Human Impact Project

An ICE agent pointed a gun at a female driver in Santa Ana who was allegedly recording him. A Fullerton police officer intervened at the scene and the ICE agent identified himself and provided credentials. The officer declined to assist, noting no crime had occurred, and the woman left the area.

An ICE agent brandished a firearm at Sol, an unarmed community watch member, at the intersection of Santa Ana Boulevard and Shelton Street in Santa Ana on November 9, 2025. The agent pointed his gun directly at Sol after she had been legally observing and documenting what appeared to be an ICE vehicle. A Fullerton Police officer witnessed the incident but did not intervene after the agent identified himself as ICE and claimed Sol was following him.

Rafael Veraza and his 1-year-old daughter were pepper-sprayed at close range in a Sam's Club parking lot in Cicero while heading to go grocery shopping. The family said they were not protesting or interfering when a masked federal immigration agent fired pepper spray through their vehicle's open window. The Department of Homeland Security denied the incident occurred, claiming there was no pepper spray deployed in the parking lot.

Two SUNY Upstate hospital workers who are a married couple were detained by ICE in Mattydale while checking in for what they expected to be a routine final step before judicial approval to remain in the United States. The couple fled Cuba due to persecution related to their sexual orientation and now face potential deportation. Family, friends, coworkers, and Governor Kathy Hochul are advocating for their release.

The Trump administration launched Operation Midway Blitz, an immigration enforcement surge in the Chicago region beginning in early September 2025, resulting in over 4,300 arrests during the two-month operation. ICE confirmed at least 4 arrests of men from Mexico on charges including DUI, vehicular burglary, armed robbery, and assault. Federal data indicates most detainees lacked significant criminal records. Faith leaders held a rally at Daley Plaza. Immigrant advocates reported increased hotline calls about ICE encounters. Hundreds of immigrants, protesters, and bystanders were detained or arrested during raids and protests across the Chicago region and suburbs.

Federal agents sprayed pepper spray from a moving vehicle at a line of cars exiting a Sam's Club parking lot in Cicero on Saturday morning, striking a 1-year-old child among other occupants. Video footage shows a masked federal agent firing chemical irritants through open car windows.

J.A.M.C., who arrived in the U.S. at age 3 in 1991, was detained by ICE on November 7, 2025 during a scheduled check-in at the San Francisco ICE Field Office. ICE alleged he violated his GPS monitoring terms by visiting Stinson Beach on Labor Day, though he claims he had permission from his ISAP officer. The court ordered his immediate release and prohibited re-detention without a hearing before an immigration judge.

Kara Dominguez, a U.S. citizen and activist who runs La Voz del Pueblo, a grassroots group tracking ICE activity on Facebook, alleges that ICE arrested her husband Olvin Dominguez on November 5, 2025, in retaliation for her activism. According to Kara, her husband reported that ICE officers said they had been monitoring her Facebook page. Olvin Dominguez, an undocumented immigrant from Honduras with no criminal record who has lived in the U.S. for 17 years, was transferred to Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana.

The FBI issued a warning about criminals impersonating ICE agents to commit violent crimes including robberies, kidnappings, sexual assaults, and threats. At least five incidents have occurred since early 2025 in North Carolina, New York, and Florida, with impersonators using fake credentials and ICE-labeled clothing to target vulnerable communities. The FBI attributed the effectiveness of these scams to increased ICE enforcement activity and media coverage, and provided guidance to law enforcement on identifying impersonators and verifying legitimate agent credentials.

ICE agents surrounded a family's car in Fitchburg on Thursday morning to arrest Juliana Milena Ojeda-Montoya, who was wanted for allegedly stabbing a coworker with scissors. Video shows her husband Carlos Zapata, 24, appearing to have a seizure while holding their toddler daughter during the arrest. Zapata said agents pushed, hit him, and pressed on his neck, causing him to lose consciousness. DHS officials disputed his account, claiming he faked the medical emergency and stating medical personnel found no legitimate emergency.

