Human Impact Project

Efrain C.G., a Mexican citizen who entered the U.S. in 1993 and has been working since arrival, was arrested by ICE on April 7, 2026, at the Fresno County Superior Courthouse while inquiring about charges from a December 2025 domestic violence incident. He had no prior criminal history except traffic violations and no prior immigration history. The court ordered he receive a bond hearing within 14 days or be immediately released.

Lydia Rabara Swinburne, a 39-year-old Filipino national, was detained by ICE on April 7, 2026, during a green card interview after local authorities arrested her on domestic violence charges that were later dropped. On May 2, while in custody at the California City ICE facility, she suffered a medical emergency after being given unrecognized medication; her husband alleges a medication error occurred. A federal judge ordered her release on May 18 after her family filed a habeas corpus petition challenging her detention.

A man was arrested by DHS federal agents in the 500 block of Moffet Road in Lake Bluff. The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights characterized it as an immigration arrest. The man was heard telling agents he does not speak English and agents referred to his paperwork. Lake Bluff Police were not present and DHS had not communicated the reason for the arrest to local authorities.

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.

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

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.

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.

Salah Sarsour, 53, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and a lawful permanent resident for over 32 years, was detained by ICE on March 30, 2026, after being pulled over while driving in the 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. Within 24 hours, the Muslim Legal Fund of America filed in federal court seeking immediate relief. 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.

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 35-year-old DACA recipient who arrived in the U.S. from Colombia at age 8, was detained by ICE agents on February 18, 2025, while traveling to deliver breast milk to his premature infant daughter in a hospital NICU in South Texas. Despite holding active DACA status since 2012, being a college graduate working as a medical lab specialist with no criminal history, and having a wife and U.S. citizen children, Velasco was detained based on a 2005 removal order issued before his DACA approval. DHS argued that DACA does not confer legal status. He was held in a Texas detention center for seven weeks, during which his DACA status expired despite a court order requiring renewal. His attorney argues the detention reflects shifting political priorities regarding DACA's scope, effectively separating Velasco from his newborn and family. Juan Chavez Velasco, a DACA recipient since 2012 and medical lab specialist, was detained by ICE agents outside his Weslaco home while en route to deliver breastmilk to his 6-week-old daughter in the NICU. Chavez Velasco is married to a U.S. citizen and has four U.S. citizen children. His attorney argues he is being targeted amid shifting political priorities regarding DACA protections, as he has no criminal history. JeanCarlos Fiallos Manzanares, a 32-year-old DACA recipient from Miami, was detained by ICE in May 2025 after officers appeared at his mother's home while he was dropping off his children. He has remained in an ICE detention center in New Mexico for ten months despite receiving approval for his DACA renewal. He filed a lawsuit challenging his detention, and a U.S. District judge found the government should respond to his petition, but no public filings have occurred since January.

Godfrey Wade, a 65-year-old Jamaican-born U.S. Army veteran and lawful permanent resident who lived in the United States for over 50 years, was deported to Jamaica on February 5, 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, and a bad check charge. Wade's legal team argued serious due process defects, claiming he never received proper notification of the original removal hearing because court documents were sent to an incorrect address and returned by the Postal Service. He was detained by ICE for nearly five months after being pulled over in September 2025 for driving without a valid driver's license, which he could not renew due to green card renewal delays. Congressional offices from both parties contacted the Department of Homeland Security seeking intervention before the deportation.

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.

Eight people from various African countries were deported from the United States to Uganda on April 3, 2026, marking the first deportation under a Safe Third Country agreement signed between the two nations in July 2025. The deportees were individuals of African origin who were denied asylum in the US and could not be returned to their home countries. A US judge approved their cases before the transfer. Uganda's Foreign Ministry confirmed accepting the deportees, though they were neither Ugandan nor US citizens. The Uganda Law Society and East Africa Law Society condemned the deportations as illegal, undignified, and dehumanizing, citing lack of proper procedures and engagement of state institutions, and announced plans to challenge the process in court.

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.

Bakur Japharidze, a Russian citizen who entered the U.S. without inspection in April 2023, was detained by police on April 4, 2026 for driving with a suspended driver's license. ICE officers assumed custody and transferred him to the West Tennessee Detention Facility. The court denied his habeas corpus petition challenging detention without an individualized bond hearing.

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.

