Human Impact Project

An immigrant previously released on bond or conditional parole was detained on April 29, 2026. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted his petition for a writ of habeas corpus and motion for temporary restraining order, finding that the government violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights by re-detaining him without providing a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter. The court ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he was subject to prior to his detention on April 29, 2026, and prohibited the imposition of additional restrictions such as electronic monitoring unless determined necessary at a future hearing. If the government seeks to re-detain him in the future, it must provide at least seven days' notice and hold a constitutionally compliant pre-deprivation bond hearing.

A man was lawfully admitted to the United States on a C-1 crewman visa with authorization to remain until April 12, 2021. He stayed in the country after his visa expired and filed an asylum application in June 2021. On April 29, 2026, more than five years after his visa expiration, immigration officials arrested him. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted his petition for writ of habeas corpus, finding that his five-year period of continuous release after visa expiration created a protected liberty interest. The court ordered his immediate release from custody at the Central Valley Annex detention facility and enjoined respondents from re-detaining him without notice and a hearing before an immigration judge pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a).

J.R.V., a 40-year-old with valid work authorization, was arrested by a sheriff's deputy in Florida in December while driving to a construction job. He was transferred through multiple detention facilities over five months, including the controversial Alligator Alcatraz in Florida, and eventually held at ICE's Aurora detention center operated by GEO Group. After 127 days in detention, he was released with only the clothes on his back and no identification documents. He filed a successful habeas corpus petition in federal court to challenge his detention and was released on April 29, 2026.

Benjamin Hernandez was stopped for a regulatory violation on Highway 49 in Concord on April 29, 2026. During the traffic stop, a K-9 unit alerted to narcotics, and a search uncovered 78.7 pounds of methamphetamine. Hernandez was arrested, charged with trafficking methamphetamine, issued a $1 million bond, and placed on an ICE detainer due to his immigration status.

Oliver Escobar Tovar, 45, was arrested around 5 a.m. on Wednesday following a traffic stop in Paragould, Arkansas after an officer observed expired tags on his vehicle. During the stop, Tovar provided a passport and insurance information, though one source notes he stated he did not have a driver's license or registration. After police contacted Homeland Security Investigators regarding Tovar's immigration status, authorities determined he had been previously deported. ICE placed a detainer on Tovar at Greene County jail.

At "Ricky" Chandee has spent 90 days in ICE detention as the Trump Administration seeks to deport him to Laos based on a conviction from the early 1990s. His family is working to prevent his deportation and keep him in the United States.

ICE conducted a targeted enforcement operation in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville on April 29, 2026, with unmarked vehicles that remained in the area for hours. Officers with a court-issued arrest warrant detained one undocumented immigrant after observing surveillance of the location and making several attempts to communicate with individuals inside the residence. Residents gathered outside the home yelling to impede the operation. Metro Councilmember Joy Styles, who witnessed the arrest, described the scene as chaotic and noted the situation involved more than routine enforcement.

Tony Arnold Bernstone, a New Zealand citizen, was convicted of second-degree felony child kidnapping in Utah and ordered to self-deport to New Zealand for four years. The conviction resulted from an assault on a 12-year-old child following a doorbell prank incident.

Jaime Ernesto Alvarez-Gonzalez, 53, pleaded guilty to impersonating a U.S. Border Patrol agent and disrupting deportation operations in San Diego on January 8. He modified a black Ford F-150 with law enforcement-style features and followed a real Border Patrol agent, causing the officer to abandon his mission for safety. Alvarez-Gonzalez coordinated multiple vehicles to harass and chase federal agents onto the highway and possessed firearms despite being prohibited from doing so.

On April 28, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit unanimously ruled that the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy for immigrants without inspection—implemented in July 2025—violated federal immigration law and constitutional due process by denying bond hearings. The case centered on Ricardo Barbosa da Cunha, a Brazilian national who had lived in the U.S. for over 20 years with work authorization, a business, and a pending legal status application when detained under the policy in September 2025. The court rejected the government's statutory interpretation of 1996 immigration law, finding it improperly expanded detention to all non-citizens regardless of U.S. residence length, criminal history, or community ties. The decision created a circuit split, as two other appellate courts had previously upheld the policy, setting up likely Supreme Court review.

A non-citizen woman was detained at Adelanto ICE Processing Center for entering the United States without inspection. She was denied bond eligibility under a recent immigration decision but challenged her continued detention. The court granted her petition and ordered that she be provided a bond hearing within seven days or be released.

