Human Impact Project

Jose de Jesús Ortiz Ibañez was detained by ICE. He had entered the United States legally on a work visa and had spent years working and building a life in the country. His family is raising funds to cover legal representation costs.

Miguel, 22, was taken into ICE custody while working in Houston. He came to the United States seeking better opportunities and supports himself and his mother. His partner Xiomarah is raising funds for legal representation to fight his detention.

Luis was arrested by ICE for noncitizenship while driving to work and has been held in an ICE detention center. He is expected to be deported to Mexico, a country he has not visited in over 20 years. His family—a spouse and four children including a nonverbal three-year-old and a three-month-old infant—has lost its primary income and faces immediate financial hardship, including potential wage garnishment and credit damage.

On June 24, immigration agents entered El Oaxaqueño, a family-owned Oaxacan restaurant, bakery and supermarket in downtown Lakewood, New Jersey, through the back door and detained 18 people within about an hour, including six of the business's own workers. Among those detained was Bernarda Hernandez, along with 17 others without legal status, and worker Fermin Velez, who was arrested without a deportation order or arrest warrant and later released with help from a lawyer. The restaurant's owners, including Vicky Santiago, helped secure the release of most of their detained workers and said they would continue to stand up for their employees. DHS said ICE had gone to the parking lot based on a tip about a person charged with theft and forgery, and that some of those detained had prior charges for trespassing, obstruction and traffic offenses.

Eduardo José Osal Mujica, 32, crossed the Darién Gap into the U.S., turned himself in to immigration authorities, and applied for asylum while working installing roofs and driving for Uber, settling first in Denver and later Wyoming. Local police detained him during a traffic stop in Wyoming, after which he was transferred through detention facilities in Colorado, Arizona and Texas before signing a deportation order. He was among 146 Venezuelans deported on Flight 164, which landed in Maiquetía, Venezuela on June 24, after which he and other deportees were taken to the Negra Hipólita Health Hotel for medical checkups before planned release to their home cities. The hotel collapsed in an earthquake that day, killing an unknown number of deportees while in Venezuelan custody. His wife, Danielys Hurtado, spent five days searching for his body among bags of corpses at an improvised morgue in a converted grain-storage facility. Nearly two months later, the Venezuelan government has released no official information on those who died, with survivor estimates ranging between 12 and 32.

Elomar Alexander Reyes, a 20-year-old baseball player, had been in the United States for only three months on a tourist visa, hoping to pursue a baseball career after training the previous year with an Arizona team that had signed him, according to his father Ivys Reyes. He was detained and deported to Venezuela on Flight 164, arriving June 24, and was held at the Negra Hipólita Health Hotel in La Guaira, where he died when the building collapsed in an earthquake. His father recovered his body from a hospital morgue in Caracas but was not given his documents or personal belongings.

Angely and Alexka Jerez Medina, 18-year-old twins and Venezuelan asylum seekers, were detained by ICE on June 24 in Buffalo, New York, while working with other Detroit students at an Amazon subcontractor warehouse. The twins are now held in separate detention facilities in Texas and New Mexico. Their teacher at Western International High School, Kristen Schoettle, described them as "great students" who are "very active in their church" and noted that "their family wants to be here, they love this country." Elected officials including U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield have called for their release. Four other Detroit students arrested with them were released; a fifth remains in federal custody.

A Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. in 2014 to request asylum was detained by ICE on June 24, 2026, while on his way to work. He had been residing in the United States for 12 years with a valid work permit and pending asylum claims. The court ordered his immediate release, finding that his mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b) without a bond hearing violated immigration law, as that provision applies only to those affirmatively seeking admission, not long-term residents.

A 43-year-old woman from China who came to the U.S. seeking refuge wrote in a court declaration that she was suffering inside Otay Mesa Detention Center and pleaded with a judge for help, stating she never expected to experience inhumane treatment in the country where she sought protection. Her case was documented in habeas corpus petitions filed to challenge detention and detention conditions.

A man from Azerbaijan was detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center and hospitalized for nine days due to acute gastrointestinal distress. He experienced nausea and severe pain and was severely intolerant of the facility's food, causing him to lose approximately 20 pounds while detained. His case was documented in habeas corpus petitions challenging detention conditions.

A 34-year-old Pakistani woman with asthma and anxiety was detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center where she experienced panic attacks that knocked her unconscious and suffered numerous head injuries. She was hospitalized for three days while detained. In a court declaration, she expressed fear that her condition would worsen and stated she feared dying from lack of breathing. Her case was documented in habeas corpus petitions challenging her detention.

