Human Impact Project

Pejman Mojtaba Behzad was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the San Jose Field Office on June 12, 2026. He filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus and motion for a temporary restraining order challenging his continued detention at a facility in the Eastern District of California. The Northern District of California court transferred the case to the Eastern District of California, finding it lacked jurisdiction because the petitioner was being held in custody outside its territorial bounds.

Ribelino B. Barahona Jovel, a Salvadoran citizen who received withholding of removal in 2024 and was released on supervision, was detained without warning on June 12, 2026, when he reported to the Baltimore ICE Field Office as directed. ICE revoked his release and prepared removal documents intending to deport him to Mexico without following required procedural safeguards or providing notice and opportunity to be heard. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding ICE violated due process and the Accardi doctrine by failing to follow its own regulations, and ordered his immediate release on the previous supervision conditions.

Alsu and Azat, a Russian couple who fled fearing imprisonment for opposing the war in Ukraine, were detained with their 1-year-old son Amir after crossing the southern border and presenting themselves at a legal port of entry. During four months of detention at Dilley in 2025, Amir withdrew and began hitting himself in the face, with his speech development slowing until he stopped saying anything other than 'mom' and 'dad.' The facility lacked toys for toddlers and books in Russian. Staff forced Alsu to wean Amir off formula, claiming he was too old, and Amir suffered fevers and stomach problems while detained. Alsu resorted to sucking spicy sauce off noodles to feed him and hiding cereal in socks and hoods. Azat alleges CoreCivic employees threatened to separate the parents and send Amir to foster care if they stopped complaining. The family was released in January under supervision. ICE has detained more than 500 infants and toddlers under age three since January 2025.

Two former Logan City Municipal Justice Court clerks, Jennifer Joma and Lauren Kelsey Morrow, were charged with federal felonies after an April 9, 2026 incident in which they allegedly used their access to court databases to identify noncitizens on the docket, including an ICE enforcement target. Upon learning an ICE officer was present to make an arrest, the women helped multiple people exit the courthouse through a back or maintenance door without being detected. Joma allegedly drove at least three of the individuals away in her personal vehicle. Both faced charges including conspiracy to transport and harbor noncitizens, harboring noncitizens, and obstruction of federal proceedings. In June 2026, they pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Jefferson Hisola, a Filipino father and long-term Alaska resident, was released from ICE detention following a court decision in his favor and a widespread public campaign mobilizing community advocates. His release ended a legal battle that highlighted vulnerabilities in immigration status for long-term residents, even those with community ties and economic contributions.

Federal immigration enforcement officials conducted a vehicle chase that ended in the parking lot of Steilacoom High School in Washington on June 12, 2026. The chase began at Western State Hospital parking lot and continued onto Sentinel Drive before concluding at the high school. The driver, a middle-aged man, attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended by immigration authorities.

U.S. District Judge Kyle Dudek ordered the immediate release of Dmitrii Iastrebov, detained at Baker County Detention Facility in Florida, after finding the Trump administration repeatedly violated court orders regarding his right to an individualized bond hearing. The government initially conceded Iastrebov was entitled to a bond hearing, but when an immigration judge refused to hold it, government lawyers accepted that refusal without appeal. When Iastrebov petitioned federal court again, the government claimed its previous concession "was in error" and asked the court to reverse its own decision. Judge Dudek rejected this request, criticizing the government's conduct as "a masterclass in litigation cynicism" and "a complete inability to follow judicial directions," and ordered Iastrebov's release within 48 hours.

An Iranian woman and approximately two dozen migrants were deported from the United States to the Central African Republic on June 12, 2026, via a flight from Louisiana. The Iranian woman had been granted court protection against deportation to Iran after judges determined she faced credible fears of persecution based on politics or religion. At least one Iranian national was deported despite receiving an emergency court order temporarily halting removal. The deportation is part of the Trump administration's third-country deportation agreements with African nations.

