Human Impact Project

Anibal Sante Rojas, a Peruvian national with a pending asylum application, was detained by ICE on April 21, 2026, during a scheduled check-in appointment in San Francisco. He had been previously released on recognizance but was re-detained after being charged with identity theft and failing to appear for his criminal arraignment. The court granted his habeas petition in part and ordered ICE to provide him with a bond hearing within 14 days.

On April 21, 2026, ICE agents arrested brothers Israel Makoka (18) and Max Makoka (15) at a bus stop in Diamondhead, Mississippi, using 10 unmarked vehicles and zip-ties without prior notice to their host family or school. Israel was shackled during transport to Louisiana and pressured to sign self-deportation papers; Max was isolated in a Texas youth shelter. The detention stemmed from a paperwork issue caused by faulty legal advice. Both brothers were released on April 30, 2026, after nine days in custody and have returned home to their host family while pursuing legal options to remain in the country.

ICE agents conducted a targeted enforcement operation in Shelbyville on April 21, 2026, and arrested four people during a vehicle stop. The driver, Mirzon Patlan-Trevino, 33, from Mexico, was recently arrested for DUI and determined to be unlawfully in the United States. Three passengers—Antonio Aguilera Garcia, 46, Alexis Saavedra Avile, 31, and Yoni Mora-Aguilera, 22—were also found to be unauthorized to be in the U.S. All four remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. ICE agents arrested four people in Shelbyville on April 21 during targeted enforcement operations. The arrests included 33-year-old Mirzon Patlan-Trevino from Mexico, who had been recently arrested for DUI, and three other individuals identified as Antonio Aguilera Garcia, Alexis Saavedra Avile, and Yoni Mora-Aguilera. All four remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

William "Danny" Rosenmund, a library board member, was arrested at a Springdale Borough Council meeting on April 21 while speaking about the borough's 287(g) agreement with ICE. He was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and five misdemeanors after exceeding his three-minute speaking time and continuing to speak after being ordered to stop. The county's acting chief public defender called the charges "inappropriate" and said he would push for them to be dropped or reduced.

Approximately 200 to 1,400 detainees at North Lake Processing Facility, a 1,800-bed ICE detention center in Baldwin, Michigan, began a hunger and labor strike on Monday, April 21, 2026, to protest conditions including medical neglect, slow ICE communication, and prolonged confinement. The facility, operated by private prison company GEO Group, holds detainees with average stays of 49 days, though some have been held for nearly six months. By Wednesday morning, detainees in at least one unit had stopped the strike.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained at least four people in Heber City on Tuesday morning around 7:30 a.m. using undercover vehicles along Main Street near the Smith's Fuel Center and on U.S. 40. ICE pulled over vehicles and arrested individuals without notifying local police, though the agency later told the police chief it was targeting specific individuals with existing removal orders.

Santos Mauricio Romero, a Salvadoran national, was arrested by ICE Boston during a targeted operation on April 20, 2026. According to ICE, Romero has a criminal history including pending felony sexual assault charges.

Dzhokhar Gutsiev, a Russian citizen who entered the U.S. in 2022 seeking asylum and was released on humanitarian parole, was detained by DHS in April 2026 while traveling for work in Imperial County, California. Gutsiev had been living in the community for 46 months with work authorization and no criminal history when his parole was abruptly revoked without notice. The federal court granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release, ruling that the government violated his due process rights by revoking parole without justification or hearing.

Francisco Salazar-Salazar was booked on drug possession charges (cannabis marijuana not more than 20 grams) and failure to appear charges. An ICE hold was placed on him during the booking.

Gabriela Sousa, a Venezuelan woman who entered the U.S. legally through a humanitarian parole program in 2023, had her immigration case dismissed by a court but remains detained in Jacksonville. She married U.S. citizen Brandon Garrison in April 2025, and they have a pending I-130 petition under review since November 2025. Federal authorities have 30 days to appeal the dismissal, leaving her future immigration status uncertain.

