Human Impact Project

An ICE whistleblower testified before Congressional Democrats during a public forum titled "Our Values at Stake Pt. III: Terrorizing Communities Without Warrants and No Restraint." The whistleblower discussed concerns about defective training practices within the agency.

A Mexican citizen who entered the U.S. in 2004 as a teenager was arrested by ICE on February 23, 2026, after receiving a citation for driving without a license in Wilson County, Tennessee. He was detained without a bond hearing despite having significant U.S. ties including a U.S. citizen spouse and three U.S. citizen children. The court stayed his transfer and ordered ICE to respond to his habeas corpus petition, requiring them to either distinguish his case from Lopez-Campos v. Raycraft or consent to his release.

Rep. Dan Goldman requested information from the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons regarding the treatment of over 191 ICE detainees at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Goldman raised concerns about inadequate medical care, barriers to legal counsel, and delays in court appearances, noting he had been denied access for inspections previously.

Juana Felipe Mateo, a Guatemalan mother of two, was deported from the South Texas Family Residential Center (Dilley) while 8 months pregnant with a third child after three months in detention. She alleges ICE and DHS deceived her into signing voluntary departure papers by offering $15,000 (which she says she never received) and obtaining a doctor's authorization to fly despite her advanced pregnancy. Juana reported that pregnant detainees, including herself, were hidden from U.S. Congressman Joaquín Castro during a facility inspection to prevent them from reporting lack of medical care and alleged mistreatment. She also described being placed in a cold room known as 'la hielera' for five days when her 2-year-old daughter developed fever. She learned of her unborn son's sex only on the day of her deportation.

Court documents revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Diego conducted surveillance on activists through Operation Road Flare, targeting individuals who document ICE activities such as Jeane Wong and Arturo Gonzalez. The operation began monitoring activists on October 23, 2025, and documents describe confrontations at the 47th Street Trolley Station on November 18, 2025, where Wong was accused of throwing belongings at agents during a crowd altercation. Wong subsequently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault on a federal officer and received home detention.

In early January 2026, 16-year-old Sebastian, an asylum-seeker from Ecuador, was detained by ICE agents in north Minneapolis. He was misclassified as an unaccompanied minor and transported to a Christian youth shelter in Michigan operated by Bethany Christian Services instead of standard immigration detention. Federal authorities lost track of his whereabouts for over a week while his family searched for him. His father and attorney conducted investigative work to locate him and secured his release through legal action.

Two Jamaican men held at Glades County Detention Center reported abuse and were subsequently subjected to retaliatory use of force during placement in solitary confinement. One man was beaten and maced; the other had his head dragged on the ground. Freedom for Immigrants filed a civil rights complaint with DHS CRCL.

An Ecuadorian asylum seeker who entered the US in October 2023 was arrested by ICE on February 22, 2026 and detained at California City Detention Facility. He had been working as an electrician since 2025 with no criminal history. The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding his detention violated due process.

Luis Beltran Yañez-Cruz, a Honduran immigrant, died while in ICE custody at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Imperial County. His daughter Jocelyn provided a statement read at a February 21, 2026 vigil calling for justice. Organizers documented conditions of medical neglect, overcrowding, and unsanitary conditions at the facility that they say contributed to detainee deaths.

A man who entered the United States in October 2014 was detained by ICE on February 21, 2026, as he was leaving his home to go to work. The detention occurred without any warning, paperwork, or stated legitimate reason. The federal court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, while also enjoining ICE from re-detaining him without providing notice and a pre-detention hearing.

A woman adopted from Iran at age 3 by a U.S. Air Force officer and raised in the Midwest for 53 years is facing deportation to Iran, a country with which the U.S. has no diplomatic relations and is currently at war. She was excluded from automatic citizenship under the 2000 Child Citizenship Act due to overstaying a visa as a 4-year-old in the 1970s, a discrepancy she discovered in 2008 when applying for a passport. Her adoptive parents legally completed her adoption with a birth certificate and U.S. citizen parents listed, yet she lacks proof of citizenship. She fears deportation to a country she does not remember and where she has no family or language connections.

Huabing Xie, a Chinese immigrant, died while in ICE custody at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Imperial County. Activists organized an interfaith vigil on February 21, 2026, outside the facility to honor Xie and another detainee who died there, highlighting conditions of medical neglect, overcrowding, and unsanitary conditions at the detention center.

