Human Impact Project

Rev. James Eliud Ngahu Mwangi, a Kenyan priest and assistant rector in the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, was arrested by ICE on October 24-25, 2025, while returning home from his job as a correctional officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Huntsville, Texas. Despite holding a valid work permit verified through E-Verify and lawful employment status, ICE detained him at a facility in Conroe, alleging he had overstayed his B1 visa. The Episcopal Diocese of Texas disputed ICE's claims and coordinated legal counsel to document his employment and immigration records. After months in detention, described as punitive and emotionally draining, and facing denial of bond despite his pending asylum application, Rev. Mwangi chose to voluntarily depart to Kenya in early January 2026. His attorney indicated the voluntary departure was a strategic decision to preserve his future eligibility to legally re-enter the United States.

Jacob, a 9-year-old boy with a pending asylum case, was separated from his mother when she was detained at an ICE check-in appointment in January while Jacob and his father waited in the office. His mother had no criminal record and was detained for approximately five months at Adelanto ICE Processing Center before being released on a habeas corpus petition in May. Jacob experienced severe trauma including sleep disturbances, inability to eat or attend school, and emotional dysregulation following the detention.

Jacob's mother, a Colombian national with a pending asylum application and no criminal record, was detained at an ICE check-in appointment while her son Jacob and husband waited in the room. She was held for almost five months at Adelanto ICE Processing Center before being released on a habeas corpus petition in May. Jacob, who had already experienced trauma fleeing paramilitary threats and witnessing violence during migration, developed severe separation anxiety, depression, insomnia, and behavioral problems following his mother's detention.

Hugo Diaz, a 49-year-old Guatemalan immigrant who built a transportation business in Minnesota, was arrested by ICE in January 2026 and deported to Guatemala, leaving behind his wife Blanca Lara and two young sons in Burnsville. The family is among thousands separated by the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign, including Operation Metro Surge, which resulted in over 3,700 arrests across Minnesota. Diaz's younger son has stopped eating since his father's departure, and both children struggle emotionally with the separation.

Amir, a 1-year-old whose Russian parents Alsu and Azat fled Russia fearing persecution for opposing the war in Ukraine, was detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center for approximately four months after the family presented themselves at a legal port of entry. During detention, Amir developed speech delays and began hitting himself in the face. Staff allegedly forced his weaning from formula despite his age, leaving parents struggling to provide adequate nutrition; they resorted to hiding cereal in their clothing to prevent him from going hungry. The facility lacked age-appropriate toys and Russian-language books. Amir's speech development slowed to just two words—'mom' and 'dad.' After release in January 2026, now 2 years old, Amir is laughing more, speaking more, and has stopped hitting himself, though his parents report he seems to be recovering from the experience.

Maria Cristina Tapia Cornejo, a 71-year-old undocumented immigrant, has been held at Eloy Detention Center for over 10 months following an ICE raid on Colt Grill restaurants in July 2025. Despite multiple requests for humanitarian release citing her age, hearing impairment, lack of criminal record, and deep family ties in Arizona, ICE has kept her detained. The restaurant owners who were arrested on charges of hiring undocumented workers were released and granted court-approved travel out of state while awaiting trial. An immigration judge ordered Tapia Cornejo's deportation in January 2026, and she is appealing while remaining in custody, citing safety concerns related to cartel violence in her hometown.

A statewide surge of immigration enforcement in West Virginia in January involved state and local cooperation with ICE through the 287(g) program, resulting in 1,831 arrests (1 in 10 of the state's noncitizen population). Over half were collateral arrests with minimal violent crime convictions; more than three-quarters had only immigration-related violations. A federal judge ordered two detainees released, citing constitutional concerns.

Luis Gilberto Loja Mayancela, 24, an Ecuadorian immigrant with Special Immigrant Juvenile status and valid work authorization, was detained by ICE on January 15, 2026, despite his protective status. A U.S. District judge ruled he is entitled to a bond hearing in immigration court, with seven days to schedule the hearing or he must be released. Mayancela, held at Moshannon Valley Processing Center, was separated from his wife and 3-month-old son at the time of his arrest.

Oudone Lothirath, a 57-year-old Laotian refugee who arrived in the U.S. in the early 1980s, was detained by ICE in January 2026 during an immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota. While held for 10 days at a detention facility in El Paso, Texas, he missed vital chemotherapy sessions for terminal Hodgkin's lymphoma and received no medical care for his diabetes and heart condition. After his release, he was too weakened to continue his remaining chemotherapy treatments, and his cancer subsequently spread to his bone marrow. His care assistant, Christina Vilay, said he would have had "many more months" to live had he completed his scheduled chemotherapy. Lothirath, a working member of the Minneapolis Lao community who attended a local Buddhist temple and held a current work authorization card issued in 2023, is now receiving hospice care.

Dmytro Kulyk, a Ukrainian national admitted under the Uniting for Ukraine program in late 2023, was detained by ICE on January 1, 2026, while his re-parole application remained pending—unlike his wife and daughter's approved applications. The 39-year-old was apprehended in a Walmart parking lot in Minnesota while working as a delivery driver and doing roofing work to support his family. His immigration attorney suggested the delayed re-parole decision may have been intentional to provide grounds for deportation. Kulyk remains detained and faces potential removal despite having no criminal record and following all required legal procedures.

Activists point to fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by immigration officials in Minneapolis and two killings in San Diego under CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott's watch. The incidents share similarities including victims' positions when attacked, officials' claims of aggression later questioned, and CBP's involvement in evidence handling. Activists note patterns they have identified in federal law enforcement investigations.

Jose Sanchez was detained by ICE in November 2025 and deported to Mexico despite having a pending citizenship case. He died in January 2026 while attempting to cross the Rio Grande to return to his family in San Antonio. His partner, Tiffany Barrera, is a U.S. citizen and mother of five.