J.R.C., an 11-year-old from Venezuela who had lived in El Paso for nearly four years, was detained alongside his father Jesus Eduardo Reyes Hermes on April 28, 2026, when ICE agents arrested them outside their South-Central El Paso home. The boy was separated from his father and placed in shelter custody under the Office of Refugee Resettlement, while his father was transferred to Camp East Montana detention facility. J.R.C. was attending school in El Paso, where he had learned some English and was developing academically, with a teacher he credited with helping him learn to read. After his father was released on bond in June and the boy's asylum case was denied, J.R.C. requested voluntary departure on July 7, 2026, to reunite with his mother and siblings in Venezuela and Colombia. He expressed both sadness at leaving his friends and school, and excitement about seeing his family.

Arbella "Yari" Rodríguez Márquez, a 39-year-old queer woman and legal permanent resident with chronic lymphocytic leukemia since 2013, was detained by ICE on February 10, 2025, after being apprehended at the Nogales port of entry while returning from Mexico with her partner of over 13 years, Sonia Almaraz. Her legal residency was subsequently revoked by a federal immigration judge, and she was placed in removal proceedings at Eloy Detention Center. Over the course of her detention, her health has severely deteriorated: she has lost 70 pounds, developed additional conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, lymphedema, and anemia, and experiences hematemesis (vomiting blood daily), nosebleeds, bruising, extreme fatigue, and dehydration due to lack of adequate medical care—receiving only Tylenol for pain management. A parole request filed by her lawyer was denied on June 24, 2025. By April 2026, more than three dozen Arizona lawmakers, the LGBTQIA Legislative Caucus, and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups including Trans Queer Pueblo have called for her immediate humanitarian release, warning that her continued detention in a facility with a history of deaths amounts to a "death sentence" given her medical vulnerability.

Santiago Medrano was detained by ICE on April 28th, the same day his family received keys to their new home. His wife María and their five children are fundraising to cover legal immigration expenses and other costs while he remains in detention.

Jesus Eduardo Reyes Hermes, a Venezuelan national with valid Temporary Protected Status, was arrested by ICE on April 28, 2026, while working on his car outside his home in South-Central El Paso. His 11-year-old son, J.R.C., was also arrested during the incident. Reyes Hermes had lived in El Paso for nearly four years after arriving in July 2023 and had been granted TPS in 2024; he was in the process of applying for a TPS exemption at the time of his arrest. He was transferred to Camp East Montana detention facility on Fort Bliss and separated from his son. After his son and attorneys filed federal habeas corpus petitions challenging the lawfulness of their detention, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone ordered bond hearings and release conditions. An immigration judge ordered Reyes Hermes released on a $5,000 bond on June 16, and he was released on June 24. However, on the same day he posted bond, USCIS issued a negative credible fear determination, triggering expedited removal proceedings against him.

A Carnegie man with valid work authorization was taken into custody by ICE. A local congressman investigated the detention and confirmed the man's valid work authorization status at the time of arrest. A federal judge subsequently granted the man a bond hearing.

Five people were indicted on federal charges after investigators discovered 11 undocumented immigrants in a minivan near Cordes Lakes on April 28, 2026, including one confined to the trunk, and 22 more at a Phoenix stash house. The investigation identified Rigoberto Rangel-Mora as the caretaker of the residence where migrants were confined to a bedroom, denied phone access, and subjected to poor living conditions. Alejandro Ambrocio-Espinosa and Enrique Cervantes-Barrera were the minivan drivers, while Jesus Marin-Esquivel and Ingrid Bolanos-Gomez were identified as additional drivers involved in cross-country smuggling trips.

A habeas corpus petitioner filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Eastern Division against Shannon Dicus and other respondents. On May 26, 2026, the court issued an order granting his petition for writ of habeas corpus. On May 29, 2026, the court entered final judgment granting the habeas corpus petition without requiring any further proceedings. The judgment was consistent with the reasons and findings set forth in the May 26, 2026 order. The case was decided by United States Magistrate Judge Angela C. C. Viramontes.

