Human Impact Project

A CBP agent was recorded on video on October 31, 2025, repeatedly striking a man in the head while the man was pinned down on the street near Oakton and Asbury in Evanston. Witnesses reported the man saying he could not breathe during the assault. DHS stated agents were responding to a vehicle crash involving a red vehicle and a hostile crowd that surrounded the agents' vehicle. Three citizens were arrested during the incident.

Krzysztof Klim, originally from Poland and now a U.S. citizen, was briefly detained and handcuffed by Border Patrol agents on October 31, 2025, outside a home in Chicago's Edison Park neighborhood while they verified his identification. He was later released.

Two U.S. citizen plumbers working on a property on Harding Avenue in Skokie were approached and questioned by federal agents during immigration enforcement operations on October 31, 2025. Witnesses reported agents profiled and requested identification documents from the workers, though no detentions occurred. The homeowner, who hired the workers, stated the agents had no constitutional authority to conduct such stops and expressed concern about the targeting of American citizens.

A man, Jose Garcia-Sorto, was shot by an ICE agent near I-17 and Dove Valley Road in Phoenix on Wednesday morning. The ICE agent fired two shots at Garcia-Sorto's vehicle after he allegedly attempted to speed away following an initial traffic stop. Garcia-Sorto's wife reports being unable to obtain information from authorities about his condition, and states he is hospitalized under a different name.

Three U.S. citizens were arrested following a crash and confrontation during a federal immigration enforcement operation at the intersection of Asbury and Oakton in Evanston on October 31, 2025. A red vehicle rear-ended a federal agent vehicle; witnesses reported agents braked suddenly while the government stated agents were attempting a U-turn. During the confrontation, pepper spray was deployed and community members who intervened were also arrested. The three arrested individuals' identities and specific charges remain unclear.

Arthur Berto, a 13-year-old asylum-seeking boy from Brazil, was arrested by Everett, Massachusetts police on suspicion of making a violent threat at school. After his mother arrived to pick him up from the police station, ICE took him to a detention facility without informing her of his location or what would happen to him. According to the police chief, this was the first occurrence of this type in Everett.

Edgar Ruiz, a U.S. citizen born in Chicago, was tased in the face by ICE agents outside a 7-Eleven in Des Plaines on October 31, 2025. He was detained for approximately two hours before being released and hospitalized. His undocumented father remained in ICE custody following the incident. Edgar Ruiz, a U.S. citizen born in Chicago, was tased in the face by ICE agents outside a 7-Eleven store in Des Plaines on September 16, 2025, during an operation targeting his undocumented father. Ruiz attempted to hold his vehicle's door closed when agents arrived, and was tased when the agent tried to open it. He was detained for approximately two hours at a facility in Lombard before being released and taken to a hospital for medical attention. His father, Rigoberto Ruiz, who has lived in the United States for 30 years, remained in ICE custody.

Fernando Jaramillo Solano, a 45-year-old Colombian national seeking asylum, and his two children, Jana Michel Jaramillo Patiño (12) and Kewin Daniel Patiño Bustamante (15), were detained by ICE agents on October 27, 2025, while being driven to school near a mobile home park in Durango, Colorado. The family had lived in Colorado for over 18 months, possessed valid documentation showing an active asylum process since December 2024, a work permit request, and no criminal record. ICE officials stated during federal court proceedings that Jaramillo Solano was not their intended target. Hundreds of protesters gathered at the ICE field office in Durango on October 28 to demand their release. During the demonstration, ICE agents in tactical gear pepper-sprayed and fired rubber bullets at peaceful protesters. Protester Franci Stagi, 57, was knocked to the ground and subjected to a chokehold by an unidentified officer, and protester Drew Collie, 22, was sprayed at close range and struck twice with rubber bullets, sustaining bruises. Local Durango police attempted to intervene to secure the children's release and conduct a welfare check but were denied entry by federal agents. The father was transferred to a detention facility in Dilley, Texas, while the children were held at an ICE facility in southern Texas. Immigration officials later granted the family voluntary departure and stated ICE would facilitate their return to Colombia. The City of Durango requested assistance from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation regarding agent conduct, which formally declined.

Homeland Security Investigations agents raided an apartment in Lynden, Washington on October 29, detaining U.S. citizen Jocelyn Peña while arresting her undocumented partner, Jesus Alejandro Lopez Ruiz, on a federal warrant alleging he assaulted an officer during a vehicle pursuit on October 15. Lopez Ruiz was booked into Whatcom County Jail and transferred to federal immigration custody. Advocates and Lopez Ruiz's partner dispute the assault allegation, characterizing the arrest as retribution and intimidation, with claims that no evidence has been provided that the alleged car door contact occurred.

