention Center in Arizona. He had been detained for nearly four months after entering the country illegally and was not screened for HIV despite developing severe symptoms. Medical experts stated routine blood tests at initial intake or upon symptom development could have identified HIV through early diagnosis and antiretroviral treatment.

Andrei Barrientos, 36, was deported from El Paso to Bogota on January 28, 2025, as part of the group of approximately 200 Colombian migrants whose deportation sparked a diplomatic dispute between Presidents Trump and Petro. This was Barrientos's second deportation from the United States. He was initially placed on a military flight on Sunday that was turned around when Colombian authorities blocked its landing, then spent a night in El Paso before being repatriated on a civilian aircraft organized by the Colombian government.

ICE agents arrested Wilson Rogelio Velasquez Cruz outside Iglesia Fuente de Vida church in Tucker on Sunday while he was attending service with his family. Velasquez Cruz, who had a valid five-year work permit and was employed at a tire shop, had been wearing an immigration GPS ankle monitor since seeking asylum from Honduras two years ago. His wife expressed concern about the family's future and reported that her husband will be transferred to Stewart Detention Center and deported without the ability to appeal to a judge.

U.S. citizens, including Native Americans and a military veteran, have been detained and questioned during Trump administration immigration raids. Witnesses report that those caught in ICE operations are being targeted based on race or skin color, with Navajo Nation citizens experiencing particularly problematic encounters. The seafood wholesaler owner in Newark reported that ICE targeted certain types of people while ignoring white and Portuguese workers.

The Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network received a stop-work order from the Trump administration after its federal funding was paused, affecting programs that provide legal orientation and rights information to migrants in immigration proceedings. The Colorado-based nonprofit, which receives approximately 25% of its funding from the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security, argues the federally-funded programs benefit taxpayers by helping people navigate the immigration court system more efficiently. RMIAN has received federal support for about 20 years under multiple administrations and contends that investment in legal orientation reduces costs associated with detention and prolonged court proceedings.

Bryan José Rojas Galofre, a Venezuelan immigrant married to a U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE on January 27, 2025, following a security checkpoint stop at Trump National Doral hotel during a honeymoon trip. Agents discovered an airsoft gun and marijuana grinder in his vehicle, leading to local drug paraphernalia charges and questioning about gang ties based on his tattoos. Despite an immigration judge granting him bond in April 2025, Rojas remained in federal detention until his release on May 6, 2025. His nearly three-month detention resulted in job loss, expiration of his work permit, loss of his home and vehicle, depletion of retirement savings, over $80,000 in debt, and significant family financial hardship. His immigration case remains pending with a hearing scheduled for 2028.

Angela Mata Mendoza, a 10-year employee at an Escondido supermarket married to a U.S. citizen with four U.S. citizen children, was arrested by ICE on January 27, 2025, during her early morning shift and detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center. She was under a court order of supervision (similar to bond) and had never missed a mandatory ICE check-in. Her lawyer, Kerry Yianilos, used habeas corpus protections to challenge her unlawful detention and secure her release, highlighting the importance of these constitutional protections amid the Trump administration's consideration of eliminating them for undocumented immigrants.

ICE detained two parents, Reinaldo Chirino from Venezuela and Kris Estefany Pineda-Torregrosa from Colombia, after school drop-off on January 27, leaving their two young children (ages 12 and 4) in the care of a family friend. The couple had entered the country legally in 2022 under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans but lost their legal status when the Trump administration revoked TPS protections. They are being held at Otay Mesa Detention Center pending removal proceedings.

Wilson Velásquez, a Honduran asylum seeker, was detained by ICE agents in the parking lot of Iglesia Fuente de Vida in Norcross, Georgia, while attending Sunday service with his wife, Kenia Colindres, and their three children. Velásquez had fled gang violence in Honduras with his family in 2022, was awaiting a future asylum court date, held a work permit, and worked six days a week at a tire shop. He wore a GPS ankle monitor that began buzzing as ICE agents called his phone before agents apprehended him and placed him in a law enforcement vehicle in front of his wife.