ICE agents arrested a man in downtown Santa Barbara after he allegedly slashed a tire on an ICE vehicle parked on East Carrillo Street. Community members and the man's parent followed ICE agents to the police station and filmed the incident. The Santa Barbara Police Department stated it was not notified in advance of ICE operations in the city.

A Mexican citizen who has resided in the United States since 2009 was arrested on February 21, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas for driving while intoxicated. He was transferred to ICE custody on March 2, 2026, and held at the Golden State Annex Detention Facility without a bond hearing. The court found he was unlawfully detained under mandatory detention provisions and ordered his immediate release, ruling he should have received a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) as a noncitizen already present in the country, not as a recently arrived applicant for admission.

Michael Opeoluwa Egbele, a Nigerian migrant who entered the U.S. in 2003, was released from ICE custody on February 20, 2026, after a federal court ruled the government acted unlawfully by revoking his supervised release without due process. The U.S. District Court in Minnesota granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, noting he had remained in compliance with his supervision conditions for over a decade before his January 2026 detention during a routine check-in.

A man entered the United States on June 1, 2019, was initially detained at the border by immigration authorities, and was released on bond after eight months in custody. On February 20, 2026, he was re-detained by ICE. The federal court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release on the same conditions he had prior to re-detention.

On February 9, 2026, ICE agents conducted a raid at a home in Lower Providence Township, Pennsylvania, targeting Jose Manuel Cordova Lopez, 26, a Mexican national whose work visa expired in 2021. Agents arrived in unmarked vehicles and civilian clothes, forced entry by breaking down the door, and injured a woman identified as Lupe Lopez during the operation. She reported being hit in the head by an officer. Children in the home were left shaken. State Rep. Joe Webster stated agents did not initially have a warrant and described the operation as chaotic. Lopez was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and ramming an ICE vehicle. Following the raid, neighbors provided assistance with door repairs and supplies, and family members called for an independent investigation into the use of force. A GoFundMe established for the family raised more than $10,000.

Jonathan Enrique Meza Ruiz, an Indiana man who came to the United States as an unauthorized minor nearly two decades ago, was ordered released by federal judge Matthew P. Brookman or granted a bond hearing by ICE. The ruling is part of a nationwide legal battle over whether the Trump administration can detain people in non-border areas for immigration violations and hold them without bond under a border-related legal provision.

Amanda Isabel Cardoso, a 22-year-old Cuban immigrant living in Tampa who was awaiting a green card, was arrested in Orlando in August 2024 while pregnant and subsequently detained by ICE for nearly three months at Otero County Processing Center in rural New Mexico. During her detention, Cardoso received minimal prenatal care despite being in her first pregnancy—the facility lacked ultrasound machines and she was denied access to her medical records. After her release in February 2025 following legal intervention by immigration attorney Sam Badawi, Cardoso was diagnosed with preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, conditions medical experts say can be triggered by stress. Cardoso, who fled Cuba after her grandmother was killed in an act of political violence, now faces ongoing uncertainty about her immigration status and potential separation from her baby if detained again.

Nayra Guzmán, an immigrant from Mexico, was arrested by ICE agents in Cicero, Illinois, 15 days after undergoing a cesarean section. She was on her way to visit her newborn daughter, who remained in the NICU with complications from preeclampsia and unable to eat or breathe independently. Despite having a pending asylum application and work permits, Guzmán was detained for 34 hours in a facility intended for short stays. During her detention, she was denied basic postpartum care, including a breast pump and medical assessment for her Type 1 diabetes, and spent her first night without adequate bedding. Guzmán was arrested alongside her mother and brother. Her lawyers successfully petitioned for her release, citing concerns for both her and her daughter's health. The family was released on conditional bail.

Lucia, a pregnant woman detained by ICE after appearing for a regular check-in appointment, began experiencing heavy vaginal bleeding in the middle of the night when she was two months pregnant. She requested immediate medical attention but was not taken to see medical staff for several hours. Instead, medical staff left her alone in a small room without food, water, or pain medication while she bled heavily. After significant blood loss, she was transported to an emergency room with her arms and legs shackled while actively miscarrying. She required a blood transfusion due to the miscarriage. She was returned to ICE custody and continued experiencing abdominal pain and heavy bleeding for another month before being deported.

Julieta, who held a valid visa, was detained for two months at Basile detention center. She was shackled at the ankles, hands, and waist during cross-country transport and feared that poor nutrition and the stress of detention could endanger her pregnancy.