Victor Rodriguez Ocampo Sr., 54, owner of La Playa Taco Shop in Mission Beach, was detained by ICE on October 31 outside his National City home and deported to Mexico after approximately two months at Otay Mesa Detention Center. His son has taken over operations at the restaurant and established a GoFundMe fundraiser that has raised over $18,500 toward legal expenses and family support. Rodriguez Jr. recently joined the U.S. Navy while working a second job to keep the family business operating.

Border Patrol agents conducted immigration enforcement raids across Chicago and nearby suburbs on Halloween, detaining multiple individuals. Incidents included pepper-spray deployment in Albany Park, an agent pointing a weapon at protesters in Evanston, and an officer punching a detainee. Three U.S. citizens were arrested for allegedly obstructing the operations, while five Mexican nationals were detained.

Armando Garcia Picazo, detained by ICE in August without legal status, was ordered released by federal judge Leonard Strand after being denied bond approved by an immigration judge. Garcia Picazo was held at Woodbury County jail for over two months before filing a habeas corpus lawsuit. He was required to post $6,000 bond and will continue his immigration case on a non-detained docket.

Two employees of SUNY Upstate Medical University were detained by ICE on Wednesday while attending immigration hearings to finalize their legal status. The workers were taken into custody before entering the courtroom and are being held at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia, facing possible deportation. Union officials from CSEA and UUP issued statements regarding ICE's actions.

Rian Andrianzah, an Indonesian national, was arrested by ICE agents while attending what he believed was a routine biometrics appointment in Philadelphia. His arrest occurred while his wife waited in another room, and he was subsequently sent to a Central Pennsylvania detention center where he now faces deportation. The arrest is part of the Trump administration's strategy shift to apprehend green card applicants, asylum seekers, and others engaged in legal immigration processes.

A 16-year-old boy named Diego had both parents taken in separate ICE raids. After being released from ICE custody, Diego's mother Yolanda shared her account of the experience. The incident was originally covered in November of the previous year.

Lonardo Garcia Venegas, 25, was at a construction site in coastal Alabama when immigration agents arrived. Garcia Venegas began filming after his undocumented brother requested a warrant from agents. Agents removed his brother to the ground during the encounter. Garcia Venegas was also taken into custody. Agents checked his REAL ID, which Alabama issues to those legally in the U.S. Garcia Venegas was held handcuffed for more than an hour. His brother was later deported. Garcia Venegas returned to work two weeks later. On a subsequent occasion, an immigration agent encountered Garcia Venegas at a construction site and checked his REAL ID. Agents also held two other workers who had legal status during immigration enforcement activities.

MJMA, a 45-year-old farm worker and lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit, was detained in a van stop by ICE agents who smashed the vehicle's windows without waiting for occupants to comply with commands. Body-camera footage shows MJMA asserting her right to remain silent and requesting a lawyer in Spanish, while an officer broke her phone as she called 911. Agents used facial recognition software to scan her face multiple times, obtaining inaccurate matches—one incorrectly identifying her as "Maria"—and falsely claiming she entered the country unlawfully when she had actually arrived with a valid temporary visa. A federal judge ruled the arrests unlawful and unjustified, finding officers engaged in misconduct, made inaccurate statements in reports, and improperly used facial recognition technology without warrants. MJMA has an ongoing asylum case.

A Mexican mother of a 10-month-old was arrested by ICE agents while driving her taxi near O'Hare International Airport and detained at the Broadview facility. She lacked access to a lactation room to pump breast milk for her daughter. A federal judge ordered her release on October 31, the day after her habeas case was filed.

A 45-year-old Mexican citizen who entered legally in January 2025 and overstayed her visa was arrested on her way to work. At the Portland ICE facility, an officer forced her to sign a rights waiver form in Spanish without allowing her to consult a lawyer, telling her that refusing voluntary removal would take a very long time. The form waived her right to an immigration court hearing despite her intention to seek asylum. Within hours, ICE shackled her and transferred her to Tacoma, Washington, before her attorneys could properly advise her.

M-J-M-A, a 45-year-old Mexican citizen who entered the U.S. legally in January 2025 and overstayed her visa, was arrested on October 30, 2025 on her way to work. An ICE officer pressured her to sign a document she did not understand, in Spanish, that waived her right to an immigration court hearing and requested voluntary removal. The officer told her that refusing would delay her departure. When her attorney met with her approximately three hours later, they had only about 10 minutes before the meeting was ended. She was then transferred to Tacoma, Washington and shackled on a bus, with no attorneys able to meet with her for approximately two days afterward.

