Human Impact Project

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.

Álvaro Salguero was detained by ICE on February 26 despite having no criminal record and an ongoing immigration process. He is a dedicated family man. His wife Karen is now solely responsible for legal fees to fight for his release, rent, utilities, and care for their 5-year-old daughter and newborn baby born four weeks prior. The family faces urgent economic hardship from his sudden detention.

Nuvia Martinez was detained after attending a routine ICE check-in appointment at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan and held in severely overcrowded conditions for days. Martinez, who has diabetes, was denied access to her required medication despite medical need. She described the facility—designed to hold people for only 12 hours—as holding dozens of detainees in small rooms with no beds or full-time medical staff. In sworn testimony, Martinez reported that women who were menstruating were bleeding through their clothes, almost no food was provided, there were no showers available, and detainees had no access to basic hygiene. She stated: "I was just a body that they crammed into a room, almost as if to be forgotten." The detention occurred as ICE arrests surged.

Carlitos Ricardo Parias, a 44-year-old Mexican immigrant from Puebla living in South Los Angeles, built a TikTok following of over 340,000 documenting ICE enforcement activity and received a Los Angeles City Council certificate of recognition for his community reporting. On October 21, 2025, federal agents attempting an immigration arrest boxed in his car near Santee High School; agents said he rammed their vehicles, and video showed 11 shots fired, striking Parias in the elbow and wounding a deputy U.S. marshal by ricochet. Councilmember Curren Price called him 'a pillar of our community, a fearless citizen journalist,' and his attorney described him as a hardworking, pacifist father of two U.S.-citizen children with no criminal record. He was charged with assault on a federal officer and property damage, then detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center; a federal judge later dismissed the indictment with prejudice, citing denial of counsel and missed evidence deadlines, but ICE returned him to custody afterward. After more than 300 days in detention, Parias' injured arm reportedly became discolored and atrophied without adequate treatment, with his congresswoman warning he may need amputation, and his attorney said he remains in pain.

Eri was detained by ICE and is being held at T. Don Hutto Detention Center. His sister Andrea, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, organized a fundraiser to pay for immigration legal representation and secure his release so he can fight his case at home with family rather than remain detained.

A Honduran man who entered the United States on or about August 12, 2021, at age seventeen, and was processed by immigration officials as an unaccompanied child. He was released by the Office of Refugee Resettlement to his brother and a sponsor on August 23, 2021, and has a pending application for asylum and withholding of removal. On or about May 31, 2026, he was taken back into ICE custody after encountering law enforcement due to a driver's license related infraction. He was held at the California City Detention Center. Petitioner filed a habeas corpus petition and a motion for a temporary restraining order seeking immediate release, arguing his prior release by ORR created a liberty interest and that he was being detained under 8 U.S.C. § 1232 rather than mandatory detention provisions cited by respondents. The court agreed, citing prior similar rulings, granted the habeas petition, ordered his immediate release, and enjoined respondents from re-detaining him without notice and a hearing where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that he is a danger or flight risk. The TRO motion was denied as moot given the habeas relief granted.

Kadeen Hunt, brought to the United States from Jamaica on a tourist visa at age 6, was detained by ICE for several months and is now facing removal proceedings. Hunt has five U.S. citizen children, one of whom is autistic and requires special support. Without legal representation, Hunt faces imminent deportation and family separation.

ICE conducted operations in Bluffton, South Carolina that resulted in the detention of over a dozen individuals. Witness footage showed nearly 20 men being escorted into a detention van. According to immigration attorney Amy Deverard, those arrested were not criminals but were detained on administrative warrants, with many caught as collateral while authorities pursued others. Families report uncertainty about their detained relatives' locations and immigration proceedings.

Jose Ortega, a 38-year-old bank employee and father figure to his stepdaughter, was recently detained by ICE and is being held in custody pending court proceedings. His spouse, Don Williams, launched a fundraiser to cover legal expenses, attorney fees, and bond costs to fight for his release and bring him home to his family in Phoenix, Arizona.

ICE detained six individuals in the Rogue Valley region of Southern Oregon between May 19 and May 29, 2026, marking a significant escalation in enforcement activity—the first notable surge since July 2025. Detentions occurred in public places including outside Jackson County Circuit Court, near parks, at workplaces, and during traffic stops. Community volunteers with Rogue Valley Migra Watch documented the incidents and tracked ICE vehicle sightings in the area.

