Human Impact Project

The Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California's Mojave Desert has faced documented concerns about detention conditions and practices. An investigation in February 2026 revealed detainees experiencing inadequate medical care, insufficient food and water, and prolonged detention through handwritten letters and interviews, with some held for nearly three years despite having permanent residency status or no criminal convictions. In March 2026, approximately 300 activists from Greater Los Angeles protested at the facility, which held an estimated 2,000 people in custody at that time.

Recent court rulings reveal that ICE is detaining asylum seekers in Washington based on alleged missed check-ins through the SmartLink app, often without providing evidence to support these claims. Multiple federal judges found at least 16 people with pending asylum cases were held at the Tacoma detention center without proper due process, with cases involving missed check-ins due to app malfunctions, hospitalizations, or scheduling conflicts being used as justification for detention.

More than 70,000 people have self-deported from the United States during the Trump administration, with most having been under ICE detention, according to Department of Homeland Security documents. The figures include those who participated in Project Homecoming, a program offering up to $2,600 and free one-way tickets to those who voluntarily leave the country through the CBP Home app.

Massachusetts lawmakers are advancing legislation to prohibit warrantless civil immigration arrests at courthouses and other sensitive locations including hospitals, schools, and places of worship. Two bills, one from Governor Maura Healey and another from the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, have gained support following recent federal immigration raids in the state that resulted in thousands of arrests.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted operations in Glassport Borough over a two-week period, resulting in 17 arrests. Witnesses reported seeing ICE agents surrounding buildings and conducting arrests in handcuffs at multiple locations, including near Ohio Avenue and Sixth Street and a Sunoco gas station. Glassport Police Chief Shawn DeVerse reported that the borough is not part of the 287(g) Program and that local police cooperate with federal agents during ICE operations. DeVerse indicated that ICE agents stated they would continue returning to the borough for additional operations.

The Women's Refugee Commission and Physicians for Human Rights jointly documented cases of mothers deported to Honduras without being informed of their right to arrange for their U.S.-citizen children to accompany them or stay with relatives. Of 21 mothers interviewed by PHR, 13 were not given the opportunity to discuss their children's fate before deportation. The report found ICE violated its own policies requiring agents to ask detainees about dependent children and ensure parents can decide their children's arrangements. Additionally, pregnant and postpartum women were detained and deported without adequate medical care, and some nursing mothers experienced malnutrition during detention.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted 39 live pythons hidden inside a tractor at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo on March 5, 2026. The driver had provided a negative declaration for prohibited goods before officers discovered the snakes concealed in the vehicle. CBP issued $34,824 in penalties for export violations, seized the tractor and trailer, and the case remains under investigation by the Fish and Wildlife Service and Homeland Security Investigations.

UC Irvine criminologist Charis E. Kubrin received the Stockholm Prize in Criminology, the field's highest honor, for her two decades of research demonstrating that immigration does not increase crime in the U.S. Despite rigorous evidence supporting her findings, a January 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that 57% of American adults believe immigrants bring crime to the country.

A witness recorded ICE agents beating a man inside a Home Depot store in Paramount, California. The man appeared unable to stand on his own as agents dragged him from the store. An agent stated they had a warrant for the man's arrest.

A new Trump administration rule taking effect Monday will prevent approximately 200,000 immigrant truck drivers from obtaining or renewing commercial driver's licenses. The rule bars asylum seekers, refugees, and DACA recipients from holding these licenses, citing safety concerns following high-profile accidents. Those with existing valid licenses will lose driving privileges as their licenses expire, not immediately.

Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman from Paterson, New Jersey, was detained by ICE in March 2025 after attending a voluntary immigration check-in at the Newark ICE office. She had participated in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in 2024 and was charged with overstaying her student visa, despite having a pending green card application through her U.S. citizen mother. Kordia was held at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas for over one year, where she experienced a seizure, was chained to a hospital bed, and reported conditions of overcrowding and inadequate food. On March 16, 2026, an immigration judge ordered her release on a $100,000 bond, citing minimal flight risk and serious medical concerns. The government did not appeal the decision.