A woman from Mexico who uses a cane to walk was injured at Otay Mesa Detention Center after staff mixed up her prescription medication with another detainee's laxative. She rushed to the bathroom and fell, further injuring her knee, back and hips. Her case was documented in habeas corpus petitions filed to challenge detention.

A 33-year-old Iranian man with serious neurological issues was detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center where his treatment was minimally managed by facility physicians. He reported being handcuffed and shackled for extended periods during numerous medical appointments. His case was documented in habeas corpus petitions challenging detention conditions.

A 47-year-old Somali man married to a U.S. citizen was detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center and missed a scheduled hip surgery because of his detention. The case was documented in habeas corpus petitions filed as part of court challenges to detention amid immigration enforcement operations.

A woman is detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the El Valle Detention Center in Willacy County, Texas. She filed a habeas petition challenging the government's authority to detain her without a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A). While conceding she is subject to mandatory detention under that statute, she alleges the application violates her Fifth Amendment due process rights. The court denied her request for preliminary injunctive relief and decided to await a Fifth Circuit decision in a related case before ruling on her due process claims.

Daniel Alejandro Núñez Ramírez, 28, had lived in the U.S. for four years after leaving Venezuela at age 20 and was residing in Jacksonville, Florida. He was detained by ICE during a traffic stop on May 10, 2026, and pressured to sign voluntary deportation papers. He was deported on Flight 164, which landed in Venezuela on June 24, 2026, and he was subsequently placed by Venezuelan authorities in a hotel used to house deportees. Hours after his arrival, an earthquake collapsed the hotel, killing him along with dozens of other deportees. His mother, Oswadeliz Núñez Ramírez, a lawyer, said she was not notified of his deportation until after he had already been handed over to Venezuelan intelligence services (Sebin). She recovered his body five days later at an improvised morgue, had him cremated, and later received only a box of his ashes after being unable to retrieve his belongings. The U.S. government said it bore no further responsibility once he left ICE custody.

Adrian Andreas Florian, an 85-year-old German national, died at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, Texas on June 24, 2026, after spending nearly eight months hospitalized while in ICE custody. Florian presented himself at the Colombia Solidarity Bridge port of entry in Laredo on August 28, 2025, without valid documentation and was taken into ICE custody the following day. He was transferred to the hospital on November 4, 2025 due to dementia, high blood pressure, cognitive impairment, and ulcers. He is the 21st person to die in ICE custody in 2026 and the first German national to die in custody that year, with the cause of death pending autopsy results.

Abelardo Rincón, 23, was detained by U.S. authorities in Georgia during an immigration crackdown and deported to Venezuela on Flight 164 on June 24, 2026, alongside more than 140 other Venezuelans. He called his family in Atlanta hours after landing while being held in Hotel Santuario La Llanada near the coast. Twin earthquakes struck the country just hours later, killing at least 2,200 people. Rincón and several fellow deportees from the flight went missing in the disaster; his family has been desperately searching for him with no confirmation of his status.

A 33-year-old Venezuelan man was detained at an ICE facility in El Paso, Texas and deported on a flight to Venezuela on June 24, 2026. He was transported to Hotel Santuario La Llanada where earthquakes struck hours later. His partner, Liliana Rojas, has been unable to locate him; the detention center confirmed only that he was deported but provided no further information.

Jenny Rodriguez, 24, was on the same deportation flight from Miami to Venezuela on June 24, 2026, and taken to Hotel Santuario La Llanada. When earthquakes struck hours later, she was trapped under rubble. A fellow deportee from the same flight helped free her hand from the debris, allowing her to escape.

Paigelynne Gonyea, a poll worker and social media creator in Syracuse, New York, was visited by federal agents on June 23, 2026, at her workplace during New York's primary elections. The agents confronted her over a January Instagram post about ICE officer Jonathan Ross, who shot and killed Renée Macklin Good in Minneapolis during anti-ICE demonstrations. Gonyea's post included a picture of Ross and stated "I think today is a great day for Jonathan to be indicted." The U.S. Department of Homeland Security claimed she posted Ross's address as "doxxing," while Gonyea said she posted the picture after Ross had already been identified by news media. The agents handed her a written notice warning of potential federal charges under laws regarding posting personal information about federal officers. Gonyea refused to sign the document and said she intends to continue defending her First Amendment right to make the post. The New York Attorney General's Office said it is reviewing the incident.