Abel Orozco, a 47-year-old who has lived in suburban Chicago for 30 years and owns a tree-cutting business, was arrested by ICE on January 26 while driving home from picking up tamales for his family. According to his attorney, Orozco has no criminal record and arrived in the U.S. in the late 1990s under a legal work petition, though he was given a removal order in 2004 after visiting his father in Mexico. ICE officers apprehended him without a warrant, searching for his oldest son who shares the same name. Orozco has been detained in Kentucky for nearly six months facing expedited deportation. His family has missed mortgage payments and his younger son struggles to maintain his father's business while his wife fights breast cancer. Orozco is among 22 detainees alleging that immigration agents violated federal law and a 2022 settlement by arresting them without proper warrants or proof of flight risk, with a motion filed challenging the legality of the arrests.

Pavlo Mykolayovych Zinkevych, a 37-year-old Ukrainian man with lawful status under the Uniting for Ukraine program, was arrested by Frisco Police on January 26, 2025, for a minor traffic violation and suspected DWI. Despite holding valid legal status, a valid I-94, and a pending Temporary Protected Status application, ICE detained him for over three months and threatened deportation to war-torn Ukraine. An immigration judge stated she believed Zinkevych should not be detained, but lacks jurisdiction to order his release, while DHS maintains authority over his case and has remained unresponsive to legal requests.

A 37-year-old Raleigh man was arrested after allegedly kidnapping and raping a woman at a Motel 6 while impersonating an ICE agent and threatening to deport her if she did not have sex with him. The suspect, Carl Thomas Bennett, showed a fake business card with a badge and is facing charges including kidnapping, second-degree rape, and impersonating a law enforcement officer.

Brazil's government responded after 88 of its nationals arrived in the country handcuffed following their deportation from the United States. The Brazilian government called the treatment degrading and a flagrant disregard for fundamental rights and demanded an explanation from Washington. Colombia announced it would not allow US deportation flights to land in the country, turning away military aircraft carrying deported migrants.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers pulled over a father traveling with his children in Douglasville, Georgia. Officers instructed the father to contact his wife, and the family initially believed he was the target of enforcement action. However, when the wife arrived at the scene, authorities detained her instead.

Arlit Maria Martinez-Carrada, a Mexican national, was detained by ICE on January 3 while on her way to work in Wicomico County. Her son Kevin died from cancer just days later on January 5, but an immigration judge initially denied her release, deeming her a flight risk. After a federal judge approved her release on January 26 with a $12,000 bond, Martinez-Carrada returned to Salisbury with an ankle bracelet monitor.

Brazilian migrants deported from the United States arrived at Belo Horizonte International Airport on January 25, 2025, reporting abuse, threats, and degrading treatment by U.S. immigration agents during their deportation flight. The deportees reported they were handcuffed for 50 hours without air conditioning, subjected to poor conditions, and opened an emergency door to alert Brazilian authorities. The Brazilian government requested explanations from the Trump administration regarding the treatment of the passengers.

Minneapolis rapper Nur-D was arrested by federal agents on January 24 while participating in protests. The arrest occurred following the shooting death of Alex Pretti by U.S. Border Patrol agents. Nur-D says he was hit by a projectile, thrown to the ground, and arrested for allegedly assaulting a federal officer. He is pursuing legal action against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and U.S. Border Patrol.

ICE agents raided Ocean Seafood Depot at Adams and Delancey streets in Newark, New Jersey, on January 23, 2025, detaining both undocumented workers and U.S. citizens. The business owner said about a dozen agents entered without a warrant or court order around 11 a.m., demanded employee identification, and took three people into custody. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said one detainee was a U.S. military veteran whose military documentation was questioned by agents, and he denounced the raid as a violation of Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure. Rep. LaMonica McIver called for answers from the Department of Homeland Security about how the agency detained citizens and a veteran without a warrant. ICE confirmed the operation occurred and acknowledged U.S. citizens may have been detained during the enforcement action.

