Human Impact Project

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.

Two sisters in Big Bear Lake are caring for their mother in hospice with stage 4 brain cancer after their father, Armando Gonzalez Procopio, was detained by ICE on March 31. ICE stated he was arrested for public order crimes and illegal entry, though the sisters dispute the characterization of his record, noting only traffic violations. Their father is scheduled to appear before a judge on April 10 for removal proceedings. The family is seeking his release so they can spend their mother's final days together.

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.

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 at the California City Detention Facility. A federal court found he was entitled to a pre-deprivation bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) and ordered his immediate release. The court ruled that if the government seeks to re-detain him, they must provide a proper bond hearing where he can contest flight risk and community safety concerns.

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.

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.

Dr. Ezequiel Veliz, a Venezuelan physician working as a resident at UT Health Rio Grande Valley/Knapp Medical Center in Texas, was detained by Border Patrol at the Sarita checkpoint in April 2025 after his Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was revoked in October 2024. Veliz is married to a U.S. citizen, had a pending green card application, and was carrying required immigration documents at the time of detention. Following outcry from the medical community and intervention by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a judge granted him bond during his immigration hearing, allowing his release from custody. Another Venezuelan colleague was also detained within the same week.

S.M.H., a 16-year-old Los Angeles high school student and aspiring tennis player whose parents are college psychology professors, was arrested by ICE in April 2026 along with his family after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked their green cards based on foreign policy concerns. S.M.H. and his mother have been held at the Dilley family detention center for 123 days—more than six times the federally-mandated 20-day limit—in conditions he described in a sworn affidavit as infested with cockroaches, spiders, and mosquitoes. He reports staff yell at children, deny food requests, serve unhealthy meals, and provide inadequate education compared to his California school. S.M.H., who considers himself an "average American kid" and has never been charged with a crime, has lost 10 pounds and says the experience is "terrifying." His father is detained separately at another Texas facility, and the family is allowed to speak for only 10 minutes every two weeks under supervision. The family's lawyers argue the prolonged detention violates the Flores settlement, a federal court agreement limiting child detention to 20 days.

Everlee Wihongi, a New Zealand citizen and long-term U.S. resident with a green card, was detained by ICE in early April after returning from New Zealand. She was held for more than 70 days because of a 2016 cannabis conviction that was later thrown out by the courts in June. During her detention at facilities in California, Arizona, and Texas, Wihongi described dehumanizing conditions including being referred to by her bunk-bed number rather than her name, extremely early meal times (3:45 a.m. in Arizona), shackling during transit, and witnessing children and pregnant women being shackled and moved between facilities. She has since been released and returned to Wisconsin with her family.

Y.R., a 37-year-old undocumented Honduran immigrant, was arrested by ICE in April 2026 while in the process of obtaining custody of her niece and nephew, who had been held in a federal shelter for over a year after crossing the Texas-Mexico border in April 2025. Y.R. had completed nearly a year of government vetting, including background checks and DNA tests, to become their sponsor. According to ICE documents, agents located her with assistance from the Office of Refugee Resettlement after the Trump administration dropped rules prohibiting that office from sharing sponsor information with ICE. She was released on bond by an immigration judge in May 2026 and reunited with her 11-year-old niece and 14-year-old nephew, but remains in deportation proceedings. Her lawyer says the policy of arresting potential sponsors has a chilling effect on families seeking to care for unaccompanied children.

Daniela, originally from Colombia, came to the United States on a work permit and is married to a U.S. citizen with a pending green card application. For months, she cooperated with a detective from the Florida Department of Financial Services, answering dozens of questions and providing documentation about insurance fraud committed by her former employer. When the detective asked her to meet in April to discuss the case, Daniela was instead detained, handcuffed, and arrested. She has no criminal record. She was taken to the Palm Beach County jail and then transferred in chains to ICE facilities in two different states before being released on bond in May. Her arrest reflects the expansion of the 287(g) Task Force program, which deputizes local law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration laws.