The ACLU, civil rights organizations, and individual detainees filed a federal lawsuit against ICE and DHS challenging conditions at Camp East Montana, the largest immigration detention center in the U.S., located at Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas. The complaint alleges physical abuse by guards, inadequate medical care, solitary confinement, disease exposure including a measles outbreak, and nearly 50 violations of detention standards. At least three detainees have died since the facility opened nine months prior, including a Cuban immigrant ruled to have died from asphyxia due to neck and torso compression. Named plaintiffs Navdeep, a former mail handler, and ZOR, a father detained over eight months, detailed specific conditions including contaminated water, inadequate drinking water access, breathing problems from desert dust, lack of medical care, and family separation.

ICE agents conducted an enforcement action in Santa Paula, California, where they removed a man from his truck in a parking lot and tasered him while he was on his way to work. According to community witnesses, agents pinned the man down as he screamed in pain, refused to provide formal identification, and threatened to mace neighbors who were documenting the incident.

ZOR (pseudonym used for privacy) has been detained at Camp East Montana for over eight months. He is a parent separated from his young children. He is a named plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit challenging detention conditions including inhumane treatment, medical neglect, disease outbreaks, and family separation. He states the facility operates in a lawless manner despite guards being charged with upholding the law.

Approximately 300 immigrants detained at Delaney Hall, a privately operated ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey, launched a hunger and labor strike beginning May 25, 2026, to protest conditions including spoiled and expired food, inadequate medical care, overcrowding, filthy bathrooms, lack of hot water, and denial of medical treatment. Detainee Elder Guerra, a Guatemalan immigrant, suffered a head injury after slipping in the shower and was placed in isolation rather than receiving proper treatment. Martin Soto, arrested by ICE four months earlier while buying diapers, remained detained despite a judge blocking his removal from the facility. Detainees reported retaliation by facility staff, including beatings, solitary confinement for strikers, and confiscation of personal items. The facility, operated by Community Education Centers, faced scrutiny for a pattern of medical neglect and rights violations, with sustained crowds of protesters gathering outside in solidarity.

Federal immigration officials conducted Operation Smoky Mountains from May 24-30, 2026, in Sevier County and surrounding East Tennessee areas, resulting in 117 arrests. The operation was carried out by ICE in partnership with local law enforcement agencies, including the Sevierville Police Department and Sevier County Sheriff's Office, through the federal 287(g) program that authorizes local law enforcement to assist with immigration enforcement. Officials stated that some of those arrested had prior criminal charges including theft, domestic assault, DUI, and other offenses, with some facing potential federal charges including illegal reentry.

Miguel was arrested by masked, unidentified ICE agents in front of his home after a grocery store trip. He has been detained over 1,000 miles away from his family and has not been seen since. His wife Beatriz is caring for their four children (ages 7 months, 8, 9, and 15) while fighting for his release and managing steep legal costs. Miguel is experiencing emotional trauma, fear of deportation, and respiratory illness from detention conditions.

ZOR, detained for eight months at Camp East Montana, had three teeth broken after being beaten by another detainee while guards watched. Four days after arrival, officers shackled and drove him to the Mexican border, falsely claiming he had been granted asylum, without showing papers or allowing attorney contact. Officers attempted to deport him approximately five times despite a court order prohibiting removal to his country of birth.

Navdeep, a detainee with preexisting injuries that prevent him from putting his hands behind his back, was locked in solitary confinement for appearing to refuse guard orders to do so. He described feeling like a political pawn taken from his job and family and forced into unsafe tent conditions. He is one of four named plaintiffs in the ACLU lawsuit against ICE over Camp East Montana conditions.

ICE officers conducted raids at Don Patron Mexican Grill locations across West Virginia on May 30, 2026, detaining multiple workers. The enforcement action affected at least three locations in Elkins, Weston, and Bridgeport, with a fourth location in Buckhannon also closing as a result. The Elkins location closed the day after the raid.

Nilson Prieto was detained by ICE on November 17, 2025, during his annual check-in appointment. He has been held in three different detention centers in Texas for over six months. His bond request was denied, and his case is currently under appeal with a pending habeas corpus petition. His family has exhausted their resources and is seeking funds for legal fees and basic household expenses.