A 77-year-old Iranian man with a rare, life-threatening liver disease was detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center and placed in solitary confinement despite doctors recommending his release. He had lived in the U.S. under supervised release for over two decades and had multiple health conditions including sleep apnea, severe diabetes, and hearing loss. While detained for six weeks, he lost 10 pounds, experienced high blood sugar readings, and was denied essential CPAP equipment after staff reported losing parts of the machine. Two doctors and a nurse practitioner wrote letters urging his release. A federal judge ordered his release in January after finding ICE officers violated his due process rights.

Eduardo Jose Alves, an Angolan asylum seeker living in Lewiston, Maine, who entered the U.S. on a valid tourist visa and filed an affirmative asylum application, was detained by ICE agents at his home on June 20, 2026. That same day, a court issued an emergency order staying his transfer out of Maine for 72 hours, but ICE moved him to Plymouth County Correctional Center in Massachusetts within two hours of the order. Attorneys raised questions about whether agents had a valid warrant and whether they improperly pressured his 15-year-old daughter to allow entry into the home. U.S. District Judge Stacey Neumann later found the detention violated the existing court order and that his out-of-state transfer impaired his right to counsel ahead of an imminent bond hearing, and ordered his immediate release from ICE custody. The dispute became a flashpoint between immigration authorities and attorneys challenging the administration's enforcement tactics.

A noncitizen is detained at the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado. He filed a verified petition for writ of habeas corpus seeking immediate release or a bond hearing where the government must justify continued detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). The court ordered respondents to respond within seven days and issued an order preventing removal from Colorado or the United States pending resolution of the case.

A man facing removal to Armenia filed an emergency ex parte application for a temporary restraining order in federal court to prevent his transfer or removal from the United States pending adjudication of his habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. The Central District of California granted the application on July 17, 2026, enjoining respondents from transferring him outside the Central District of California or removing him from the United States. The court ordered respondents to show cause by July 20, 2026 why a preliminary injunction should not issue, requiring them to specifically address the facts and circumstances detailed by petitioner's counsel regarding how he will be removed to Armenia. Petitioner's reply is due by July 22, 2026, unless the parties stipulate to a different briefing schedule.

Iker, a 5-year-old child, has been detained by ICE at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas for over 65 days. His mother is also detained at the same facility. According to advocacy posts by Each Step Home, Iker is not eating while in detention. The posts call for complaints to CoreCivic, the private company operating the facility, donations to commissary accounts for detained children, and calls to congressional representatives to support legislation ending ICE detention of children.

Activists from People Over Papers shared video footage claiming ICE agents detained a documented U.S. Army veteran in Marydel, Maryland on June 23, 2026. The video shows officers restraining a man while a person filming shouts that he is a veteran and fully legal. The detained individual's identity had not been independently verified at the time of publication, and ICE had not publicly commented on the allegations. It was unclear why the man was detained or whether charges had been filed.

An immigration detainee was held at Crow Wing County Jail under immigration enforcement authority. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the lawfulness and duration of his detention. The federal court granted a preliminary injunction preventing his removal from Minnesota pending resolution of claims regarding detention authority and custody legality.

A woman is currently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the El Valle Detention Center in Willacy County, Texas. She is subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A). In her habeas corpus petition, she contests the government's ability to detain her without a bond hearing, arguing that the application of the mandatory detention statute violates her constitutional rights under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. The court reviewed her petition and indicated it is inclined to deny her request for relief, citing analogous cases. However, the court noted that the Fifth Circuit is currently considering a similar due process challenge in Sosnava Rodriguez v. Ortega and decided to await that decision before ruling on her claims. The court denied her request for a preliminary injunction or other immediate injunctive relief.

Gerson Turcios, a Honduran immigrant who owns a local landscaping business in the Rhinebeck area, was detained by ICE on June 23, 2026, while heading to work. A coalition called New York Neighbors Unite launched a fundraising campaign the following day that raised more than $26,000 by midnight to support his legal defense. Local residents describe Turcios as a warm, hard-working person who contributes to the community.

A Haitian asylum seeker in her 40s was detained for over six months at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility after ICE arrested her following a domestic disturbance arrest in Massachusetts. She had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and severe anxiety in a prior psychiatric hospitalization but was not provided psychiatric medication during her Vermont detention. A federal judge ordered her released, finding her prolonged detention without an individualized hearing violated her Fifth Amendment due process rights, though the judge did not rule on claims of deliberate indifference to her mental health needs.