Mohsen Mahdawi, a lawful permanent resident and Columbia University graduate student living in the U.S. since 2014, was arrested by federal agents on April 14, 2025, when he arrived at a Vermont immigration office for a routine citizenship interview. Federal authorities initiated removal proceedings, alleging his pro-Palestinian activism threatened U.S. foreign policy. Immigration Judge Nina Froes terminated the deportation case on February 17, 2026, after the government failed to authenticate supporting documentation. The Trump administration revived deportation efforts, and Immigration Judge Angela Munson ordered him deported on June 3, 2026, based on the foreign policy bar and his pro-Palestinian speech. The ACLU is representing Mahdawi and filed a federal appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on June 10, 2026, challenging the use of the foreign policy bar to target his speech.

ICE agents chased a day laborer into a Home Depot and took him away bloodied and in handcuffs, according to Jorge Nicolás, a senior organizer at the Central American Resource Center (Carecen), who witnessed the arrest. This occurred as enforcement continued in LA neighborhoods a year after the initial June 2025 raids.

Elias Cardoza-Torres, a 58-year-old Cuban national, was arrested by ICE on June 11, 2026, after being released from Miami-Dade County custody. Cardoza-Torres entered the United States in 1989 with a temporary stay permit and was eligible to adjust his immigration status under the Cuban Adjustment Act but never did. An immigration judge issued a final deportation order against him in April 2000, but he remained in the United States for over 26 years. He has accumulated multiple criminal convictions spanning from 1991 to 2018, including selling heroin, cocaine possession, burglary, vehicle theft, and weapons-related felonies. The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office cooperated with ICE in his arrest, and he remains in ICE custody pending deportation.

A 7-year-old boy appeared in immigration court to request reunification with his father, who had been detained and deported to South America. The immigration judge approved the boy's voluntary return within 60 days at government expense with child safety protections. The hearing is part of a pattern of fast-tracked immigration court cases involving minors under the Trump administration, with attorneys reporting violations of the 10-day notice requirement and compressed timelines.

Jorge Valentin Guillen-Martinez was detained at the Karnes County Immigration Processing Center in Karnes City, Texas. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the lawfulness of his detention and seeking either immediate release or a bond hearing. The Western District of Texas court found that respondents violated Petitioner's Fifth Amendment due process rights and ordered his release under reasonable conditions of supervision by July 1, 2026.

Arelys Barahona-Martinez, a 40-year-old Honduran national, was detained by ICE on June 10, 2026, during a routine scheduled check-in appointment at an ICE office in Dallas, where she had been checking in without incident for years. She was transferred to a detention facility in Oklahoma and faces deportation based on a removal order issued in 2005 following unauthorized entries to the U.S. Barahona-Martinez is married to retired Staff Sergeant Wilmer Trujillo, a 20-year U.S. Army and Texas National Guard veteran with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The couple shares a household that includes Trujillo's daughters and Barahona-Martinez's 20-year-old son, a U.S. citizen with neurofibromatosis. Her attorney argues she is eligible for permanent residency through her marriage to a U.S. citizen and may qualify for a parole-in-place program designed to protect military families, though her application was rejected by USCIS in November 2024. Trujillo is fighting to prevent her deportation.

On June 11, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted a targeted enforcement operation at a residential development site (Villas at Vista North) in Bemidji, Minnesota, detaining between 23-30 construction and roofing workers. Local police and sheriff's office confirmed they were not notified in advance and did not participate in the operation, though ICE had notified the sheriff's office of planned activities. Family members posted on social media seeking support and launched fundraising campaigns to cover legal fees. Community members, including members of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, gathered to protest the enforcement action.

ICE agents arrested Fernando Rivas, a Dominican national, in Harrisburg on June 11 through a targeted enforcement action. Rivas was living in the United States without authorization and had prior convictions. He remains in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings.

Joy, a 19-year-old immigrant, arrived in the United States five years ago with her husband and children. Her husband was detained by ICE, and during the detention his vehicle was damaged and impounded, leaving Joy without transportation and facing immediate eviction. Before she could communicate with her husband following his detention, he was deported to Louisiana. Because one of their four children was born in the U.S., the family cannot self-deport together or be accepted into family detention, leaving Joy to navigate obtaining passports and supporting her children alone.