Jose Enrique Ojeda Duarte, a 31-year-old Venezuelan asylum-seeker who legally entered the U.S. in 2024, was arrested in September 2025 during Operation Midway Blitz and spent seven months in detention centers, including Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, where he reported inhumane conditions including frozen food, lack of medical care during COVID, and minimal daylight. He was deported to Venezuela in April 2026 despite having pending legal cases, but the Department of Homeland Security admitted the deportation was an error caused by a data systems failure. After intervention by his attorneys and his partner Leydimar Castillo, Ojeda Duarte was returned to the U.S. in June and released by a federal judge. Now reunited with his family in Chicago, he struggles with anxiety, insomnia, and trauma, afraid to leave his house or play with his children, fearing another mistake will lead to his arrest and deportation again.

Melona fled Eritrea and sought asylum in the United States but was deported to Panama under a formal U.S. government agreement, a country where she has no ties and speaks no language. She was held in a hotel with hundreds of other migrants and asylum seekers without explanation or information about her future. The U.S. government is conducting deportation flights to Panama and Costa Rica as part of formal policy agreements. Melona's case represents a systemic pattern rather than an isolated incident.

Subramanyam "Subu" Vedam, 64, spent over 40 years in prison after a 1983 first-degree murder conviction that was vacated in August 2025 when prosecutors were found to have withheld ballistics evidence. Upon his conviction being overturned, ICE detained him based on a longstanding deportation order tied to a prior drug-related conviction. On April 1, 2026, an immigration judge ruled that Vedam could remain in the United States, citing his personal transformation and strong family ties. DHS has until May 4 to appeal the decision, and Vedam must still file a bond request for release from custody.

A Honduran citizen who entered the U.S. as a minor in 2016 and lived freely for nearly 10 years was re-detained by ICE on April 1, 2026 while fishing. The government detained him under a new interpretation of immigration law without finding he was a flight risk or danger to the community. The federal court ordered his immediate release, ruling his detention unlawful.

A 53-year-old professional mariner identified as F was deported from San Diego port after CBP agents accused him of accessing a website containing child sexual exploitation material during 2017-2018. F denied the allegations and was never charged with any crime. His visa was revoked within 24 hours and he was deported to the Philippines.

Dy, a Vietnamese refugee with an order of supervision, was arrested by ICE in November 2017 during a home visit and detained for five months and twenty-one days before being released following public attention and a habeas corpus petition. In fall 2025, during Trump's second term, Dy was arrested again after attending an ICE check-in appointment at the Atlanta field office, where he was sent on what he describes as a trap involving confusing directions between floors. He was transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, where he remained in detention as of April 2026. Dy is a former incarcerated person who turned his life around, became a Christian, married Tammy, and together they own a home and are raising three children with a fourth on the way. His wife and community have organized to support him, including celebrating a gender reveal party during his detention via video call with commissary materials.

An Armenian asylum seeker is a citizen and national of Armenia who entered the United States on July 17, 2021 and filed an asylum application that remains pending before immigration courts. He has complied with all immigration proceedings, appeared for hearings, maintained residence in California, operated a lawful business, and established substantial ties to the community. On April 1, 2026, ICE officers detained him at a courthouse in Burbank, California where he appeared for a criminal hearing, and he has remained in custody at Adelanto Detention Facility since that date. He sought a Temporary Restraining Order for his immediate release or a constitutionally adequate bond hearing, alleging his continued detention violates the Fifth Amendment and bears no reasonable relation to any legitimate civil immigration purpose. The respondents did not oppose the relief and acknowledged he is a member of the Bond Eligible Class in Bautista v. Santacruz, entitling him to an individualized bond hearing. The court granted the TRO and ordered that he must receive an individualized bond hearing within 3 days, or be released within 4 days, with the government bearing the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence whether he poses a flight risk or danger to the public.

In December 2025, Axel Sanchez Toledo called 911 in Palm Beach County, Florida requesting a welfare check on his daughter. A sheriff's deputy who was part of the county's 287(g) Task Force with ICE accused Toledo of being undocumented, detained him, and used physical force when he attempted to flee. Toledo, who had a pending asylum case, was arrested and held in jail for four months on resisting arrest charges before being transferred to ICE custody facing deportation.