Navdeep was taken from his job and detained at Camp East Montana tent camp on the Fort Bliss military base. He is a named plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit seeking accountability for inhumane conditions including medical neglect, disease outbreaks, violent treatment by guards, inadequate food, and dangerous living conditions. He expresses concern about the lack of oversight and potential cover-ups of deaths and abuses.

Gerald Akari Angye, a 35-year-old former high school teacher from Cameroon who fled after experiencing kidnapping and torture, crossed into the U.S. in December 2024 and sought asylum. After his asylum claim was denied, he was detained at Camp East Montana ICE detention center at Fort Bliss military base in El Paso for over a month. While detained, Angye was severely beaten by guards after requesting to speak with an attorney before signing documents, suffering injuries to his hands and wrists that required a brace and hospitalization. He was subsequently placed in solitary confinement for 15 days. The ACLU of Texas and partner civil rights organizations filed a federal class-action lawsuit against ICE on behalf of Angye and three other named plaintiffs, challenging severe conditions at the facility including violent use of force, medical neglect, disease outbreaks, excessive solitary confinement, and inhumane living conditions.

Erik Ivan Rodriguez was detained at Camp East Montana, a tent detention facility at Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas. While detained, he experienced physical violence by officers who attempted to coerce him to sign deportation papers. Rodriguez and three other detainees filed a class-action lawsuit through the ACLU of Texas and partner civil rights organizations in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, challenging inhumane detention conditions including medical neglect, disease outbreaks, inadequate food, unsanitary living conditions, excessive solitary confinement, and violent use of force.

ICE conducted an enforcement operation on May 29, 2026, targeting foreign nationals with criminal convictions. The operation resulted in five arrests: Javier Moya-Tentory, a Mexican national previously convicted of murder in Harris County, Texas; Reinerio Mendoza-Diaz, a Honduran national convicted of second-degree sexual assault on a child under 14 in Fort Smith, Arkansas; Gary Smith Apolinanario-Apolinario, a Peruvian national convicted of fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a child in Stamford, Connecticut; George Abdalla, a Sudanese national convicted of sexual assault in Salt Lake City, Utah; and Jairo Cardenas-Fonseca, a Colombian national convicted of procuring an adult for prostitution in San Jose, California.

Jairo Rossel Mejia-Mencia, a Honduran national, was arrested on May 29, 2026 in Beaufort County as part of a coordinated operation involving ICE, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office. He had entered the United States unlawfully, was previously removed, and re-entered the country. He has a pending criminal case for unlawful possession of a firearm and remains in ICE custody while his removal order reinstatement is processed.

Miguel Angel Tercero Raudes, a Salvadoran national who had been living and working legally in the United States for over a decade with a 2023 Withholding of Removal court order, was detained at a routine ICE check-in on May 29, 2026. He is married to a U.S. citizen and is the father of two U.S. citizen daughters. The government has indicated plans to remove him to a third country where he has no family or legal status, in apparent violation of his court-ordered withholding of removal protection.

A 23-year-old South American woman was granted protection from deportation to her home country by an immigration judge in June 2025 after fleeing persecution based on her queer identity. Despite this ruling, ICE has held her in Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana for over a year while seeking to deport her to the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country where she has never been and where she would face serious risks.

Chanh Phansisay, a Laotian refugee who arrived as a baby, received an ICE letter around the same time as his uncle Ky Sengdara in March 2026. With legal assistance from the Seattle Clemency Project, Phansisay avoided deportation to Laos, a country he has never known and where he has no meaningful family connections.

Authorities raided a seafood restaurant on Northwest 23rd Street in Oklahoma City, seizing methamphetamine, ketamine, ecstasy, and a firearm. Sixteen individuals were taken into ICE custody during the operation, which is part of a larger investigation into organized crime involving drug trafficking, money laundering, and potential human trafficking related to black market marijuana farms.

A federal court in Manhattan ruled that local police officers' Fourth Amendment violations against a migrant were so egregious that ICE was required to release him from immigration detention. Public interest and Gibson Dunn attorneys secured the habeas corpus decision, which they believe marks the first time a federal court has forced ICE to release a detainee based on Fourth Amendment violations committed by local law enforcement.

Hilary Murungi Timbigamba, a 34-year-old asylum seeker from Uganda, was arrested on larceny charges in Massachusetts in July 2025 while employed at a group home. He was taken into federal custody as he left the courthouse despite being granted pretrial release. Federal Judge Landya McCafferty ruled that his 10-month detention in ICE custody violated his constitutional right to due process because he was deprived of the opportunity to address criminal charges and the evidence presented at his immigration bond hearing was legally insufficient. He was released within 24 hours of the court order.

