Human Impact Project

José Yugar-Cruz, a Bolivian asylum seeker who was previously released by a federal judge in January, was re-detained by ICE on Wednesday. ICE is attempting to deport him to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a third-party country, despite Yugar-Cruz having withholding-of-removal relief that protects him from deportation to countries where his life or freedoms would be threatened. Advocates argue the Congo deportation violates his legal protections and poses risks of jail, torture, or death.

A UC Berkeley analysis of ICE data found that arrests of immigrants without criminal convictions increased 770% during the first year of Trump's second term, with street arrests surging over 1,000%. The report, based on Freedom of Information Act data through March 10, 2026, shows ICE arrests more than quadrupled overall across the country. In New York City specifically, ICE arrested over 9,600 people since the start of the Trump administration, with only about one in five having criminal convictions. Nearly 63% of NYC arrests involved people with only immigration violations and no criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, while less than 7% involved individuals with Level 1 threat designations for aggravated felonies or multiple felony convictions.

The Trump administration launched "Operation Catch of the Day," an ICE enforcement operation in Maine targeting individuals the administration characterizes as "criminal illegal aliens." ICE agents identified nearly 1,400 individuals for potential detention in Portland, prompting criticism from local officials and Democratic state leaders who questioned the tactics and raised concerns about impacts on Maine's Somali American community.

A pregnant Venezuelan woman was arrested by ICE while traveling to a medical center in Seattle. Her 10-month-old baby was also taken into ICE custody during the operation. According to local police, the arrest was executed by the Department of Homeland Security based on a criminal court order allegedly related to human trafficking allegations, not immigration violations.

Aliya Rahman, a Minneapolis resident and U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE agents in January 2025 during "Operation Metro Surge" while traveling to a doctor's appointment. Officers blocked her route with vehicles, smashed her car window, and forcibly removed her from the vehicle despite her stating she is disabled and autistic. While in ICE custody, Rahman was denied medical care, lost consciousness, and was transferred to a hospital. In April 2026, Rahman testified before lawmakers in Washington about her experience, describing the dehumanizing treatment and difficulties accessing medical care during her detention. She filed a federal tort claim against the Department of Homeland Security alleging excessive force and rights violations.

ICE agents arrested a U.S. citizen in Chicago after alleging she made a threat. The woman and onlookers disputed the allegation. Agents forced her to the ground and zip-tied her hands. The arrest followed a failed ICE attempt to access a nearby laundromat, where protesters had gathered.

ICE detained a mother of a newly enlisted U.S. military member without warning or explanation. The woman had lived in the United States for over 35 years, paid taxes since 1992, and worked in the courts.

Qu Feng, a Chinese national, was held in prolonged immigration detention without a bond hearing, which he challenged as a violation of due process. The government conceded that Feng should receive a bond hearing where they would bear the burden of proving he poses a danger or flight risk. The court granted the habeas petition and ordered a bond hearing within seven days.

Two elementary school students, Genesis (11) and Denis (6), along with their parents, were detained by ICE during a scheduled immigration check-in appointment in Charlotte on Monday and deported to Honduras within 48 hours. The family had applied for asylum in 2022 after arriving from Honduras and had complied with all immigration requirements for four years with no criminal record. DHS stated the family had been issued a final removal order after missing an immigration hearing, though advocates and relatives disputed the circumstances of their detention.

A student group at University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School held a letter-writing event on April 7, 2026, in support of immigrants detained at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. Nearly 20 law faculty and students participated, writing letters of encouragement to detainees at the facility.

Dr. Ezequiel Veliz, a Venezuelan-born physician working in McAllen, Texas, was detained by Border Patrol agents at a highway checkpoint while waiting for his work visa to be processed. Veliz had entered the U.S. legally and was named resident of the year in 2025 at UT Health, Rio Grande Valley, but lost his work permit when his immigration status ended. His detention follows a Trump administration policy that froze visa extensions and work permits for citizens of 39 countries.

Tuan Van Bui, a 55-year-old Vietnamese immigrant, died on April 1, 2026, at Miami Correctional Center in Indiana while in ICE custody. Staff discovered him unresponsive and initiated CPR and emergency services, but he could not be revived. Bui had legally entered the U.S. in 1990 under the Amerasian Homecoming Act but never obtained citizenship or permanent residency. He had been ordered removed from the country by an immigration judge in 2005 and had multiple convictions at the time of his death. His death marked the 46th detainee death in federal custody during the current Trump administration.

A federal inspection of Camp East Montana, the largest immigration detention facility in the United States located near El Paso, Texas, found 49 violations of national detention standards. The violations included deficiencies in use of force and restraints, security, medical care, and other areas, with inspectors finding that detainees were potentially exposed to excessive force, disease, and unsafe conditions. The facility, which opened in August 2025 and is operated under contract, has also experienced at least three detainee deaths since opening.

