Human Impact Project

Martin Majin-Leon, a 58-year-old barber shop owner in Pomona, was detained by ICE agents on March 31, 2025, while arriving at his business. He was held in federal custody for over 30 hours before being released on April 2, 2025. The detention was related to an immigration issue from more than 20 years prior. His family discovered his detention through surveillance footage showing him being taken at gunpoint.

Armando Gonzalez, a father and sole household provider, was detained by ICE in Big Bear, California on March 31st. His wife is terminally ill with only days or weeks to live. A community organization is raising funds to help him secure legal representation.

On March 30, over 10 ICE agents surrounded and detained Salah Sarsour, a lawful permanent resident who has lived in the United States for over 30 years. Within 24 hours, the Muslim Legal Fund of America filed in federal court seeking immediate relief before ICE filed charges. The organization states the charges are an attempt to suppress voices supporting Palestine.

On March 28, 2025, Border Patrol agents observed a Ford Explorer suspected of human smuggling in McAllen, Texas. When agents activated emergency equipment and approached the vehicle, it fled and drove into a canal approximately one-half mile away, becoming submerged. Five occupants were rescued from the canal, but two individuals remained unaccounted for. A female was recovered deceased on March 28, and a juvenile male was found deceased in the vehicle on March 29. Autopsies determined both deaths were caused by drowning.

A 28-year-old Venezuelan man was detained by ICE agents during his final interview for permanent residency at a USCIS office in Phoenix, Arizona, despite having valid work permits and approval of his family petition. He was separated from his U.S. citizen wife and 3-year-old daughter during the interview and subsequently arrested and deported.

Jaime Cabriales-Carlos, a graduate student at UTSA, was detained by ICE on March 28th and taken to Karnes Country Immigration Processing Center. The post calls for an end to detention of students, professors, and staff.

A woman and 13-year-old boy drowned when a vehicle involved in alleged human smuggling drove into a canal while fleeing U.S. Border Patrol agents in McAllen, Texas during severe flooding. Two men—Jose Alexis Baeza-Combaluzier, a 26-year-old Mexican national, and Vicente Garcia Jr., 18, of Roma, Texas—have been charged in connection with the smuggling deaths and face up to life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.

A foreign student was arrested by ICE at the University of Alabama. Limited details are available from the provided text.

Jerce Reyes Barrios, a 36-year-old Venezuelan soccer player and father of two, was deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison under the Trump administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act, allegedly as a member of Tren de Aragua gang. His attorney claims the deportation was wrongful, arguing the government's only evidence is a tattoo of a soccer ball with a crown (a tribute to Real Madrid) and hand gestures from old Facebook posts.

A 53-year-old woman was detained by ICE while obtaining meat for a stew. Her 21-year-old daughter Samantha describes the incident. The woman is a long-term undocumented resident who has lived in the United States for three decades.

ICE conducted a raid on a paint business in El Cajon on March 27, 2025, arresting Jorge Lopez Leon and approximately 14 other workers. Lopez Leon, a father of four whose wife is a U.S. citizen and who was in the process of obtaining a green card, was detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center. The operation involved dozens of agents with weapons and resulted in the deportation of at least three workers who chose not to contest their cases in immigration court.

ICE transferred 20-year-old Cristofer Ortega from New Jersey to a detention center in Louisiana despite having an approved legal pathway to citizenship through Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Ortega, who arrived in the U.S. at age 9 and has no criminal record, was detained after an encounter while completing his HVAC certification. ICE is planning to deport him to Honduras before he can apply for his green card.

Alma Bowman, a 59-year-old Macon resident, was released from Stewart Detention Center on Monday evening after spending 243 days in ICE custody following her March 26 detention during a routine check-in. Bowman claims U.S. citizenship based on her father being a Navy serviceman, though ICE asserts she is in the country illegally. This was her second detention by ICE; she was previously held for three years (2017-2020) at Irwin County Detention Center following criminal convictions deemed deportable offenses. Bowman and her attorney state she is being held unlawfully and report inadequate medical care and overcrowded conditions during her detention. The legal questions regarding her citizenship status remain unresolved.