José Yugar-Cruz, a 37-year-old Bolivian asylum-seeker, was granted temporary release from ICE custody on May 29, 2026, after an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo suspended deportations to that country. An immigration judge had ruled in January 2025 that Yugar-Cruz faced likely torture if returned to Bolivia and granted him withholding-of-removal relief under the Convention Against Torture, yet ICE detained him at an April 2026 check-in appointment and attempted to deport him to the DRC despite his court protection and lack of connection to that country. After being held for 17 months while ICE sought third countries willing to accept his deportation—including Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Mexico, and Canada—Yugar-Cruz challenged his indefinite detention in court in December 2025. The WHO declaration of an Ebola emergency in Congo on May 17, 2026, forced suspension of deportations to that destination, resulting in his temporary release following legal challenges and community advocacy.

On May 29, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a coordinated operation at Myrtle Park Government Center in Bluffton, South Carolina, detaining over 15 people who had failed to comply with deportation orders. The operation involved ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations division, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which participated under a 287(g) task force agreement. Detainees were loaded onto a bus for transport to facilities in Charleston or Georgia.

Florida Highway Patrol, in coordination with ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, and multiple state and local agencies, conducted a three-day enforcement operation called Operation 9 along South Florida highways. More than 100 officers from the participating agencies conducted traffic stops, with officers flagging individuals during routine stops for traffic violations and immigration violations, particularly when drivers lacked valid licenses. The operation resulted in 249 detentions, with those arrested processed at an FHP station and transferred to ICE custody, where they were offered voluntary return flights or the option to remain in custody pending immigration hearings.

On January 14, 2026, ICE agent Christian Castro shot Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg through a duplex door during an enforcement operation in north Minneapolis. Castro claimed Sosa-Celis and others attacked him with a shovel and broom, but video evidence showed only a brief 12-second struggle and contradicted his account. Sosa-Celis and his roommate Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna were both lawfully present, and federal charges against them were dismissed in February after the Justice Department acknowledged ICE agents made false statements under oath. On May 18, Hennepin County prosecutors charged Castro with four counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime. Castro was arrested on May 29 by Department of Homeland Security agents and Texas Rangers.

An Indian citizen who entered the United States on May 4, 2023 seeking asylum from political persecution was placed in removal proceedings and released on his own recognizance. After over three years of compliance with release conditions, he was re-detained by ICE on May 28, 2026 following a scheduled immigration appointment without written notice or a finding of changed circumstances. The court granted his habeas petition, ordering his immediate release and requiring the government to provide seven days' notice and hold a pre-deprivation bond hearing with clear and convincing evidence of flight risk or danger to the community before any future detention.

A Venezuelan maintenance worker at Grandview Resort in Lake Placid was arrested by ICE agents on May 28 when he arrived for work. He has lived in Lake Placid for over two years, holds valid work authorization through a five-year work permit tied to temporary protected status, has never missed an immigration check-in, and has no criminal history. He was one of 14 workers detained during the operation at the resort and was transported 12 hours to Batania Detention Center near Buffalo, where agents restrained detainees and he was held with only water for the journey. Unable to contact his family for three days, he was released on bail after approximately two weeks in detention and now wears an ankle monitor. His wife collapsed upon learning of his arrest. He is pursuing a pending political asylum case and reported experiencing daily fear and trauma, avoiding locations where he was detained.

Yessenia Ruano, a teacher's aide at a bilingual public school in Milwaukee who fled El Salvador in 2011 to escape gang violence, was later victimized by human trafficking in the United States. She had a pending T-visa application for trafficking survivors when immigration officials told her she would be removed from the country. Facing the prospect of arrest and separation from her twin daughters, who are U.S. citizens, Ruano chose to self-deport to El Salvador in June 2025 after 14 years in the U.S., taking her daughters with her. In May 2026, a federal judge ordered that Ruano and two other plaintiffs must be allowed to return to the United States, finding that immigration officials had violated federal law and due process rights by automatically deporting crime victims without considering their applications to remain. Her attorney stated that once Ruano returns, the government is obligated to review her T-visa petition.