Jesús Carpio, a Venezuelan living in Orlando, was deported from the United States following arrest during a traffic stop for driving with a suspended license. He was killed in Venezuela four days after his deportation. His sister stated his case reflects fears among Venezuelan exiles about returning to their country.

Elmer Flores, a 27-year-old from Honduras, was detained by ICE agents on March 9, 2026, outside the Mecklenburg County Health Department while dropping off his pregnant wife for a medical appointment. Flores has lived in the U.S. for over three years and has no criminal record. His wife is five months pregnant with a high-risk pregnancy, and the family includes two other children. ICE is holding Flores at a detention facility in Georgia while his family remains in North Carolina. Community organizations have responded by alerting the public about safety concerns at public service locations.

Josue Garcia-Hernandez was detained by ICE at the Aurora ICE Processing Center after living in the United States for 25 years. He has five siblings and one daughter who are U.S. citizens and worked as the primary breadwinner for his family in construction. The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding he was improperly subjected to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2).

Eneldina Dalila Toma-Sambrano De Sandoval, a Guatemalan citizen married to a lawful permanent resident, was taken into custody by ICE while her appeal was pending before the Board of Immigration Appeals. She had missed her March 2020 immigration hearing due to attorney error, resulting in a removal order in absentia. The court denied her request for emergency relief to delay removal and release from detention.

Jasser L. Bautista Espinoza, a Nicaraguan citizen who entered the U.S. without inspection in May 2022, was arrested by immigration authorities on April 3, 2026. He was detained at the Philadelphia Federal Detention Center under mandatory detention provisions that denied him a bond hearing. The federal court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding his detention under Section 1225 unlawful.

Maylen Borrego-Nunez, a Cuban citizen who entered the U.S. in 2022 and was released on recognizance with pending asylum appeals, was arrested by local police in Odessa, Texas for an alleged ordinance violation on April 3, 2026. She was transferred to ICE custody on April 6, 2026, and detained at the Otero County Processing Center. The court ordered her immediate release, finding her continued detention without a bond hearing violated due process.

Sunday Goshit, a University of Iowa adjunct assistant professor and Nigerian immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 2000, was approved for naturalization in October 2025 after passing his citizenship interview. His naturalization ceremony scheduled for January 16, 2026 was canceled without explanation less than a month before the date. Goshit and his wife filed a lawsuit against U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in federal court challenging the halting of their naturalization application.

John Bol Ajak, a 26-year-old former Syracuse University basketball player, was taken into ICE custody in early March 2026 following his arrest in Syracuse on charges of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. His student visa had expired in 2023 after his graduation. He was held at Buffalo Federal Detention Facility and Moshannon Valley Processing Center for over a month. During a virtual hearing with Elizabeth Immigration Court in New Jersey on April 2-3, 2026, an immigration judge found that Ajak had overstayed his visa. Ajak agreed to voluntary deportation to South Sudan and was scheduled for removal within 60 days.

Two immigrant truck drivers detained by Iowa State Patrol and ICE officers along Interstate 80 are suing the federal government, alleging violations of due process rights. The detentions occurred as part of 'Operation ICE Wall,' a national immigration enforcement effort where state troopers stop drivers at weigh stations and ICE officers arrest them. Both drivers had work authorization and pending asylum applications at the time of their arrests.

Felix Alvarez Vargas, a non-citizen, is currently detained by immigration authorities at the Florida Soft Side Detention Facility in Ochopee, Florida. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention under 8 U.S.C. §1225, along with an emergency motion for temporary restraining order seeking release from ICE custody. The court denied his motion for expedited consideration and temporary restraining order, noting that two circuit courts have recently rejected his legal arguments regarding his detention.

Jose Espinoza Hernandez was arrested and detained by ICE outside his home in the early morning of April 2, 2026, when he was leaving for work. He is currently in removal proceedings and has a pending U-Visa application. The court granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release, finding his detention violated due process. Jose Espinoza was detained by ICE on April 2nd in the morning just outside his home as he was heading to work. His family launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to support his case and bring him home.

