Human Impact Project

Rogério da Silva Lima, 42, a Brazilian carpenter and painter living on Martha's Vineyard, was taken into ICE custody with his teenage son Nycolas during their first fishing trip together near Menemsha after the U.S. Coast Guard boarded their boat, verified their immigration status, and transferred them to ICE at Woods Hole. His employer, Rory Moreis, called him a 'hard worker' who was 'determined, dedicated, no limit to the hours or days to work,' while family friend Andrea James described him as 'a hard-working man' and his son as 'the kindest kid on the planet.' DHS said the pair entered the U.S. without authorization in 2021, that da Silva Lima's asylum claim was denied and his appeal dismissed in 2024, and that both had been issued removal orders in 2023. His attorney, Amelia Ritenour, filed an emergency habeas corpus petition, and a community GoFundMe raised more than $17,000 for legal aid. Nycolas was released after four days into his adult brother's care, and a federal judge, Indira Talwani, later ordered da Silva Lima's release, ruling ICE had missed the 90-day statutory window to detain and remove him. He remained under the removal order and ultimately left the U.S. unshackled on a civilian flight in September, returning to Brazil and telling a reporter, 'It was the worst feeling in the world. I love my sons, and I did not want to leave them behind.' His sons Nycolas and Nayran remain on Martha's Vineyard to continue school and work.

Milo Morales, a 27-year-old Indianapolis man, was detained by ICE agents Tuesday morning while working at an east-side job site. His sister, Dulce Morales, an active-duty servicemember, tracked his phone to a parking lot off 38th Street and confronted an ICE agent who confirmed multiple people had been taken into custody at the site but would not say if Milo was among them. Because Milo has no criminal record, he was not assigned a federal identification number, leaving his family unable to track his location. Dulce described him as a hard-working man who is soon expecting a child, and said she feels disheartened as a servicemember watching her family targeted.

Lianyong Wei, a 51-year-old Chinese national who had lived in Saipan since entering in 2019 on a two-week parole authorization, died Aug. 23, 2026 at a hospital in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, roughly a day after being placed in ICE custody. Local police had arrested Wei on Aug. 21 on criminal charges, including an alleged attack on a family in their home, and he was transferred to ICE custody the next day to face removal proceedings. A corrections officer found him unresponsive during a routine morning check on Aug. 23; he was rushed to the Commonwealth Health Care Corporation Emergency Room, where resuscitation efforts failed and he was pronounced dead. Corrections Commissioner Anthony Torres extended condolences to Wei's family and said the department is reviewing its procedures. The cause of death remains under investigation, and the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles has pressed U.S. authorities for a thorough inquiry and assistance to his family, noting he is at least the fifth Chinese national to die in ICE or Border Patrol custody since March 2025. His death is recorded as the 57th ICE detainee death since January 2025, though reporting on some other in-custody deaths, including those of Jose Chajon-Raxon and Prisciliano Trejo, has been excluded from official tallies following a policy change ending required reporting of deaths within 30 days of release.

Loreto Javar, a 76-year-old Filipino national and green card holder who has lived in Fife, Washington since 1995, was detained by ICE during his U.S. citizenship interview in Tukwila. A retired hotel worker who raised his family in the U.S. and renewed his residency multiple times without issue, Javar has stage 4 prostate cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and takes multiple daily medications. ICE alleges he failed to disclose a decades-old conviction related to a fatal altercation in the Philippines when he applied for his visa in 1995, though his daughter, Daisy Javar, says he has no U.S. criminal record. He has been held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, missing oncology appointments due to delayed meals disrupting his medication schedule, and has developed a blood clot. Advocates with the Tanggol Migrante Movement have pushed for his compassionate release. An immigration judge extended his case to September 20, which his daughter said will cause him to miss another cancer treatment appointment.

Ana Garcia's mother was arrested by ICE near downtown Mount Vernon, Washington, according to her daughter. Ana said the family was not allowed to see her before she was taken away. The five siblings are now navigating daily life without either parent at home.