Human Impact Project

In December, a Salvadoran day laborer named Josué was detained by masked agents outside a Home Depot in Signal Hill. The incident was captured on video by a Long Beach Rapid Response patroller. Josué has since spent months in the Adelanto Detention Center, while his partner Maria and her daughter Sara seek answers and legal representation for his case.

Mariela, a mother of three, was denied proper medical care while in immigration detention and is now facing a possible cancer diagnosis. She is seeking urgent medical care, housing, and legal support to address her health condition and provide stability for her children.

A Guardian investigation of leaked GlobalX Airlines flight data shows that the Trump administration conducted over 1,700 deportation flights carrying approximately 44,000 immigrants in the first 100 days of his presidency. Immigrants were transferred between detention facilities and shuttled on complex flight routes, often without notice. The investigation documents cases including 252 Venezuelan men deported to El Salvador's Cecot mega-prison who had valid asylum claims.

A Laotian refugee was detained by ICE during a routine check-in in Tukwila, Washington and faced deportation. Following intervention, US authorities ordered his release from the ICE detention center in Tacoma on September 6, 2025.

Immigration agents have conducted multiple raids at Home Depot locations across Southern California, particularly targeting the Van Nuys store which has been raided at least five times since June. Day laborers, many of whom are undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America, have organized warning systems to alert each other of raids. Home Depot has denied involvement in immigration enforcement operations, while immigrant advocates have criticized the raids and filed lawsuits.

Rosalio Pelayo Salgado, detained by ICE on September 10, called his daughters from the Broadview processing facility to report being held in a room with at least 150 other men. He described officers yelling slurs, food and water being withheld based on behavior, and his anxiety medication being refused. His daughters protested at the facility on September 19, learning he was scheduled to be deported the following day.

A San Diego law firm filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court seeking to stop ICE from arresting asylum seekers at immigration court hearings. The lawsuit argues that courthouse arrests violate constitutional rights and due process and impact the immigration court system. The suit was filed on behalf of two asylum seekers arrested at San Diego's immigration court, both of whom had no criminal records and regularly attended their hearings.

The Department of Homeland Security stated that filming and posting videos of ICE agents constitutes "violence" and threatened to charge people who take videos and photos of agents conducting raids. DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said that "videotaping ICE law enforcement and posting photos and videos of them online is doxxing our agents."

Federal ICE agents apprehended two people in Maplewood using unmarked cars. According to local officials and advocacy groups, three masked ICE and Border Patrol agents loaded the two arrestees into unmarked, out-of-state vehicles on Prospect Street around 11 a.m. The local police department was not notified of the incident, and the township does not cooperate with ICE.

A woman who had been living legally in the United States for 47 years was detained by ICE over 22 bad checks.

An ICE agent in Portland, Oregon performed a salute on camera on 9/8/25. The agent covered his license plate with black tape or paper.

Estela Ramos Baten, 45, died in Guatemala on September 8, 2025, two months after being deported with her daughter Nory on July 4 following a routine immigration check-in in Los Angeles. She had fled Guatemala in 2015 after threats from the 18th Street Gang and was taking medications for high blood pressure in the U.S. According to her daughter, Estela's medications were confiscated during deportation and not returned. The death certificate listed liver cirrhosis as the cause.

ICE has violated its policy limiting detainee stays in temporary hold rooms to 12 hours, keeping immigrants in crowded, poorly equipped spaces for days or weeks. An internal audit found detainees lacked basic amenities like pillows and blankets, with some facilities averaging stays of three days or longer. Maksym Chernyak died in ICE custody after spending over three days in a Krome hold room. He did not receive adequate medical attention during his detention.

Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old Punjabi grandmother who has lived in California's East Bay for over 33 years, was unexpectedly detained by ICE on September 8, 2025, during a routine check-in appointment in San Francisco. She was transferred to Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield despite having no criminal record and decades of compliance with ICE supervision following the denial of her asylum claim in 2012. A community rally with approximately 200 people was organized on September 12 to demand her release, with local elected officials and organizations expressing support for her case.

The Trump administration plans to reopen several former prisons and detention centers that were previously closed. These facilities will be used to hold immigrants as part of a deportation campaign. The former closures cited concerns about violence, medical neglect, and understaffing.

Leodegario Martínez Barradas, a flower vendor, was arrested by federal immigration agents in Chicago's Archer Heights neighborhood on September 7, 2025, during the launch of Trump's "Operation Midway Blitz" immigration enforcement operation. He was deported to Mexico within days. The Trump administration claims the operation targets criminal immigrants. Barradas had no known violent criminal record.

Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez, a Mexican migrant deported to South Sudan by the US in July 2025 as part of President Trump's immigration crackdown, has been repatriated to Mexico. Munoz-Gutierrez was one of eight men deported to South Sudan on July 5 after a legal battle, and Mexico accepted his return after receiving assurances he would not face torture or inhumane treatment.