Five plainclothes federal agents arrested a 26-year-old barber from Venezuela at Rockstar Fadez barbershop in Brighton Park. One agent had posed as a construction worker and customer earlier that morning without identifying himself as law enforcement. The agents threw the barber to the ground and carried him away in a pickup truck while threatening to detain anyone who intervened, and no warrant was presented before the arrest.

Ruperto Vicens Marquez, a 38-year-old restaurant owner and father of three from Mexico, was detained by ICE after being pulled over on a Sunday morning despite having valid work authorization that does not expire until 2029. Marquez has lived in the U.S. for 18 years and co-owns Emilio's Kitchen in Atlantic Highlands. His community, including the town mayor, rallied to support his release, and his attorney says he should never have been arrested. A detention hearing is scheduled for November 17.

Federal immigration agents arrested two men, Adolfo Felipe Mendoza-Cruz on October 30 and Fabian Pablo Beltran-Flores on November 3, in apparent violation of Washington state law prohibiting immigration enforcement within one mile of courthouses. Mendoza-Cruz was detained in a courthouse parking lot after attending a DUI arraignment, while Beltran-Flores was arrested on a sidewalk outside City Hall after a court appearance. City officials reported both incidents to the Washington State Attorney General's Office.

Marta Brizeyda Renderos Leiva, a 39-year-old Salvadoran immigrant and mother of four U.S.-born children, was forcefully arrested by ICE agents in plain clothes at Salt Lake City International Airport on October 29, 2025, while traveling with her sister to visit family in Maryland. Renderos fled El Salvador in 2007 due to domestic violence and political strife, held a valid work permit issued in 2024 through 2029, and had applied for asylum. She was arrested based on a deportation order issued in absentia in February 2020, which she claims she never received due to a notary error listing an incorrect address. Video footage captured agents holding her on each side as she struggled and screamed for help in the airport's pre-security area. Her attorney argues the deportation order should be canceled because she was never properly notified as required by federal law. Two of her children have serious health issues that would be affected by her deportation. Her sister and community members, including teachers and neighbors, describe her as responsible and dedicated to her family. The incident prompted Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and the City Council to express concern about the operation's lack of transparency, the agents' plain clothes without visible identification, and the choice of a public airport lobby as the location.

A Harrisonburg mother was detained by federal agents on Monday morning while taking her teenage daughter to school. A video of the incident was posted on social media.

Justo Betancourt, detained by ICE for six months starting October 2025, was released in May 2026 after a federal judge granted his habeas corpus petition. He lost 22 kilograms during detention, suffered strokes and a diabetic coma due to withheld insulin, and experienced neurological damage including tremors and mobility impairment. A federal judge found his arrest wrongful.

Federal authorities arrested 10 anti-ICE activists, including Isai Carrillo, and charged them with violence and property damage during immigration enforcement operations in Southern California between June and July 2025. The charges stem from three separate incidents: a June 6 incident in the Fashion District where a protester allegedly used pepper spray against federal agents; a June 8 downtown Los Angeles protest at Civic Center where demonstrators allegedly threw objects at officers; and a July 10 protest at a federal operation in Camarillo where protesters allegedly blocked vehicles, threw rocks, and damaged federal property. Two members of VC Defensa, an organization prosecutors said operates a rapid response network to impede immigration agents, were among those charged. Federal authorities arrested the suspects on October 29, 2025, with charges including conspiring to obstruct federal law enforcement.

Protesters gathered at the Durango ICE Facility after agents detained a father and two children (ages 12 and 15) following a traffic stop. The family possesses valid documentation and an active legal asylum process. During the demonstration, a federal agent allegedly pushed a protester. The City of Durango requested investigation by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, which declined the request.

Illinois state representative Hoan Huynh, a Vietnamese refugee, reported being confronted by ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents who pointed a gun at his head while he monitored immigration enforcement operations on Chicago's North Side. Huynh was documenting the agents' activities and informing residents of their rights when the incident occurred. ICE enforcement operations in Chicago have separated families from their communities. Gerardo Perez's mother was arrested and deported in June.

An unidentified law enforcement officer placed a 57-year-old woman named Franci Stagi in a chokehold and threw her down a grassy embankment during a protest outside an ICE field office in Durango, Colorado on October 28. The incident was recorded on video. Hundreds of protesters had gathered at the location. The officer wore a black balaclava and tactical vest labeled with 'Police' or 'Police HSI' and was not identified as part of any specific law enforcement agency.

