Human Impact Project

A 51-year-old native of Mexico who entered the U.S. lawfully in 1993 and remained for 33 years while raising a family was detained on May 29, 2026, during a routine traffic stop after local law enforcement learned of his immigration status. He had been cooperating with immigration authorities, submitting applications for lawful permanent residency that were approved by USCIS and appearing for required biometrics appointments. The court granted his preliminary injunction petition, finding he possessed a constitutionally protected liberty interest and was entitled to pre-deprivation process before detention, ordering his immediate release.

ICE teams conducted operations in Danbury, Connecticut, for several days, with advocates estimating at least 50 people taken into custody. Surveillance video captured an agent slamming an unnamed man against the door of a local Botanica store while detaining him. A local blogger documenting the activity said agents grabbed day laborers off the street without warrants. DHS confirmed the enforcement activity but declined to disclose further details, citing operational security, while local business owners reported fear and declining customer traffic.

Cleiton Toledo de Souza was taken into federal custody on Tremont Street in Norwood after Homeland Security officers attempted to arrest him and he allegedly drove off, striking two parked vehicles, before running away and being caught. DHS said de Souza was wanted in Brazil for homicide and had prior DUI arrests, and that he entered the U.S. without authorization in July 2021, was arrested by Customs and Border Protection, and later released into the country. He remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Jhonny Ojeda, a 26-year-old construction worker from Ecuador, was arrested by ICE agents on the street across from Danbury City Hall. His fiancée, Kim Rivas, said Ojeda had no criminal record, paid taxes every year, and had legal representation. The arrest was part of a broader ICE enforcement operation in Danbury this week.

Sofía Pineda and her parents, Nora Cardona Bravo and Leonardo Pineda Hernández, were detained by immigration agents at Atlanta's airport in mid-August as they prepared to board a flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to celebrate a birthday. The family, originally from Armenia, Colombia, had chosen to fly instead of drive for the trip. Sofía's boyfriend, Nicholas Kim, a U.S. citizen who had been dating her for about eight months, was traveling with them but was not detained. The family had entered the U.S. on tourist visas and later filed an asylum application with USCIS, and are now in deportation proceedings.

Two men were detained by ICE agents in a Home Depot parking lot in Tacoma, Washington, after officers broke the window of their car. A bystander, Lance Braunwart, told N+ Univision that when he tried to record the license plates of the agents' vehicles, one agent appeared to try to hit him with the car even though there was enough room to leave. Braunwart said he and another couple stayed at the scene, located the wife of one of the detained men, and helped bring the men's truck and construction materials to her home. According to Braunwart, the two men had only gone to the Home Depot to pick up the last materials for a job they were completing.

ICE agents detained parents in Danbury, Connecticut, who were waiting for their children to get off the school bus, according to Senator Chris Murphy. A bystander recorded video of tactical-gear-clad agents taking a man into custody on a residential sidewalk near the school. Murphy said ICE "waited until the kids were on the bus so when they are dropped off at the end of the day, they are alone, scared to death they can't find their parents," and called on the Trump administration to halt the operations. The advocacy group Danbury Unites for Immigrants reported 25 people detained on Wednesday, 16 on Monday, and at least nine on Tuesday, with additional detentions at day-laborer gathering spots and a Latino grocery store. The group said two of its legal observers were shoved by officers, with one hospitalized after exposure to pepper spray.

Brandon Domena, a U.S. citizen who has lived in Passaic County his entire life, was detained by ICE agents for about five hours after a confrontation broke out while he was among a crowd watching agents arrest a neighbor. Video showed multiple agents in tactical gear restraining Domena face-down on a lawn, handcuffing him and placing him in a vehicle while bystanders recorded; a witness said his arm was nearly dislocated. Domena said he repeatedly told agents he was a U.S. citizen, believes he was racially profiled, and says he was denied water, a restroom, medical attention and a phone call, and was left with bruises and marks on his hands. The Department of Homeland Security said Domena spit toward and kicked an officer and was arrested on potential charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers, though he has not been charged with a crime and has hired a lawyer. Domena disputes DHS's account, saying an agent later apologized to him before he was released and returned home.

A Mexican woman who was eight months pregnant was pulled over by Lee County deputies over her vehicle's dark window tint, and her nephew, a U.S. citizen, was called to the scene to translate. The nephew said ICE agents then grabbed him and placed him in handcuffs without cause, telling the story of protesting his detention by saying he would sue. The incident occurred amid a broader wave of ICE arrests across Lee County neighborhoods that week.

