Human Impact Project

On June 4, 2026, ICE deported six Honduran nationals to Honduras aboard military aircraft operated in partnership with the Department of War. Santos Alberto Ramos Castillo had been convicted of DUI, law enforcement obstruction, domestic violence, assault, and cruelty toward a child. Oscar Alvarado Diaz, with nine prior removals from the U.S., had been convicted of burglary and conspiracy to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance. Fredis David Chavez Mencia had been convicted of transporting and selling narcotics. Douglas Garcia-Rivera had been convicted of DUI and evading arrest. Melvin Martinez Izaguirre, with two prior removals, had multiple DUI, domestic violence, and assault arrests. Roje Oliva-Ortiz had been convicted of two DUIs. The deportations were part of ICE's expanded removal operations utilizing military resources.

Hamilton Ismael Padilla Mendoza, a Nicaraguan national, was arrested and re-detained on June 4, 2026, while attending a routine ICE check-in in Los Angeles. He had been released on supervised release in 2024 after the Immigration Court granted him withholding of removal to Nicaragua, but was arrested without prior notice explaining the basis for revocation. ICE indicated he could not be removed to Nicaragua but would be sent to an unspecified third country. The court issued a temporary restraining order on June 13, 2026, blocking his removal from the United States pending resolution of his habeas corpus petition challenging the legality of third-country removal.

Victor San Shing Kwok, a 50-year-old native of the People's Republic of China, is facing denaturalization after being accused of using multiple identities and concealing prior immigration denials. In September 1994, Kwok sought admission under the identity Xin Cheng Guo. After an immigration judge denied his application, Kwok married a U.S. citizen and applied to adjust his resident status. He failed to disclose the prior denial of his application and his pending order of removal. There is no record that Kwok departed the United States as ordered by the immigration judge. The Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia filed a civil denaturalization complaint on June 4, 2026.

Maria Lourdes Montoya, a 63-year-old Mexican national, is facing denaturalization after fraudulently obtaining permanent residence and citizenship. Montoya misrepresented her husband's identity in both her permanent residence and naturalization applications, claiming to be married to Gilberto Montoya, a U.S. citizen who had actually died decades earlier. In reality, Montoya was married to Ernesto Orozco-Viramontes, a Mexican national who assumed the identity of Gilberto Montoya. Montoya knowingly leveraged this deception to obtain immigration benefits. The Department of Justice filed a five-count complaint seeking to cancel her naturalized citizenship.

Laura Yinneth Molano Luque, a 33-year-old Colombian woman, has been detained at Delaney Hall ICE detention center in Newark and has become severely and violently ill. Despite making multiple requests for medical help over several days, her pleas went unanswered until she fainted and was transferred to the hospital; she fainted again the next day after returning to the facility. According to her attorney's emergency court filing, Molano Luque has since vomited blood, experienced severe and unrelenting pain, and has at times been unable to speak, yet has received no medical assistance beyond antibiotics and has largely been unable to eat. Her case is among over 70 detainees who have filed federal lawsuits alleging medical neglect and deficiencies at Delaney Hall, a 1,000-person facility operated by private prison contractor GEO Group.

ICE agents attempted to arrest Freidrich Castillo-Ormeno, a Peruvian national, on Route 72 near Mermaid Drive in Stafford on Monday morning. The vehicle struck an ICE agent during the encounter, and the agent fired shots at the fleeing car. Castillo-Ormeno remained at large as of Monday evening. The FBI is investigating the incident.

ICE agents detained Elias Cruz-Zarate on June 4, 2026, during a targeted enforcement operation in Oakhurst. According to ICE, Cruz-Zarate is from Mexico and had voluntarily left the United States in 2020 before re-entering. ICE stated he has prior convictions for simple assault.

Alessandro was detained by ICE agents on June 4 while on the streets of Northeast Philadelphia. He was held in federal detention in Philadelphia and was expected to be transferred to Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania before deportation to Brazil. His family launched a fundraiser to support deportation costs and lost household income.