The Pima County Medical Examiner identified skeletal remains found in a desert area as Maria Moran Dzul. Border Patrol agents discovered the remains on September 11, and the Tohono O'odham Police recovered them on October 1. The woman was identified through dental and circumstantial information, and the cause and manner of death remain undetermined.

An Instagram post reports that ICE detained a working father in San Diego, leaving behind his family and a two-month-old baby.

Xa Lee, a Laotian citizen with a long criminal history and subject of a 2010 deportation order, attempted to strike an ICE officer with his vehicle while being pulled over in Sacramento on March 25. Lee fled the scene and remained at large. The officer was not injured, and ICE officers deployed tasers during the incident.

Sergio Garcia Silva, a 65-year-old chef who lived in the United States for 36 years, was deported to Mexico by ICE on March 25, 2025. He had no criminal record and owned a Mexican restaurant business in Waco. Garcia had entered the U.S. in 1989 and spent 25 years attempting to become a U.S. citizen before being arrested at his food truck and deported within one day. The deportation was based on a two-decade-old deportation order for illegal re-entry that had never been previously enforced. After deportation, Garcia was held captive by an extortion group in Mexico and was apprehended by Border Patrol when attempting to return, resulting in a second deportation in June 2025. The deportations separated him from his family, including four children, who remained in the United States.

Lawyers for Venezuelans fighting deportation under the Alien Enemies Act reported that women were returned to the U.S. after El Salvador refused to accept them during deportation flights on March 15. The women's return contradicts Justice Department claims that deportation flights could not be turned around despite a court order halting them. Salvadoran officials reportedly rejected female detainees and those from other Central American countries, returning them to Texas.

At least 15 people were detained this week through targeted arrests conducted by ICE agents in Southern California. The post credits advocacy organizations for their continued support of reporting on immigration enforcement activities.

Multiple immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles have resulted in the detention of long-term residents. Julio Vargas, a coconut vendor, was detained two months prior and has since returned to work. Rafael Vela, a 64-year-old man, was taken into custody by federal agents outside his Silver Lake home on January 7, 2026, in video footage showing masked agents removing him in an unmarked vehicle. DHS confirmed Vela's arrest during an immigration enforcement operation. The family states a letter later revealed discrepancies regarding his actual residency status.

Nine members of a Queens church music ministry were detained by ICE during a traffic stop on their return trip from an out-of-state church event. While in detention, they signed documents for voluntary departure to Guatemala. All nine were primary breadwinners who left behind spouses and young children.

A federal judge in Boston blocked the Trump administration's policy that would subject thousands of refugees to arrest and detention if they fail to obtain green cards within a year of entering the United States. The policy, part of 'Operation PARRIS,' potentially affects over 100,000 lawfully admitted refugees. The judge ruled the policy was an unlawful reinterpretation of immigration law departing from decades of established practice.

Rubén González, a Venezuelan national who entered the U.S. in 2022 with a pending asylum case, was detained by ICE following a traffic accident on March 22. According to his sister, González had valid temporary documentation, work authorization, and regular legal status. After a police officer reviewed his documents at the accident scene, he was transferred to ICE custody and taken to an immigration detention facility in Jacksonville.

Three migrants died during two separate incidents while attempting to cross the southern border near Otay Mountain Wilderness in San Diego County during severe winter weather. The first incident involved an adult woman who made a distress call and was found alive alongside a deceased woman; the second involved a 16-year-old girl who survived and two deceased men, one her father. Both groups had crossed into the U.S. illegally and faced extreme cold, rain, and snow.

On March 21, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security fired nearly all staff at its Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) and Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO) through reduction in force notices. By May 2025, CRCL had seen an 80 percent staff cut and OIDO a 96 percent cut, drastically reducing the agencies' ability to investigate complaints, make recommendations, and conduct facility inspections.

A 24-year-old Venezuelan man, Gustavo Alfonso Garcia Olivares, drowned in the Rio Grande while attempting to enter the United States.