Fernando Jaramillo-Solano, 45, a Colombian national seeking asylum, was arrested by ICE along with his two children, ages 11 and 14, while taking them to school in Durango, Colorado on October 28, 2025. ICE stated Jaramillo-Solano had allegedly entered the U.S. unauthorized on December 22, 2024. The father was transported to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, while the children were held in an ICE facility in southern Texas. Local police attempted multiple times to secure the children's release to their mother but were denied entry to the facility by federal agents. Colorado Governor Jared Polis expressed concern about the operation and stated ICE did not inform the state in advance.

Subramanyam "Subu" Vedam, a 64-year-old man, has been detained by ICE as he fights a decades-old deportation order. He was denied bail and remains in ICE custody awaiting resolution of his case.

Miguel Lopez is an undocumented man who has lived the majority of his life in the United States. A court case on Tuesday revealed a possible path for Miguel to return to Livermore and his wife and three children and granddaughter. His deportation order was based on the Department of Homeland Security's decision in 2014 to revoke his green card — an order he has continued to contest. His attorney argues that the 2014 decision violated his due process rights to review the decision. If granted, lawyers can begin presenting arguments about whether Lopez will receive a review of that 2014 decision to uphold the revocation of his green card.

Leticia Nevares, a mother of three who has lived in the U.S. for more than 35 years, was detained by ICE on September 16 after attending a scheduled green card interview at the USCIS office in Fresno, California. The appointment was supposed to be the final step in her legal residency application process. She was placed in handcuffs and transported to a detention facility in Bakersfield, then transferred to a facility in California City run by CoreCivic. Nevares works as an elderly caretaker and has no criminal history. According to her son Steven Rodriguez, she has devoted countless hours to community service, including helping at food drives, caring for sick neighbors, and providing end-of-life care to elderly community members. Her next court hearing was scheduled for October 28.

U.S. immigration officials deported an Alabama man to Laos despite a federal court order that blocked his removal. According to attorneys, the deportation proceeded against the court's directive.

Community monitors documented federal immigration agents wearing Halloween masks while leaving Terminal Island in unmarked vehicles on October 28, 2025. Agents were observed wearing masks depicting characters such as Chucky, Momo, and Mr. Potato Head while staging for immigration enforcement operations. When L.A. TACO inquired about the incident, DHS responded with 'Happy Halloween!'

U.S. citizens were detained by federal agents at an Aurora school hospital. Protesters confronted the agents at the scene. The detained individuals have since spoken out about their experience.

Fernando Jaramillo Solano, an asylum-seeker from Colombia, and his two children—12-year-old Jana Michel Jaramillo Patiño and 15-year-old Kewin Daniel Patiño Bustamante—were detained by ICE agents on October 27 while he was driving them to school near a mobile home park in Durango, Colorado. The family had lived in Colorado for more than 18 months with an active asylum case and no criminal record. Immigration officials later admitted during a federal court hearing that Jaramillo Solano was not their intended target. The family was separated from the children's mother, Estela Patiño, who remains in Durango. On October 28, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the ICE field office demanding their release; ICE agents in tactical gear used pepper spray and rubber bullets against demonstrators, breaking through a human chain protesters had formed. The family was subsequently granted voluntary departure, with ICE facilitating their return to Colombia.

Alfredo Barrera Renteria is a Mexican citizen who has lived in the United States since 1970 and entered lawfully with a valid B1/B2 visitor visa in August 2009. He was arrested on October 27, 2025, and has been held in immigration detention at the Desert View Annex facility in Adelanto, California for nearly ten months. Petitioner has no prior criminal history. After an immigration judge denied his bond on May 6, 2026, and again on June 15, 2026, following an individualized hearing, Petitioner filed a habeas corpus petition seeking to prevent his removal from the United States and the Central District of California. He is experiencing health complications related to high blood pressure during his continued detention. On August 7, 2026, the federal court granted Petitioner's emergency motion for a temporary restraining order, enjoining respondents from deporting him or removing him outside the district while his petition is pending. The court scheduled oral argument on the preliminary injunction for August 13, 2026, and referred the case to the Federal Public Defender for consideration of appointed counsel.

Omar Viadurre Luis, a Peruvian national granted legal admission and awaiting asylum review, has been detained by ICE since October 2025 after appearing in court on traffic charges that were dropped. Now held at Lewisburg federal penitentiary, he faces deportation to Honduras under Trump administration policies despite having no criminal record, a wife, a young child, stable employment, and serious medical needs. His family was legally admitted to the U.S. in September 2022 and was on the normal path to asylum review before his arrest separated their cases.