ICE agents conducted a targeted enforcement operation outside a Danbury, Connecticut courthouse on June 4, 2026, detaining at least six people. Local law enforcement and officials, including the police chief and mayor's office, received no advance notice of the operation. DHS stated those arrested faced criminal charges including sexual assault of a minor, child abuse, kidnapping, and assault on police officers, though specific names and detailed charges were not provided. The raid sparked protests and condemnation from Connecticut Democratic officials, who criticized the use of armed and masked agents in the enforcement action.

Christian Espinosa-Sarango, 33, an Ecuadorian national, was arrested by ICE on February 13 after being released on bond by North Haven police. Espinosa-Sarango had been arrested in December as part of a child sexual exploitation sting and charged with enticing a minor and attempted sexual assault. ICE had lodged a detainer, but Connecticut's Trust Act prevented local police from holding him without a judicial warrant. During his ICE arrest, he allegedly resisted and attempted to flee, leading officers to break his vehicle window.

Mamuka Artmeladze, a 43-year-old from Georgia, died on June 4, 2026, at Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana after being found unresponsive in his cell. He was transported to Winn Parish Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead approximately one hour later despite resuscitation efforts. Artmeladze had been detained by ICE since February 2026 following an enforcement operation targeting commercial vehicle drivers. His death was the second at the facility in less than two months—following Alejandro Cabrera Clemente's death on April 11. A recent Department of Homeland Security inspection documented multiple violations at Winn Correctional Center, including insanitary conditions, inadequate medical care, and use-of-force policy violations such as an officer using a banned chokehold and another stabbing a detainee's thumb with a pen. An autopsy was pending to determine the official cause of death.

Ederson Galicia Alva, 11, was first separated from his mother in 2018 as a toddler under Trump's first-term family separation policy. After legal intervention and reunification, the family rebuilt their life in Florida. In June 2025, federal agents arrested his mother Mirsy Maricela Alva López during an immigration enforcement action, and she was deported to Guatemala while Ederson and his sister were separated again. After approximately 11 months, a federal judge ordered the family's return to Florida in late May 2026. An Associated Press investigation found that dozens of children covered by the Ms. L v. ICE settlement—a 2018 agreement meant to prevent family separations and protect over 11,800 family members—have been re-separated from their families during the second Trump administration despite legal protections.

Geremy Arteaga Cruz, 19, an HISD student whose asylum application was approved by the Houston asylum office in June 2025, remains in immigration detention after the Trump administration reversed the decision and deemed him ineligible. He was detained by ICE after Houston police arrested him on a misdemeanor public intoxication charge; he was transferred to ICE custody while in Harris County jail despite completing his criminal sentence. His attorneys argue that if USCIS had promptly issued its notice of approval, he would not have been detained. He also has a pending T visa application as a human trafficking victim.

Emanuel Rodrigues, a Brazilian man with a rare life-threatening condition restricting his mobility, was held in solitary confinement for five months at Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. During his detention, Rodrigues became seriously ill and unable to walk after a fall that he says occurred when a guard prevented him from using crutches. His wife was unable to visit the facility. He was released on June 4, 2026, following advocacy from Rep. Rob Menendez's office, with assistance from a journalist.

Lucas Gustavo Brajak De Almeida Di Benedetto, 41, a Brazilian-born chef, drove the wrong way on Route 1 early Sunday morning and collided head-on with a Massachusetts State Police cruiser. He told authorities he had consumed two beers before the crash and was unfamiliar with the interchange. After posting bail, he appeared at Peabody District Court on June 3, 2026, for his arraignment on charges of operating under the influence, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and driving the wrong way. ICE agents arrested him outside the courthouse, taking him into custody for visa overstay—he had entered the U.S. nearly 20 years ago but was authorized to stay only three months and remained in the country illegally. He was held pending removal proceedings.

Luis, a roofer with no criminal record, was arrested during an ICE raid in Arkansas while working. He was transferred through multiple facilities—a local jail, a Texas prison, and ultimately the Torrance County Detention Facility in New Mexico—where he has been held for over a year without criminal charges and with limited legal assistance or clarity on his status.