Maria Fernanda Gomez Fuentes, a Venezuelan citizen who entered the U.S. on a B-2 visa in 2016 and filed for asylum within one year, was detained by ICE on April 2, 2026 when she appeared for her scheduled asylum interview at the Los Angeles Asylum Office in Tustin, California. Despite maintaining lawful employment and having no criminal history over nine years, the interview was not conducted and she was instead transported to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. The court granted her temporary restraining order application, ordering that she receive an individualized bond hearing within three days. Maribel Del Carmen Luzardo De Chacin, a Venezuelan citizen on humanitarian parole, was detained by ICE in March 2026 when she accompanied her husband to his scheduled credible fear interview at the Nashville ICE Field Office. After her husband received a negative credible fear determination, both were taken into custody and she was transferred to Richwood Correctional Center. The court granted expedited consideration of her habeas petition but denied her temporary restraining order request.

Adriana Ernestina Perez Moreno, a Venezuelan national with Temporary Protected Status, was detained by ICE on April 2, 2026, after being stopped for speeding. She had been granted humanitarian parole in October 2022 and subsequently received TPS status. The court granted her habeas corpus petition and ordered her immediate release, finding her detention violated due process rights.

Jorge Enrique Garcia-Rodriguez was arrested on April 2, 2026 and charged with one felony count of forcible intercourse with a victim under age 13. On May 1, he was charged with six additional felony counts of possession of child pornography. ICE lodged a detainer requesting he not be released from custody.

Suzy Gerónimo, a transgender activist and community organizer in North Carolina, was detained by ICE following a traffic stop in Franklin County and transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. Gerónimo is recognized for founding and directing Fuerza y Unión Múltiple (FUM), an organization supporting transgender people in rural areas. A fundraising campaign was launched to support her legal defense and detention-related expenses, with Raleigh Immigration Law Firm providing legal representation.

A federal judge in California ruled that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents violated a previous court order restricting warrantless immigration arrests during an enforcement operation at a Home Depot parking lot in Sacramento in July 2025. The judge found that agents detained people without reasonable suspicion, relying instead on assumptions about day laborers' immigration status rather than individualized assessments.

California House members Mike Levin and Sara Jacobs conducted an oversight visit to the Otay Mesa ICE detention facility in San Diego, which has faced allegations of overcrowding, poor conditions, and sexual assaults. The facility, operated by CoreCivic, was holding approximately 1,037 detainees at the time of the visit. Levin stated he plans to conduct more unannounced visits following a federal court ruling that struck down a Trump administration policy requiring seven days' notice for congressional oversight visits.

Chicago area officials accused ICE of violating Illinois state law and a Cook County court order that prohibit immigration arrests at courthouses. ICE agents allegedly appeared at the Cook County Domestic Violence Courthouse on Thursday and arrested a woman there on March 13, defying protections signed into law by Governor Pritzker in October.

Subramanyam "Subu" Vedam, a 64-year-old legal permanent resident from India, won an immigration hearing to remain in the United States after his 1980 murder conviction was vacated in 2024 following over 43 years in prison. Immigration Judge Adam Panopoulos ruled that Vedam's lengthy wrongful imprisonment, spotless prison record, and demonstrated rehabilitation outweighed prior drug convictions from the early 1980s, finding he poses no danger to the community and possesses good moral character. Vedam had been taken into ICE custody after his conviction was dismissed and was days away from naturalized citizenship when the deportation case was heard.

Protect Democracy, the ACLU, and other organizations filed suit against DHS and ICE on April 2, 2026, challenging an internal memo issued May 12, 2025 that authorizes agents to forcibly enter homes using only an administrative form instead of a judicial warrant. The lawsuit names three affected families: Teyana and Garrison Gibson Brown, whose home was raided January 11, 2026; Abdulkadir Sharif Abdi, detained December 1, 2025; and Noe Alfredo Salguero, whose home was entered January 14, 2026. Plaintiffs seek to vacate the policy and declare it unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston ordered Border Patrol agents to comply with improved documentation requirements for immigration detentions after finding they violated a previous court order during a July 2025 enforcement action at a Sacramento Home Depot where 12 people were arrested. The judge ruled that agents' use of 11 essentially identical, inadequate forms to justify detentions violated constitutional standards and that unprovoked flight alone is insufficient to establish reasonable suspicion. The new order requires agents to write detailed narrative reports with specific facts supporting reasonable suspicion, signed and dated attestations, replacing the boilerplate language used in the Sacramento operation.

An inspection by ICE's Office of Detention Oversight at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas found 49 deficiencies in detention standards on April 2, 2026. Violations included issues related to use of force, medical care, security, and disease prevention, with documented safety lapses including inadequate suicide prevention measures, unsecured equipment, staffing shortages, and medical negligence such as failure to isolate a detainee with tuberculosis symptoms. The facility, the nation's largest immigration detention center housing nearly 3,000 detainees daily since opening in summer 2025, has experienced at least three deaths. Despite these violations, the facility received an acceptable rating.