Billy Bassikissa Bounguiena, a corrections officer at Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, was detained by ICE on Tuesday at his home in South Portland. He held a valid work permit and had no criminal history, according to county officials. ICE alleged he had a criminal record based on a 2019 domestic violence arrest in which no charges were filed; county officials dispute this characterization as false. He is being held at Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island.

Jesus Acevedo-Sanchez was detained by ICE agents on June 11, 2026, at Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School in Southeast Baltimore during a preschool graduation ceremony. When agents attempted to arrest him, Acevedo-Sanchez refused lawful commands and violently resisted, using his vehicle to evade law enforcement and dragging an ICE officer in the process. He faces federal charges for resisting and impeding federal officers and destruction of government property. Children who were in the vehicle were removed and cared for by family members, while school staff secured other children in the building. Acevedo-Sanchez has a history of evading ICE, including a prior collision with an ICE vehicle in April 2026. He is being held at a Baltimore detention facility. Two undocumented immigrants were detained by ICE agents at Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School during a school graduation ceremony on June 11, 2026. The individuals were pursued by ICE agents and drove into the school parking lot with children in the vehicle. During the detention, one individual punched federal officers and faces federal charges for assaulting a federal officer. The arrests resulted in children being separated from their parents and caused distress among those present. School officials and state leaders condemned the enforcement action at the sensitive location.

A Guatemalan man was arrested in a Bonita Springs park after a Florida Fish and Wildlife officer falsely claimed the man's dog had bitten him, though the officer never exited his vehicle. The man was held for approximately 40 minutes before ICE officers arrived and took him into custody. His wife, who witnessed the incident, said both are pending asylum cases and spoke anonymously to avoid jeopardizing their immigration status.

Detainees at Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey initiated a hunger and labor strike beginning May 27, 2026, protesting conditions including expired food, meals contaminated with worms, and lack of access to medical care. The strike involved hundreds of detained people and was accompanied by outside protests, resulting in at least 90 protester arrests since May 26. Federal data showed that of 591 detainees held at the facility, only 76 (about 13 percent) had criminal convictions and 123 (about 21 percent) had pending criminal charges, contradicting ICE's claims that the facility held "the worst of the worst." ICE responded to the strike with chemical agents including pepper spray and pepper balls, armored vehicles, and batons against both detainees and external protesters. Participants faced retaliation including solitary confinement and transfers to other facilities. The action was part of at least six concurrent hunger strikes at immigration detention facilities nationwide.

Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban man and father of four, died on January 3, 2026, at Camp East Montana detention facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso during physical restraint by law enforcement. Witnesses in nearby cells heard guards shove Lunas Campos into his cell after he requested his medication during nurse rounds, followed by punching and slamming sounds. Lunas Campos screamed 'I can't breathe!' and 'You're suffocating me,' with his last words being 'I cannot breathe, may God bless me.' The El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide on January 21, 2026, determining the cause was asphyxia from neck and torso compression, with evidence of neck hemorrhages, petechial hemorrhages in the eyelids, and abrasions on his chest and knees. ICE's account of events changed multiple times, initially claiming medical distress before stating staff used force while restraining him. A federal GAO report found that the facility's contractor failed to provide required use of force and death reports to ICE, and evidence associated with the incident was missing or destroyed.

C.M., a noncitizen, was detained at the Aurora Contract Detention Facility and received a removal order on March 11, 2026. The immigration judge ordered deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture. C.M. sought immediate release via habeas corpus petition and Rehabilitation Act claim, arguing she needed release to meaningfully participate in immigration proceedings. The district court denied her petition, finding her removal order became final on April 11, 2026, placing her within the permissible 90-day removal period, and that immediate release is not a proper remedy under the Rehabilitation Act.

