Human Impact Project

A Peruvian woman who crossed the U.S. border illegally was acquitted of unauthorized access to a newly designated militarized zone along the southern border. The trial involved charges related to the new militarized zone at the US-Mexico border.

Lisandro Pantaleon Pacheco, a 22-year-old University of Utah student, was detained by ICE agents after a traffic stop while driving to work in Park City. He was transported to West Valley City and then to Evanston, Wyoming. According to his attorney, up to 8 additional people were detained by ICE agents in the same operation. Pacheco came to the U.S. as a 1-year-old and was undocumented at the time of detention.

ICE agents arrested multiple immigrants at the San Antonio Immigration Court on May 29, 2025, as they appeared for scheduled court hearings. At least one individual, possibly a minor, was detained using a zip tie. The arrests included a family with four children and were witnessed by staff from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained several migrants outside San Antonio Immigration Court on Thursday, including at least three families with seven people arrested in less than an hour. Activists confirmed that a 3-year-old child was loaded onto a bus with his mother and taken away by ICE. The detentions occurred as families appeared for court hearings.

Derlis Snaider Chusin Toaquiza, a 19-year-old 11th grader from Ecuador at Grover Cleveland High School in Queens, was detained by ICE on June 4, 2025, during a scheduled immigration court hearing. He was initially held at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City in severely overcrowded conditions—confined in a room so crowded he could not lie down and forced to sleep sitting up with approximately two dozen other people. Over two days of detention at that facility, he was given only two meals total. He was then moved to a gymnasium inside the facility that was equally overcrowded with no beds, blankets, or access to basic necessities. After six weeks in a Texas detention facility, the Envision Freedom Fund posted his $20,000 bond, and he was released on July 18, 2025, to reunite with his family.

ICE agents arrested nearly 20 immigrants in Norriton, Montgomery County over two weeks. The arrests targeted homes, businesses, and day laborers, with agents using facial recognition software and entering homes without warrants. Community advocates and local officials commented on the enforcement actions, and immigrant rights groups organized a Saturday rally to support affected families.

Marina Lopez, a woman seeking asylum from Guatemala, was detained by ICE on June 4, 2025, during a routine check-in appointment and spent seven months in a Kentucky detention center. The federal government provided no evidence or explanation for her detention, and she was released on December 23, 2025, after a judge found the government had no record justifying her continued imprisonment. During her detention, her church community provided extensive support to her family, organizing fundraising, childcare, and daily assistance.

ICE agents conducted a raid in Norristown, Pennsylvania, targeting a family who claim to be U.S. citizens. According to the family's statement, agents rammed into a family member's car, threatened them with a loaded gun, and attempted to take someone without a warrant, despite the person living in the residence and no warrant being presented.

Maria Isidro, a 52-year-old Mexican immigrant known as 'Nana Maria' who had lived in the U.S. since 1998 and held an annual stay of deportation, was detained and deported to Mexico after what she believed was a routine immigration check-in in Tallahassee on June 3. She was held for eight days before being transported by van and plane to Matamoros, Mexico on June 11, where she was dropped off at the border with no support. Isidro, who had never missed an immigration check-in and was approved for an I-130 family petition in 2023, described harsh conditions during detention and transport, including shackling, minimal food and water, and bathroom restrictions. She has been married for 31 years and has four children and a husband remaining in Florida.

A 50-year-old El Salvador citizen who has lived in the U.S. for approximately 20 years was detained by ICE agents during a traffic stop in North Hills, California on June 3, 2025. ICE agents pulled over his vehicle, asked for documentation, and took him into custody after he could not establish lawful immigration status. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release from the Adelanto ICE Processing Center where he had been held for over 10 months.

A 24-year-old transgender asylum seeker from Mexico was detained by ICE officers outside a Portland immigration courtroom on June 2, 2025, after appearing for a scheduled court hearing. The woman, who fled Mexico after being raped and threatened by cartel members, had applied for asylum in February 2025 and was arrested in the courtroom lobby without being offered legal counsel or opportunity to be heard before detention.

