Human Impact Project

K.V.V., a 49-year-old Vietnamese national, came to the United States as a refugee at age eight in 1984. After a criminal conviction he was ordered removed in 2007 and remained on supervised release for 18 years. ICE arrested him in March 2025 and deported him to Eswatini on October 6, 2025, without attempting deportation to Vietnam. His physical and mental health have deteriorated significantly in detention, with his family reporting weight loss and emotional distress.

Activists have organized a daily sit-in at an ICE hold room in Fredrick, Colorado, following revelations that the facility held over 500 individuals from January to October 2025. An investigation found that detainees, including children as young as 6 years old, were held for periods far exceeding ICE's own 72-hour limit, with one individual detained for 34 days. Colorado's congressional delegation has demanded ICE immediately stop holding people in these temporary holding spaces for extended periods.

Masuma Khan, a 64-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant living in Altadena, was detained by ICE on October 6, 2025, during a routine check-in appointment. Years earlier, Khan fell victim to a scam by a Bengali man who created a false identity for her, filed a fraudulent asylum application, and created a fake passport. Khan now faces deportation based on a 1999 removal order from an immigration judge, despite having worked with multiple attorneys to resolve her case.

Documents Allege a Federal Agent at Portland ICE Threatened to Shoot an Ambulance Driver

Debbie Brockman, a WGN News creative services employee, was detained by Border Patrol agents near Lincoln and Foster avenues on Chicago's North Side. According to Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, agents claimed Brockman threw an object at them during lawful enforcement duties. Federal agents rammed their van into her car before detaining her. She was subsequently released with no charges filed.

Dana Briggs, a 70-year-old veteran, was pushed to the ground and arrested by federal agents outside an ICE facility in Broadview while protesting. Briggs was charged with assaulting a federal officer, which he denied in court.

A video circulating on social media shows DHS agents arresting a woman outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on October 4, 2025. The woman was arrested after she allegedly blocked a federal facility entrance and refused to comply with officers' orders. The woman's clothing became disheveled during the arrest. A witness account suggested the woman had pulled over to ask for directions.

Fifteen-year-old Emmanuel Gonzalez-Garcia, who has autism, went missing while selling fruit with his mother in northwest Houston. Houston police officers turned him over to ICE after he told them he was homeless and gave them a different name. He was placed in a refugee settlement and remained in detention for over a month before being reunited with his mother.

ICE agents deployed tear gas, pepper balls, and other chemical munitions against protesters and journalists outside a detention facility in Broadview, Illinois, a suburb near Chicago, on October 4, 2025. Federal agents attacked legal observers, journalists wearing press credentials, and lawful protesters, with chemical munitions also affecting nearby residents not participating in the demonstration. Local officials including congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss were arrested during the protest. Lawsuits were filed by journalists and demonstrators alleging excessive force and interference with First Amendment activities.

Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen, was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in Brighton Park on Saturday morning during an incident where she and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz allegedly followed federal agents in their vehicles. Body camera footage, according to Martinez's attorney, appears to show an agent telling her to "do something" before shooting her. Both Martinez and Ruiz were released pending trial despite being charged with felony assault of a federal officer.

U.S. Border Patrol agents shot a woman on Chicago's Southwest Side in Brighton Park. Federal agents claimed they were rammed by vehicles and boxed in. The shooting led to protests with approximately 100 demonstrators. Federal agents deployed tear gas and pepper balls during the protests. The woman was treated and discharged from the hospital. At least one U.S. citizen was detained during the incident.

New video footage from May 9, 2025 reveals details surrounding the federal arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka at Delaney Hall, a migrant detention center. Rep. LaMonica McIver and House colleagues had arrived for an unannounced visit when the arrest occurred. McIver was subsequently indicted for allegedly impeding the arrest and assaulting federal officers; she has pleaded not guilty.

Mario Guevara, a Salvadoran journalist, was deported to El Salvador on October 3, 2025, after spending over three months in ICE custody. He was arrested on June 14 while live-streaming a "No Kings" protest in the Atlanta area and was transferred to ICE detention shortly after. The Bureau of Immigration Appeals closed his case on September 19, ordering his removal. A Georgia immigration judge had ordered his release on bond in July and the ACLU filed legal challenges.

Huabing Xie, an immigrant from China, died in custody at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico after suffering a seizure on Friday. Staff administered CPR and used a defibrillator, but Xie was pronounced dead at El Centro Regional Medical Center. This is the second ICE custody death in California in two weeks. Immigrants' rights groups have called for a full investigation.

Spanish-language journalist Mario Guevara was arrested by police on June 14, 2025, while covering a protest in DeKalb County, Georgia, and charged with obstructing police, unlawful assembly, and improperly entering a roadway. After a judge granted him bond, ICE placed a 48-hour hold on him despite his work authorization and pending green card application. Guevara spent 110 days in ICE custody, including 22 hours daily in solitary confinement, before being deported to El Salvador. A federal judge questioned the legality of his detention. His attorneys argued it violated his constitutional rights to free speech and due process. The government claimed broad discretion to detain him as a deportable immigrant. Guevara stated he was targeted for his journalistic work documenting immigration raids rather than for any criminal activity.

On August 13, 2025, DHS agents deployed tear gas and fired less-lethal bullets from the roof of an ICE facility at 4310 S Macadam Ave in Portland, targeting civilians peacefully demonstrating on the public sidewalk. A U.S. military veteran was violently attacked from behind, assaulted, and pinned to the ground while being exposed to tear gas for approximately two minutes by three DHS agents.