Wenbiao Lin filed a habeas corpus petition challenging ICE's mandatory detention without bond at Baker Correctional Institution. An immigration judge conducted a bond hearing on June 18, 2026, and ordered Lin's release on a $10,000 bond. The federal court dismissed the case as moot on July 2, 2026, after the bond determination was made.

Nikolas De Bremaeker, a 38-year-old immigration attorney at Centro Legal de la Raza in Oakland, was pulled aside for enhanced screening by TSA at San Francisco International Airport on June 10, 2026. During a 45-minute search, agents examined his belongings, phones, and laptops. When De Bremaeker asked why, a TSA agent stated it was "not random" and that he was on a "watch list" but provided no further details. De Bremaeker was ultimately allowed to board his flight to Boston. The incident prompted him to cancel a planned trip to Belgium and raised questions about federal surveillance of immigration attorneys.

ICE agents arrested Mosiah Wright, a Jamaican national, during enforcement operations in the New York City metropolitan area targeting what the agency described as noncitizens with criminal records and immigration fugitives. Wright had been previously removed from the country and was convicted of murder in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. ICE said he was also arrested for carrying a concealed weapon, drug possession, resisting arrest, and probation violations. Several other noncitizens from El Salvador, Ecuador, and Honduras were also apprehended during the operation.

Leo's parents, ages 60 and 62, were detained by ICE and held separately at facilities within an hour of Palatka, Florida. The parents have lived in the United States since the 1990s and operated Palatka Buffet for nearly 20 years before their son Leo took over the family business with Leo's Fine Sushi. They are facing deportation to China. Their son has launched a fundraiser to support legal fees and family expenses during their detention.

Three teenagers from Collinsville, Illinois—16-year-old Jesus Alexis Cruz and 19-year-olds Hector Cruz Sanchez and Jonathan Godoy—were detained by ICE on June 9, 2026, after a traffic stop by Morrisonville Police for a vehicle licensing violation. After the vehicle was towed and the teens left at a gas station, ICE agents took them into custody. Cruz was transported to a juvenile detention facility in Texas; Sanchez and Godoy were sent to Ste. Genevieve Detention Center in Missouri. Illinois state officials, including the Attorney General's office, State Rep. Katie Stuart, Rep. Nikki Budzinski, and candidate Marsie Geldert-Murphey, have begun investigating whether the police's involvement violated the state's TRUST Act, which prohibits local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration enforcement.

ICE Boston arrested José Paula de Souza Neto, a Brazilian national, in Hyannis, Massachusetts on June 10, 2026. Neto was wanted in Brazil on an arrest warrant for drug trafficking and association with drug trafficking following his conviction in that country. He had fled Brazil after receiving house arrest during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently failing to return to prison. His arrest followed a wanted poster released by Minas Gerais civil police in January 2026.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement partnered with South Carolina law enforcement agencies, including the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, State Transit Police, and Duncan Police Department, to conduct two coordinated highway enforcement operations named Operation Safe Drive and Operation Rubber Duck. The operations took place along Interstate 26 and Interstate 85 from May 12 to May 14, 2026, targeting commercial vehicles, fraudulent truck drivers, invalid operator licenses, and immigration violations. The operations resulted in 114 arrests for immigration and criminal violations. Authorities conducted 145 vehicle stops, performed 77 vehicle inspections, issued 89 traffic citations, and removed 22 drivers and vehicles from service. Seizures included approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine valued at $200,000 and cash. According to advocacy groups and the ACLU, undocumented immigrants traveling in work trucks and vans, including construction and landscaping workers, were disproportionately affected by the stops and arrests. The operations are part of expanded immigration enforcement cooperation in South Carolina under a 287(g) agreement between state and local law enforcement and ICE.

On June 9, 2026, three teenagers were stopped by Morrisonville police in Christian County, Illinois while traveling together to work. Police determined the vehicle lacked proper licensing and towed it. While waiting at a nearby gas station, ICE agents took the teens into custody. Hector Cruz Sanchez, 19, and Jonathan Godoy, 19, were among those detained and subsequently transferred to Ste. Genevieve County Jail in southeastern Missouri, which holds ICE detainees under contract.