The Shrine of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic church near the White House, is experiencing increased fear among its mostly immigrant congregation due to the immigration crackdown. The church, intended as a sanctuary for worshippers, now serves a community steeped in anxiety over immigration enforcement actions.

Jose Jeronimo Guardian, a 48-year-old undocumented immigrant, was detained by ICE agents outside Clinton County Courthouse in Illinois on October 27, 2025, as he arrived for a scheduled court hearing on DUI charges. Guardian had lived in southern Illinois for approximately 20 years and was attempting to appear in traffic court as required. His family stated he was not hiding and was prepared to face the consequences of his charges.

A federal agent smashed the driver's side window of a vehicle in a grocery store parking lot in Addison, Illinois on Sunday morning to detain a woman. Video posted to social media showed masked federal agents surrounding the vehicle around 8:50 a.m., with one agent using a baton to shatter the window before unlocking and opening the car doors. Multiple people were in the vehicle, though the exact number detained was unclear.

Silvia Reyna Mendoza, who has lived in the United States for 40 years and is a mother of 8, reported sexual misconduct by an ICE contractor. A judge issued an order prohibiting her deportation. ICE deported her the following day. She is currently in ICE detention in Kern County while her family pursues her case.

George Retes, a disabled American combat veteran, was detained for three days without access to a lawyer or ability to contact family during a massive immigration raid on a marijuana farm where he worked as a security guard. His family could not locate him until they recognized his car in a TikTok video from the scene; agents broke his car window, pepper sprayed him, and tackled him. Retes suffered injuries including a cut leg from broken glass and burns from lingering pepper spray. Despite DHS later claiming he was arrested for assault, he was released without charges and was never told why he was arrested. Retes missed his daughter's third birthday and told ProPublica that agents knew he was a citizen but did not care.

Andrea Guadalupe Velez, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen and Cal Poly Pomona graduate, was detained by ICE agents in downtown Los Angeles on June 24, 2025, when she was dropped off at work during a street sweep operation targeting vendors. Agents arrested her after she stepped into the path of an officer attempting to apprehend another individual. Velez was charged with assaulting a federal officer and reported being denied water for 24 hours while held at a detention center and unable to contact the outside world for much of her detention, which lasted more than two days. A federal judge ordered her released on $5,000 bond. The Justice Department later dismissed her case without prejudice. On August 20, Velez filed a federal tort claim alleging racial profiling and wrongful arrest; she is one of six claimants represented by the Carrillo Law Firm alleging similar misconduct by ICE and Border Patrol in Southern California.

Leonardo Garcia Venegas, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen of Mexican descent working in construction, was detained twice by immigration agents in coastal Alabama. During the first incident, agents ignored white and Black co-workers while targeting Latino workers, then tackled his undocumented brother and grabbed Garcia Venegas after he began filming and stated he was a citizen. Agents dismissed his Alabama REAL ID as fake and held him handcuffed for over an hour; his brother was later deported. In a second detention at a construction site weeks later, agents again questioned his citizenship and dismissed his REAL ID despite him providing both it and his Social Security card. Garcia Venegas was never charged with any crime and filed a federal lawsuit alleging unlawful detention and civil rights violations.

A resident known as George, returning from the YMCA in a yellow Curious George costume to attend a Halloween parade with his two young daughters, was suddenly thrown to the ground by a Border Patrol agent during immigration enforcement operations in Old Irving Park. He was treated at urgent care for a mild traumatic brain injury and described head pain for days following the incident. He stated this was the most violent episode he had witnessed in his neighborhood.

Rev. James Eliud Ngahu Mwangi, an Episcopal priest originally from Kenya, was detained by ICE on October 25 despite having legal authorization to live and work in the United States and being employed as a Texas state employee. The Episcopal Diocese of Texas is calling for due process, transparency, and humane treatment for Mwangi, stating his family was unaware of his whereabouts for several days before locating him at an immigration detention center in Conroe.

Sarah Parise and her 2-year-old daughter Leia were exposed to tear gas deployed by Border Patrol agents during immigration enforcement operations in the Old Irving Park neighborhood on October 25. While walking near a grassy field, Parise and her daughter were struck by chemical agents without warning; Leia screamed in pain as Parise ran home and rinsed them with water and milk. A federal judge questioned the use of tear gas in the operation, which resulted in one arrest.