ICE agents and Butler County Sheriff's office took at least one person into custody at the intersection of Route 228 and Heritage Creek Drive in Adams Township. Video on social media documented the operation. The arrest is part of ongoing ICE enforcement in Butler County, where nearly 40 people have been detained since operations began over a year ago.

On June 3-4, 2026, ICE and state law enforcement conducted a coordinated raid at Burnstein Von Seelen Precision Casting in Abbeville County, South Carolina, as part of Operation Ghost Story, a two-year investigation that began in October 2024. The operation detained 48 workers, primarily from Mexico and Guatemala, on immigration violations. None of the 48 detained workers were criminally charged. At least one detainee who was eight months pregnant was released but faces deportation proceedings and must wear an ankle monitor, while others remained in custody.

Youcy Andry Escobar Calderon, a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. in July 2015 and resided here for nearly 11 years without interacting with immigration authorities, was arrested by local police during a routine traffic stop on June 3, 2026, and transferred to ICE custody. He was held at Central Valley Annex Detention Facility and challenged his detention without a pre-deprivation hearing. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding his detention violated due process rights, and ordered respondents to conduct an initial custody determination within 48 hours and provide a substantive bond hearing within 10 days if continued detention was deemed appropriate.

Abdikadir Ali Kadiye, a 54-year-old Somali national, is facing denaturalization after being accused of seeking admission to the United States under two separate identities. Beginning in April 1997, Kadiye first applied under the identity Liban M. Degel, claiming to be married with no children. After an immigration judge denied his application, Kadiye submitted a second application under the identity Abdikadir Ali Kadiye. After naturalizing, Kadiye admitted to a customs and border patrol agent that he had previously used two identities for admission. The Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota filed a civil denaturalization complaint on June 3, 2026.

Alisson is currently in ICE custody and facing deportation. She arrived in the United States at age 9 and has built a life here. Her family is fundraising for legal fees and travel costs to support her case and maintain family connections.

An unnamed mother was detained by ICE officers on the morning of June 3, 2026, while dropping her child off at Scarlett Middle School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As of June 6, the school community had raised nearly $5,000 in support. ICE issued no public comment on the arrest.

Mohammad "Daniel" Hussain Ahmadi, a former Afghan army intelligence officer and member of the Hazara ethnic minority, was paroled into the U.S. in May 2024 and complied with all immigration conditions for nearly two years. On March 2, 2026, he was detained by ICE after appearing for a routine immigration check-in, with the government claiming his original parole was an error. On June 3, 2026, Chief Judge Peter Welte granted Ahmadi's habeas corpus petition, finding the detention violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights and ordering his release unless an immigration court granted him a bond hearing within one week.

On June 2, 2026, ICE agents detained seven employees from Indian Heritage restaurant in Lake Placid during a traffic stop near Fowler's Crossing on State Route 86 as they traveled to work. According to North Country Immigrant Allies and other advocacy groups, all seven detainees possessed work authorization and legal status to live and work in the United States. The detainees were transported to a detention facility in Batavia, approximately 300 miles away. Local law enforcement was not aware of the operation.

ICE arrested five men during enforcement operations in New Jersey on June 1-2, 2026, amid protests outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention center in Newark. The arrestees were: Marcos Delacruz from El Salvador, arrested on Friday with prior convictions for sex assault and fraud and an arrest for assault; Success Bounte from Ghana, arrested on Thursday with prior convictions for robbery, burglary, identity theft, and fraud related to illegal use of credit cards; Jose Manuel Rivera-Mes from Guatemala, arrested on Thursday with a prior conviction for voluntary manslaughter and arrests for weapon offenses and possession of a weapon; Ismael Antonio Moreno-Javier from the Dominican Republic, arrested on Thursday with prior arrests for terroristic threats, assault, child neglect, and fraud; and Carlos Javier Llano-Batista from the Dominican Republic, arrested on Thursday with prior arrests for fraud, larceny, burglary, and robbery. All five arrests occurred during the same enforcement operation at the Newark facility.