ICE agents carried out a raid early Wednesday morning at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Alderman Street off Palm Beach Boulevard in Lee County, Florida, detaining dozens of people using masked agents, armored vehicles and machine guns. Resident Ana Hernandez said neighbors live in fear of being stopped for being undocumented, while witness Hillary Hogue described the arrests as targeting hardworking people, not criminals. ICE released images of five men with prior arrests taken into custody but has not disclosed the total number detained, and immigration attorney Indera DeMine said courts in Miami are experiencing "mass chaos" from the surge in cases.

ICE conducted a multi-day surge of arrests in Danbury, Connecticut this week, with activists from Danbury Unites for Immigrants and CT Students for a Dream reporting 16 people detained Monday, 12 on Tuesday, and at least 25 more detained Wednesday, including parents taken in front of their children at school bus stops and people picked up at day-laborer sites like Kennedy Park. Activists said ICE tactics have escalated compared to a similar operation last year, describing agents using chains rather than handcuffs, pepper-spraying observers, and hitting activists with vehicles while they attempted to record arrests. Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves, Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy held a press conference at Kennedy Park condemning the arrests, where angry residents shouted over officials and demanded stronger action to protect immigrants and enforce Connecticut's Trust Act.

ICE agents wearing masks boarded a Houston METRO bus to carry out arrests, prompting outrage among local residents. The incident drew public reaction over safety concerns for people using public transit in the city.

Luis Miguel Vallecillo has been held in ICE custody for nearly 10 months. His family says he suffers from a health condition that may weaken his immune system, raising fears about his wellbeing in detention. They say six of his relatives have already been deported.

Daraimi Bizo, a Cuban woman, said ICE officers detained her husband while the couple was traveling by car, leaving her alone with their baby. She shared her account publicly, describing the moment as distressing, and her testimony drew concern and solidarity on social media.

Julian David Palacios Obregon, a Colombian human rights activist and lawful permanent resident with ties to Canada, has spent nearly two years in ICE detention at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. He filed a second habeas corpus petition challenging his prolonged detention, arguing that his removal was no longer imminent because it now depends on a multi-stage immigration process rather than direct deportation. Palacios Obregon has suffered from a severe gastrointestinal infection, and a colonoscopy scheduled for May 12, 2026 did not take place as planned. He now faces having to choose between receiving the medical procedure and attending his asylum hearing. A federal court previously found his removal to Canada reasonably foreseeable but ordered that he be given a chance to have his fear of removal reviewed by an immigration judge before any deportation. The court denied his request for expedited release or bond but ordered the government to explain the delay in his medical care and outline plans to reschedule it.

Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a 24-year-old Venezuelan man, was shot in the leg by ICE agent Christian Castro during a January raid on his North Minneapolis home. His partner, Indriany Mendoza Camacho, said agents fired through the door as Sosa-Celis fled inside, and a photograph showed a bullet hole in the door; agents then threw tear gas into the home, which had children inside, before entering to detain him. Federal prosecutors initially charged Sosa-Celis and his cousin, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, with assaulting officers with a snow shovel and broom, but surveillance video contradicted the officers' sworn testimony. A federal judge dismissed the charges with prejudice after the U.S. Attorney cited newly discovered evidence, and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons acknowledged two officers may have lied under oath; both were placed on administrative leave. Minnesota later charged Castro with assault, but Texas Governor Greg Abbott refused to extradite him, prompting a lawsuit from Minnesota's attorney general.

Victor Martinez Nieto and his 5-year-old son, Liam Tadeo, were detained by ICE officers during a traffic stop in North Austin on August 16, 2026, while driving to a children's soccer game. Video showed Liam crying and clutching his handcuffed father's hands as they were taken into custody; a family spokesperson said Liam had been preparing to start kindergarten that week. The two were held together at the Dilley family detention facility in South Texas, where their attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said officials denied repeated requests to release Liam to his mother rather than place him alone in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody, and did not allow him to say goodbye. DHS said Martinez Nieto lacked legal status and had previously been removed from the U.S. before re-entering. Texas lawmakers Joaquin Castro, Greg Casar, and James Talarico publicly called for the pair's release and for Dilley's closure, with Castro denied a visit at the facility. Martinez Nieto ultimately agreed to depart voluntarily with his son, and the two were deported to Mexico, where they reunited with relatives with help from the Mexican Consulate.