An 18-year-old Milford High School student, Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, was detained by ICE agents off campus on Saturday while driving his father's vehicle. Da Silva came to the United States on a student visa in 2012 that has since lapsed, and he intends to apply for asylum. A federal judge ordered he not be moved out of state for 72 hours following a habeas corpus petition filed by his attorney.

Two Mexican nationals in their thirties were detained by ICE agents in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood on Monday morning, one at a business and another at their home. Witnesses reported that no warrants were presented during the detentions. Local leaders called for a full investigation. Community organizations are providing legal and emotional support to residents.

In the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, agents returned to the Home Depot where they had detained dozens of day laborers earlier that month. Community observers recorded as agents detained two people; a masked agent aimed a handgun at close range; another sprayed a chemical irritant; and an agent jumped into an unmarked SUV as it began rolling forward after agents apparently had forgotten to put it in park.

In Oceanside, California, the Robles Ortega family was woken up by armed agents breaking their windows, deploying flashbangs, and sending a drone inside. Both parents were detained and the 17-year-old U.S. citizen son and 14-year-old daughter were taken out in handcuffs and only released after neighbors intervened in the driveway to remind agents they were minors and verify their citizenship.

In Huntington Park, California, federal agents set off an explosive device outside Jenny Ramirez's home, blowing off the front door and shattering a window while she and her 1-year-old and 6-year-old children were inside. Ramirez said agents gave no warning, that everyone who lived in the home was a U.S. citizen, and that she told them: 'You guys didn't have to do this, you scared my son, my baby.'

A father leaving a Denver immigration courtroom was grabbed by masked agents and slammed into a counter. His partner, pleading with agents to let him go, was grabbed by the hair and pushed to the ground, while their crying son watched. A legal observer was pushed against a wall and arrested.

Arzou Hami, an Iranian woman suffering from serious mental health issues, was detained in June 2025 as part of a sweep of Iranian migrants following U.S. military action against Iran. She was detained by Buffalo ICE agents at the Niagara County Jail before being transferred to Texas. Her attorney alleged in court filings that her detention prevented her from receiving mental health medications. Her attorney reported she has received some medication, but it is not the same as what she was previously prescribed.

In June 2025, ICE conducted a raid on a meatpacking plant in Omaha, the largest worksite operation in Nebraska since the start of the Trump administration. Dozens of workers were detained, including family friends and church acquaintances of Alejandra's family. The meatpacking industry in Nebraska, which includes major facilities for JBS, Tyson Foods, Cargill, and Smithfield, depends heavily on immigrant labor, with immigrants representing approximately 53% of the state's workforce.

Johane Morel, 47, arrived in the U.S. at age 5 and had no memory of Haiti. In June 2025, while attending an order of supervision appointment in Titusville, she was detained and transported to Baker County Detention Center in Macclenny before being deported to Cap-Haïtien, Haiti two weeks later. Unable to speak Haitian Creole, without family support, and with no knowledge of the country, she struggled to adapt and reported sexual assault, homelessness, and severe difficulty building a new life.

Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, a 41-year-old undocumented Iranian resident, was arrested by HSI agents at his home in June without a warrant. He pleaded guilty on August 21 to possessing firearms and ammunition. His attorney claims he faces an execution order in Iran due to his views against the country's Islamist regime. After taking a plea deal with time served and two years' probation, Eidivand was immediately detained by ICE and has been held at Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico, California for three months, where ICE agents have allegedly pressured him to sign a deportation order without legal representation.

ICE agents approached poll worker Paigelynne Gonyea at a Syracuse polling site during state primaries, asking her to sign a warning notice related to an Instagram post where she credited reporting that identified Jonathan Ross, an ICE agent involved in a fatal shooting. Gonyea refused to sign the notice, which she says would have constituted an admission of guilt. The incident highlights ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility investigating civilians for online speech, with court documents indicating OPR investigated 131 cases of alleged doxing and threats against ICE employees between January 2025 and March 2026.

Joselyn Chipantiza-Sisalema, age 20, was detained at 26 Federal Plaza for 10 days where conditions included lights that were never shut off and unbearable summer heat. She was provided minimal food—often just cookies thrown into the detention area—and had to beg staff for food and water. She was eventually released from ICE custody following a federal judge's order. She stated: "We had to beg the people working there that they gave us something to eat, they didn't even give us water. Sometimes a few cookies they'd throw in there. A human being doesn't deserve to be treated that way. They had us in there like animals."