Ayodeji Ajayi, a Nigerian national, was deported by ICE after remaining in the United States illegally for nearly two decades. Ajayi entered the U.S. in 2007 on a student visa but did not return to school and remained in the country without authorization. He accumulated multiple criminal convictions including domestic violence, trespassing, intimidation, obstruction, and charges related to kidnapping, rape, and family neglect. ICE attributed the deportation to Trump administration immigration enforcement policies.

On June 23, 2026, ICE agents and Greene County Sheriff's deputies conducted a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Ruckersville, Virginia, near Routes 29 and 33. ICE agents rode in sheriff's vehicles and conducted numerous traffic stops targeting work trucks, resulting in dozens of arrests. Many vehicles were abandoned or towed during the operation. Detainees were processed in sheds behind the sheriff's office. An attorney attempting to observe and offer legal representation was stopped at gunpoint by ICE agents and cited for multiple violations. The operation occurred eight days before new Virginia state laws prohibiting local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration authorities were set to take effect.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted an operation at a Sheetz gas station on Freedom Road in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning, June 23, 2026. ICE officers, assisted by Butler County Sheriff's deputies, detained at least one person from a white van. Witnesses reported that ICE agents broke the vehicle's window to remove the individual within minutes. Video from the scene showed masked agents placing the person in handcuffs and loading them into a white van. Sheriff Slupe confirmed the person was wanted by ICE but did not provide details about the reason or the individual's immigration status.

ICE agents detained 42-year-old Diana Socha Torres and her 8-year-old son at their home in Wisconsin Dells on June 23, 2026. Socha Torres was wearing an ankle monitor as part of her ongoing asylum case when agents arrived, claiming to conduct a monitoring system change but instead taking both into custody. A deportation order had been entered in April 2026 after Socha Torres missed an asylum hearing; she stated she never received notice of the hearing. An attorney had filed an appeal, but ICE reported having no record of it. Mother and son were taken to ICE offices in Milwaukee and subsequently transferred to Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas.

Eight anti-ICE activists were sentenced to 30 to 100 years in prison on June 23, 2026, following convictions on federal charges including riot, material support for terrorism, and explosives-related offenses stemming from a July 4, 2025 noise demonstration at Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. Benjamin Hanil Song received a 100-year sentence after being convicted of attempted murder for allegedly shooting a police officer during the protest. Daniel Sanchez Estrada, a lawful permanent resident who was not present at the protest, received a 30-year sentence for transporting a box of antifascist zines after his wife attended the demonstration. The remaining six defendants received 50 to 70-year sentences. Defendants and their supporters challenged the convictions, arguing the government presented insufficient evidence and that the prosecution constituted political persecution, but sentencing proceeded despite pending motions to overturn the convictions.

Janeth, a 50-year-old nursing assistant from Honduras with 23 years of experience, lost her job after the Trump administration revoked Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for her country, rendering her legally without status overnight. She had lived in the U.S. for over two decades under TPS and won seven prestigious national nursing awards. The policy is straining the healthcare system as approximately one in six hospital workers involved in patient care are immigrants, creating shortages that cannot be easily replaced.

Eighteen Venezuelan men expelled by the US to El Salvador's Cecot prison in March 2025 filed a petition before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights alleging torture, sexual assault, and medical neglect. The men, who were released and returned to Venezuela in July, detail a pattern of abuse including beatings, humiliation, and being held in windowless cells with constant bright lights. Human rights groups filed the petition on their behalf seeking international accountability for violations.

Following the September 11 attacks, over 1,000 South Asian and Arab men were arrested in sweeps across New York City and nationwide, primarily for visa overstays. Most were held in detention for months with limited contact with families and faced physical and verbal abuse, particularly at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. A Justice Department Inspector General review found the "hold until cleared" policy meant detainees stayed for months despite no evidence of terrorist connections, with officials questioning the legality of prolonged detentions.

Aliaksei Shcharbachenia, a 35-year-old asylum-seeker from Belarus, has spent nearly a year at Farmville Detention Center in Virginia, where he says he is experiencing medical neglect as a tumor grows on his arm. He claims the U.S. government attempted to illegally deport him back to Belarus in a botched operation, and that despite requesting specialist care in December, he has not received a diagnosis or seen a specialist for the growth.