On January 23, 2025, ICE agents detained Giovanni Duran, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, during a traffic stop in Echo Park, Los Angeles, while his wife Loreal and their children were present. Duran had lived in the U.S. for nearly four decades. According to ICE, Duran entered the country illegally before 2001 and had prior convictions for sex with a minor in 2012 and DUI in 2014, with a deportation order issued in 2014. He is currently held at Adelanto detention facility awaiting deportation.

Luis Fernando Chulca Chiluisa, Maria Velasco Hurtado, and their two children were detained by ICE agents on January 22, 2025. Velasco was detained on her way to work; Chiluisa and the children were detained at their home afterward. All four had active asylum applications and no known criminal records. A habeas petition was filed the same morning, and a judge ordered the government to show cause for detention by January 26. Despite a court order keeping the family in Minnesota, they were initially sent to Texas. Following a contempt motion filed by their attorneys, the family was returned to Minnesota.

Marlon Parris, 45, a two-tour U.S. Army veteran from Trinidad and Tobago, has been detained by ICE since January 22 and is facing deportation proceedings despite holding a green card for nearly 30 years. Parris served his country on two deployments and has had no arrests since his release from a nonviolent drug offense conviction in 2016, when ICE issued him a no-interest letter stating he would not be deported. In 2023, a customs agent questioned the letter and revoked his green card when he returned from vacation abroad; he was subsequently classified as an arriving noncitizen and denied bond eligibility. His wife, Tanisha Hartwell-Parris, and his attorney, Douglas Kouffie, say the family was in active communication with the government and had already attended ICE and court hearings before his sudden January detention.

Jose Barco, 39, is a decorated U.S. Army veteran who deployed twice to Iraq, received a Purple Heart after a 2004 explosion caused traumatic brain injury, and was honorably discharged in 2008. In April 2008, while struggling with untreated TBI symptoms and PTSD, Barco shot into a crowd of teenagers in Colorado Springs, injuring a pregnant 19-year-old; he was sentenced to 52 years and spent 15 years in prison as a model inmate. Released on parole on January 21, 2025, he was immediately detained by ICE. His commanding officer confirmed Barco's 2006 citizenship application was completed and eligible but was lost in processing. On his release from prison, Barco was transferred to immigration detention and ordered deported to Venezuela in February 2025. When deported, Venezuelan authorities refused to accept him, citing doubts about his birth certificate and lack of family ties, and he was returned to U.S. detention. His wife Tia, supporters including his former Army medic, and veteran advocacy organizations are seeking intervention.

Daniel Oquendo, 33, crossed the U.S.-Mexico border on January 20, 2025, and was apprehended in San Diego. He was placed on a U.S. military C-130 flight with handcuffs as part of a planned deportation to Colombia, but Colombian President Gustavo Petro blocked the landing of two military flights carrying about 200 deportees in early January, objecting to their treatment and the use of military aircraft. After being turned around mid-flight and spending a night in El Paso, Oquendo was finally repatriated to Colombia on a civilian aircraft sent by the Colombian government on January 28.

On January 20, 2025, armed men impersonating ICE agents broke into a home in Greensboro, North Carolina, where they assaulted a Mexican immigrant family at gunpoint. A hooded assailant kicked down the victim's bedroom door shouting "ICE! ICE!" before the perpetrators struck one family member's forehead with a gun butt and demanded cash while threatening a baby. The victim realized the intrusion was a robbery rather than an actual federal enforcement action. The case remains unsolved. This incident exemplifies a documented surge in ICE impersonation crimes, with at least 31 cases reported in 2025 alone—nearly six times the decade-long annual average—with 38 percent involving physical violence including armed robbery, assault, and kidnapping.