Ubaidullah Abdulrashid Radiowala, an Indian national, was detained by ICE in Newark, New Jersey as part of enforcement operations targeting non-citizens with serious criminal histories. He faced allegations related to attempted murder and extortion and was placed in removal proceedings.

Elipidia Aguirre-Romero, a Mexican national, was arrested by ICE in Fresno, CA. She has a prior criminal conviction in California. Jose Alfredo Patino-Avelino, a Mexican national, was arrested by ICE in Santa Barbara, CA. He has prior criminal convictions in California. Saul Alberto Garay-Amaya, a Salvadoran national, was arrested by ICE in Fairfax, VA. He has prior criminal convictions in Virginia. Fidel Larreta-Boltor, a Mexican national, was arrested by ICE in Forsyth County, NC. He has a prior criminal conviction in North Carolina. Yeison Beltran-Avila, a Colombian national, was arrested by ICE. He has a prior criminal conviction.

Jesus Alexis Cruz, 16, was detained by ICE following a traffic stop in Morrisonville, Illinois on June 9, 2026. Local police towed his vehicle, and ICE agents subsequently picked him up at a nearby gas station. Cruz's family, which includes documented relatives, requested his release to their custody, but ICE denied the request. He was transferred to a juvenile detention facility in Texas without family involvement in the transport. Representative Nikki Budzinski's office became involved to seek answers regarding his detention and transfer.

Yi-Han Liou, a Taiwanese national, was detained by ICE in New Hampshire after fleeing Taiwan on drug trafficking charges. She was accused of trafficking cocaine and marijuana from the United States and Canada to Taiwan by air freight, including shipping over 630 grams of cocaine hidden in candlesticks. She had overstayed her entry in the United States. Liou was deported to Taiwan on June 5, 2026.

Miguel, a South American migrant held at an ICE detention center in Texas, was subjected to systematic extortion and violence by members of the prison gang Los Paisas. He was forced to give gang members portions of food purchased with money his family sent him, and was beaten and confined when he refused or failed to comply. After pressure to join the gang, which he resisted, he endured further retaliation. Fearing retaliation and doubting that immigration authorities would protect him, Miguel never reported the abuse until after his release from detention.

Gabriel Yonathan Gonzalez Godoy, 23, from Honduras, was pulled over on Illinois Route 48 when his work vehicle's license plate was flagged for expired registration. Police impounded the truck containing fiber wiring equipment and transported him and two others to a gas station, where ICE agents arrested all three. Gonzalez Godoy was initially held at Ste. Genevieve County Jail in Missouri. On June 22, a federal immigration judge approved his request for voluntary deportation to Mexico, and he was deported by ICE.

Hector Cruz-Sanchez, 19, from Mexico, and Jesus Alexis Cruz, 16, from Collinsville, Illinois, were detained by ICE on June 9, 2026, after Morrisonville Police stopped their vehicle on Illinois Route 48 for expired registration during a work trip. Police impounded the truck and transported the three occupants to a gas station, where ICE agents arrested them. Cruz-Sanchez was initially held at Ste. Genevieve County Jail in Missouri before being transferred to Port Isabel Service Processing Center in Texas, while the 16-year-old was transported to a juvenile detention facility in Texas. Family representatives alleged police violated the Illinois Trust Act by facilitating the ICE pickup and characterized the transfer of the minor as a kidnapping due to denial of information about transportation and family accompaniment across state lines. U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski's office sought information about the detentions and raised concerns about the circumstances, particularly regarding the age of one detainee.

Ricky, a longtime U.S. resident who arrived as a young child in 2000 and lost his DACA status, was detained by ICE. He is married to an American citizen, Katya, and they have two young children in East Tennessee. His family is seeking legal assistance for a T Visa application, waiver, work permit, and other relief options to prevent his deportation to Mexico, where they say he faces safety risks.

Konrad Wojciech Darlak, an immigrant from Poland, was detained by ICE after federal agents chased his vehicle through Northwest Side streets. The chase resulted in his car losing control and crashing into a tree. DHS characterized the operation as a targeted enforcement action.