Denny Adan Gonzalez, a 33-year-old Cuban national, was found unresponsive in his cell at Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, on April 28, 2026, at approximately 10:25 p.m. and pronounced dead at 11:11 p.m. ICE reported the suspected cause as suicide, though the official cause remained under investigation. Gonzalez had been in solitary confinement following an alleged altercation with a staff member the day before. He had arrived at a U.S. port of entry in 2019, was deported in 2020, re-entered without authorization in 2022, and was transferred to Stewart in January 2026 after arrest in North Carolina on assault and domestic violence charges. Immigration advocates, his mother Lourdes González Suárez, and U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock called for independent investigation and improved transparency regarding ICE custody deaths.

Juan "Johnny" Cuahutencos Meza, a long-time community member from East Hampton and Brooklyn, was detained on April 28, 2026, while returning home from work. He is being held at Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, NJ, allegedly as a result of racial profiling. He faces deportation due to a misdemeanor conviction from over 10 years ago and has a court appearance scheduled for May 19, 2026.

A 12-year-old boy in Anchorage, Alaska, faces deportation by ICE despite claims to U.S. citizenship through his father, a U.S. military service member. USCIS has refused to recognize his citizenship claim without DNA testing to establish paternity. The boy was born to a Nigerian mother and the case remains pending.

Catalina Santiago-Santiago, a 28-year-old DACA recipient and immigrant rights activist, was detained by ICE in early August 2025 at El Paso International Airport despite holding valid DACA status. Her attorneys filed a motion to terminate her deportation proceedings based on her DACA protections. On April 24, 2026, the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled that immigration judges cannot terminate deportation proceedings based solely on DACA status without considering the government's reasons for opposing termination. The ruling requires judges to comply with a Biden-era rule and sends Santiago's case back for further review, potentially affecting other DACA recipients in similar proceedings. The Trump administration has stated that DACA recipients are not automatically protected from deportation, contradicting the program's original protections.

ICE arrested Rafael Garcia, a Mexican national, along with multiple other individuals convicted of serious crimes including child sexual abuse, assault, and kidnapping. Garcia was specifically convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child in Fresno County. ICE stated it would continue enforcement targeting individuals it described as threats to public safety.

A man held in an ICE detention center had his finger bitten off by another detainee and was subsequently placed in solitary confinement without antibiotics or proper medical treatment for a year. When he sought help as the infection became severely infected and ruptured, he was given only toilet paper instead of appropriate medical care. The case is part of a federal class-action lawsuit addressing inhumane and unconstitutional conditions in ICE detention facilities.

Israel Makoka, 18, and Max Makoka, 15, brothers from the Republic of the Congo on F-1 student visas, were detained by ICE agents on April 21, 2026, at a school bus stop in Diamondhead, Mississippi while waiting for transportation to Hancock High School. The teenagers were restrained with zip ties in front of classmates and family members. Their visa status had expired following an undocumented transfer from private boarding school to public high school. Both brothers had lived legally in the U.S. since 2023 and 2024, had no criminal records, and had valid guardianship paperwork from their host parents. Israel was transferred to Central Louisiana ICE Processing Facility in Jena, Louisiana, while Max was transferred to an out-of-state facility in Houston. Community members and local officials called for their release. Israel Makoka, 18, and Max Makoka, 15, from the Republic of the Congo, were detained by ICE for over a week after being arrested as they walked to their school bus stop in Diamondhead, Mississippi on July 8. The brothers had entered the U.S. on student visas in 2023 and 2024 to attend Piney Woods School, a historically Black boarding school, and stayed with their legal guardians, Gail Baptiste and her family, during summers and holidays. When the brothers transferred to nearby Hancock High School, ICE said they violated their student visas by changing schools without authorization. They were held in separate facilities in Houston and Jena, Louisiana before being released after community support and intervention from U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith's office. The family is now seeking reinstatement of the brothers' student visas.

Jefferson David Fuentes Martinez, a native and citizen of Honduras who entered the U.S. in 2024 at age 17 and is seeking asylum, was arrested for driving without a valid license. Although he was set to be released on April 27, 2026, he remains detained at Volusia County Jail pursuant to an ICE detainer. The court granted a temporary restraining order preventing his transfer from the facility.

A woman was released from ICE custody in March 2026 by a federal court in Arizona, but was re-detained by ICE on April 27, 2026 when she reported to the Detroit ICE field office for a routine check-in. She was subsequently transferred to facilities in Louisiana and Texas without explanation or allegation of any violation of her supervision terms. The court granted emergency relief ordering her immediate release.