The Florence Project reports increases in medical neglect of ICE detainees in Arizona facilities, with multiple cases of individuals with serious chronic illnesses and conditions receiving inadequate care. Documented cases include individuals with prostate enlargement, spinal stenosis, broken ankles, tuberculosis, cirrhosis, and blindness who were denied specialist appointments, necessary surgeries, and adequate pain management. ICE policies authorize only emergency care via emergency rooms, denying preventive and specialist treatment. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar visited Camp East Montana ICE detention center on January 28, 2026, and expressed concerns about worsening conditions for detainees, including limited legal access, inadequate hygiene, and three deaths since December. She reported that over 325 women, many legally in the U.S., were being held in poor conditions with restricted communication with lawyers and lack of fresh clothing.

Ricardo Navarrete, an 18-year-old senior at Mather High School in Chicago, and his mother Liliana were detained by ICE on March 16 after appearing for what they believed was a routine asylum case check-in appointment. Both had pending asylum applications and no criminal records. Ricardo has since been transferred between detention facilities in multiple states, and lawyers have filed habeas corpus petitions seeking their release.

Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal, a 41-year-old Afghan man who served alongside U.S. special forces and fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, died on March 16, 2026, at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas less than 24 hours after being detained by ICE on March 13. He was transported to the hospital on the evening of March 15 after reporting shortness of breath and chest pains during ICE intake processing. His condition deteriorated overnight, and he died the following morning. An initial medical examiner report listed no cause or manner of death. His brother reported that ICE did not allow emergency staff to check on him when he called 911.

An article examines the lobbying operations of private prison companies GEO Group and CoreCivic, which profit from ICE detention contracts. The report details the lobbyists and millions of dollars spent annually to influence federal policy, with GEO receiving 43% of its revenue from ICE contracts and CoreCivic receiving 30%, while over 70,000 people remain detained across 225 facilities.

Dr. Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University peace scholar, returned to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals one year after being arrested and detained by ICE in March 2025. He was arrested without a warrant, held in multiple detention facilities for nearly six weeks, and was subjected to detention conditions including denial of religious accommodations. The Trump administration is attempting to re-detain him, arguing federal courts lack jurisdiction to review his case, while the ACLU argues the Virginia court has proper habeas jurisdiction and he must remain free.

The Department of Homeland Security plans to convert a warehouse in Oakwood, Georgia into an ICE regional processing facility to detain over 1,000 immigrants before deportation. Local businesses, residents, and officials are opposing the facility due to concerns about infrastructure, water and sewer capacity, and the impact on the community's Latino population and local economy.

ICE agents arrested an undocumented father while he was taking his 15-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, both U.S. citizens, to school in New Jersey. According to witnesses and the family, agents asked the boy to call a relative but drove away before anyone arrived, leaving the two minors unattended on the roadside. The incident violates ICE policy and DHS directives requiring agents to remain on scene until a third party assumes physical custody of minor children.

The Trump administration significantly expanded immigration enforcement operations beginning in 2025, deporting over 2,000 individuals including Southeast Asian refugees and resuming deportation flights to Iran after decades without such transfers. By early 2026, the administration had conducted at least 78 deportation flights to Venezuela and three flights to Iran, while detaining approximately 15,000 additional individuals for deportation. Among those affected was Hai Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee detained based on an expunged nonviolent conviction, and two 12-year-old U.S. citizen twins who were wrongfully deported to Guatemala during their mother's ICE appointment and returned the same day after a federal judge ruled the deportation unlawful.

Operation Metro Surge, conducted between December 2025 and mid-March 2026, resulted in 4,030 arrests in Minnesota. ICE labeled approximately 1,300 arrests (35 percent) as "collateral," meaning the detainees were not intended targets. Data revealed 63 percent of those arrested had no criminal convictions or pending charges. On February 13, ICE agents detained a 52-year-old Ecuadorian man after stopping a vehicle in an elementary school parking lot while searching for someone named Helen; he was released four days later after a judge ordered his release when ICE did not challenge facts in his habeas petition.