A federal judge ordered the immediate release of seven immigrants who were separated from family members during the Trump administration's 2018 border enforcement crackdown and were later detained again by immigration officials. Two of the seven had already been released without explanation; the remaining five were ordered freed by U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw after the ACLU argued their detention violated a 2023 court settlement.

ICE agents conducted enforcement operations in Page County, Virginia on June 12, 2026, detaining 16 people in coordination with local law enforcement. Among those arrested was a 48-year-old woman who had lived in the U.S. for 18 years, was married to a U.S. citizen, and was in the process of obtaining her paperwork. She was detained at her home shortly after attending a church service at the REC Center, with her son present during the arrest. Pastor Audre King witnessed multiple ICE operations throughout Luray that evening and subsequently organized community efforts to educate immigrants about their legal rights.

Cameron Arnold, Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Bradford Morris, and Elizabeth Soto were each sentenced to 50 years in federal prison for participating in the July 4, 2025 protest at Prairieland ICE Detention Center. All five were convicted on terrorism-related charges. Prosecutors pointed to defendants wearing black clothing and using encrypted messaging as evidence. The combined sentences for all eight defendants sentenced that day total 450 years — longer than any sentences given to January 6 Capitol assault participants.

A mother was detained by ICE while dropping her sister off at school. She was followed by unmarked government vehicles, cornered, and taken into custody. An ICE agent later returned her keys without explanation. The detention left her 20-year-old son responsible for caring for his two younger siblings and caused significant emotional distress to the family. The funds are being raised to help the mother get situated in Mexico and support the children's transition.

A Guatemalan citizen who entered the United States 22 years ago on a temporary visa was arrested by ICE on June 22, 2026, while on his way to work in Baltimore. He is married with a child who has special needs and requires frequent medical care. He is the sole financial provider for his family. He was arrested without a warrant and has not been presented with one. He filed a habeas corpus petition and application for temporary restraining order challenging the lawfulness of his warrantless arrest under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) and § 1357(a)(2). On August 7, 2026, the federal court granted his petition, finding that his warrantless arrest was unlawful because no statutory exception applied. The court ordered his immediate release and converted his temporary restraining order application into a preliminary injunction, also waiving bond requirements.

A 13-year-old child was restrained by Menomonee Falls Police Department officers in an encounter documented by body camera footage. The child's lawyer characterized the officers' use of force as excessive and has threatened to sue the department, calling for the officers' dismissal. The police department stated that officers used only the level of force necessary to detain the minor.

Sebastian Mihai Caraba, a Hungarian-Romanian national, was arrested by ICE on June 10, 2026, in Washington, D.C. for overstaying his visa and alleged credit card fraud. Caraba entered the U.S. on August 11, 2018, under the Visa Waiver Program via San Juan, Puerto Rico, and had previously visited the U.S. twice under the same program, departing within the authorized period each time. He was wanted in Fairfax, Virginia for illegal use of credit cards and had been convicted abroad for similar credit card fraud, receiving a three-year prison sentence. An immigration judge issued a final removal order on June 22, 2026.

A Mexican citizen was arrested by ICE on June 22, 2026 in Weber County, Utah while on his way to work. He had previously been removed from the United States in 2013 pursuant to a final removal order, but subsequently reentered illegally. He was detained in the Weber County and Tooele County detention centers. On June 23, 2026, he filed a habeas corpus petition seeking his release, but on July 2, 2026, the court denied his petition, finding his detention lawful under 8 U.S.C. § 1231, which mandates detention for previously removed noncitizens who reenter.

Roger Moisés Flores Oviedo, 19, a construction worker with no criminal record and a pending asylum application, was detained by ICE agents on Saturday as he left a gas station in Pompano Beach after buying lunch. He was placed in a van and taken to the Miramar ICE facility, where he was held in a room with 50 other men sitting on the floor with their hands behind their backs, given only one bottle of water a day and a piece of bread with peanut butter. He remained there until Tuesday, when he was transferred to the Krome detention center, where his wife Koren Noblig reports he was able to shower, sleep in a bed, and communicate with her.

Joel, a 25-year-old landscaper and father of a 10-month-old U.S. citizen daughter, was detained by ICE in an unmarked vehicle stop while en route to work. He was held for five days in an unapproved Baltimore detention facility where he reports being denied food and water and forced to sleep on the floor. He was subsequently transferred through Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and back to Pennsylvania before being deported to Guatemala without opportunity to say goodbye to his daughter, leaving his 22-year-old partner and infant child without income or support.