Ricardo Hernandez-Navarrete, an 18-year-old senior at Mather High School in Chicago, and his mother Liliana Navarrete were detained by ICE on March 16, 2026, during a routine check-in appointment for their pending asylum case. The family had entered the U.S. from Colombia in 2022. Liliana was released on May 19, 2026, after a federal judge ordered her release on a writ of habeas corpus. Ricardo was released from federal custody on May 26 and reunited with his mother in Crown Point, Indiana. Ricardo attended his high school graduation ceremony on May 28, 2026, and received his diploma. He is required to wear a wrist monitor and check in with federal immigration officials daily as his case proceeds.

Alexis Mejia-Colon, a 39-year-old from Honduras, was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations and St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office on charges including first-degree rape, oral sexual battery, and aggravated crimes against nature involving a child victim. The joint investigation began after allegations that he had sexually assaulted a child over two years. ICE filed an immigration detainer against him on May 28.

On May 28, 2026, ICE agents detained multiple employees at Don Patron Mexican Restaurant locations in Weston and Bridgeport, West Virginia, including Erick Cristal Cumes and Jose Cruz Castro. More than a dozen workers were taken into custody at each location. The detainees' families reported poor detention conditions, including spoiled food and limited contact with relatives. On June 25, 2026, habeas corpus petition hearings were held in U.S. District Court in West Virginia to determine whether ICE had legal authority to continue holding the detainees. A judge issued a ruling allowing at least one detainee's case to remain in West Virginia federal court.

Jose Luis Leon was detained by ICE on May 28, 2026, while working. He is the primary provider for his family, which includes his wife who has Lupus and two children ages 3 and 14. His family is fundraising to cover legal expenses and support costs during his detention.

On May 28, 2026, ICE agents from the Champlain sub-office detained 14 people in a raid at a parking lot on Mirror Lake Drive in Lake Placid. The detainees included approximately a dozen roofers working on a short-term roofing project for a local business and staying in employer-provided workforce housing, as well as a local man with several years of community ties, valid work authorization, and a pending asylum case. According to advocacy groups including North Country Immigrant Allies, all detainees possessed work authorization and were legally permitted to reside and work in the United States. All detainees were transported to a detention facility in Batavia, approximately 300 miles away. Local law enforcement was not aware of the operation.

Aldo Garcia was detained by ICE on May 28 at approximately 8:06 a.m. while on his way to work near Highway 99 in Colony Ridge. He has been the primary provider and caregiver for his family since marrying his wife when the subject poster was 7 years old. His detention has left his family of four—including two children ages 8 and 9—in financial and emotional distress as they seek legal representation to prevent his deportation.

A Guatemalan mother and her three children were detained by ICE on May 28, 2026, at a Ferndale facility during what they believed was part of the CBP Home self-deportation process, and were deported to Guatemala on May 30. The family had visited a government office in Tukwila on May 27 as part of the voluntary departure process with a scheduled June 19 departure date. According to her attorney, the mother was told through the CBP Home app that she needed to retrieve her passport and have an exit interview at the Ferndale appointment, but ICE staff later indicated the appointment was specifically intended for detention and removal. The family's 14-year-old son, who entered separately with his father, was left behind.

Under a $7.5 million Trump administration agreement, Equatorial Guinea has detained at least 32 asylum seekers at the Bamy Hotel on Bioko Island since November 2025. All detainees had previously been granted some form of protection by U.S. judges. Twenty-five have been forcibly returned to their African countries of origin—Angola, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Mauritania—where they face persecution, while others remain detained and under pressure to leave. Detainees report psychological distress, inadequate medical care, threats from authorities, and monotonous conditions. Human rights advocates argue the deal exploits a loophole to circumvent U.S. court protections and international asylum norms.

Margoth Paredes, 47, an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador, and her 14-year-old son Dilan were detained by ICE after being found in a vehicle suspected of involvement in immigrant smuggling. While in custody, Paredes was taken to Cecil Shamley School in Tempe to formally withdraw her son from eighth grade during the final week of classes. The family was subsequently transported to the Dilley Family Detention Center in Texas. Paredes' two older children also remain detained in Arizona, and the detention sparked protests outside the school.

Sister Agnes, a Catholic nun from China who had won asylum in the United States, was detained by ICE earlier this year. Even after she won bond in court, ICE refused to release her and kept her in prison for months. She was eventually released to be with her religious community.