Human Impact Project

Four unnamed immigrants detained by ICE in West Virginia during a January 2026 operation were ordered released by federal judges who ruled their detentions unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Thomas Johnston, Judge Robert C. Chambers, and Judge Joseph R. Goodwin each issued orders for release, finding that the government violated due process rights by detaining the immigrants without explanation, hearing, or notice. The releases were part of a broader challenge to a two-week ICE operation in January that resulted in 650 arrests; fifteen detainees have filed petitions for release arguing unconstitutional detention, with more expected.

An 11-year-old girl's mother from Ecuador was detained by federal immigration agents on February 5, 2026, after leaving her apartment for the first time in over a month to buy groceries. She was transferred to a detention facility in Texas approximately 1,400 miles away before attorney John Hayden secured a federal court order demanding her return to Minnesota. She was returned to a Minneapolis detention facility on Friday morning. The mother had applied for asylum in the U.S. and was later transferred to a jail in Willmar, Minnesota.

Civil rights and immigrant advocacy groups, including the ACLU of Florida, issued a travel alert on February 5 urging international tourists attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Miami to exercise caution due to expanded immigration enforcement. The advisory highlighted risks from Florida's statewide partnerships between local and federal immigration authorities, noting that visitors could face detention during routine activities like traffic stops. Groups cited the case of Carlos Gonzalez Meza, a Mexican tourist with a valid U.S. visa who was detained for 10 days after a traffic stop in Orlando. The coalition emphasized the alert is informational and not a call for boycotts.

Yadira Córdoba, a member of the Asociación Madres de Abril and mother of Orlando Córdoba, a 15-year-old killed by pro-government forces near the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería during Nicaragua's May 30, 2018 protest march, fled Nicaragua in 2023 after facing persecution and threats. She was arrested by ICE in San Antonio, Texas while attending an immigration appointment and held in custody starting August 20, 2025; in November 2025 a judge denied her asylum claim and ordered her deported to Honduras, which twice refused to accept her. On February 5, 2026, she was deported to Mexico, where she remained in Tapachula under the supervision of Mexico's National Human Rights Commission while filing an asylum application with the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR).

A 22-year-old native of Peru fled to the United States with her family in September 2022 to escape death threats. She was paroled into the US after brief detention at the border due to facility overcrowding. While living in Illinois, she updated her address with ICE, filed an asylum application in July 2023, and married a naturalized U.S. citizen in April 2024. ICE issued her a Notice to Appear on May 2, 2024, but served it at an outdated Florida address, so she was unaware of removal proceedings held in her absence on October 2, 2025. At a virtual check-in appointment on February 5, 2026, ICE arrested her despite no warning in the appointment confirmation. She was held at Clinton County Jail in Frankfort, Indiana (later transferred to Clark County Jail in Jeffersonville). She sought to reopen her removal proceedings, which was granted on February 20, 2026. She filed Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) and Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence) with USCIS. She petitioned for habeas corpus relief, arguing her detention without a bond hearing violates federal law. The court granted her petition, ordering the government to provide her an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) by 5:00 p.m. on May 26, 2026, or release her under reasonable conditions of supervision.

Luis, a 53-year-old Mexican immigrant handyman, was detained by ICE for over three months at a Conroe-area detention center after being arrested in October 2025. He was granted bond and released on February 5, 2026, following a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Lee Rosenthal. While released, Luis faces an ongoing court case with possible deportation, as he has lived in the U.S. without legal status for 25 years while raising five children and establishing himself as a homeowner and community member.

Hundreds of high school students organized a peaceful march from City Hall to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center on February 5, 2026 to protest ICE raids. LAPD in riot gear formed skirmish lines and charged at the students multiple times throughout the afternoon, resulting in at least two arrests. Officers were documented using force against minors, including throwing students to the ground and striking a protester with a baton, while ICE agents were observed coordinating with LAPD at the detention center.

A man was taken into custody by ICE on February 4, 2026, after being referred by the Stanislaus County Probation Department. He had previously turned himself in to ICE in June 2015 and was released on an order of recognizance with the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program. He was convicted of a crime in 2022 and violated the terms of his supervision, leading to his re-detention. On March 24, 2026, an immigration court denied bond, stating it lacked jurisdiction. He filed a federal habeas corpus petition challenging his detention and seeking immediate release. On April 24, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted his petition, ordering his immediate release on the same conditions he was subject to before his February 4, 2026 re-detention, and enjoining ICE from re-detaining him without notice and a pre-detention hearing before an immigration judge.

Beth Jackson, a Twin Cities resident, was detained by federal officers and faced subsequent action after documenting ICE agents. The detention occurred while she was recording immigration enforcement activities.

Two Afghan brothers with pending asylum claims were detained by ICE during a routine check-in with the Alternatives to Detention unit on Tuesday morning. Mohammad Emran Kohistani and Mohammad Sajad Kohistani, who presented themselves at the U.S. border in 2023 and were released on their own recognizance, were told they were not "appropriately vetted" at the border. Their attorney filed an emergency habeas petition and temporary restraining order, with a federal court hearing scheduled for Thursday.