Juana, a mother of four with no criminal record, was arrested by ICE agents on the side of the road in Grants Pass on June 9, 2026. A bystander videotaped the arrest, which showed agents handcuffing her and placing her in an unmarked vehicle while her van was left locked on the roadside. She was transported to the Tacoma immigration detention center and is facing deportation.

Georgii Gabiev, a Russian national from Brooklyn, was arrested by ICE on June 9, 2026, after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide in a March 2024 crash near Maynard, Minnesota that killed semi-truck driver Tim Tarnowski. Investigators determined Gabiev ran a stop sign while watching a YouTube video on an iPad, causing the fatal collision. He served 120 days in jail before his release and subsequent ICE arrest. Gabiev is now in federal custody pending removal proceedings.

A woman was detained by ICE for over one year and separated from her children, who were placed in the care of their father and stepmother. Following her release, she is seeking to regain custody of her children after serious allegations of child abuse emerged against the stepmother. She requires legal assistance to navigate both her ongoing immigration case and family court custody proceedings.

Willian, the father of two U.S.-citizen children and son of a naturalized U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE while at work on Monday. He has active work authorization issued by the U.S. government and was actively pursuing his immigration case through the legal system. A federal judge subsequently ordered that he cannot be transferred or removed while his case is reviewed.

During summer 2025 ICE raids in Southern California, federal agents arrested thousands of undocumented immigrants in neighborhoods, workplaces, and homes. Giovanni, a Salvadoran worker at a car wash in the San Fernando Valley, was detained for six months at Adelanto ICE Processing Center after refusing to sign deportation documents, while three coworkers were quickly deported to Mexico. His family was left without his income and faced potential displacement.

Abdullahi Mohamed, a Somali refugee who had lived in the U.S. for decades with his family, was detained and then rapidly transferred within five days across Massachusetts, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas before being deported to Somalia. He reported being beaten and shackled during transfers and enduring long periods without food or water. ICE did not respond to his lawyer's requests for release and ignored habeas petition efforts. Mohamed has no family or means of support in Somalia and his wife remains in hiding due to her immigration status.

Esteban, a Hispanic man charged with attempted homicide, was arrested by ICE agents in Los Angeles while heading to work and transferred to the Adelanto immigrant detention center in California's Mojave Desert. At the facility, operated by private company GEO Group, he felt compelled to join the prison gang Los Paisas to protect himself from violence, eventually becoming one of the gang's leaders and serving as an informal intermediary between detainees and guards. After nearly a year at Adelanto, he was released and returned to Los Angeles. The detention center has faced complaints of abuse, medical negligence, poor food, overcrowding, and deaths of migrants.

Ernesto Puac Son, a roofer and legal resident with a work permit and pending asylum case living in the United States for 18 years, was stopped by FDLE agents during an early-morning traffic stop in Stuart. Agents broke his van window, dragged him through broken glass, and pinned him to the ground despite him showing a valid Florida driver's license. He was charged with resisting arrest with violence and sentenced to one year in Martin County Jail.

ICE agents conducted a targeted enforcement operation in Danbury on June 4, 2026, accompanied by a camera crew that recorded the arrests. Local immigrant rights advocates, including members of Greater Danbury Area Unites for Immigrants, documented the presence of the commercial camera equipment and boom microphone. ICE confirmed the operation but did not disclose details about the camera crew or names of those arrested.

Mohamed Fofana, a 22-year-old asylum seeker from Guinea employed at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, was detained by ICE on November 11, 2025, near his home. He was held for seven months in detention facilities in Batavia and La Salle County, Texas. In February 2026, his attorney reported losing contact with him for a month due to facility transfer confusion, and an immigration judge granted a 45-day continuance. An immigration judge ordered his deportation in May 2026, but a federal judge vacated that order and approved his habeas corpus petition in June 2026. Fofana was released and returned to Syracuse on June 7-9, 2026, to reunite with his family.