Waukegan Alderman Juan Martinez was briefly detained by U.S. immigration enforcement agents on Baldwin Avenue while stuck in traffic on November 7, 2025. Four federal agents drew guns on Martinez while he sat in his car with his hands raised, with one agent threatening to shoot him. The agents eventually left after community members identified Martinez as a city alderman, and he filed a police report with the Waukegan Police Department.

Curtis Wright, a 39-year-old Canadian-born lawful permanent resident, has been detained by ICE since November 6, 2025, after being denied re-entry at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston upon returning from Mexico. ICE cited Wright's 2004 drug possession convictions as justification for detention, though his legal team argues the charges stem from a single teenage incident involving a Xanax tablet and that federal law protects him from removal given over 22 years have elapsed since the offense. Wright's green card has been renewed twice by ICE since the 2004 convictions, and his family contends his continued detention violates constitutional rights and due process. His attorneys filed a federal writ of habeas corpus in January 2026 challenging the lawfulness of the detention and arguing he poses no flight risk.

Petey Feng, a Taiwanese cook who worked at Dallas restaurants, was detained by ICE on November 6, 2025, after an immigration check-in for overstaying his visa since 2010 and a 2023 DWI misdemeanor. He spent 133 days in ICE detention facilities in southwest Texas. Feng was denied voluntary departure and inadvertently signed away his right to appeal. He was deported and arrived in Taiwan in March 2026, where he cared for his aging parents.

Dennis Quiñonez, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested during a DHS immigration enforcement operation at a Home Depot parking lot in Cypress Park on November 4, 2025. ICE agents took his 1-year-old daughter into custody during the arrest. The child was subsequently reunited with family members, including her grandmother. Quiñonez was released on bond on November 6, 2025, and reunited with his family. He has been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of domestic violence.

Jonathan Caravello, a philosophy lecturer at California State University Channel Islands, entered a not guilty plea in federal court to a felony charge of assaulting an immigration agent with a deadly or dangerous weapon. Caravello was arrested on July 10 during a confrontation between federal agents and activists protesting immigration raids at licensed cannabis facilities in Ventura County. The alleged weapon is a tear gas canister that agents deployed against protesters.

On November 5, 2025, ICE agents detained Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, a teacher at Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center in Chicago's North Center neighborhood, during morning drop-off hours. According to DHS, officers conducted a traffic stop that led to a vehicle pursuit ending at the daycare facility. Agents entered and forcibly removed Galeano in front of children and parents, searching the facility. Galeano claimed to have work authorization and a pending asylum case, while DHS identified her as undocumented from Colombia. A federal judge subsequently ruled her mandatory detention illegal and ordered a bond hearing before an immigration judge. The incident prompted a rally of hundreds of community members and local officials demanding ICE stay out of schools and daycares.

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction restricting the use of force by federal agents in Chicago, finding the Trump administration's version of recent events involving agents was not credible. The judge noted that Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino admitted to lying during proceedings related to the incident.

An investigation found that ICE staff at the Buffalo Federal Detention facility in Batavia, New York administered inadequate medical treatment to at least a dozen detainees over two years, including cases where serious injuries went untreated, medications were denied or reduced, and necessary appointments were delayed. Specific cases documented include a Nigerian migrant who lost portions of six fingers due to untreated frostbite and a Gambian man who suffered a stroke-like syndrome after going two weeks without heart medications.

A ProPublica report documents ICE's detention of approximately 170 American citizens during immigration enforcement operations, revealing widespread Fourth Amendment violations. The article details multiple cases of ICE agents using excessive force against U.S. citizens, including pepper-spraying a man filming agents, tackling a 79-year-old car wash owner, and detaining a woman without outside contact for over two days, despite Department of Homeland Security claims that ICE does not arrest U.S. citizens for immigration enforcement.