Federal ICE agents conducted arrests in downtown Phoenixville, Pennsylvania on February 4, 2026, targeting individuals in vehicles. Witnesses reported the arrests involved agents smashing windows and forcibly removing people from cars.

Juan Antonio Maya Torres, a Seventh-day Adventist evangelism director and deacon, was arrested during a traffic stop while driving to work in Maryland. A federal court subsequently ordered his release and a bond hearing.

Valentina Timaran Restrepo was taken into ICE custody while attending a regularly scheduled check-in appointment on February 4, 2026, and has since been held at the Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga, Oklahoma. Weeks earlier she had undergone multiple invasive surgical procedures requiring continuous post-operative monitoring, and she later developed a painful, visibly growing mass at the site of her surgeries, rating her pain 8 out of 10. Although facility medical staff ordered an "urgent" ultrasound on March 27, 2026, she was told it could take up to a month to receive treatment because the procedure required external approval, prompting her to file an emergency petition for a temporary restraining order seeking immediate medical care.

Martir Zambrano Diaz, a 50-year-old native of El Salvador, was detained by ICE agents on February 4, 2026 during an enforcement sweep in Greenport. According to a federal habeas corpus petition filed on his behalf, he arrived in the United States in 2001 and has never been arrested or convicted of any crime, directly contradicting ICE's claims that he was previously removed in 1998 and reentered illegally. He had worked at Pindar Vineyards for 23 years, where he was known for his strong work ethic, kindness, and positive attitude. His detention left his family without their primary breadwinner. Community members and advocacy groups, including OLA of Eastern Long Island, launched fundraising campaigns and legal support efforts to assist his family.

Alexandro Rivera Magaña, a longtime Greenport resident and El Salvadoran national, was detained by ICE agents on February 4, 2026, during a raid at a Greenport coffee shop. He had worked at Pindar Vineyards in Peconic as a foreman since 2023 and is the primary breadwinner for his family, which includes a son with severe autism and a 5-year-old child. A second longtime Pindar worker, Martir Zambrano Diaz, was detained in the same raid; as of early March, the vineyard's general manager said he had not learned either worker's whereabouts. The detentions left Rivera Magaña's wife and children facing financial hardship, prompting community fundraising, while Pindar Vineyards says losing experienced crew members threatens its ability to complete vine pruning before spring budbreak.

Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir, a 46-year-old green card-holding Eritrean imam and respected leader in the Muslim community, died on December 14, 2025, after spending 216 days in ICE custody at the Moshannon Valley ICE Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. Before his death, he had filed a habeas corpus petition seeking release and later sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, both of which the court denied. His habeas case was dismissed as moot following his death. CAIR Northern Ohio and CAIR Philadelphia issued a statement offering condolences to his family and reaffirming their commitment to advocating for humane treatment in immigration detention. His death was later cited among cases of at least 65 religious leaders detained by immigration authorities since January 2025.

Francisco Benjamin Sanchez Obregon was initially apprehended at the border on September 22, 2022, then paroled the next day until November 2022. Over three years later, he was arrested on February 4, 2026, and detained pending removal proceedings. The court found he had a protected liberty interest from his initial parole and ordered his immediate release due to lack of due process.

Cristian, a Colombian immigrant with an asylum claim, was detained by ICE agents on February 4 while heading to a new job in St. Paul. He was transferred to detention centers in Texas and Louisiana before self-deporting to Colombia. His wife Alejandra was left as the sole provider for their two young sons and is now trying to save money for plane tickets to return to Colombia, saying their experience made clear they are not welcomed in the United States.

Dylan, a 20-year-old Venezuelan student at Ellis Prep High School in the Bronx, was detained by ICE on May 21, 2025, immediately after appearing at federal immigration court in Lower Manhattan for an asylum hearing. He entered the United States legally under Biden-era policies and has no criminal record. His attorney stated he was entitled to full legal protections to pursue asylum relief. Dylan's mother reported he has been suffering from untreated stomach problems and has been moved to at least four different detention centers within five to six days. The Department of Homeland Security placed him under expedited removal proceedings.

Melissa Tran, a Vietnamese refugee who legally entered the U.S. in 1993 and built a life in Maryland as a mother and former health care worker, was detained by ICE for over five months following a routine immigration check-in in Baltimore tied to a non-violent theft conviction from her teenage years in 2001. A federal judge ordered her release in October 2025, finding continued detention unnecessary, but she still faced a 2003 removal order. Though Vietnam had previously refused to accept her for two decades, the country agreed to take her back, and she was deported in November 2025. During the deportation process, she was shackled at her wrists, waist, and ankles for roughly 80 hours total, including over 10 hours before her flight with no food or water, operated by Omni Air International. She reported her wrists became dented and red from the restraints, that she soiled herself during the journey, and described feeling 'less than an animal,' while recalling poor hygiene conditions during her detention.