Zahid Chaudhry, a disabled U.S. Army veteran and lawful permanent resident from Pakistan, was detained by ICE at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma in August 2025 after being arrested during a citizenship interview at a USCIS office. ICE cited undisclosed criminal charges from Australia in the early 1990s involving financial deception and passport-related offenses. After 124 days in custody, a federal judge ruled the detention was wrongful, finding that the government failed to provide Chaudhry notice or opportunity to be heard before detaining him, violating his constitutional rights. A government attorney apologized during the habeas hearing. In December 2025, Judge David G. Estudillo ordered Chaudhry's release.

The Trump administration has modified the H-2A visa program in response to agricultural labor shortages. Changes include adjusting wage calculations that lower hourly rates by $1-$7 depending on state and allowing housing to count as worker compensation. Labor unions and some immigration advocates have opposed the changes, citing concerns about potential displacement of American workers and wage suppression.

DACA recipients are experiencing delays in their renewal applications. Victor Jardon-Reyes and others have faced processing delays extending up to six months. Some have lost employment and work authorization, while others face deportation proceedings. The Trump administration has acknowledged the delays while defending more thorough vetting procedures. Legal challenges to the DACA program continue in federal court.

San Diego County officials released a report finding that the average daily population at Otay Mesa Detention Center has increased approximately 200% in recent years. DHS stated that ICE facilities comply with detention standards and provide meals, medical care, and legal access. County leaders noted overcrowding, lack of inspection access, and strain on the county's Immigrant Legal Defense Program, whose caseload grew from 56 to nearly 800 clients.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is planning to expand immigrant detention capacity to accommodate up to 125,000 people by purchasing warehouses and existing privately owned detention facilities operated by contractors like GEO Group and CoreCivic. Buying rather than leasing these facilities would give the federal government greater control and exemption from state and local regulations. The expansion is part of the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts and follows the addition of over 10,000 new deportation officers.

The Trump administration has reduced the release of publicly available immigration enforcement data despite promoting aggressive deportation goals of 1 million people. Key statistics from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics have not been updated since early 2025, and figures the administration has released show inconsistencies, with deportation numbers ranging from 400,000 to 700,000.

Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee confirmed that 60 Irish nationals were detained by ICE over the past year, with 5 active cases currently being held. The minister noted that Ireland has expanded its consular teams in the U.S. to provide support for citizens facing immigration difficulties. The case of Seamus Culleton, an Irish citizen detained since September who refused to sign deportation documents, was highlighted as a particularly difficult situation.

On March 14, 2026, a traffic stop in San Marcos resulted in the arrest of 44-year-old Gerardo Gonzalez Reyes and his 17-year-old son Esteban on charges of interference with public duties after officers removed the teen from a vehicle. After booking into the Hays County Jail, an existing ICE detainer was discovered, and Gonzalez Reyes was taken into federal custody pending removal proceedings. His family, including U.S. citizen children and a disabled wife, protested the circumstances and sought his release, with a county judge requesting ICE exercise discretion for family reunification.

On March 14, 2026, Gerardo Gonzalez Reyes, 44, and his son Esteban, 17, were arrested during a traffic stop in San Marcos on charges of interference with public duties. The arrests stemmed from a false report claiming a man was attempting to help a 15-year-old girl leave home; authorities later determined the girl was at home and had not left. After being booked into jail, ICE placed a detainer on Gonzalez Reyes, citing prior DWI convictions from 2004 and 2005, and he was transferred to federal custody pending removal proceedings. Protesters subsequently called for his release and for charges against both individuals to be dismissed.

A man with no criminal record who entered the United States legally and pursued an asylum claim for a decade was transported across multiple states in federal custody. During the multi-day transfer beginning March 14, he experienced prolonged restraint, overcrowding, sleep deprivation, and limited access to food, water, and medical care. Detainees were handcuffed for up to 14 hours, held in facilities beyond capacity, and did not receive proper medical screening or attorney notification.