Matthew Petti, a reporter for Reason, was pulled into secondary inspection at a U.S. airport while returning from abroad with his newlywed foreign wife. CBP agents held him for roughly four hours without explanation, refusing to let him use a landline to contact a lawyer. When Petti pointed out that an American citizen cannot be held indefinitely, the agent at the desk simply replied, "We'll let you know." He was eventually cleared to enter the country but was never told why he had been detained. Petti later filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking records on his detention, and a source told him it was possible he had been flagged by an automated watch-list or itinerary alert.

Marili Tomas was livestreaming on Facebook when ICE agents and Florida Highway Patrol officers smashed her car window and pulled her from the vehicle in Fort Myers, Florida. The live video cut off abruptly during the incident and remained her last Facebook post as of the following day. She was taken to Lee County Jail and charged with two counts of resisting an officer; she was not placed in ICE custody, and her bond was set at $3,000. ICE agents in Florida operate with local and state law enforcement under the 287(g) program, which has reportedly been used to target people documenting ICE activity.

A Mexican mother experienced a tense week after ICE agents arrived at her home, an episode that culminated in an immigration court appearance. During the ordeal, her child wrote a handwritten letter pleading, "Please ICE, don't take my mom," after agents came to their house.

A 36-year-old asylum seeker from Haiti who fled the country in 2017 after receiving death threats was arrested by local police in Key West and turned over to ICE. He worked as a cook and supervisor at the Half Shell Raw Bar and was described by his manager, Bobby Kuchinsky, as "an excellent worker" and "a family man" who was the main provider for his family. Kuchinsky declined to identify him publicly out of concern for his safety while in ICE custody.

Patricia, a 19-year-old Honduran woman living in Austin, was detained by ICE for nearly six weeks after being arrested by Austin police on a domestic violence-related assault charge that was later dismissed by prosecutors. She was separated from her breastfeeding 8-month-old son during her detention at a South Texas facility and said she was desperate for a breast pump and to reunite with him. After her attorneys at American Gateways sued for her release, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ruled that the government had violated the Constitution by detaining her without a hearing and ordered ICE to release her within two days. She reunited with her son this week, though she still faces a deportation order that her lawyers are appealing.

Sisi Rose, 33, a member of the Cheyenne River and Sisseton-Wahpeton tribes, was tased and tackled to the pavement by police while protesting outside the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations office in Sacramento, California. An officer allegedly shot pepper spray into her mouth and then arrested her for assault after she spit it out, while officers knelt on her neck with their body weight. Rose said she has been protesting for months against what she calls ICE's unlawful detentions of Native Americans and U.S. citizens, saying, "My kids could be snatched up off the streets, and we're from here, and that scares me."

Luis Manuel Aviles, 48, a Nicaraguan handyman who has lived in Key West, Florida for about 19 years, was detained by Border Patrol agents during a traffic stop near a Publix supermarket while driving to a mechanic. Family members said he holds a work permit, Social Security card, and driver's license, has a pending asylum application, and has no criminal record. His son, Navy sailor Joshua Aviles, was more than nine months into a deployment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East and called his father a 'hardworking, humble man,' describing the arrest as heartbreaking. His wife, Argelia Aviles, said, 'He dedicates himself only to work so he can put food on the table at home. He is a good father,' while his stepdaughter said her half-brother struggled to sleep and eat afterward. DHS said having a family member in the military does not confer legal status or immunity from enforcement. Aviles was later released from ICE custody, and his family thanked supporters and asked for privacy; his case is among dozens identified nationally involving parents and spouses of active-duty troops.

Grace Stephanie Calero Cabanilla, 39, and her 19-year-old daughter Giulianna Mía Carriel Calero, Ecuadorian nationals, were taken into ICE custody at HCA Florida Poinciana Hospital's emergency room after a highway rollover crash near Kissimmee. Grace, still sedated and wearing a cervical collar for neck injuries, was handcuffed at her bedside after Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies, acting under a 287(g) agreement with ICE, questioned the women and determined their immigration status had lapsed. Giulianna, who suffered a seizure and breakdown after witnessing her mother's arrest, was also handcuffed in her hospital gown and led out in front of other patients and staff. Family members, including Grace's sister Gia Calero, said agents did not identify themselves or produce a warrant despite the family's pleas, and maintained that Grace had a pending asylum application and valid work permit while Giulianna held a valid visa but had overstayed her permitted time. Video of the arrest circulated widely, drawing reaction from the Ecuadorian community and immigrant rights organizations. Unable to secure their release, the two women ultimately signed voluntary departure paperwork and returned to Ecuador, leaving family in the U.S. to cope with the separation and mounting medical bills from the crash.