ICE began moving a person named Cristofer from Strafford County Jail in New Hampshire to Louisiana, which is described as a deportation flight hub for ICE. Advocates are urging constituents to contact Senators Andy Kim and Cory Booker demanding his immediate return and release.

ICE detained two teenagers in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania on March 20 while they were riding their bikes to work. Coraopolis police stopped the teenagers and may have called ICE to detain them around 9:00 AM. Frontline DIGNITY shared the report to support community awareness and preparedness.

On March 19, ICE and Border Patrol agents conducted a multi-person enforcement operation in the parking lot of a market in Christiansted, St. Croix. Video footage showed agents subduing a man on the pavement with one agent appearing to have his knee on the man's head and neck. Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett commented on the enforcement action and the manner in which it was carried out.

Jeanette Vizguerra-Ramirez filed a habeas corpus petition in federal court challenging her detention at the Aurora ICE Processing Center. On March 21, 2025, Judge Nina Y. Wang issued an order prohibiting her removal from Colorado or the United States pending resolution of the case. The plaintiff subsequently filed an amended petition on April 8, 2025.

Frontline DIGNITY reported ICE activity in the Cranberry area on March 17 around 10:00 AM, with ICE collaborating with the Butler County Sheriff's Office to detain individuals near Brandt Drive. The organization shared this information to support community awareness and provided instructions for witnesses to report enforcement activity safely.

Ricardo Navarrete, an 18-year-old Chicago high school senior, and his mother Liliana were detained outside Chicago Immigration Court on March 16 after being told to come sign papers. Both had active asylum cases and no criminal records. They were from Colombia and arrived in the U.S. in 2022. Ricardo has been transported multiple times between facilities and placed in solitary confinement; he and his mother are currently separated in different facilities in Kentucky.

Robert Antonio Bastardo Llovera, a Venezuelan national in unauthorized status, was sentenced to eight months and two days in federal prison on March 16, 2025, for assaulting an ICE deportation officer near Mission Bay in San Diego. Bastardo Llovera pleaded guilty on March 3, 2025, admitting he bit an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on the forearm during a deportation operation on July 15, 2025.

A 7-year-old girl from Utah was denied a visa by U.S. officials in Colombia and cannot return home to her mother, despite being the daughter of a naturalized U.S. citizen. The denial was based on a presidential executive order targeting terrorists and public safety threats. The family traveled to Colombia to complete the immigration process for her permanent residency but became stranded after the March 16 visa denial.

A Cameron County grand jury issued a 'no bill' on March 15, 2025, in the death of 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez, who was shot by a Homeland Security Investigations agent on South Padre Island. Federal officials claimed Martinez attempted to run over an ICE agent, but a passenger's statement indicated the car was moving slowly and the agent fired without warning. Martinez's family requested a federal investigation and release of records.

Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old US citizen, was fatally shot by an ICE officer during a traffic stop on March 15, 2025. Newly released body camera footage shows Martinez pulling his car forward as law enforcement attempted to stop him at the scene of a road accident. DHS claimed Martinez accelerated and intentionally ran over an agent, prompting defensive gunfire, but his family's attorneys contend the footage contradicts the official account.

The United States deported 238 Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador on March 15, 2025, where they were immediately transferred to CECOT, a maximum security prison. The deportees have been held incommunicado without disclosure of their identities or whereabouts. U.S. and Salvadoran authorities have not provided information to families or confirmed the detainees' current status and legal basis for detention.

The Trump administration deported 238 Venezuelan immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador in March 2025, labeling them as terrorists and dangerous gang members. However, internal Department of Homeland Security data obtained by ProPublica reveals that officials knew only 32 had been convicted of U.S. crimes, with most being nonviolent offenses, and more than half had no U.S. criminal record at all, having only violated immigration laws. The deportees were sent to CECOT prison in El Salvador without judicial review, and many remain incarcerated for over two months with no ability to contact families or lawyers.