ICE agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. was charged by Hennepin County prosecutors with felony first- and second-degree assault after allegedly pointing a gun at people in another vehicle on Highway 62 in Minneapolis in February 2026 during Operation Metro Surge. Morgan turned himself in, posted bond, and made his first court appearance on May 24, 2026. His attorney argued Morgan feared for his safety when the other vehicle swerved near him.

A man who entered the U.S. in May 2021 and was granted humanitarian parole was arrested and detained by ICE during a routine check-in in April 2026 despite complying with all immigration conditions. The petitioner challenged his detention arguing it violated due process rights without a pre-deprivation hearing. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release with permanent injunction against re-detention without constitutional protections.

K, a 23-year-old man, fled Belarus after being stalked and threatened for participating in political rallies opposing the government. After the CBP One system was shut down and being extorted in Mexico, he crossed onto U.S. soil and walked toward a port of entry in South Texas, where Border Patrol arrested him and ignored his asylum request. His phone containing persecution evidence was confiscated and never returned. He was shackled and secretly flown to Costa Rica without being told the destination.

Marcus, a 52-year-old former archivist from Cameroon, and his 14-year-old daughter Élodie were detained during an ICE enforcement action at their apartment in Minneapolis on April 1, 2026. ICE cited a typographical error in Marcus's A-number in his temporary work authorization as justification for the detention. During the enforcement action, ICE mistakenly seized Élodie's architectural drawings, classifying them as "surveillance imagery." Both remain in detention and have been unable to contact a journalist documenting crimes related to art trafficking, which is central to their asylum case. A GoFundMe campaign was initiated to support their case.

Armando Gonzalez Procopio, 49, a Mexican citizen who worked as a handyman and house cleaner in Big Bear, California for over 20 years, was detained by ICE agents on March 31, 2026, while on his way to work on Big Bear Boulevard. He was placed in removal proceedings at the ICE Desert View Annex Detention Facility in Adelanto. Gonzalez's three daughters—Adriana, 20, Citlalli, 26, and a 16-year-old—are now caring for their mother, Erika, who has Stage 4 brain cancer and is in hospice care. The daughters describe their father as the family pillar who put them through college and ensured their mother reached medical appointments during her five-year cancer battle. DHS cited a 2011 infraction for operating a vehicle without a valid driver's license (Gonzalez pleaded guilty and paid over $400 in fines), though court records show no conviction. A court granted Gonzalez's temporary restraining order and ordered his immediate release from immigration custody.

Genaro Gonzalez-Uribe, a 72-year-old undocumented man, was detained by ICE on March 30, 2026, while driving to work in Lodi, California. He was pulled over by unmarked vehicles and transferred to a detention facility in Kern County. His family reports he has no criminal history, prior deportations, or removal orders. They also expressed concerns about his health and access to medication while in custody and are seeking legal assistance as he faces removal proceedings.

Ali and Adel, an Iranian gay couple in their late 30s and early 40s, fled Iran in 2021 after being arrested by Iran's morality police for their relationship. They entered the United States at the El Paso, Texas border in early 2025 seeking asylum, but their claims were denied. The men are now separated in ICE detention facilities—Ali in Arizona and Adel near El Paso—facing deportation under a Trump administration policy reversing decades of allowing Iranians fleeing persecution to remain in the country. Adel has suffered severe organ damage and medical deterioration in detention, including significant weight loss and fainting episodes. Court orders have so far prevented their deportation, though both men have been moved to deportation staging facilities multiple times, and the Trump administration has not clarified whether deportation flights to Iran will resume.

Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old nearly blind Rohingya refugee from Myanmar who spoke little English and relied on a cane to walk, was released from Erie County jail on February 19, 2026, after Border Patrol agents determined he was ineligible for deportation. Agents dropped him off at a Tim Hortons north of Buffalo without notifying his family or attorney. Surveillance footage contradicted DHS claims that the location was safe and open, showing the store was closed except for its drive-thru. Alam went missing for several days before his body was found on February 24 near KeyBank Center, about four miles from where he was left. Local officials ruled his death a homicide, caused by complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer worsened by hypothermia and dehydration. Governor Kathy Hochul later cited his death as an example of harm caused by federal immigration enforcement.