Benito Miranda Hernandez, brought to the U.S. from Mexico as a baby, joined the Navy after 9/11 and served three tours during the Iraq War. His mother, Maria Miranda, said he returned traumatized and unrecognizable, later serving years in prison on felony drug and weapons convictions and probation violations. After his green card was reinstated in November 2025, federal immigration agents detained him in June as he left a reentry halfway house in Barrio Logan, San Diego, where he had completed a sentence and was trying to turn his life around. He is now held at Otay Mesa Detention Center facing possible deportation. Advocates including deported Army veteran Hector Barajas and James L. Smith II say he struggles with PTSD from his deployments, and his case is part of a broader trend of immigrant veterans facing deportation despite military service.

Matthew Christian Torres, a 31-year-old security guard employed by Akima Protective Services at Krome Detention Center, was arrested on felony grand theft charges after police say he stole $5,382 from a detainee who was in the process of being deported. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Torres concealing the cash in his jacket, hiding in an employee bathroom, and later putting the money in his pocket without reporting it to a supervisor or logging it in the property book. Torres was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with bond set at $2,500, and ICE said it takes allegations of misconduct seriously and would investigate.

ICE agents arrested one person in Bridgeport on Monday as part of a broader wave of enforcement activity across Connecticut that also included arrests in Danbury and Stamford. Advocates said little is known about the circumstances of the Bridgeport arrest. Community groups activated an emergency protocol to verify reports and connect affected families with legal support.

ICE agents detained four people in Stamford on Monday who worked for different tree removal companies, according to a report from the group CT Students for a Dream. Agents reportedly entered neighborhoods with large immigrant populations and detained people at random, though several individuals were later released after showing documentation. Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons said she was 'horrified by the cruelty of these actions' and that the city's streets should not see people 'randomly removed' with their rights violated.

At least 16 people were arrested by ICE agents in Danbury on Monday, according to community advocates, with about half detained at a day laborer site and others stopped outside residences or businesses. One detained man requires dialysis treatment, and another is the father of a high school student. Advocates said many of those detained have no criminal or immigration history. Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves said agents appeared to be 'pulling random people' who looked Latino, calling the operation 'fear-driven' and intended to divide the community.

A detainee at the Krome Service Processing Center in Miami-Dade County reported that $5,382 belonging to him went missing while staff were preparing his deportation documents. Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputies say surveillance footage showed 31-year-old Matthew Christian Torres, a security guard employed by contractor Akima Protective Services, placing the cash in a log book without recording it, then concealing it in his jacket and later his cargo pants without ever reporting it to a supervisor. Torres was arrested on a charge of third-degree grand theft and held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on $2,500 bond. ICE said it takes allegations of staff misconduct seriously and investigates such complaints.

Cristy Maryori Villafranca Trejo, 29, wife of active-duty Army Sgt. Hedár Leonel Turcios Juárez at Fort Bliss, was detained by ICE agents on July 11 as their 6-year-old U.S. citizen daughter watched masked agents handcuff her outside a Walmart near El Paso. Villafranca fled Honduras in 2016 and received a 2017 removal order after missing a court hearing she said she was never notified of; she had no criminal record and served as the family's primary caregiver, including during her husband's nine-month deployment. She was held at Camp East Montana on Fort Bliss, where she and her husband reported an infection, unsanitary conditions and dirty clothing, consistent with a Human Rights Watch report citing excessive force and medical neglect at the facility. On August 17 she was pulled off a deportation flight due to a legal issue, later returned to the airport, had a panic attack, and was ultimately deported despite a pending Board of Immigration Appeals case and military parole-in-place application. Turcios, a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2024, said, "She has been my everything... I'm just asking for my family to be together so I can continue with my military career," and has continued his duties while arranging child care alone and paying for private legal representation. Rep. Veronica Escobar opened a congressional inquiry, saying her heart "breaks for her, her children and the soldier who must feel so betrayed by the country he is sacrificing for." She is at least the seventh spouse or parent of an active-duty service member deported under the administration's immigration crackdown, according to an Associated Press tally.