Alicia arrived for a routine ICE check-in in Louisiana and was detained without warning, then sent to Basile detention center. She soon discovered she was pregnant. She received small portions of poor-quality food that left her feeling weak and hungry. By May, she began experiencing severe abdominal pain, cramping, and bleeding. She was taken to a local hospital for a blood test but received no explanation of her medical treatment or interpretation. At the emergency room, medical personnel performed an invasive uterine test without her consent, injected her with an unknown medication, and informed her that she had miscarried. Despite this miscarriage, ICE returned her to Basile that night and detained her for two more months. She continued to experience heavy bleeding, swelling, fever, and severe uterine pain, submitting repeated sick call requests that went unanswered. In July 2025, ICE deported Alicia, separating her from her children, and she later sought hospital care for a severe infection acquired while in custody.

Marie, a graduate student and lawful visitor to the United States, was detained for more than 20 weeks at Basile detention center in Louisiana during her high-risk pregnancy. Although she had informed ICE officers of her pregnancy, she was placed in solitary confinement after being transferred thousands of miles from the U.S.-Canada border. Medical treatment was not provided until other detained women advocated for her. Inside the facility, food was often inedible, and when she asked about missing prenatal vitamins, a nurse told her, 'You won't die if you don't take them.' After her release through legal intervention, Marie developed eclampsia, endured a difficult delivery, and continues to struggle with postpartum depression linked to her detention trauma.

Antonia Aguilar Maldonado, a mother of two from El Salvador, was arrested by ICE while on her way to work and detained at the Kandiyohi County Jail in Minnesota for nearly a month. Her 22-month-old child is still nursing and has acid reflux and allergies to other forms of milk. The jail was not equipped to house a nursing mother and did not have a breast pump upon her arrival, forcing her to manually express milk until the facility purchased one. By the time of her release, her breast milk had started to dry up. Her children were traumatized by her detention. Her attorney successfully argued for her release on bond of $10,000, paid by church members. She is now requesting voluntary departure.

Cary López Alvarado, a U.S. citizen from Hawthorne, California, was arrested by ICE agents while nine months pregnant alongside her husband, an immigrant from Guatemala. ICE held her overnight but released her after discovering her citizenship status. Immediately after her release, Alvarado experienced sharp stomach pains and gave birth a few days later. Footage from the arrest shows federal agents restraining her with her hands held behind her back, despite guidance that officers should not use physical restraints on pregnant individuals. Her husband has since been deported, leaving Alvarado without income and relying on family to help care for her newborn. Alvarado is seeking $1 million in damages from Border Patrol and ICE agents, citing unconstitutional conduct and unlawful arrest.

Angie Rodriguez, a Colombian asylum seeker, was detained by ICE following a routine immigration check-in in July 2025 and discovered she was pregnant while in custody at Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield, California. While detained, she experienced food insecurity, struggling to eat facility meals due to their appearance and smell, with limited alternatives beyond processed foods like instant noodles and chips. She received no adequate prenatal health care or education for weeks after her pregnancy was confirmed. Rodriguez experienced brown discharge and was transported to an off-site hospital where she miscarried. Upon hospital release, she was placed in medical isolation at the ICE detention center before being released. Her case is among more than a dozen documented by the ACLU of pregnant women held without proper medical care at immigration facilities. Rodriguez filed a lawsuit claiming unconstitutional detention, arguing that the stress of sudden arrest, coupled with inadequate food options and lack of prenatal care, may have contributed to the loss of her pregnancy.

Special education teacher Linda Davis was killed when a man fleeing immigration officers crashed into her car. The incident involved a driver who was being pursued by ICE at the time of the collision.

Federal judges have ordered the release of pregnant and nursing women held by ICE at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, citing violations of ICE Directive 11032.4, which prohibits detention of pregnant and nursing individuals. Congressman Joaquin Castro alleged that approximately eight pregnant women are currently being held at the facility and claimed they were hidden from his view during his visit. Castro reported cases of inadequate medical care, including a pregnant woman three months along experiencing heavy bleeding and a teenage boy not receiving proper medical attention for appendicitis. Over 1,000 pregnant, postpartum, and nursing individuals have been detained since Trump's second term began, with documented cases detailing severe conditions including miscarriages without proper medical care, shackling during pregnancy and labor, inadequate medical treatment, solitary confinement, forced family separations, and contaminated food.

Greggy Valerio Sorio, a 37-year-old green card holder, was deported to the Philippines after ICE denied his stay request despite severe medical conditions including inflammatory bowel disease, anemia, and a toe amputation requiring wheelchair use. Sorio's deportation stemmed from criminal convictions dating back over a decade, and ICE determined he was medically fit to fly despite advocates' warnings and his recent hospitalization. Community groups and immigrant-rights advocates condemned the deportation as a systemic failure, with 60 protesters rallying outside the detention center, and airline staff initially removing him from the flight after being alerted to his condition.