Louis Duxbury, a Gadsden County resident from the United Kingdom, was ordered deported after spending months in ICE custody. He was arrested for overstaying his visa following a social media investigation that did not result in criminal charges. The case comes amid a surge in immigration arrests across Florida, with over 36,000 arrests reported since the start of 2025.

Nearly 100 detainees at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County launched a hunger strike between April 16-19, 2026, to protest detention conditions and medical care. The strike began after a detainee became ill with influenza on April 16, with 50-70 detainees in the same housing pod initially refusing an evening meal due to food contamination concerns. Advocacy groups reported that detainees were protesting unsafe living conditions, including contaminated food, inadequate medical care, and staff indifference to medical emergencies, with reports of a recent medical emergency in which a detainee lost consciousness without receiving proper care. Advocacy group Frontline DIGNITY called for the facility's shutdown and independent investigation. Clearfield County commissioners met with GEO Group leadership, the facility operator, to address the incident.

Argam Nazarian, a 27-year-old Armenian Christian Iranian asylum seeker, was detained by ICE in June 2025 despite having an active asylum case and no criminal history. An immigration judge ordered his release on bond in August 2025, finding him neither a flight risk nor a danger, but ICE refused to release him, citing mandatory detention policies for those who entered without inspection. After 298 days in detention across multiple facilities, including El Paso, a federal judge ruled in April 2026 that ICE violated Nazarian's Fifth Amendment due process rights by holding him without a bond hearing and using incorrect legal authority. Nazarian was released and reunited with family in Los Angeles, though his immigration case remains pending.

Rogelio Bolufé Izquierdo, a 44-year-old Cuban national detained at Torrance County Detention Facility in New Mexico, organized approximately 200 detainees into a group called the Union of Those Kidnapped by ICE to document poor conditions including inadequate water access, spoiled food, insufficient medical care, and unsanitary sewage leaks. Izquierdo, who entered legally in 2020 but overstayed his visa, has filed multiple habeas corpus petitions challenging his indefinite civil detention without bail, while his fiancée documents his case and advocacy efforts.

Gilberto García (also referred to as Gilberto Garcia Cruz), a 26-year-old DACA recipient with autism, was detained by ICE agents at his home in LaBelle, Florida without an arrest warrant. According to his account, agents entered his property and the detention involved physical force that left marks on his arms. He was detained in front of his mother without explanation. He was subsequently released on April 10, 2026, following family intervention. After his release, García expressed fear about the possibility of deportation and separation from his mother. His family is now facing housing instability in the aftermath of the incident.

Eduar Arturo Torres Lizcaino was released on his own recognizance in February 2024 after entering the United States. On April 18, 2026, ICE re-detained him without providing a pre-deprivation hearing. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding that his prior release created a liberty interest and that re-detention without a hearing violated due process. The court ordered his immediate release on the same conditions he was subject to prior to re-detention.

Alejandro Cabrera Clemente, 49, from Valle de Santiago, Guanajuato, Mexico, had spent approximately 25 years in the United States and was married to a U.S. citizen, though he had not obtained legal residency status. He was arrested by ICE on January 8, 2026, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and transferred through multiple facilities in Tennessee and Alabama over five days in handcuffs before arriving at Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana on January 13. During his three months in ICE custody, he suffered from fever, high blood pressure, and back and throat pain. ICE stated they provided him medication. On April 11, 2026, at approximately 8 a.m., he was found unresponsive with left-sided facial paralysis and cyanosis. Staff called emergency medical services and attempted resuscitation, transferring him by ambulance to Winn Parish Medical Center, where medical personnel continued life-saving measures. He was pronounced deceased at approximately 8:51 a.m. His sister was located in Atlanta by Guanajuato's Human Rights Secretariat, which offered funeral assistance and possible repatriation. His death was one of multiple ICE custody deaths reported in early 2026.

A 23-year-old South American woman was deported to the Democratic Republic of Congo after being detained in Louisiana for 15 months by ICE. An immigration judge had previously granted her protection from removal to her home country after she claimed persecution based on her LGBTQ+ status. Despite a federal magistrate judge's recommendation for her release in a lawsuit filed in December, she was deported before a district judge could approve the recommendation as part of a third-country deportation agreement.