Federal immigration officers pinned a pickup truck on Interstate 55 before chasing and detaining a man, who was then taken into custody in the McKinley Park neighborhood on Chicago's Southwest Side, according to Ald. Julia Ramirez. Illinois State Police confirmed a two-vehicle crash involving ICE agents near the I-55 northbound ramp to Damen Avenue, with no injuries reported. A reporter heard an ICE officer tell protesters the man had a prior DUI. About a dozen federal vehicles arrived on South Wolcott Avenue, drawing a crowd of residents who shouted for agents to leave and remained at the scene for hours.

ICE agents conducted an operation in downtown Danbury, Connecticut, near Kennedy Park, detaining at least a dozen people who were placed in a van and taken to a local ICE facility. The operation was witnessed and reported by a community member, raising concern among the local immigrant community. Local officials confirmed multiple arrests occurred in the area. Authorities had not released the identities of those detained or issued an official statement detailing the circumstances of the operation at the time of reporting.

Marianita, a woman held in ICE detention, said sickness spread among detainees while her requests for medical care were ignored. She described being soaked with cold water, forced to dry off in front of an air conditioner, and later confined in a freezing punishment room as her pneumonia worsened. She was transferred through ICE facilities in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas during her detention.

Oswaldo José Pirela, a 34-year-old Venezuelan-born catching coordinator for the San Diego Padres' minor-league system, was detained by immigration authorities at El Paso International Airport while traveling for work. Pirela lives near Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife and two U.S.-born daughters, previously played in the Texas Rangers' minor-league system after signing in 2009, and has coached for the Padres since 2024. He entered the U.S. in 2014, applied for asylum in 2015 citing fears of persecution over criticism of the Venezuelan government, and has a pending green card application along with a work permit his family says remains valid. DHS said his authorized stay expired in February 2018 and that pending applications or work permits do not confer legal status. Relatives describe him as a devoted father, dedicated coach, and man of faith respected by coworkers and players, and sought help from Rep. Abraham Hamadeh. His detention followed a broader ICE practice, begun in July, of using TSA flight lists to identify and detain travelers at airports. Pirela was released from ICE custody on bond on August 24 and reunited with his family, pending removal proceedings.

Nilton Ribeiro, a corrections officer at the Cumberland County Jail in Maine since August 2023, was arrested by ICE agents during what DHS described as a targeted enforcement operation. Officials said Ribeiro, originally from Angola, entered the U.S. in September 2022 with permission to stay until the following year but overstayed. Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce called him "a very good employee" who had passed a polygraph test to get hired, while jail administrator Timothy Kortes described him as a satisfactory employee who met job expectations and had notified the jail of an immigration issue before missing work. Federal officials have not disclosed his detention location. He is at least the fourth Cumberland County Jail corrections officer detained by ICE in the past 16 months.

Ulises, originally from Veracruz, Mexico, was deported after living in the United States for 30 years, leaving behind his wife and two sons who remain there. He was held at an ICE detention center in Texas before being flown to Tulum with no money, and said he plans to apply for a passport and visa so he can reunite with his family through legal channels.

Santiago, a father from Oaxaca, Mexico, was deported after years of working in the United States and sending remittances that funded his children's education, including one child who recently graduated with a specialty in gastronomy. He was held at an ICE detention center in Texas before being flown to Tulum without money or belongings, and relied on relatives to pay for a flight home.

David, from Querétaro, Mexico, was deported after working in the United States for more than two years to repay a $16,000 debt he borrowed to make the trip north. He was held at an ICE detention center in Texas before being flown to Tulum, arriving with no money or belongings and relying on family and friends to pay for a domestic flight home. He returned to Mexico with no savings and no job.

John Theis, a Venezuelan singer and rapper, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. News of his arrest was confirmed and shared on social media by music industry colleagues, including producer and artist Junior Caldera and singer ADSO. Colleagues launched a campaign using the hashtag #FreeJohnTheis calling for his release.