Jesus Vazquez, a 25-year-old Fort Worth resident who came to the U.S. as a baby, was deported to Mexico in March 2026 after three months in ICE detention following an arrest during a routine ICE check-in in November 2025. His American citizen wife Cassidy and their four children, ages 6 months to 8 years, remain in Fort Worth while working with an attorney to find a way for him to return to the U.S., though he is currently barred from re-entry for 10 years due to a 2022 marijuana possession conviction.

A woman who arrived in the U.S. at age 9 was detained by ICE and is facing deportation for overstaying her visa. She is married to a military veteran and has built her life in the country. Her family is raising funds to cover legal expenses.

Abel Ramirez, a man with schizophrenia who had two strokes, was detained by ICE and deported to Mexico without his family being allowed contact. He moved to the U.S. as a child and is now alone in Mexico. His family is seeking help locating him after he was last seen boarding a bus to Mexico City.

Enrique, brought to the U.S. at age three and raised there for 24 years, was stopped by a state trooper for a license plate light issue and taken into custody based on his Mexican passport despite lacking a driver's license. He spent three months in ICE processing with multiple court appearances before being granted voluntary departure. He is now in Mexico documenting his experience and attempting to maintain his business remotely while seeking residency.

Three sisters in Big Bear Lake are facing the possibility of losing both their mother, who is in hospice with stage 4 brain cancer, and their father, who was recently detained by ICE.

José Ignacio 'Nacho' De La Cruz, a 30-year-old Migrant Justice organizer and Mexican national without a visa, was detained by federal agents on March 26, 2026, and charged with nine federal felony counts including human smuggling and document fraud. According to the indictment, between November 2022 and June 2025, De La Cruz smuggled people across the U.S.-Canada border without authorization and fraudulently obtained Vermont driver's privilege cards for individuals, receiving $500 per fraudulent ID. He was held at Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans. On April 2, 2026, Judge Kevin Doyle ordered his release on bond, rejecting prosecutors' argument that he posed a flight risk after noting De La Cruz remained in Vermont despite knowing of the investigation. Migrant Justice attributed the arrest timing to retaliation following an ICE raid in South Burlington on March 11. He pleaded not guilty and faces up to 15 years imprisonment with a mandatory minimum of 3 years if convicted.

Jaqueline Del Socorro Jarquin Gutierrez, a 51-year-old Nicaraguan asylum seeker, was re-detained by ICE on April 1, 2026, during a routine check-in appointment after living in the community for nearly three and a half years in full compliance with release conditions. She had no criminal history and was lawfully employed while her asylum application remained pending. The court ordered her immediate release, finding her detention without notice or hearing violated due process rights.

Walter Edwin Bamaca Jeronimo, a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. without inspection in October 2022, was detained by ICE on March 1, 2026 after encountering local law enforcement and admitting he had entered the country without inspection. This was his first encounter with ICE officials. The federal court ordered his immediate release, finding he could only be detained under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) rather than the mandatory detention statute respondents cited. Luis Rene Chavaloc Tzaj, a noncitizen who had lived in the United States for an extended period without having been admitted, was detained by U.S. immigration authorities during removal proceedings. The court found he was entitled to a pre-deprivation bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) and ordered his immediate release from the California City Detention Facility. The court ruled that if the government seeks to re-detain him, they must provide him with a proper bond hearing where he can contest flight risk and community safety concerns. Rosalio Justia Xigua Ambrocio, a Guatemalan citizen who entered the United States in 2001, was detained by ICE officers on March 9, 2026, while on his way to work. He is currently detained at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield, California. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding his detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process, and ordered the government to provide a bond hearing within 14 days or release him.

Douglas Dixon, a 61-year-old Canadian green card holder, was arrested by ICE on February 10, 2026, while checking in with his probation officer in Florida. Dixon had pleaded no contest to tax evasion in 2022 and owed approximately $12,000 in back taxes. He was detained for 65 days, initially at the Dade-Collier facility in the Florida Everglades and later transferred to Glades County Detention Center. An immigration judge ordered his deportation to Canada with a lifetime ban from returning to the United States, separating him from his wife, children, and grandchildren after more than two decades in the country.