Angel Daniel Andino Almendarez, a Honduran national who entered the U.S. as a minor in June 2023 seeking asylum, was arrested by ICE on June 2, 2026, after reporting to the ERO Dallas Office for a routine check-in. He was transferred to Central Valley Annex Detention Facility in McFarland, California. The court found his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause and ordered his immediate release, enjoining respondents from re-detaining him without seven days' notice and a bond hearing before a neutral arbiter.

Domer Jesus Martinez-Sifontes, a Venezuelan national, was arrested by ICE agents in unmarked vehicles in Albany Park, resulting in a collision with a civilian vehicle. According to ICE, he assaulted officers while resisting arrest and attempted to flee. Martinez-Sifontes entered the United States in 2023 and was released under the Biden administration. He remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Saray Yuliandris Gonzalez-Gonzalez and her child were detained by ICE at Cook County's Bridgeview Courthouse. According to DHS, Gonzalez-Gonzalez faces a retail theft charge, was released by the Biden administration in September 2023, and received a final order of removal in May 2024. Both remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

ICE conducted raids at a metal casting plant in Abbeville, South Carolina and worksites in Lake Placid, New York in late May and early June 2026, detaining 48 workers at Burnstein von Seelen Precision Castings and 21 workers in New York. According to activist groups, many of the detained workers had legal permission to work in the U.S. and were not given the opportunity to provide documentation. The plant manager and HR director were also detained on charges of knowingly hiring undocumented workers.

Denny Gabriel Perez Ospino, a Venezuelan national, was arrested by ICE agents outside Cook County's Bridgeview Courthouse after completing a court hearing for misdemeanor retail theft charges. According to a witness, agents swarmed his vehicle as he attempted to leave, chased him back toward the courthouse, and physically restrained him at the entrance. DHS stated he was released by the Biden administration in November 2023 after Border Patrol apprehension and is subject to removal proceedings.

A high school student was detained by ICE on June 2, 2026, while on his way to work. At the time of detention, he was in the process of adjusting his immigration status with legal representation. A fundraiser was organized to cover attorney fees, detention facility costs, and communication expenses with family.

Susana, a 25-year resident of the United States who raised her family and volunteered in her community, was detained by ICE during a U.S. residency interview on June 2, despite holding parole status. She was deported to Tabasco, Mexico one week later. Her son, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was sponsoring her application. Susana missed her youngest son's high school graduation while detained, and her 9-year-old child is now separated from his mother.

ICE apprehended Marcos Delacruz, a Salvadoran national, in Newark based on a removal order issued by a federal immigration judge in 1997. Delacruz had remained in the United States for nearly three decades despite the active order. The case illustrates ICE's renewed focus under current administration policies on executing long-standing removal orders from the immigration court backlog.

Boanerges Flores-Bravo, a Nicaraguan asylum seeker who entered the U.S. in 2022 with his wife and 8-year-old daughter, was detained on May 18, 2026, during a scheduled immigration check-in appointment despite being told he would not be arrested. He was transferred from a Missouri detention center to Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana. According to Rep. Wesley Bell, Flores-Bravo was coerced into signing voluntary self-deportation paperwork under threat that his family would be detained if he refused. Flores-Bravo was deported to Nicaragua in June 2026. His wife was released with an ankle monitor and later signed up for voluntary departure, scheduled to leave the country in summer 2026 with their daughter.

Cristian Romario Saenz-Argueta, a 31-year-old noncitizen from El Salvador, was arrested after an investigation into reports that he sexually assaulted a girl under 15 in a parking lot in November 2025. He is charged with three felony counts including rape and carnal knowledge of a child. According to authorities, Saenz-Argueta used social media to connect with the victim, falsely portraying himself as 18 years old before arranging an in-person meeting where the assault occurred. ICE lodged an immigration detainer against him, claiming he entered the U.S. without legal documentation. DHS used the case to criticize Virginia's sanctuary policies and the expiration of Prince William County's 287(g) agreement with ICE.