Hilda Gloria Yanez-Zavala, who came to the U.S. from El Salvador three years ago and was granted asylum, was detained during an immigration raid at a factory in Cato where she worked legally. She was separated from her two sons and held in detention for a month before deciding to self-deport. Her two sons remained in America.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers conducted a raid at a construction site near CIA headquarters in Virginia. Construction workers fleeing the raid attempted to scale fences surrounding the CIA complex during the morning commute. ICE did not notify the CIA in advance of the operation. No workers breached security or posed a threat to the facility.

The Trump administration is deporting individuals to third-party African countries including Rwanda, South Sudan, and Eswatini rather than to their countries of origin. Deportees' identities, charges, and whereabouts are being concealed. No attempt was made to return them to their home countries. Detainees report being held in isolation without legal representation or explanation. The deportation countries have poor human rights records.

Darian Maldonado Medina, a Venezuelan with Temporary Protected Status, was detained by ICE during a routine check-in in Tampa on September 5, 2025, and deported to Venezuela three weeks later. He had valid TPS status at the time of detention, a pending family petition through his U.S. citizen mother, and a 15-month-old U.S. citizen son and partner remaining in Florida. A federal court order had extended TPS protections prior to his deportation. Lawyers have argued that the deportation violated federal law and court orders.

The Trump administration has deported migrants to African countries including Ghana, South Sudan, Eswatini, Rwanda, and Uganda. Detainees were removed from U.S. detention centers and transported on military aircraft. Some detainees were placed in straitjackets when they refused to board. The deportees are now in these countries with uncertain status.

A California State University Channel Islands professor was charged with throwing a tear gas canister during an incident. In a separate immigration enforcement action in Southern California, a legal green card holder who was working toward U.S. citizenship was detained by ICE. The woman's husband expressed concern following her detention.

Omar Salazar, a Dallas community leader and Southern Methodist University graduate, was detained by ICE after being stopped for a traffic violation in Lubbock, Texas. Salazar, who came to the U.S. from Mexico in 2008 without legal status, was arrested after providing his ID to a police officer. He is being held at the Blue Bonnet Detention Facility in Anson, Texas, with his first hearing scheduled for October.

A Valley family and their attorney claim that Immigration and Customs Enforcement should release their relative while his legal status is clarified. The man was granted a special cancellation of removal in Phoenix in 2022, but the case was never finalized and remains pending. He was recently detained for new removal proceedings, and his attorney argues his status should have been protected since the last court hearing three years ago.

A couple expecting their third child is facing deportation. Their two other children, including a 5-month-old, have been placed with family members. LULAC has found legal representation and is seeking financial assistance to help care for their U.S. citizen children.

The Trump administration issued a July 9 directive requiring parents seeking to reunite with unaccompanied children in federal custody to appear in person for identification verification interviews, where ICE officers may be present. Legal advocacy groups report that some parents have been arrested during these interviews, leaving their children in government custody. The policy represents a change from previous practice where sponsors could submit identity documents online.

The Trump administration attempted to repatriate 76 Guatemalan children from U.S. government custody in overnight operations. Children were woken from their beds and reported crying and vomiting. A federal judge temporarily blocked the removals after attorneys argued the government violated U.S. law protecting unaccompanied minors from deportation without due process. The children were returned to shelters after being placed on planes. Declarations indicated many had not requested to return and stated they feared danger if sent back to Guatemala.

Two carwasheros were detained from car washes in Orange County. Their families and legal advocates fought to secure bonds, with Cuberto's bond set at $2,500 and Rodolfo's at $2,000. The post appeals for help reaching fundraising goals to release these individuals.

Leidy Tatiana Mafla-Martinez, a Colombian immigrant and TikTok influencer living in Los Angeles, was arrested by ICE agents while livestreaming from her car. Federal agents detained her and the incident was recorded by bystanders. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Mafla-Martinez had entered the country in 2022 and was convicted of driving under the influence in Los Angeles. A government vehicle was also reportedly towed during the incident.

Amir, who legally immigrated to the United States in 1996 and had been living under asylum supervision for 30 years, was detained by ICE in September 2025 during a regularly scheduled check-in at an immigration office. His asylum had been denied in 2003, but he was allowed to remain in the country under supervision. His family was not immediately informed of his detention, and he was held in a facility indefinitely.

A Chelsea, Massachusetts mother who is a U.S. citizen was detained by ICE in September 2025. Her 18-year-old daughter, Ana Michelle Ramirez Sanan, testified before a Senate committee about the encounter, describing finding their car with shattered windows and her mother being thrown to the ground during the incident.

Jose Manuel Allende, a 58-year-old who came legally to the U.S. from Cuba through the Freedom Flights, was detained by ICE in his driveway in September 2025 due to a decades-old criminal history and lack of citizenship. His family secured a motion to stay and a motion to reopen his case, but he remains detained at the Federal Detention Center in Miami facing deportation on April 6 if not released, creating a legal standoff where he cannot complete his pending green card application while in custody.

Karen Newton, a 65-year-old British tourist, was detained by ICE for 42 days despite holding a valid B-2 tourist visa. She and her husband were held at the Northwest ICE Processing Centre in Tacoma, Washington after attempting to cross into Canada. DHS cited her previous visa overstay of nearly four years and her husband's expired work visa as reasons for the detention, though Newton maintained she had no criminal record and was lawfully present.