ICE internal data obtained by Reuters shows that the Transportation Security Administration provided information on 31,000 travelers to ICE, resulting in over 800 arrests between the start of Trump's presidency through February 2026. The data reveals that TSA's Secure Flight Program, originally designed for counterterrorism, has been used to identify individuals for immigration enforcement at airports.

Annie Yaritza Ramos Alvarado, a 22-year-old Honduran national married to U.S. Army Sergeant Matthew Blank, was detained by ICE on April 2, 2026 after attempting to enter Fort Polk, Louisiana to register as a military spouse. She was held for nearly a week before being released on April 7 on order of supervision with GPS monitoring while removal proceedings continue. DHS claims she entered the country unlawfully as a toddler in 2005 and has no legal status.

Since Trump's return to power, thousands of foreign nationals—primarily Cubans, Haitians, and Venezuelans—have been deported by the United States to Mexico under an undisclosed agreement. Deportees are left stranded in Mexican cities with no official assistance, facing bureaucratic obstacles in obtaining asylum status, work permits, identification, and basic necessities. The practice, known as third-country deportation, has cost over $40 million and left migrants in a state of legal limbo with limited access to employment, housing, or financial services.

According to Department of Homeland Security data analyzed by Gothamist, ICE's New York City field office arrested three times as many people in early 2026 compared to early 2025, but fewer arrests resulted in deportation. The data shows a 16% deportation rate in 2026 compared to 74% in 2025, and average detention periods have decreased from 48 days to 8 days. Immigration law experts attribute the pattern to an "arrest first, ask questions later" enforcement approach.

ICE data reveals that the Transportation Security Administration provided information on over 31,000 travelers, leading to more than 800 arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement from the start of Trump's presidency through February 2026. The TSA's Secure Flight Program, originally designed for counterterrorism, has been used to identify individuals for immigration enforcement at airports.

An activist post calls for support for Otofu Ayaku, who was arrested and detained. The post characterizes the arrest as abuse and states it resulted from state actions against trans and immigrant people, citing local police collaboration with ICE. A legal fund is mentioned.

Carmen F., an immigrant from South America, called police on her abusive husband and he was deported. She applied for a U visa, which provides crime victims a pathway to permanent residency if they cooperate with law enforcement. However, with a backlog causing wait times exceeding 15 years, the Trump administration has been deporting U visa applicants contrary to longstanding ICE policy. Carmen was detained and deported back to her home country with her young son, where her abusive ex-husband was waiting at the airport.

A father of two disabled children was deported to Mexico after being pulled over by ICE while driving to his drywall installation job. The deportation occurred despite his family obligations and care responsibilities for his disabled children.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 800 people following tips shared by the Transportation Security Administration from the start of Trump's presidency through February 2026. TSA provided ICE with records on over 31,000 travelers for immigration enforcement, a significant expansion from the program's original counter-terrorism purpose. The data sharing and airport ICE deployments have drawn criticism from Democrats and immigration attorneys, who report arrests of travelers including parents with children.

Salah Sarsour, 53, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and a Palestinian-born lawful permanent resident, was detained by ICE agents on March 30-31, 2026, after being pulled over while driving in the Franklin/Milwaukee area. DHS alleged he provided false information on his 1998 green card application, citing convictions from an Israeli military court when he was a minor for throwing Molotov cocktails and weapons possession. Despite having no U.S. criminal record, being married to a U.S. citizen, and having six U.S. citizen children, he was transferred to detention facilities in Chicago and Clay County jail in Indiana. His attorneys disputed the allegations and claimed he was being targeted for his Palestinian background and pro-Palestinian advocacy, noting that U.S. authorities had long known about the prior convictions.

Rihan, an 18-year-old Afghan high school senior in Connecticut, was detained by ICE on April 6, 2026, during a traffic stop while returning home from spring break. His family legally entered the U.S. on humanitarian parole in October 2024 after his father served as an interpreter for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. According to court filings, his humanitarian parole was valid until October 2026, but ICE officers claimed his parole had expired and detained him. A federal judge confirmed the detention was based on an ICE paperwork error. Despite the court order, ICE revoked his parole and transferred him to Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts, where he faces removal proceedings.

Hancock County jail in Mississippi has become a major detention facility for Immigration and Customs Enforcement under President Trump's administration. The jail holds immigrants arrested by federal agents, with daily populations increasing from 2-5 detainees before Trump took office to 5-25 per day currently. The county has earned over $230,000 since October 2025 under its contract with ICE and DHS.

Pennsylvania counties billed the federal government over $21 million in 2024 and 2025 to detain immigrants in local jails through agreements with ICE. Five county jails—Clinton, Erie, Franklin, Pike, and Cambria—participate in detention agreements that allow them to hold immigrants for months while collecting federal reimbursement. The arrangements are receiving renewed attention amid the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign.

