Human Impact Project

Chicago attorneys filed a federal court motion accusing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents of violating immigration law and constitutional rights of at least 22 people arrested since January 2025. The motion alleges federal agents arrested individuals without proper warrants and created warrants in the field after arrests, including a U.S. citizen who was detained at an ICE processing center. Attorneys argue these actions violate the Nava Settlement, a 2018 agreement that restricts warrantless ICE arrests.

A Venezuelan mother of two was arrested during a monthly ICE check-in on January 30 and separated from her children, aged 18 months and four years old. She was allegedly trafficked to the United States in 2023 and subjected to sexual abuse, forced labor, and physical violence. Her lawyers are challenging her detention and deportation, arguing the Trump administration violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which protects trafficking victims regardless of immigration status.

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.

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.

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.

Federal ICE agents conducted an immigration operation across New York City on Tuesday with 20 teams in unmarked vehicles. The operation resulted in numerous arrests including individuals wanted for homicide and possible terrorist connections. The operation occurred in New York City, where sanctuary policies typically limit cooperation with ICE.

About 200 Colombian migrants were deported from the United States in early January 2025. President Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro disagreed over deportation procedures. Petro initially blocked the landing of two U.S. military flights carrying handcuffed deportees and eventually accepted the deportations on civilian aircraft. The dispute involved disagreements over treatment standards during the deportation process.

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.

Abel Orozco, a Lyons man arrested by ICE two months prior, 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. Orozco's son recorded the January 26 encounter in which ICE agents allegedly rushed to make an arrest, and a motion has been 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.

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.

Two incidents involving federal immigration enforcement at churches on opposite sides of the country involved different applications of federal law. One incident involved Border Patrol detaining church painters.

A Hopkins family of four, including Luis Fernando Chulca Chiluisa, Maria Velasco Hurtado, and their two children, were detained by ICE agents on January 22. All four family members had active asylum applications. Following a habeas petition and court order issued on January 22 requiring the government to show cause for detention by January 26, the family was returned to Minnesota after initially being sent to Texas.

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.

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.

Maria Trinidad Loya Medina, a 44-year-old Albany mother from Mexico who has lived in the U.S. for over 20 years, was detained by ICE agents on January 10 after being apprehended at a Big 5 Sporting Goods parking lot. She has been held at an immigration detention facility in Tacoma, Washington for two months. Attorneys filed a second petition seeking her release, claiming one federal judge ruled her detention violates federal law, though an immigration judge deemed her a flight risk.

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.

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.

Pablo Nieves, a Venezuelan asylum seeker who legally entered the U.S. on a nonimmigrant visa in 2018 and had pending asylum applications, was detained by ICE outside a Home Depot in Minnesota in January 2025 and transported to a Texas detention center. He was released after two weeks following a successful legal argument by his lawyer that he posed no flight risk or danger to the public.

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.

ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old queer mother of three, through her car windshield in Minneapolis on January 7. Good appeared to have four gunshot wounds according to a Minneapolis Fire Department report. Bystander and leaked cell phone footage showed Good attempting to drive away when the shots were fired, contradicting claims by government officials that she had used her vehicle as a weapon.

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 arrested during Operation Metro Surge. His family reports he has no criminal record and was not given a court hearing as of the article's publication.

Adrian Ramirez, a Dominican Republic native with an approved juvenile immigrant visa, was detained by ICE on January 16, 2026, while traveling to work in Syracuse after being stopped by agents at a work site. He was held at detention facilities in Batavia and Louisiana, including Jackson Parish Correctional Center, for approximately nine weeks. With support from his Syracuse community, including All Saints Catholic Church members who raised money and wrote letters on his behalf, and assistance from strangers in Louisiana, Ramirez was released on bond with an ankle monitor and returned home to reunite with his family, including his infant son.

Abel Orozco, a 47-year-old Mexican immigrant, was detained by ICE agents outside his home in suburban Lyons without a federal warrant and remains in detention nearly six months later. Immigration and civil rights attorneys state the arrest violated constitutional rights and the 2022 Castañon Nava settlement agreement, which requires probable cause and documentation of flight risk for warrantless arrests. Orozco is named in a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and ICE involving at least 25 other people allegedly arrested during enforcement operations in January 2025.