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against ICE's processing center in Broadview, Illinois, following a class-action lawsuit filed by detainees regarding detention conditions. The judge's order cited overcrowding, filthy toilets, lack of water and hygiene supplies, and inadequate medical care. The 14-day order requires the facility to provide clean bedding, adequate space, soap, toilet paper, medications, and proper meals. The ruling also addresses allegations that immigration agents used pepper balls and tear gas against protesters outside the facility. Former detainees testified about coercive practices related to voluntary deportation papers.

An immigrant named Javier experienced severe mobility issues while in ICE detention due to medical neglect. Advocates have called for an end to medical neglect of immigrant detainees.

Federal immigration agents arrested a U.S. citizen in Los Angeles and took control of his vehicle, which contained his one-year-old daughter inside. The agents drove away with the child in the car after detaining the father.

ICE agents arrested Juanita Avila, a 47-year-old legal permanent resident carrying her green card, during a traffic stop in November 2025 without showing a warrant or probable cause. Video evidence of the arrest captured by her daughter became part of a lawsuit challenging ICE's arrest practices. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking ICE from continuing warrantless arrests in Oregon, citing the agency's conduct and systematic violation of constitutional rights.

ICE agents pointed rifles at bystanders and attempted to break down doors while conducting an enforcement action at Salem Walk apartments in unincorporated Northbrook on November 5, 2025. The operation, which lasted approximately 50 minutes and involved over a dozen agents and an armored vehicle, resulted in the arrest of Alan Eduardo Garcia, who had a history of violent convictions. Residents and community members confronted agents and filmed the incident.

ICE conducted arrests at multiple locations in Redmond, Washington on Monday, including at Bear Creek Village shopping center. One incident involved a man being detained outside a Panera Bread, with witnesses reporting that ICE agents broke a truck window and dragged out the occupant without showing a warrant. The Redmond Police Department confirmed it was not informed in advance of the operations and stated it does not participate in immigration enforcement.

According to an Instagram post by L.A. TACO, a Border Patrol agent hit a child in the face with a ball during a raid. The child was subsequently driven away from the scene by Border Patrol but was later reunited with their mother in the afternoon.

Marta Brizeyda Renderos Leiva, a 39-year-old from El Salvador, was arrested by ICE at Salt Lake City International Airport while arriving on a flight. She had a valid work permit approved in 2024 and was unaware of a 2020 deportation order, as the court notice had been sent to an address where she no longer lived. Her attorney states she was detained for months, transferred through multiple facilities, and deported despite having an active appeal pending, leaving behind her four U.S. citizen children.

U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted an immigration enforcement operation at a Home Depot in Cypress Park on Election Day, involving about two dozen agents in tactical gear and approximately a dozen unmarked vehicles. At least six people were detained, including a toddler who was later reunited with family. Agents also entered a nearby day laborer center operated by IDEPSCA on private property, and one site coordinator was allegedly forcibly detained and injured.

Daniel Angel Meléndez, an immigrant from El Salvador, was detained by ICE agents on November 4 during a yearly check-in in Cedar Rapids. His wife María Lozano, a U.S. citizen, and family members appealed to U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks at a town hall on November 10 to prevent his deportation. Meléndez has a U.S.-born child and has been in the country since 2017, having applied for asylum based on gang violence threats.

Julio Vargas, a 66-year-old Guatemalan, was detained by U.S. Border Patrol during an immigration raid at El Corredor Salvadoreño in Los Angeles on Sunday. He is being held at Adelanto Detention Center and has reported breathing problems and cramps due to cold conditions, worsened by his existing health conditions and lack of medication. His family is seeking legal assistance but faces financial and resource barriers.

Nazario Radilla Valdovinos, a Mexican citizen, was taken into ICE custody on November 3, 2025 and detained at Adelanto ICE Detention Center pending removal proceedings. ICE issued a custody determination continuing his detention without providing an opportunity for bond or release. The court granted his habeas petition in part, ordering that he receive a bond hearing within seven days under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a).