D.E., a 44-year-old Mexican national, was detained by ICE without a warrant just two blocks from his home in Long Branch, NJ, interrupting chemotherapy scheduled to begin the same week for a brain tumor he has had for 12 years. He was initially held at Delaney Hall in Newark before being transferred to the California City Detention Center, where a CoreCivic guard was more than five hours late delivering his twice-daily seizure medication, Keppra, leading to a severe nighttime seizure. D.E. said he jammed his arm between his bed frame and the wall to keep himself from falling into the nearby toilet during the episode, and later filed a written medical grievance requesting a cancer specialist that went largely unaddressed. His case was cited in a broader review finding that the immigration detention grievance system, meant to allow detainees to report medical neglect and abuse, has collapsed amid the dismantling of federal oversight offices.

An Iranian national entered the United States on January 19, 2025, seeking asylum based on political and religious persecution. After an immigration judge denied his asylum application on May 6, 2025, he was granted withholding of removal and placed in mandatory post-final-removal-order detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1231. After 431 days in federal immigration custody, he filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the lawfulness of his prolonged detention, arguing removal was not significantly likely in the foreseeable future. On July 30, 2026, he voluntarily dismissed his petition after his asylum application was granted upon reconsideration by the immigration court.

Pancho's Taqueria in Circle Pines temporarily closed after an employee was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers earlier in January. The restaurant states the employee held a valid work visa and was detained while taking out trash. The restaurant has since reopened with limited hours and restricted access.

Doris Flores, a Honduran immigrant who entered the U.S. in 2023 and applied for asylum after being threatened in Honduras, was arrested by Polk County Sheriff's deputies in late January 2025 after they responded to a school threat report involving her 8-year-old daughter Briana. During the investigation, deputies discovered Flores and her fiancé had deportation orders and contacted ICE. Flores was detained, and her 4-month-old baby Briany was placed in the care of her pastor and his wife to avoid foster care. Flores had a deportation order issued in May 2025 for a missed asylum hearing that she said was due to computer issues.

ProPublica received letters from children detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, where over 750 families and 370 single adult women were being held in early February. The children, including a 9-year-old from Venezuela and a 14-year-old from Honduras, describe missing school and friends, lacking reliable medical care, and feeling scared and depressed. Since the Trump administration took office, the number of children in ICE detention has increased sixfold.

U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted raids in Kern County in January 2025, stopping and arresting 78 people, predominantly Latinos and farmworkers, often without reasonable suspicion. A federal court ruled in April 2025 that the agents likely violated constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure, and ordered them to halt raids in California's Eastern District, but Border Patrol continued operations in Los Angeles and Sacramento despite the court order.

A volunteer with Carpinteria Sin Fronteras was pepper-sprayed by an ICE agent on January 14 while observing and recording ICE vehicle stops from a public sidewalk. Video footage shows the agent deploying spray toward the volunteer, who was filming the encounter. The confrontation included a heated verbal exchange in which the agent stated that interfering with enforcement is a felony. No arrest was made, though the agent threatened federal charges against the volunteer.

A 46-year-old woman from Mexico was found dead by humanitarian volunteers near the border wall east of Sásabe, Arizona on Monday morning. Her 15-year-old son sought help from volunteers, saying his mother had stopped breathing while in a vehicle in Mexico. The cause of death is under investigation and may take weeks to determine.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted a multi-day enforcement operation in Kern County that resulted in 78 arrests, including farmworkers in the Central Valley. The operation, called Operation Return to Sender, resulted in widespread fear among immigrant families and workers, with many staying home from work and struggling to locate detained relatives. Border Patrol officials stated the operation targeted transnational criminal organizations. Community advocates and elected officials raised concerns about potential racial profiling and the impact on the agricultural industry.

Erika was arrested by ICE agents on January 10 during a traffic stop on County Road 42 in Burnsville, Minnesota, as part of Operation Metro Surge. She was transferred to federal immigration detention in El Paso, Texas. She had no prior removal order and only misdemeanor traffic infractions. She filed for cancellation of removal and is awaiting a second immigration court hearing, remaining detained over five months after her arrest.

Alvaro Arias was detained by ICE on January 10, 2025, while working on a home near the Imperial and Garfield area in Southgate, California. His family is raising funds to cover legal representation and associated case expenses.