Lorth Sim, a 59-year-old Cambodian national who entered the U.S. as a refugee in 1983 and became a lawful permanent resident in 1986, died in custody at Miami Correctional Facility in Miami County, Indiana on February 16, 2026. Sim was arrested by ICE in Boston on December 30, 2025, and transferred to the Indiana facility to await deportation following an immigration judge's removal order to Cambodia. He was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead at 7:10 a.m. His death was the seventh in federal immigration custody in 2026. The cause of death remained under investigation, and organizers reported concerns about medical neglect among ICE detainees at the facility, prompting U.S. Congressman André Carson and other lawmakers to seek answers.

Four journalists and an attorney were detained by plainclothes police in Yaounde, Cameroon on February 19, 2026, while investigating Trump administration deportations of third-country immigrants to the African nation. The journalists were beaten during the detention, and their equipment was confiscated. They were attempting to interview recently deported individuals and film a facility holding deportees. All five people were later released. Press freedom groups raised alarm over the incident, which occurred as some deported immigrants were sent to Cameroon in violation of court orders protecting them from deportation to their home countries.

The Department of Justice filed a denaturalization case against former North Miami Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime, alleging he misrepresented his identity and immigration history during his naturalization process in 2006. According to federal prosecutors, Bien-Aime entered the United States in 1997 using a fraudulent passport under a different name, was ordered removed in 2000, but remained in the country under an assumed identity. The complaint also alleges he obtained permanent resident status through an invalid marriage to a U.S. citizen using a fraudulent divorce certificate.

Liam Azizi and his wife Hananeh Alikaram, Iranian converts to Christianity fleeing religious persecution, were separated after only Azizi received asylum approval. Alikaram's asylum request was denied and she is being held in Louisiana awaiting deportation to Iran, where she faces prosecution for her religious conversion.

An incident occurred in the Santa Ana/Irvine area involving women who were allegedly let go and then followed or kidnapped. The poster sought to provide context about the incident and requested updates if the women created a fundraiser.

Juan Parra, a tattoo artist, provided services at ICE protests and donated half the proceeds to support protesters. He was assaulted and detained for participating in a protest. He later spoke at a Pro-Palestine rally and encouraged support for protesters outside a detention center.

Nikita, Oksana, and their three children—fleeing Russia due to Nikita's outspoken opposition to President Vladimir Putin—were released from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center after more than four months in federal custody, exceeding the 20-day limit for holding minors set by federal court settlement. The family reported enduring worms and mold in food, hourslong waits for medicine in bitter cold or rain, repetitive and sometimes inedible meals, and nonexistent schooling. Their daughter Kamilla suffered a recurring ear infection that, compounded by what parents described as lax medical care, resulted in partial hearing loss. The family was freed following legal intervention by their attorney, a Columbia Law School professor, and media coverage by NBC News, which documented their case. After their release, other detainees erupted in applause and celebration in the dining hall.

Rigoberto Soto Jimenez, a Mexican immigrant, was ordered released by a federal judge in Minnesota but ICE released him in Texas without his driver's license, work permit, or Mexican consular ID card. The Department of Justice failed to comply with the court's February 9 order to return his belongings by the February 17 deadline. At a February 18 show cause hearing, U.S. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Isihara was found in civil contempt of court, and Judge Laura M. Provinzino ordered him to pay $500 daily fines beginning February 20 until the documents were returned. On February 19, the DOJ returned Soto Jimenez's documents via overnight delivery, and the judge dismissed the contempt order without imposing fines.

A noncitizen who had been previously released on bond or conditional parole was re-detained by immigration authorities on February 19, 2026, without being provided a pre-deprivation bond hearing. The court found this violated his due process rights and ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention. The court ruled that the government must provide at least seven days' notice and a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter if they seek to re-detain him.

Javier Abreu-Vasquez (also referred to as Javier Ubreu), a 38-year-old kidney transplant recipient from the Dominican Republic with legal status in the U.S., was arrested by ICE agents in Rochester, Minnesota on February 5 while delivering groceries for his church's mutual aid group after officers rammed his car and broke a window. He was transferred to a facility in El Paso, Texas, where he faced delays and reportedly incorrect dosages of the immunosuppressant medication needed to prevent rejection of his donated kidney. His wife and Minnesota state Rep. Kim Hicks attempted to deliver his medication to federal authorities but were initially turned away. After intervention from Senator Tina Smith's office and Mayo Clinic physicians, he gained access to medication, and a federal judge ordered his release on bond. His attorney confirmed he has no prior criminal convictions. He returned home to Rochester on February 19 after roughly two weeks in custody, with next steps in his immigration case unclear.