Roberto Chilavert Olmedo was held at 26 Federal Plaza for days during the summer 2025 surge in ICE arrests. In written testimony presented to the federal court, he described the experience as a nightmare, stating: "My time at 26 Federal Plaza still haunts me. It is a nightmare and I cannot believe that human beings can be treated like that in a place like the United States."

Reyes's husband, an undocumented construction worker, was detained last June when Florida Highway Patrol stopped his car over a plastic cover obscuring his license plate. He was charged with unlawful alteration of vehicle registration and driving without a license, then transferred to ICE custody and held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego. Reyes, who had been a stay-at-home mother of two children (ages eight and twelve), began working as a babysitter and selling homemade food to support the family and pay for her husband's legal fees, which totaled approximately $13,000. The family nearly faced eviction before relatives contributed $5,000 in back rent. After about one year in detention, an immigration judge granted her husband bond of approximately $1,500 in July 2026. A non-profit group outside the detention center and El Pueblo Unido provided additional funds for his plane ticket home. He arrived in Sarasota in the middle of the night, and for the first time in a year, reunited with his children. The family continues to fight his deportation case amid mixed emotions of relief and uncertainty.

Ramiro G., a 33-year-old man from Ecuador living in Buffalo, New York, was walking to work when he noticed an unmarked van trailing him. He texted his wife: 'Don't come outside, I think ICE is here.' When the van turned on its lights, masked officers asked for identification. Because he was undocumented, he had nothing to show and was arrested. He was handcuffed and taken to Buffalo (Batavia) Service Processing Center before being transferred to Camp East Montana.

Alonso C., a 72-year-old Cuban man who had lived in the United States for over 46 years and had a valid work permit, was playing dominos outside a bodega in Miami when masked agents without visible name tags approached looking for a man called 'El Flaco.' Although Alonso said he did not know the person and produced his work permit, agents handcuffed and arrested him. 'They didn't have a warrant, they didn't even show their faces. They didn't care that I had my permit,' he said. He was taken to Krome North Service Processing Center and eventually transferred to Camp East Montana.

Jesús, a 10-year employee at Westchester Hand Wash and primary breadwinner for his family, was arrested during ICE raids in Los Angeles in June 2025 and detained in El Paso. Immigration agents pressured him to sign documents without his glasses, and he unknowingly waived his right to remain in the U.S. He was deported to Mexico, leaving behind his wife Noémi and their four U.S. citizen children—Dhelainy (16), Esther (15), Angel (11), and Gabriel (6)—in Inglewood. The family has submitted a green card petition, but the application is backlogged and could take six years or longer to process, leaving the family separated as the children continue their education and activities in California.

An 11-year-old autistic girl was placed in foster care in Nebraska after her father was picked up by ICE in June 2025. The girl was separated from her parent and placed in the custody of the state.

Christian Cerna, a U.S. citizen, was violently arrested by ICE officers in June 2025 days after attending a protest against ICE raids. ICE officers filmed the arrest in front of his family and later posted the footage to social media. Cerna was accused of punching a border patrol agent at the protest but denies the allegation; he later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault.

Sinri Baltazar, a member of the Afro-indigenous Garifuna community from Honduras, was first separated from her then-5-year-old daughter in 2018 under the Trump administration's family separation policy. In 2024-2025, immigration officials presented her with a document they claimed would allow her family to stay together, but it actually facilitated their removal. She was deported with her three children, including one who is a U.S. citizen. Under a federal judge's order in April 2026, she was allowed to return to Louisiana with her three children. The family is currently living with an acquaintance from church while working to reestablish stable housing. Baltazar expressed gratitude that her children could seek a better life but emphasized the family's desire for a safe home of their own.

Alberto Perdomo was detained on June 1, 2025, by immigration agents in Riverside while on his way to work. He is currently held at Adelanto Detention Center. Perdomo, the sole provider for his wife and four young children, was taken into custody following a traffic stop. Multiple plaintiffs, including named detainees and immigrant advocacy organizations, filed a class-action lawsuit against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and other federal officials challenging the detention and recent enforcement sweeps.