A vehicle associated with federal immigration enforcement made contact with a protester outside an ICE detention center on Alameda Street in Los Angeles during a demonstration. Video footage shows the vehicle striking the protester, who then clung to the vehicle as it continued forward. The incident has circulated widely on social media, prompting calls for information about potential injuries.

Undocumented immigrant parents across the United States are taking legal precautions, including drafting wills, guardianship papers, and advance healthcare directives, in response to intensified immigration enforcement operations. The trend has accelerated sharply in states like Florida, Texas, and California. Legal professionals and advocacy organizations report a significant increase in such preparations. These actions reflect concern among immigrant families facing expanded federal enforcement initiatives, including local police participation through programs like 287(g), combined with documented increases in death rates within the immigration detention system.

Laotian refugees who fled to the U.S. after the Vietnam War and settled in Minnesota are being deported to Laos due to decades-old criminal convictions. Under the Trump administration's mass deportation policy, over 400 people have been deported to Laos since May 2025. Those detained include Ricky Chandee, an engineering technician for Minneapolis, and Ounheuan Hong, a chef, both of whom have criminal records from their youth but have since been employed in their respective fields.

A series of ICE enforcement operations in Minneapolis from December 2025 through February 2026, known as Operation Metro Surge, resulted in approximately 4,000 arrests involving roughly 3,000 immigration agents. The operations included multiple documented wrongful detentions and the fatal shooting of unarmed U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Other detainees included disabled U.S. citizen Aliya Rahman, four Oglala Lakota men at Fort Snelling, and student Jairo Pitalasig at his workplace. The enforcement actions sparked resignations of six federal prosecutors and four DOJ civil rights leaders after the department refused to investigate the shooting and instead investigated the victim's activism. Minneapolis continues to experience lasting trauma and economic damage, including disrupted access to medical care for children, widespread fear among residents, and loss of federal funding for shelters and affordable housing.

Daniel Lomeli-Rodriguez, a 42-year-old who has lived in the United States since 2004, was detained by ICE on March 13, 2026, while attending a court hearing for the dismissal of an offense. He is engaged to a U.S. citizen and is the father of three U.S. citizens. The federal court ordered his release from Adelanto Detention Facility within 48 hours, finding he was entitled to a bond hearing.

Curtis Wright, an Edmonton-born permanent resident who lived in the United States for 30 years, was detained by ICE on November 6, 2025, after returning from a work trip to Mexico at a U.S. port of entry. ICE cited drug possession charges from when Wright was 17 years old as grounds for detention. After four months in custody at the South Texas ICE Processing Center, a judge ordered his deportation on March 13, 2026. Wright's legal team filed evidence supporting his case and is pursuing a habeas corpus request and plans to appeal the deportation order.

A whistleblower at the Baltimore ICE detention facility alleged severe conditions including use of a restraint chair and unsanitary environments. A video documented overcrowding in January 2026, prompting Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen to raise concerns. ICE transferred approximately 100 detainees from the facility to Arizona on March 12, 2026, the day before a congressional oversight visit. A federal judge subsequently ruled in March 2026 that ICE must limit capacity at the downtown Baltimore holding facility to 56 people across five cells, citing health and safety risks. The court ordered ICE to conduct medical screenings within 12 hours of arrival, clean cells daily, and ensure access to hygiene supplies and medication within 24 hours.

Federal prosecutors in Arizona charged 374 individuals across two immigration enforcement operations in late February and early March 2026. The first operation, conducted February 28 through March 6, resulted in 177 charges including 124 for unauthorized re-entry, 35 for unauthorized entry, and 18 for human smuggling, with three men specifically charged in connection with a Phoenix-based smuggling operation that transported undocumented migrants. A second operation from March 7-13 yielded 197 additional charges comprising 132 unauthorized re-entry cases, 59 unauthorized entry cases, and 6 smuggling cases. The operations involved multiple federal agencies and led to the discovery of 19 undocumented migrants in a Phoenix apartment.

A visualization of ICE detention data shows that detainees in the Pacific Northwest are being transferred more frequently between facilities and flown thousands of miles across the country. Immigration attorneys and family members report that these transfers result in detainees missing court dates, losing contact with lawyers, and experiencing health impacts. ICE arrests in Portland and surrounding areas surged 600% in the last three months of 2025.