On Friday, October 2, 2025, federal immigration agents handcuffed Alderman Jessie Fuentes of the 26th Ward at Humboldt Park Hospital while she was confronting them about an arrest. Fuentes asked agents if they had a signed warrant before being handcuffed and led outside the hospital. Agents were at the hospital pursuing a person who had been injured and brought for medical care. The incident occurred during broader immigration enforcement operations across Chicago that included tear gas deployment and multiple arrests, including at least one U.S. citizen. Mayor Brandon Johnson stated that elected officials have a First Amendment right to document ICE actions and inform constituents of their rights. Governor Pritzker called for an investigation into treatment of children during a separate federal raid in South Shore.

On October 3, 2025, 26th Ward Alderperson Jessie Fuentes went to Humboldt Park Health emergency room after being alerted by hospital staff about a constituent detained by masked ICE agents during Operation Midway Blitz. When Fuentes asked the agents if they had a signed judicial warrant, she was shoved twice and then handcuffed. After repeatedly identifying herself as an elected official and asking what she had done wrong, agents removed the handcuffs and released her with a warning. Fuentes filed a federal tort claims lawsuit seeking $100,000 in damages, stating her goal is to hold federal agents accountable for their actions.

Subramanyam Vedam, a legal permanent resident born in India, was released from a Pennsylvania maximum security prison after 43 years when prosecutors abandoned his murder case. He was immediately placed in ICE custody at the Moshannon Processing Center and is being held while fighting deportation, with a judge denying him bail.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted multiple enforcement operations in Chicago, deploying tear gas and smoke bombs during raids. In one incident at Funston Elementary School, tear gas released in a nearby parking lot during a grocery store raid spread into the school building, exposing students including first-graders to the chemical agent. A separate operation at 51st and Damen on October 3rd resulted in video footage showing federal agents threatening a community member and throwing a smoke bomb onto a vehicle, with one person detained. ICE has conducted multiple enforcement operations in Chicago during this period, including residential raids and the detention of individuals.

Five asylum seekers from Colombia, Guatemala, China, and Nicaragua were arrested by DHS agents immediately after exiting immigration court hearings at the San Francisco Immigration Court on October 2, 2025. All had pending asylum applications and were previously released under supervision with no criminal history. The federal court granted a temporary restraining order requiring their immediate release and prohibiting re-detention without a hearing.

A Northwest Arkansas man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement following a traffic stop. According to his attorney, the man is a U.S. citizen. He has since been released and returned home.

This entry contains personal commentary and social media content rather than a factual incident summary and cannot be converted to a neutral summary format.

Leonardo Garcia Venegas, a U.S.-born citizen, was detained by ICE agents on two separate occasions at construction sites in recent months. His attorney disputes the government's claim that he interfered with agents, stating he was violently tackled and detained despite showing his Real ID both times. The lawsuit alleges ICE violated Fourth Amendment protections and that officers targeted Latino workers based on racial assumptions.

A federal agent sprayed mace at a woman protester standing in front of him outside the Portland ICE facility. The incident was captured on video and occurred amid ongoing demonstrations against federal immigration enforcement. Portland Police liaisons were seen collecting video from witnesses, though the PPB stated they lack authority to investigate federal officers operating within the scope of their employment.

Three members of an Albany Park family detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents Sunday in Millennium Park are now being held at O’Hare Airport, according to neighbors. Federal agents stopped Noemi Chavez; her husband, Jaime Ramirez; their 8-year-old daughter, Dasha Ramirez; and their 3-year-old son and took them away in a white van during a family outing Sunday at the park. Witnesses saw Dasha Ramirez crying and clutching a doll during the arrests. The incident was caught on video and shared widely on social media. Chavez told the Tribune the family made the outing because Dasha “really wanted to visit Millennium Park.” Dasha and her little brother were playing in the water at the Crown Fountain when federal agents approached their parents, according to the Tribune. Albany Park resident Lauren Rappold said she saw the photos and videos of the family being detained and recognized them immediately. Her son attends Grover Cleveland Elementary School and is in the same third-grade class as Dasha. Rappold shared the information in a Cleveland Elementary moms group and spoke with a neighbor who had been able to get in contact with Chavez via WhatsApp. The neighbor, who asked not to be identified, told Rappold that Chavez and her two children had been taken to O’Hare’s immigration customs enforcement area at Terminal 5. Chavez told the Tribune that federal officers declined to show her a warrant during the arrest. Border Protection did not respond to a request for comment. Rappold brought a bag with fresh clothes, diapers and medicine to O’Hare on Monday morning. Chavez confirmed she got the bag over WhatsApp and said she was told she will be kept at O’Hare until there are enough people to fill a plane to send to a detention center in Texas, Rappold said. ✍️ Full story by @Writtenbymollyd in our link in bio.📸 Provided

Abdullahi Mohamed, a Somali immigrant who had lived in the U.S. for over 25 years on an order of supervision with valid work authorization, was detained by ICE in October 2025 during a routine check-in. After being held in Massachusetts, he was transferred rapidly across multiple states without warning to his family or attorney. His family lost track of him during the transfers, receiving fragmented updates from his lawyer and a brief two-minute phone call from an airport. He was deported to Somalia without his family knowing his whereabouts until he called them from there.

Federal agents with Border Patrol, FBI, and ATF conducted a predawn raid on a South Shore apartment building at 7500 S. South Shore Drive, arresting 37 people. Agents used military tactics including flashbang grenades, drones, and helicopters to enter units, with witnesses reporting residents including children were pulled from apartments without clothing. U.S. citizens were among those detained for hours, and residents reported missing belongings and property damage throughout the building.

A Chicago couple was arrested during Operation Midway Blitz just eight days after getting married. The wife was deported to Mexico while the husband remained in detention in Michigan. Despite being named in a federal lawsuit alleging unlawful arrests, a judge ordered the husband's removal to El Salvador.