Documents revealed in a federal lawsuit show that ICE officers detained up to 100 people at a time in a makeshift facility on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan in 2025, despite the Trump administration denying overcrowding. Internal emails and testimony from ICE officials themselves acknowledged the deteriorating conditions, including detainees lying on cement floors, inadequate food, lack of medical care, and failure to comply with a judge's order limiting occupancy. Detainees including Nuvia Ventura Martinez and Carlos Lopez Benitez testified about days spent in cells designed for only 12-hour stays, with no beds or showers.

A 23-year-old South American woman has been held at Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe for over a year despite an immigration judge's June 2025 ruling that she cannot be deported to her home country due to fear of torture based on her queer identity. The Trump administration has since sought to deport her to the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country where she has no connections, does not speak the language, and where LGBTQIA2S+ individuals face persecution. Her sister reports the woman has experienced physical and psychological decline during her prolonged detention.

Undocumented day laborers who volunteered to clear toxic fire debris in Altadena and Pasadena after the January 2025 Eaton wildfire were arrested in June 2025 ICE sweeps. Workers cleared roads and distributed water to fire victims without pay. ICE enforcement operations targeted job sites, Home Depot parking lots, and street vendors in wildfire-affected and recovery-zone neighborhoods. ICE arrested over 2,200 people in LA in June 2025 alone.

An immigration judge dismissed the deportation case against Narciso Barranco, a Mexican landscaper arrested in Southern California in June 2025 during a Trump administration immigration crackdown. Barranco, who came to the U.S. in the 1990s without legal status, is now eligible for legal permanent residency based on evidence that he is the father of three U.S.-born sons serving in the military. The Department of Homeland Security announced it would appeal the judge's decision.

Victor, a legal resident and father of two in Minneapolis, was detained by ICE in late May despite holding legal resident status. His family sought community support to pay legal fees for his release and cover basic living expenses while he remained in detention.

Marcelo Gomes da Silva, an 18-year-old high school student from Brazil who arrived in the U.S. at age 7, was arrested by ICE agents in May 2025 while driving to volleyball practice because his student visa had expired. He was detained in a Burlington ICE facility under poor conditions, including sleeping on concrete floors without beds or windows. After his release on bond, he remained in legal limbo for several months. He received his high school diploma in May 2026 and was invited by Congressman Seth Moulton to attend the State of the Union as a guest, where he planned to advocate for immigrants. His arrest and resilience were publicly acknowledged during his high school's commencement ceremony.

Lewelyn Dixon, a 64-year-old Filipino green-card holder who had lived in the United States for over 50 years, was detained by CBP at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in late February 2025 after returning from a trip to the Philippines. Dixon worked as a lab technician at the University of Washington. Immigration officials cited criminal cases against her, including a 2000-2001 embezzlement conviction for which she served no jail time and completed restitution payments by 2019. After approximately three months in ICE detention at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Judge Tammy Fitting ruled in May 2025 that Dixon should not be deported and granted her relief available to lawful permanent residents. Following her release, Dixon applied for citizenship to protect herself from future enforcement actions. Her niece stated: "We're not even going to chance it again." On July 20, 2026, Dixon was naturalized as a U.S. citizen, reciting the Oath of Allegiance on her 66th birthday.

Homeland Security Investigations agents raided two locations of Buona Forchetta restaurant in San Diego's South Park neighborhood on Friday evening, deploying flash bang grenades and detaining multiple employees. According to the restaurant manager, at least four workers were detained during the operation. Community members gathered outside to protest, and San Diego Police were called to assist with crowd control, though they did not participate in the enforcement action.

Rep. Yassamin Ansari visited the Eloy Detention Center in late May and spoke with over 20 detainees who reported forced outdoor walking until fainting, manipulated air conditioning, and sickness. Ansari requested information from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about the reported conditions.

A Honduran mother and her two children, ages 6 and 9, were arrested by ICE agents at Los Angeles Immigration Court on May 29, 2025, as they left a courtroom. The 6-year-old boy has leukemia and missed a medical appointment for worsening symptoms. The family was transported to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas and placed in expedited removal proceedings. Their attorneys filed a lawsuit challenging the arrests as violations of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments.