Berenice Garcia-Hernandez, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE for approximately seven hours after photographing unmarked ICE vehicles near a Chick-fil-A in Gresham. She was documenting the agents' presence to warn her community after seeing a Facebook alert. ICE agents broke her car window and removed her from the vehicle, though no criminal charges had been filed as of the article's publication.

Berenice Garcia-Hernandez, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE for approximately seven hours after photographing unmarked government vehicles and license plates of immigration agents near a Gresham Chick-fil-A. Garcia-Hernandez had taken the photos after seeing a social media alert about the agents' presence in the area.

Berenice Garcia-Hernandez took action after seeing a Facebook post alerting people to ICE agents' presence near a Gresham Chick-fil-A. The person who posted the alert said he was too scared to photograph the agents' license plates. The Oregonian covered the story.

A federal lawsuit alleges the Trump administration unlawfully deported human trafficking and domestic violence victims despite their pending applications for protective visas. Carmen, a woman who helped get her abusive husband deported and applied for a U-Visa, was deported in July despite valid pending protections and having an 8-year-old son. Upon arrival in her home country, she was confronted by her deported husband.

The City documents five months of immigration enforcement activities at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City, where masked federal agents arrested immigrants in and around immigration courts. A photojournalistic report documents these activities and their effects on affected immigrants during this period.

Ricardo Rodriguez, 53, was arrested by ICE agents on Sunday morning in Melrose Park while riding his bike. Videos show agents placing Rodriguez in a chokehold and striking his head before detaining him. He was brought to Gottlieb Memorial Hospital after complaining of chest pains, where ICE agents restricted family visitation.

Carlos Jimenez, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen, was shot by ICE agents in Ontario on November 2, 2025. According to his lawyers, Jimenez approached the officers to warn them about children gathering at a nearby school bus stop and was shot from behind while attempting to leave after becoming afraid when an agent drew a gun and pepper spray. Federal authorities claim Jimenez reversed his vehicle directly at officers in a threatening manner, and the shots were defensive.

An FBI-led raid at an Idaho race track resulted in immigration-related arrests.

Operation Midway Blitz was a federal immigration enforcement operation conducted in Chicago targeting Latino neighborhoods including Little Village, Pilsen, and the Southeast Side. ABC News examined the operation through interviews with affected families and CBP Commander Gregory Bovino. Federal immigration enforcement in Chicago decreased after many agents left the city in November following the initial operation. The enforcement action had ongoing effects on these communities in subsequent months.

A 37-year-old man named Jose Argueta reported a stolen vehicle to Maryland police in November and was subsequently arrested by ICE at a DC police station. Argueta spent Christmas at an immigrant detention center following the arrest.

Hanne Engan, a Norwegian national with a pending green card application, was arrested by ICE officers at her green card interview in November 2025 after her student visa expired. While detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center for approximately one week, she alleged medical negligence regarding her Type 1 diabetes management, inadequate facility conditions, and discovered her credit card information had been stolen during her custody. ICE and CoreCivic disputed her claims about medical care and facility conditions.

Federal immigration agents, including ICE and Border Patrol personnel, used tear gas, pepper balls, and other riot control weapons against protesters in Chicago and Illinois during Operation Midway Blitz enforcement operations that began September 2, 2025. Video footage documented agents firing munitions directly at demonstrators. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on October 9 limiting crowd-control tactics, but subsequent court filings alleged violations occurring almost daily. An analysis of 28 protest events found seven instances of riot control weapons use without apparent threats and 19 instances of excessive force.

Since January 2025, the Trump administration has pursued detention and deportation practices separating parents from children. In late November 2025, the Women's Refugee Commission and Physicians for Human Rights documented cases of deported adults in Honduras, finding that over half were deported without their children and many were longtime US residents with US citizen children. Many parents reported being unable to obtain information about their children's whereabouts or care following deportation.

Paulino Martin San Pedro, a Beaverton resident, was detained by ICE in November and deported to Mexico within days. He was hospitalized shortly after deportation and died of pneumonia at age 53.