Victor Jardon-Reyes, a 33-year-old DACA recipient from Guerrero, Mexico, lost his job on February 18, 2026, after his DACA renewal application stalled for months. He applied to renew his DACA in November 2025, received an appointment for fingerprinting in January 2026, but his work permit expired before the renewal was processed, causing him to lose work authorization and legal protections from deportation. Jardon-Reyes, a homeowner in Chicago's Belmont Cragin neighborhood with a mortgage and college enrollment, is now afraid to leave his home due to risk of ICE detention. His situation exemplifies a nationwide problem of DACA renewal delays affecting an estimated half million recipients.

A Guatemalan citizen who has lived in the U.S. for 14 years with two U.S. citizen children was detained by Florida Highway Patrol during a traffic stop on February 18, 2026, while driving to work. He was transferred to Border Patrol custody and later moved to California City Immigration Processing Center. The federal court ordered his immediate release, finding his detention without a bond hearing violated due process rights.

A mother of three was detained by ICE on February 18, 2026 at her workplace. She is being held in Adelanto, California, miles from her family who depend on her as their main provider. Her family states she has no criminal record and is fundraising for legal representation and bond to secure her release.

Juan Nicolás, a two-month-old infant, was deported to Mexico on February 8, 2026, hours after being discharged from hospital treatment for bronchitis and respiratory illness. He was detained at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, alongside his mother Mireya López Sánchez and 16-month-old sister after his mother was apprehended near Eagle Pass on January 21 while seeking asylum. During detention, Juan Nicolás developed severe breathing problems, vomiting, and gastroesophageal reflux disease; his mother reported he became unresponsive and was "choking on his own vomit" while hospitalized. After hospital discharge, he was immediately deported with only $190 from the family's detention commissary account. With assistance from journalist Lidia Terrazas and advocacy groups, the family secured shelter and medical care, where Juan Nicolás was diagnosed with RSV and severe bronchiolitis. The family later relocated to Guatemala where they have relatives. Rep. Joaquin Castro criticized the deportation as "heinous."

Noel Quintana, a 50-year-old legal permanent resident and owner of Señor Machetes restaurant in Madison, was detained by ICE at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on January 23, 2026, after returning from Mexico on a valid green card. DHS initiated removal proceedings based on a 2006 cocaine possession conviction. A federal immigration judge ordered termination of removal proceedings and granted bond, but DHS filed an intent to appeal, keeping Quintana detained at Miami Correctional Facility in Indiana. Community members organized fundraisers that collected over $50,000 in support, and local leaders including Rep. Francesca Hong criticized the detention.

A Wilson County man spoke out against a rumored ICE detention center, expressing that he feels safer with undocumented immigrants than with ICE agents. Sheriff deputies responded to the man during his protest, though the ICE detention center plan was subsequently abandoned.

A U.S. District Court in Minnesota ordered ICE to immediately release Michael Opeoluwa Egbele, a Nigerian immigrant detained in January 2026, ruling that the government unlawfully revoked his supervised release without due process or prior notification. Egbele had entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2003, was charged with a drug offense in 2012, but was released on supervised release where he remained compliant for over a decade before his arrest during a routine check-in.

A 48-year-old father of five with pending U-visa protection for victims of crimes cooperating with law enforcement was released from detention at Whipple Federal Building with only his belt, glasses, and wallet. ICE agents withheld his work permit, Social Security card, and consular card, claiming they did not know where the documents were. He has remained largely confined to his house out of fear.

About 150 students at Grand Island Senior High School walked out to protest ICE activity on February 17. During the protest, a 54-year-old man exchanged blows with students near West Lawn Elementary School. A water bottle was thrown through the man's car window during the altercation. The man was arrested for assault on a juvenile, and at least one juvenile was cited for assault; additional citations may follow.

A noncitizen single mother of two US citizen children was arrested by ICE on February 17, 2026 in Victorville, California. She was charged as inadmissible under Section 212(a)(6)(A)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and detained at the Adelanto Detention Facility without being afforded a bond hearing. The court ordered that she must be provided an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge within 7 days.