Federal immigration authorities deported a 9-year-old Torrance Elementary School student and his 50-year-old father to Honduras after they appeared for a routine immigration hearing on May 29, 2025. Both were undocumented, and an immigration judge had ordered their deportation in September 2022, though they remained in the United States and appealed. The boy had attended the school since first grade. The boy stated he was unhappy about separation from his friends and remaining family members in California.

A Watsonville resident was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials at approximately noon on Tuesday, May 28, 2025, according to Your Allied Rapid Response Santa Cruz County. The advocacy group confirmed the arrest appeared to target one individual rather than being part of a sweep or raid. The detainee is expected to be held until brought to immigration court to determine deportation eligibility.

Miguel Angel López, a Livermore father deported to Mexico in June 2025, lost a federal court case on a statute of limitations technicality in April 2026. López, who lived in the U.S. for 27 years and worked as a welder, was detained during a routine immigration check-in and deported hours before a court order could have allowed him to stay. His family is pursuing an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court, with support from U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell, as a final legal pathway for López's return.

ICE agents arrested Paola Clouatre, a 25-year-old mother of two and wife of a Marine Corps veteran, at a USCIS office in New Orleans on May 27, 2025, following her permanent residence status interview. She was detained based on a final order of removal issued in 2018 that she was unaware of due to a missed immigration hearing by her mother. Her husband, Adrian Clouatre, is caring for their two young children while seeking to overturn the removal order through an emergency motion.

Maximo Londonio, 42, a green card holder who immigrated from the Philippines to the United States at age 12 and is the father of three living in Olympia, Washington, was detained by CBP agents on May 15 as he returned from a family vacation to the Philippines with his wife Crystal, a U.S. citizen, and their 12-year-old daughter. He was celebrating his 20th wedding anniversary during the trip. Londonio was pulled aside at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport upon landing and transferred to an ICE detention facility in Tacoma after receiving a notice to appear before an immigration judge. His wife and community organizers with Tanggol Migrante Network WA believe the detention may be connected to a 2002 guilty plea to grand theft when he was 19 years old, for which he completed his sentence and probation without issue. Crystal described him as hard-working, family-oriented, devoted, and the primary provider for their family. Londonio works as a lead union member at Crown Cork and Seal manufacturing company in Lacey, Washington, and his union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, called for his immediate release. The Port of Seattle Commission expressed being "deeply concerned" about the prolonged detention, noting that CBP's own standards generally limit detention to 72 hours. The Philippine Consulate was notified and has been coordinating with U.S. immigration authorities. Community members gathered outside the airport demanding his release.

Gonzalo Ladron de Guevara, a lawful permanent resident since 2003, was detained by ICE in May 2025 after returning to Chicago from Mexico where he had scattered his mother's ashes. He was held for seven days by CBP for secondary screening before being transferred to ICE custody and charged federally. The detention is linked to a dismissed felony fraud charge from approximately 13 years prior related to prescription fraud.

At least eight people were arrested by ICE agents as they left San Diego's immigration court on Thursday. ICE agents waited in hallways and arrested people after their hearings. The tactic has also occurred in New York City, Miami, and Seattle. Immigration lawyers stated the practice discourages people from attending their court hearings.

Federal agents arrested 13 undocumented immigrants at a window supply business in Paducah, Kentucky during a worksite investigation into employment fraud. Eight of the arrestees were indicted on charges of using stolen or false Social Security numbers on employment verification forms (I-9s) between June 2021 and August 2025. The eight indicted defendants each face up to five years in prison if convicted. The remaining five arrested individuals were not criminally charged and remain in ICE custody pending immigration removal proceedings.

A federal judge dismissed trespassing charges against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka related to a standoff at a migrant detention center. The judge stated that the 13-day process from arrest to dismissal was problematic and instructed prosecutors that their duty is to justice and not solely to securing convictions. Baraka had visited Delaney Hall, a facility housing immigrant detainees, as part of an oversight visit with members of Congress. Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted for allegedly impeding the arrest and assaulting federal officers; she has pleaded not guilty.