Under the second Trump administration, immigration bond amounts have dramatically increased, with judges setting bonds as high as $80,000 compared to median amounts of $7,000 in 2023. Families desperate to free detained relatives are selling homes, vehicles, and belongings to raise bond money, while nonprofit bail funds report being overwhelmed with requests and running out of resources. The article follows one woman whose husband was granted bond but faced a $25,000 requirement to secure his release.

During President Trump's first year in office, 4,750 people without legal status were arrested by federal immigration authorities in Colorado, reflecting a near-quadrupling of the prior year's arrest rate. The data shows 38% of those arrested had no criminal history, compared to 17.7% in the prior year under President Biden, contradicting federal officials' claims of targeting the "worst of the worst." Of those arrested, 78% have already been deported. ICE's Denver field office more than doubled its deportation officers to roughly 200 and expanded detention capacity at the Aurora facility to over 1,500 detainees.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents made nearly 20,000 arrests in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region from the beginning of Trump's second administration through March 10, 2026. According to federal data analysis, nearly 60 percent of those arrested had no prior criminal record.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 1,400 people in the Columbus area in 2025, a five-fold increase from 2024. Data analysis shows that less than 7% of those arrested during Operation Buckeye in December 2025 had criminal convictions, contradicting ICE's claims of targeting the 'worst of the worst' criminals.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Annie Ramos, 22, an undocumented Honduran immigrant, days after she married Army Staff Sergeant Matthew Blank. Ramos was brought to the U.S. as a toddler, is a college student with no criminal history, and became eligible for legal permanent residency through marriage. Experts noted this type of enforcement against spouses of U.S. citizens has been uncommon in the past.

Argam Nazarian, a 27-year-old Iranian Christian of Armenian descent, has been detained by ICE since June 2025 despite multiple court orders for his release. Nazarian entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2021 and lived in Los Angeles for four years before his arrest. Two immigration judges determined he poses neither a flight risk nor danger to the community and ordered his release on bond. However, the government has refused to release him, citing federal law requirements for mandatory detention of those who entered without inspection during removal proceedings. With his asylum case pending and deportation flights to Iran halted due to escalating conflict, Nazarian remains in custody while his attorneys pursue habeas corpus petitions in federal court.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the state is co-leading a multistate coalition filing amicus briefs in federal cases challenging a Trump administration policy that bars many undocumented immigrants from requesting bond hearings. The policy requires detained noncitizens who entered without inspection to remain in custody without the opportunity for release determinations, contributing to record detention levels and worsening conditions in immigration detention facilities.

Annie Ramos, 22, a Honduran immigrant brought to the U.S. as a toddler, was detained by ICE on April 2, 2026, at Fort Polk military base in Louisiana. Ramos was arrested while attempting to register as a military spouse and file immigration paperwork following her recent marriage to Army Staff Sergeant Matthew Blank. She had been subject to a removal order issued in 2005 after her family missed an immigration court hearing. A college student with no criminal record who had applied for DACA in 2020 (which was never processed), Ramos was initially transported to an ICE detention facility in Basile, Louisiana, but was later released and ordered to wear a GPS monitor while removal proceedings continue.

Cristina Mejia, a 21-year-old from Waco, Texas, became responsible for her household after her mother was detained by ICE in January 2026. She now manages bills and cares for her two younger brothers, ages 18 and 5, while her mother remains in custody. Mejia reports limited contact with her mother—three phone calls daily—and started a GoFundMe to help cover family expenses during the separation.

Juan Chavez Velasco, a DACA recipient and medical lab specialist, was detained by ICE agents outside his home in Weslaco while delivering breastmilk to his 6-week-old premature daughter in the NICU. Despite holding DACA protections since 2012 and having no criminal history, Velasco was detained based on a 2005 removal order. His attorney argues he is being targeted due to shifting political priorities regarding DACA's scope and meaning. The detention separated Velasco from his newborn infant and family.

Video evidence from Minneapolis contradicts ICE's account of a January shooting involving federal agents and two Venezuelan immigrants. The Justice Department dropped charges against Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and Alfredo A. Aljorna after the video showed a 12-second struggle, not the three minutes claimed by the agent. ICE acknowledged that agents made false statements under oath and placed them on administrative leave, with potential termination or criminal prosecution pending.

Godfrey Wade, a Jamaican-born U.S. Army veteran and lawful permanent resident who lived in the United States for over 50 years, was deported to Jamaica in early February 2026 while his appeal was pending before the Board of Immigration Appeals. Wade's deportation was based on a 2014 removal order stemming from 2006 misdemeanor convictions for simple assault and reckless conduct, as well as a bad check charge. Wade's legal team argued the case involved serious due process defects, claiming he never received proper notification of the original removal hearing because court documents were sent to an incorrect address. Wade was detained by ICE for nearly five months after being pulled over in September 2025 for a traffic violation without a valid driver's license. Congressional offices from both parties contacted the Department of Homeland Security seeking intervention before the deportation was carried out.

Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian Conejo Arias were detained by ICE on January 20, 2026, at their home in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, during enforcement operations in the Twin Cities. Liam was taken from a car as he returned from preschool; his father was the target of the operation. The family, originally from Ecuador with an active asylum case and no deportation order, was held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered their release on January 31, citing concerns about the government's treatment of the child and deportation quotas. They were released and returned to Minneapolis on February 1, with U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and Rep. Jasmine Crockett involved in their case.

Albuquerque Public Schools experienced a significant decline in English language learner enrollment during the 2025-26 school year, with 851 such students leaving the district—more than double the previous year's departures. Highland High School saw a 15% drop in English language learner enrollment, with teachers reporting that some students have disappeared due to deportation fears and immigration enforcement concerns.

The Trump administration's no-bond detention policy for undocumented immigrants has prompted a surge of legal challenges in New Mexico federal courts. Since July 2025, over 800 habeas corpus petitions have been filed in New Mexico, with more than 34,590 filed nationwide challenging the policy that mandates detention for all noncitizens without authorization pending removal proceedings. To handle the unprecedented volume, criminal prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Mexico have been reassigned to defend the detention policy, a task typically handled by civil division attorneys. Federal judges report a dramatic increase in petition volume compared to previous years, with roughly a dozen filed from 2020-2024 versus over 400 from January through February 2026. The 10th Circuit has yet to rule on whether the detention practice violates due process rights.

Since the Trump administration took office, ICE has increased enforcement operations and deportations. This escalation has led to American citizens and lawful permanent residents becoming entangled in ICE's surveillance and tracking activities. The story examines the growing trend of U.S. citizens caught up in ICE's operations during enforcement activities such as Operation Metro Surge.

Michel Proenza Martínez, an undocumented Cuban citizen with a final deportation order, was apprehended by ICE in Newark immediately after his release from federal prison. Proenza Martínez has a criminal record including burglary, vehicle theft, drug-related offenses, and federal robbery under the Hobbs Act. He is currently being processed for removal from the United States. The arrest is part of increased ICE enforcement actions targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds.

According to reporting from SA Current, a pregnant woman named Juana was ordered deported by ICE when she was near her due date. Medical professionals and airlines told ICE she was too pregnant to safely fly, but ICE continued seeking officials willing to authorize her travel anyway. The case highlights failures in ICE's own policies protecting pregnant detainees.

On April 2, 2026, ICE officers in Baltimore, Maryland attempted to arrest Ever Omar Alvarenga-Rios, a Honduran national with a final order of removal. During the enforcement action, Alvarenga drove recklessly through city streets, causing a multi-car pileup, then fled on foot. The arrest resulted in injuries to two ICE officers and Alvarenga, all of whom were hospitalized. Alvarenga remained hospitalized on April 5, and his attorney reported being denied access to him while in custody.

A Long Beach volunteer group is fundraising for Eduardo Ochoa, who is detained at Adelanto detention center. His trial is scheduled for about one week from the post date. The fundraiser aims to cover legal representation costs, citing concerns about predatory attorneys and inadequate legal services.

Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez, a 25-year-old Venezuelan national and wife of a U.S. Army Reserve Black Hawk pilot, was released from ICE detention in Houston after a federal judge found due-process violations. Kenny-Velasquez was detained in December 2025 during a routine ICE check-in despite having been released in 2021 pending her asylum claim and consistently complying with all required check-ins and hearings. She was held at the Houston Contract Detention Facility for approximately four months. The judge ordered her release within 48 hours, finding her detention unlawful, and permitted her to continue her immigration case outside of detention. Kenny-Velasquez reported poor detention conditions, including overcrowding, lack of privacy, and limited access to food and medical care.

Valley View Elementary School in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, where two-thirds of students are Latino, was heavily impacted by ICE enforcement operations in early 2026. At least 30 parents and four students were detained. School staff provided support to affected students through counseling and joy-focused activities. The detentions caused widespread fear and disruption in the school community.

ICE appears to be shifting from aggressive street enforcement operations in Minnesota to a quieter approach relying more heavily on local law enforcement cooperation. The change comes after a winter surge of enforcement activity in the state, and reflects a broader pattern where some sheriffs, even in cooperative jurisdictions, are expressing concerns about pursuing immigrants without criminal records.

Hillsdale police officers working under a 287(g) agreement with ICE went to Ritenour Middle School in Charlack and asked administrators about three students. The officers, dressed in tactical gear, appeared in the school parking lot while students were at recess, causing concern among staff and students. School administrators refused to allow the officers into the building and agreed to meet them instead at district headquarters.