ICE agents detained a man in Albany Park on Tuesday morning, using a Taser on him while he was already handcuffed on the ground. During the arrest, a black Nissan SUV believed to be driven by an agent hit a woman's sedan stuck in traffic; the SUV driver fled the scene. Witnesses reported the agents chased and arrested the shirtless man near the intersection of Kedzie and Lawrence avenues.

Alexander Jose Regnault-Avila and his 4-year-old daughter Alexandra were detained by ICE agents on Friday, May 31, 2026, in Albany while walking to the girl's pre-school. The family had entered the U.S. without authorization in 2023, and an immigration judge ordered their removal in 2024. The pair were held for 4 days and deported to Venezuela on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, just days before Alexandra's pre-K graduation. Regnault-Avila's partner and 1-year-old daughter remain in the United States. The detention sparked protests in Malta and Albany and is being cited in advocacy for the Access to Representation Act, which would provide free immigration attorneys to immigrant residents in New York.

Juan Ayala-Montero, a 60-year-old Mexican national with an extensive criminal record including prior homicide and assault convictions, was arrested on May 23, 2026, after allegedly shooting multiple people in New Caney, Texas over the Memorial Day weekend. He was charged with unlawful firearms possession as a noncitizen and faces federal charges related to the shooting. ICE lodged a detainer seeking custody of Ayala-Montero from Montgomery County authorities, and he is currently in custody pending federal court appearance.

Jesus Ramirez Ramos was detained by ICE at North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan, for nine months. Upon release, he had no way to return to his home in Salina, Kansas, and ICE had lost his cellphone and his clothes remained unwashed in storage. Delight Lester, a 66-year-old volunteer with Hope for Neighbors advocacy group, picked him up and drove him more than 900 miles home in her Toyota Prius, providing him with fresh clothes, snacks, and a phone for the journey.

Ngwanq Ransome Mupbah, a Cameroonian citizen who entered the U.S. in December 2022, was arrested on June 1, 2026, by ICE agents in the lobby of the Sacramento ERO office after an Immigration Judge denied his asylum application and ordered his removal. He was transferred to Golden State Annex Detention Facility in McFarland, California. The court granted his habeas corpus petition on July 8, 2026, finding his detention violated due process because his removal order was not administratively final—he had timely appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals on June 16, 2026—and ordered his immediate release.

Balwinder Singh, who entered the United States on April 29, 2022, was initially taken into custody by DHS and subsequently released on his own recognizance pending removal proceedings. For approximately four years, Singh complied with all release conditions while working lawfully as a commercial truck driver. On June 1, 2026, ICE officers re-detained Singh while he was at work without providing pre-deprivation notice or a hearing. The court granted Singh's petition for habeas corpus, finding that respondents violated Fifth Amendment due process protections and ordered his immediate release with constitutional safeguards for any future detention.

On June 6, 2025, ICE and federal agents raided Ambiance Apparel, a garment manufacturer in Los Angeles's Fashion District, detaining 40-44 workers, predominantly from Indigenous Zapotec communities in Mexico. Many were restrained with chains at the waist and ankles during arrest. Families gathered outside the facility to protest what they described as kidnappings, with detainees subsequently moved between multiple detention facilities, making family contact difficult. At least one worker was deported; others remain in immigration proceedings. A year later, affected families continue facing severe economic hardship, ongoing trauma, and family separation, with children left without primary breadwinners. The raid was part of a broader workplace enforcement crackdown that included multiple operations across Los Angeles and involved deployment of the National Guard.

An 8-year-old U.S. citizen was detained in a federally contracted shelter in Brooklyn for nearly seven months after being picked up at the Mexico-U.S. border. Despite his grandmother providing federal officials with his birth certificate establishing his U.S. citizenship through his mother, the Office of Refugee Resettlement did not investigate his citizenship status. An advocate documented that the child appeared sad, isolated, and reluctant to engage during detention. He was released only after an immigration judge ruled him a U.S. citizen and a federal lawsuit was filed. He was subsequently placed with his grandmother in Brooklyn.