Laura Ramírez lost her 10-year-old daughter Emily in a hit-and-run accident. As a victim of crime cooperating with authorities, Ramírez was eligible for a U visa. However, she was detained by ICE agents during a scheduled immigration appointment despite having this protection, separating her from her remaining daughter.

A Valencia College student with pending asylum status and legal documents was arrested by ICE while leaving home to go to work. The student had documentation showing their asylum case was in process at the time of detention.

Marie-Thérèse Hélène Ross, an 86-year-old French citizen, was arrested by ICE on April 1, 2026, at her home in Anniston, Alabama for overstaying her 90-day tourist visa. Ross had entered the U.S. in June 2025 on a Visa Waiver Program to marry William Ross, a retired U.S. soldier whom she had known since the 1950s. After her husband died unexpectedly in January 2026, Ross fell out of legal status and became involved in a contested probate dispute with her late husband's stepsons over his estate. She was detained in a facility in Basile, Louisiana, held for 16 days in a dormitory with 58 other women, where her health deteriorated. Following diplomatic pressure from the French foreign minister, Ross was released and returned to France.

Ankit Ankit, a native and citizen of India, entered the United States on March 6, 2024, near Tecate, California, without inspection. ICE officers took him into custody on April 17, 2026, and transferred him to the Desert View Annex facility in Adelanto, California. The court granted his petition for a bond hearing, ordering ICE to provide an individualized bond hearing within seven days.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations Newark and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Yechiel Yehoshua Farkash, a 43-year-old Lakewood resident, on April 17 pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant obtained under the U.S.-Israel extradition treaty. Israeli authorities sought Farkash's extradition on charges of attempted rape and indecent acts involving children committed between 2020 and 2023.

ICE lodged an immigration detainer against Rebeca Fratila-Ilies on April 17, 2026, after she was arrested in North Carolina on March 12, 2025, for a probation violation. Fratila-Ilies, a former lawful permanent resident from Romania, was convicted of two counts of carnal knowledge of a child and statutory rape, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. ICE determined her permanent resident status was invalid due to her mother's fraudulent asylum case, and an immigration judge ordered her removal in 2017. She currently faces deportation proceedings pending resolution of her criminal case.

U.S. border authorities interdicted three vessels smuggling foreign nationals off the Southern California coast in separate incidents. The first interdiction on April 17 involved a 24-foot vessel near San Clemente Island with 13 people apprehended, including seven males, five females, and a juvenile female. Some of the apprehended individuals had criminal histories including drug trafficking, aggravated assault, hit-and-run, and domestic violence.

Luis Armando Argueta Montejo, 43, from Mexico, was arrested on charges of incest and sexual conduct with a minor between ages 11 and 14 in Oconee County, South Carolina, after a minor was found giving birth at a local hospital. ICE lodged an arrest detainer on April 17 to ensure his transfer into federal custody following his court appearance. According to DHS, Montejo stated he first entered the country in 2006 and had no previous criminal history in the U.S.

Isaac Villegas Molina, a Pasadena resident and lead plaintiff in federal litigation challenging ICE enforcement operations, was arrested by federal agents at a bus stop on June 18, 2025, along with two other day laborers. He was released on bond in July 2025. On April 17, 2026, Villegas was arrested again by ICE during an appointment with the Alternatives to Detention-Intensive Supervision Appearance Program. His lawyer filed a habeas petition alleging the arrest was unlawful and without a warrant, and claimed it was retaliatory given his pending removal case hearing. Following the arrest, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order, and Villegas was released from Adelanto Detention Center after community outcry.

A Dominican man was deported from Baltimore after his family paid approximately $9,000 to a fraudulent individual posing as an immigration attorney. The family believed they were paying to resolve the man's legal status, but the money was lost to fraud. When the irregularity was discovered, the immigration proceedings collapsed and the man was deported.

Uber and Lyft drivers in Central Florida report feeling at risk during their work, even those with proper documentation. One female driver was released after being taken into ICE custody in Orlando.

