Human Impact Project

Federal ICE agents made arrests near the Jersey City-Hoboken border on Sunday morning without advance warning to local police. Multiple detentions occurred at the 9th Street Light Rail Station in a predominantly Latino neighborhood, with at least two people seen being taken into unmarked vehicles. Local officials stated that residents have rights, including the right to refuse entry without a judge-signed warrant.

Human Rights First's ICE Flight Monitor report documents ICE Air Operations' expansion in February 2026, with 183 removal flights to 31 countries and new charter carriers. The report documents expanded domestic transfer flights and removal operations.

Johanny Lacruz, a Venezuelan asylum seeker and fiancée of Juan Rodriguez, was detained by ICE at a Border Patrol checkpoint in February 2026 despite having valid work authorization and no criminal record. Rodriguez observed that U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz secured the release of Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar, a teenager in the same detention facility with similar legal status, but was unable to obtain similar assistance for his fiancée. Both Lacruz and Gámez-Cuéllar were detained during the Trump administration's deportation operations.

ICE apprehensions in the Pacific Northwest increased in late 2025 under an operation internally called 'Operation Black Rose.' Multnomah County experienced a 600% increase in apprehensions, while Washington County saw a 2,100% increase. Paulino Martin San Pedro was arrested in Washington County and subsequently deported to Mexico, where he died in February 2026 from pneumonia complications.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a February 2026 policy memo reinterpreting Section 209 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, stating that refugees who have lived in the U.S. for at least one year but have not yet acquired lawful permanent resident status may be arrested and detained. The new policy rescinds a 2010 DHS policy that limited such arrests and could affect approximately 100,000 refugees currently in the country with lawful immigration status. Immigration attorneys are advising refugee clients to file for permanent status immediately, though approval delays and country-specific holds mean some could face detention despite following proper procedures.

As of mid-January 2026, 7,252 people had been detained in ICE custody for at least six months — including 79 held for more than two years — compared to 2,849 long-term detainees recorded in December 2024 under the Biden administration, according to ICE data reported by the Associated Press. The increase is partly driven by a Trump administration policy generally prohibiting immigration judges from releasing detainees on bond. Among those detained are people who have won protection under the UN Convention Against Torture but cannot be sent to their home countries.

An advocacy post calls for the release of Diana Crespo-Gonzalez from immigration detention, urging people to contact DHS at 202-282-8485. The post references a previous case where 180,000 calls led to the release of someone named Liam, and directs followers to an OPB news article for more details about Diana's situation.

At least two confirmed cases of measles have been reported at the Dilley family detention center in Texas, which houses children and parents in immigration detention. A broader measles outbreak is occurring across the U.S. Democratic congressman Joaquin Castro called for the facility to be shut down immediately, citing detention centers as potential vectors for disease transmission.

According to Senator John Hickenlooper, ICE agents are reportedly leaving behind cards with a history of use by white supremacist groups at the vehicles of detained individuals.

The San Benito detention facility in Texas, operated by for-profit company Urban Strategies, houses pregnant minors as young as 13 without adequate specialized reproductive health care. Advocates and civil rights organizations report the facility lacks proper medical facilities, menstrual products, and birth control access, putting pregnant youth at risk despite no major complications reported so far.

Steve Gaines, an English teacher at Harmony School of Innovation in Waco, Texas, was fired weeks after he allowed students to use class time to make signs and flyers for an ICE protest walkout in February 2026. Gaines provided cardboard boxes and paint for the signs and stayed in the classroom to chaperone students who did not participate in the walkout. He was terminated mid-year despite having 11 years of teaching experience.

The League of United Latin American Citizens held a vigil and protest outside the South Texas Family Residential Center calling for the release of all children detained at immigration detention facilities. About 100 people gathered on February 1, 2026, following the recent release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from the facility. LULAC leadership called for reforms to immigration enforcement and spoke out against plans for 23 new detention centers.

Immigrant families released from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas are being transported to border town shelters like Laredo with minimal resources. Families report being released without medications, documents, or money. Families report experiencing job loss and financial hardship following their detention. Multiple cases document families who spent weeks or months detained and were subsequently released with their immigration cases unchanged.