Assim Alkhawaja, a 53-year-old Middle Eastern immigrant who moved to Oceanside about two years ago to pursue graduate studies in human rights, was detained by ICE while dropping off passengers at a Camp Pendleton gate. He holds work authorization valid until 2030 amid a pending asylum case and has no criminal history. His sister Arwa, a U.S. citizen, said he provided his driver's license and work permit at the gate before being told to pull over and detained, then transported to Otay Mesa Detention Center, where he spent about eight days. An immigration judge found he posed no danger to the community and was not a flight risk, ordering his release on $10,000 bond; he now wears a GPS monitor while his case continues. Before his detention, Alkhawaja had sold his businesses in the Middle East to open Sands Coffee Roasters, a coffee shop nearly ready to open. Attorneys say he is among dozens of rideshare and delivery drivers for companies including Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, GrubHub and Roadie detained at the base's gates under a pilot program launched in 2025 in which military police call ICE on non-citizen drivers.

Silvano (also reported as Silvino) López Domingo, a Guatemalan man, was detained and physically restrained by ICE agents while waiting to pick up his laundry at a laundromat in New York state. Neighbors who filmed the arrest said four agents forcibly took him away and threatened him with an electric shock. His wife, Milvia Chávez, currently in Guatemala with their 5-month-old daughter, said he has no criminal record and is asking for help to secure his release. Witnesses who saw the arrest expressed concern about the increase in immigration enforcement operations in the state.

Federal immigration agents were seen detaining a man in the parking lot of a Grocery Outlet on South First Street in Yakima, Washington. Witnesses recorded video of the encounter as it unfolded in broad daylight. The man's identity and immigration status have not been confirmed.

Ernesto Alejandro Perez-Garcia, a Mexican national, was arrested by ICE agents while on his morning walk along the Redondo Beach esplanade. He initially denied his identity but admitted the truth after agents showed him a previous mugshot. Perez-Garcia has a lengthy arrest history dating to 2003 and had previously been deported, later re-entering the U.S. multiple times; he said his children live in the United States and he does not know what will happen next. Redondo Beach police had twice declined to honor ICE detainer requests for him, in 2020 and 2026.

A Black man with no connection to an ongoing traffic stop was questioned and handcuffed by a US Border Patrol agent at an Orion gas station in Lake Worth Beach, Florida. Video shows the agent demanding his identification and telling him it was 'because you're an immigrant' before officers forced his arms behind his back and restrained him. He was released minutes later after a status check cleared him. A second man who appeared Latino was seized shortly afterward, and an older man filming the encounter was ordered to move away from the scene.

A Mexican mother of three said ICE agents attempted to detain her in Los Angeles during an enforcement operation in a residential neighborhood. A neighbor intervened, which prevented the arrest from happening. The woman said she now fears being deported.

More than 160 people were deported from the U.S. to Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, on a flight Thursday, the first such deportation since the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. The group included TPS holders who had lived and worked legally in the U.S. since 2010, as well as people of Haitian descent born in the Dominican Republic who are not recognized as citizens there. One deportee, Jean Diane Louis, told reporters he left Haiti at age 5, that his family lives in New York City, and that ICE detained him without questioning before sending him back. Upon arrival, Haitian immigration officials offered deportees a maximum of $65 along with food and water, and many said they had nowhere to go and no family remaining in Haiti.

Andrés, a Colombian immigrant living in College Point, Queens, was driving his wife and 6-year-old daughter home from getting food in late June when masked ICE agents in unmarked cars boxed in his vehicle and ordered him out. Agents used a vehicle registration lookup on his New Jersey plates to confirm his identity and immigration status before arresting him, even though he had no criminal history, a valid work permit, and an upcoming immigration court date. He spent about three weeks at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn before a federal judge ordered his release following a habeas corpus lawsuit. Since his release, his daughter has continued to break down in tears, and he now carries copies of his release papers in case he is stopped again.

Angel Acosta Ramirez, 43, a former mechanical engineer from Venezuela who later worked as an Uber driver in Branson, was pulled over by the Christian County Sheriff's Office for allegedly speeding near Highlandville in January 2026. Despite holding a valid work visa, he was arrested and jailed on an immigration hold, spending six weeks in the Greene County Jail before being deported. He had fled Venezuela in 2022 with his wife, Maria Fernanda Arrioja Romero, their infant son Santiago, and his parents, believing he had a right to remain in the U.S. Acosta Ramirez said the hardest part of his detention was being separated from his wife and not knowing what would happen to their young son. His wife was later held for months in the same Greene County Jail, which contracts with ICE to detain hundreds of immigrants daily. Acosta Ramirez said life since his deportation has been 'really hard,' with his family now struggling to earn enough money to survive.