M, a mother of six children and asylum seeker, is struggling to support her family after her husband and brother—the household's primary income earners—were apprehended by ICE without a warrant while traveling to a job site. Both men are detained and facing deportation. M is caring for her children alone, including three infants and one child with a complex blood disorder requiring regular medical care. M and her two school-age children are asylum seekers living in fear of their own detention. After three months, the family faces mounting bills with no income and M has exhausted her resources.

Miguel Rosas Ruiz, a 50-year-old widowed father of four U.S. citizen children in Michigan, was detained by ICE on March 10, 2026, after being intercepted near Carpenter Road in Ypsilanti while allegedly on his way to his painting business. His oldest daughter, Morelia Rosas Martinez, 22, had postponed her college plans to care for her three younger siblings during his detention. Over the following month, Morelia advocated for his release through community support and legal assistance, with a GoFundMe campaign raising over $20,000. Rosas Ruiz was released on bond on April 15 and reunited with his family on April 16. His case is one of more than 100 identified by CNN involving U.S. citizen children separated from parents through ICE enforcement actions in 2025.

Octavio Daniel Cabrera Valdez was detained by ICE on April 16, 2026, while at work. He held a valid work permit at the time of his detention. His detention has forced his partner and two children (ages 8 and 4) out of their apartment. Cabrera Valdez was the sole provider for his family and also cared for his mother and father, both U.S. citizens, prior to his detention.

Mixan Javier Gonzalez-Rivas, a Nicaraguan citizen who entered the U.S. in December 2022 and was initially released on parole, was re-detained on April 16, 2026 during a routine ICE check-in in Los Angeles. He had been complying with all supervision requirements for over three years, was employed as a caregiver for Los Angeles County, and had a pending asylum application. The court ordered his release within 24 hours, finding his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process.

Willian Yacelga Benalcazar fled criminal gang threats in Ecuador and sought asylum in the U.S. after crossing the border in August 2023. He was detained for five months across multiple ICE facilities, where he reported catching a virus, poor conditions including contaminated water, and difficulty accessing food. Under the Trump administration's third-country deportation policy, he faced deportation to Honduras rather than Ecuador. After learning he could face three to four additional months in detention, he abandoned his asylum case and agreed to voluntary departure to Ecuador on April 16, 2026.

José and his family from Venezuela entered the U.S. legally in 2024 using the CBP One app and received parole to live and work while their asylum cases were pending. After their immigration court hearing in June 2025 was dismissed under a Trump administration order, they were arrested outside the courtroom and detained for a month at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley. Following their release, the family decided to abandon the asylum process and purchased one-way plane tickets back to Venezuela.

Dipakkumar Ghelani, a 34-year-old Indian national, was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol on April 16, 2026, on felony charges for trafficking cannabis with an estimated street value of $13 million. Ghelani entered the United States on a B-2 visa in March 2016 that expired in May 2019, and he remained in the country without valid immigration status. He is being held at the Duval County Pre-Trial Detention Facility, where ICE encountered him and initiated immigration proceedings. ICE will make a custody determination following the resolution of his state and local criminal charges.

ICE detained five Myanmar nationals in Buffalo, New York during an enforcement operation targeting undocumented migrants. One person was arrested while waiting to deliver packages at a warehouse in Pembroke. Community members identified the detainees as asylum seekers.

A police chief and officer from Gratis, Ohio, attempted to enter three Cincinnati Public Schools on April 15, claiming to conduct wellness checks on behalf of ICE. School officials denied them entry without warrants or specific student requests. The officers, from a department with an ICE partnership agreement, were outside their jurisdiction. Cincinnati officials, including the mayor, condemned the visit, stating the officers intimidated children and families.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained two Bhutanese refugees from Central Pennsylvania over the weekend. Both men are permanent residents on a path to U.S. citizenship. The detentions are part of an ongoing pattern where the Trump administration is deporting Bhutanese refugees back to Bhutan, which then re-deports them to India without travel documents, leaving them stateless.

Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., an ICE agent, was charged with two counts of second-degree assault following an incident on February 5, 2026, on a Minnesota highway near the Crosstown at Minnesota 62 and Interstate 35W. Morgan allegedly pointed his duty weapon at occupants of another vehicle after claiming the other driver cut him off while he was driving illegally on the shoulder. The occupants of the other vehicle were unaware Morgan was a law enforcement officer, as he was not in uniform and his vehicle had no law enforcement markings. The criminal charges were formally filed against Morgan in connection with the alleged assault.

Security camera footage captured immigration agents detaining a person at a gas station in Easton, Maryland while the person was fueling a vehicle. The detention occurred in broad daylight in a public space.

A former international student from Bangladesh self-deported from the United States after spending months in immigration detention, which he described as inhumane conditions.

Venezuelan physician Rubeliz "Bibi" Bolívar and her 5-year-old daughter Milena were detained by ICE while Bolívar was en route to an asylum interview. Bolívar held a valid work permit (EAD) and an approved I-485 employment-based visa petition. The organization Médicos Unidos Venezuela demanded their immediate release. A Venezuelan physician was detained by immigration authorities in Nashville while attending an official asylum appointment. The detention followed an administrative change to his case after it was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. He is currently held in custody in Louisiana and has health concerns including hypertension, severe scoliosis, and recent respiratory symptoms. Dr. Rubeliz Bolivar, an emergency medicine resident in McAllen, Texas, was detained by ICE at McAllen International Airport on April 11, 2026, while traveling with her five-year-old U.S. citizen daughter to a scheduled asylum interview in California. Dr. Bolivar held a valid work permit and had pending asylum and green card applications. She was released from custody the same night.

Ashish Kumar, an asylum seeker from India who entered the U.S. in September 2023, was initially released on recognizance with supervision conditions. ICE arrested him on April 15, 2026, and detained him at Golden State Annex Detention Facility. The federal court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process.

Tania Cordova, a community advocate and member of the Transformative Justice Law Project, was detained by ICE on April 15, 2026. She is being held in a detention facility. The organization has launched a fundraising effort to support her legal defense.

Edna Lizeth Medina Martinez, a Colombian citizen who entered the U.S. without inspection in March 2023, was initially released on an Alternatives to Detention program. After being arrested for driving under the influence in April 2026, she was detained by ICE during a scheduled check-in for violating ATD program guidelines. The court granted her habeas corpus petition and ordered ICE to provide her with a bond hearing within 14 days.

Michelle Mendoza, a U.S. citizen and mother of two young children, was detained by ICE agents on April 15, 2026, during a school drop-off at the intersection of Main Street and Bangs Avenue in Asbury Park, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Agents took her to the ground, causing visible bruising, and handcuffed her in front of her children (ages 9 and 1). Some ICE agents covered their faces during the arrest, allegedly violating New Jersey state law prohibiting masked officers during enforcement actions. Mendoza was released without charges after eight hours at the Newark ICE detention center (Delaney Hall), though her husband remained in ICE custody. The incident prompted community protests and statements from city officials and state legislators.

A lawyer for two detainees at a Florida immigration detention facility known as "Alligator Alcatraz" reported that guards allegedly beat and pepper-sprayed several detainees who had complained about lack of phone access needed to contact family and attorneys. The incident follows a pattern of reports documenting inhumane conditions at the facility.

A Santa Maria man's five-year-old daughter was released after 20 hours in ICE detention at a Texas airport. The child's mother, Dr. Rubilez Bolivar, a Venezuelan national with valid work visas and a pending asylum case who was in medical residency in southern Texas, remains in ICE custody after an immigration official declared her documents invalid.

Ezequiel Vélez Cáceres, a 32-year-old Venezuelan physician, was detained by ICE at a Border Patrol checkpoint in Sarita, Texas on April 9, 2026, while traveling with his U.S. citizen spouse after his Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was cancelled. Vélez entered the U.S. legally in 2018 on a student visa to revalidate his medical credentials and had been working at a hospital in McAllen before resigning after losing TPS eligibility. He was in the process of obtaining a work visa when detained. On April 15, 2026, his immigration attorney appeared before a federal court judge arguing for his release. His attorney described him as "an example of the type of migrant our country should have," and the court ordered his release from the McAllen immigration detention center, despite prosecution arguments citing flight risk.