Minnesota resident Nicole Cleland, who was observing ICE and CBP activity as a legal observer, was stopped by federal agents on January 10 after following their vehicle. An agent told her they used facial recognition technology to identify her. Three days later, her Global Entry and TSA PreCheck privileges were revoked, which Cleland believes was retaliation for her observation activities.

Lila Romero, 47, a Venezuelan psychologist living in Dallas, Texas, arrived in the U.S. in 2024 on a tourist visa and began applying for asylum. She was arrested during a traffic stop on January 9 after driving a family business vehicle without proper license plates, and was held for three and a half months at the Bluebonnet detention center in Anson, Texas. While detained, she informally supported other women experiencing anxiety, insomnia, and high stress levels. She now works helping immigrants and families affected by detentions and deportations, and has an immigration hearing scheduled for late September.

Ana Cañedo Luna, a business owner and long-term U.S. resident who was brought to the country at age 10, was arrested on January 9 after a traffic stop in Rock Springs, Wyoming, where she holds a valid work permit. She was transferred to the ICE Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado, where she spent five months and ten days in custody. Cañedo discovered that her previous lawyer had requested a voluntary departure without her knowledge or consent, prompting her to change legal representation. After switching to local attorneys and filing a writ of habeas corpus, she was released on June 19 and reunited with her wife, Gloria Guerra. Cañedo continues to fight her immigration case while dealing with the psychological trauma of her detention and remains fearful of future arrest, saying the experience felt like "psychological torture" and a "never-ending nightmare."

Ana Canedo Luna, co-owner of Don Chingonas food truck and Club Elite nightclub in Rock Springs, was detained by ICE on January 9 following a routine traffic stop. The stop was initiated due to a license plate registration discrepancy later confirmed as a clerical error by county staff. Luna presented employment authorization documents valid through May 2030, and her wife provided additional legal documentation disputing ICE's claims that she lacked legal status. Despite the valid work authorization documentation, ICE proceeded with Luna's detention after a records check flagged her in their system.

Genry Ruiz-Guillen, a 29-year-old Honduran man with schizoaffective disorder, was transferred to ICE custody in October 2024 and held at Krome North Service Processing Center. While detained, he experienced seizures, dizziness, fainting spells, confusion, and loss of consciousness. In December he was hospitalized for acute psychosis and subsequently transferred to three Larkin Health System hospitals for psychiatric treatment and treatment of rhabdomyolysis, a life-threatening muscle breakdown condition. He died on January 8, 2025. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner ruled his cause of death as "complications of schizoaffective disorder," but medical experts including a former NYC chief medical examiner questioned this finding, noting mental illness alone cannot be a proper cause of death and citing concern about multiple medications in his system and the unresolved rhabdomyolysis.

Federal immigration officers detained a contractor at General Mills' Chanhassen manufacturing facility in mid-January. Video of the incident circulated on social media. The detention occurred as part of increased ICE enforcement activity at Minnesota workplaces, affecting major companies.

State Rep. Hoan Huynh said federal Customs and Border Patrol agents stopped him at gunpoint on Chicago's Northwest Side while he was conducting community education about ICE rights. Six agents surrounded his vehicle near Montrose Avenue and Kimball Avenue, with one agent pulling a gun. A DHS official stated Huynh was stalking law enforcement and interfering with operations.

Juan Manuel Arellano Zepeda, a 48-year-old Mexican national and owner of El Fresco restaurant in Bloomington, was detained by ICE on January 6 and held in El Paso, Texas. Arellano Zepeda, who has lived in the U.S. for 25 years and has a pending Visa T application, was initially reported missing by his family after they found his car empty with the driver's side window rolled down. His daughter Laura Janyra Arellano Molina told Newsweek that her father called to say he was being taken to El Paso, and the family later identified him in ICE facility photos posted on social media. The restaurant described Arellano Zepeda as "always characterized by his kindness and respect toward his customers and the public." His family said he has no criminal record and has not had a court hearing as of the article's publication.