Over 230 Venezuelan men were deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador's maximum-security CECOT prison on March 15, 2025, under the Alien Enemies Act with claims they were gang members. The men reported enduring months of physical and psychological abuse including beatings, humiliation, and torture by guards, despite most having no criminal convictions in the United States. After approximately four months in detention, the men were returned to Venezuela through a prisoner swap. The deportees have since shared accounts of their mistreatment.

Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by an ICE agent in South Padre Island, Texas on March 15, 2025. Representative Joaquin Castro has requested text messages and phone records from ICE agents and local officials regarding the incident, accusing federal agencies of covering up details about the shooting for nearly a year.

Eight Venezuelan women with Temporary Protected Status were arrested, detained, and deported on March 15, 2025, despite a federal judge's order to halt deportations. They were flown to El Salvador instead of Venezuela as told, then immediately sent back to the United States. Three have since been deported to Venezuela, while five remain in U.S. detention centers where they report being beaten and mistreated.

A grand jury issued a 'no bill' in the March 2025 shooting death of 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez by a Homeland Security Investigations agent at South Padre Island, Texas. DHS stated Martinez attempted to run over a federal agent, but a witness affidavit indicated the vehicle was moving slowly and the agent fired without warning. The shooting was not publicly disclosed until February 2026.

Andry Hernández Romero, a Venezuelan makeup artist, was detained in California for six months and deported to El Salvador in March 2025, where he was imprisoned for 125 days in a maximum-security facility. He was accused of gang affiliation based on tattoos. After legal challenges, he was released and returned to Venezuela in July 2025.

The Trump Administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 through a proclamation to deport Venezuelan migrants suspected of gang membership in Tren de Aragua. Yoderlyn Daviana Acosta Peña and Maikol Gabriel López Lizano, Venezuelan migrants living and working in Chicago, were arrested in February 2025 and deported to El Salvador in March 2025. An ICE officer physically assaulted Acosta Peña. Immigration officials used criteria including tattoos and personal associations to identify alleged gang members, acknowledging the connections were "weak or spurious."

Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent on South Padre Island, Texas on March 15, 2025. According to ICE's internal report, the agent fired at Martinez after he allegedly accelerated his vehicle and struck another HSI agent. The involvement of ICE was not publicly disclosed until nearly a year later when Newsweek reported details based on internal incident reports.

Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, a 41-year-old Afghan national who served with U.S. military forces, was arrested by ICE near his home in Richardson, Texas. He died less than 24 hours later at Parkland Hospital in Dallas after experiencing a medical emergency involving chest pain, shortness of breath, and severe tongue swelling while in custody. His family stated he was in the country legally with a pending immigration case, while ICE reported his parole had expired and cited prior arrests. The cause of death remained under investigation.

César Herrera Ferrer, a 24-year-old Venezuelan, was detained by ICE after his father-in-law, Óscar Antonio Castañeda, called immigration authorities during an escalating family conflict. The dispute began when Castañeda was confronted and expelled from the home, then returned to threaten Herrera with a firearm while he held his young daughter. After Castañeda was arrested but released within 72 hours, he allegedly used Herrera's immigration status as a tool of intimidation.

Three migrants died in two separate incidents in the Otay Mesa/Otay Mountain Wilderness area near San Diego on March 14, 2025, during a winter storm with near-freezing temperatures. In the first incident, Border Patrol agents found one deceased woman near Cuchama Truck Trail and rescued an adult female who had called for help. In the second incident occurring less than an hour later, agents discovered two deceased men and rescued a 16-year-old girl who was the daughter of one of the deceased men. All individuals who crossed the border became lost and experienced hypothermia symptoms in the severe weather conditions.

Curtis Wright, an Edmonton-born permanent resident of the United States, was detained by ICE in November 2024 after returning from a work trip to Mexico. He has spent four months in an ICE detention center in Texas facing deportation based on drug possession charges from when he was 17 years old. On March 13, 2025, a judge ordered his deportation, though his lawyer is pursuing an appeal and habeas corpus request.

ImmigrationDefenders reports that parents attempting to reunify with children in federal custody are being arrested and placed into deportation proceedings. The organization represents 12 children in Southern California whose parents were detained shortly after initiating the reunification process, leaving children stranded in shelters.