Immigration arrests in King County increased more than 300% during 2025, with over 1,000 people arrested by ICE representing 44% of all arrests statewide. Federal records obtained by University of Washington researchers show a shift in enforcement tactics, with ICE agents using license plate data from the Department of Licensing to identify and arrest immigrants with longer residence and U.S.-born children. ICE operations occurred at business parking lots and public areas.

The Trump administration implemented a policy change to detain asylum-seekers with no criminal records across multiple states while their cases proceed. Detentions have been reported in Maine, Minnesota, New York, Virginia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Alaska, Wisconsin, California, and Texas. Attorneys and advocates report that detainees experience conditions and family separation, with some individuals choosing voluntary deportation after months in custody.

Children are being detained by ICE at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas for weeks and months, exceeding the 20-day limit established under the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement. As of January, over 900 children were held beyond the limit, with some cases exceeding 9 months. Detainees' reports include self-harm, regression, and conditions with inadequate medical care, therapy, and education.

The Trump administration expanded immigration detention through increased arrests, blocking bond releases, and converting warehouses into detention centers across the country. The number of detained immigrants reached approximately 70,000, more than double the prior year. There were 31 deaths in ICE custody in 2025 and 12 more in early 2026.

A pregnant woman reported being shot in the stomach with a rubber bullet by a federal agent while observing an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles on a Saturday night.

Aidar N. Masalbekov, a citizen of Kyrgyzstan who entered the U.S. without inspection in 2023, was arrested by Indiana State Police during a traffic stop on March 12, 2026. ICE subsequently detained him at Clay County Jail after revoking his Order of Release on Recognizance. Masalbekov had filed an asylum application in 2024 which remains pending. The court ordered that he must be given a bond hearing or released by April 7, 2026.

Lorenzo Chavez Rascon, a 22-year-old Utah man, was arrested on February 23, 2026, on suspicion of selling drugs, but the substances were determined to be dried pinto beans. He was released from initial criminal custody but subsequently detained by ICE based on a detainer, despite holding deferred action status from a pending U-visa petition. On March 11, 2026, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking his deportation and ordered the government to explain why he should not be released, ruling that his continued detention violated his constitutional due process rights. As of March 14, he remained in federal custody.

A 14-year-old Brazilian national was detained by ICE agents in Marlborough, Massachusetts on March 10, 2026, during an operation targeting suspected gang members and transferred to a juvenile detention facility in New York. A federal judge ordered her immediate release on March 12, 2026, after finding the detention and out-of-state transfer violated legal procedures and constitutional protections. She was reunited with her aunt and uncle in Massachusetts but received a notice to appear in immigration court. The girl, who entered the U.S. legally on a visitor visa in 2019 and has U.S. citizen siblings, now faces deportation to Brazil. Her attorney plans to challenge the deportation and petition for special immigrant juvenile status.

Maine nurses called on Senator Susan Collins to stop accepting political donations from Palantir Technologies, a company that provides surveillance technology to ICE. According to advocacy group Purge Palantir, Collins has received over $105,000 in donations from the company, making her one of the top three recipients in Congress. Nurses argued the company profits from personal data collection and surveillance of communities.

The Advocates for Human Rights, a Minneapolis-based organization, sued the U.S. Department of Justice over growing restrictions on public access to immigration court proceedings at Fort Snelling Immigration Court. Since March 2025, court observers have faced locked doors to scheduled hearings, blanket docket closures, mandatory observer lanyards, and removal from the courtroom. The lawsuit alleges violations of the First Amendment and Administrative Procedure Act, with potential national implications as similar restrictions have been reported at courts in California, New York, and Arizona.

Freedom for Immigrants launched an interactive map on March 12 designed to help families locate detained relatives, find legal and community resources, and understand the U.S. immigration detention system. The map compiles information about ICE detention facilities, field offices, resource providers, and companies profiting from immigration detention across the country.