Paul Johnson and at least 17 other individuals were charged with assaulting federal officers during an ICE operation in Minneapolis in January 2026. Johnson reported that ICE and CBP agents boxed in his truck, swarmed him, and struck him repeatedly with punches and pepper spray. He was shackled to a hospital bed for five days following the incident. Federal prosecutors dismissed charges against all 18 defendants by June 2026 after a federal magistrate and judge raised concerns about the credibility of sworn affidavits submitted by federal agents, including one HSI agent whose statements lacked personal knowledge of events. The dismissals cited insufficient evidence and misconduct by federal agents.

José Enrique Ojeda Duarte, a Venezuelan immigrant and father of two, was arrested by ICE on September 15, 2025, during Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago while heading to work. He was held in detention centers across multiple states. Despite a federal judge ordering the release of 615 people detained in the operation in November 2025, Ojeda's deportation proceeded and he was removed to Venezuela on April 6, 2026. After two months, he returned to the U.S. in June 2026 following legal action by his attorneys, who successfully challenged the deportation as erroneous in federal court. He was reunited with his wife and two children.

Randy Cordova Flores, a 36-year-old Peruvian landscaper, was detained by ICE on February 10, 2026, after Springdale Borough police pulled him over for a traffic violation and turned him over to ICE agents at the police station. Cordova Flores entered the U.S. without documentation in 2023 and was seeking asylum with a pending case and valid work authorization. ICE claimed he failed to appear for an immigration hearing; his family and legal representatives contested this, stating he was complying with asylum procedures and check-in requirements. He was held at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County and later transferred to Northern Regional Correctional Facility in West Virginia, where he was confined to a small cell 23 hours daily. After four months in custody, Cordova Flores won release in June 2026 through a habeas corpus petition and was released on bond with an ankle monitor requirement while his case continues.

On June 10, 2025, ICE conducted a workplace enforcement operation at Glenn Valley Foods meatpacking plant in Omaha, Nebraska, detaining 76 employees as part of a three-month investigation into identity theft. Workers were accused of using stolen Social Security numbers from over 100 U.S. citizens to gain employment. Luis Mejia's mother was among those detained while Mejia, then 19, was released to support the separated family. Of those arrested, approximately 17 were deported immediately, 25 were released on bond, and 25 were transferred to other facilities. Most detainees remained in immigration court proceedings months later.

Legal organizations filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of four people detained at Camp East Montana, a massive immigration detention tent camp at Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, alleging severe rights violations including medical neglect, violent uses of force by officers, excessive solitary confinement, inadequate food, and dangerous living conditions. The lawsuit seeks class certification to represent all people detained at the facility and alleges violations of Fifth Amendment due process rights and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Leo Argoti Rubio, a pastry chef at Fauborg restaurant in Montclair, New Jersey, was detained by ICE on June 1, 2026 while entering a shopping center in Buffalo, New York. He had a valid work visa, a pending asylum case, a Social Security number, and a clean record. His community, including the organization Latinos of Montclair, launched a legal defense fund to support his bond costs, court fees, and emergency expenses while his asylum case proceeds.

Elvira Benitez Suarez, a 51-year-old from Sheboygan Falls who emigrated from Mexico as a teenager, was detained by ICE after accidentally crossing into Canada during a family road trip in July 2025 and reentering the U.S. A federal judge ruled her eligible for a green card in fall 2025, but she was arrested again during a check-in at the Milwaukee DHS office in March 2026 while the agency appealed. A 6th Circuit appeals court ruling on mandatory detention allowed her to file for bond, which was granted at $1,500 on May 21, 2026. She was released and checked in at the Milwaukee DHS office on June 1, 2026, with continued check-ins required as a bond condition while the Board of Immigration Appeals considers DHS's appeal.