A woman detained by immigration authorities petitioned the United States District Court for the Central District of California for a temporary restraining order against James Janecka and other defendants. The court granted her petition and application for a temporary restraining order on May 18, 2026. Following the court's order, the government confirmed that she had been released from detention. On May 19, 2026, the court dismissed the petition as moot in light of her release, issuing a final judgment.

Pedro was detained by ICE on April 17, 2026, with assistance from state police, leaving his pregnant wife Carmen and two sons without support. Gerardo Reyes Gonzalez was detained on March 14, 2026, following a traffic stop connected to a missing girl report; he and his brother were charged with interfering with public duties. Both men are now held at the Hutto ICE detention facility in Texas. Pedro, who has type 1 diabetes, and Gerardo, who has a tooth infection, are reportedly experiencing life-threatening medical neglect. Advocates and family members are calling for donations, legal support, and direct action to demand proper medical care and secure their release. Gerardo Reyes Gonzalez, 44, was arrested during a March 14 traffic stop after police responded to a report of a male attempting to leave an apartment complex with a 15-year-old girl against her wishes. ICE placed a detainer on him following the arrest. The Hays County District Attorney's Office dropped the interference with public duties charge against Reyes Gonzalez on May 11, though he remains in ICE custody pending an immigration court hearing.

Hayam El Gamal and her five children, Egyptian citizens who entered the U.S. on B-1 visitor visas in 2022, were detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas in June 2025 after overstaying their visas. The family was detained based on the alleged criminal actions of their estranged father, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, who was later convicted of 101 charges including murder, though the family members were never charged with any crimes and stated they were estranged from Soliman and unaware of his plans. During nine months in detention, the family endured moldy and wormy food, inadequate medical care including failure to treat a 5-year-old's severe dental cavities, and religious freedom violations. Her 16-year-old son described the experience as "a nightmare" that made it difficult to return to normal life, writing that "nothing is normal anymore because you live in fear of going back to that place." An immigration judge granted the family bond in September 2025, but DHS appealed and obtained a stay. On April 24, 2026, a federal judge ordered their release; two days later, ICE re-arrested the family during a routine check-in at an ICE office in Denver and transported them to Denver International Airport for immediate deportation in violation of the federal court order. During transport and on a private jet, the family was subjected to verbal abuse, medical neglect, and physical restraint despite a medical emergency. Federal judges issued emergency orders blocking the removal and turning the plane around mid-air. The family was released on April 27 pending litigation on their asylum case, with electronic monitoring required as a condition of release.

ICE agents detained a woman in Kenner during a traffic stop while two of her three children were in the car. The woman had reportedly reentered the country without authorization and faced a final removal order. A family friend is now caring for her three children while she remains in ICE custody.

Jose Angel Mireles, a 48-year-old longtime Phoenix resident, was detained by ICE at a courthouse after being cited for driving with stolen plates and deported to Mexico after two months in the Florence ICE detention center. He now lives in a migrant shelter in Nogales, Sonora, separated from his 11-year-old daughter in Phoenix. Mireles is among thousands of long-term U.S. residents removed under the Trump administration's immigration enforcement surge, which saw removals of individuals with over a decade of U.S. residency increase 42% between 2024 and 2025.

Shah was detained by ICE at the end of November while working. He was arrested in Ohio and is now detained in Texas, while his family—including his daughter and mother-in-law—remain in Chicago facing financial hardship. The family is struggling with rent, car payments, and legal fees, and risks eviction and loss of their only income source.

A Venezuelan national entered the United States on April 14, 2024, and was granted parole. He has no criminal history and is not subject to a final removal order. On April 26, 2026, he was arrested following a routine traffic stop in San Angelo, Texas, and transferred into ICE custody at the Bluebonnet Detention Facility in Texas, then moved to Central Valley Annex Detention Facility in McFarland, California. He petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus, challenging his detention as a violation of Fifth Amendment due process rights, arguing he was re-detained without a pre-deprivation hearing. The federal court granted his petition and ordered his immediate release, finding that detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Due Process Clause. The court enjoined respondents from re-detaining him unless they provide seven days' notice and hold a bond hearing before a neutral arbiter where the government must demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that he is a flight risk or danger to the community.

Thovatsay Phimmoungkhoun, owner of Khao Niew Lao Street Food, a food cart operating near Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The cart, known for serving Lao street food including sticky rice to PSU students, announced permanent closure following his detention. Phimmoungkhoun was transferred to a detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, and faces deportation to Laos. His family and supporters created a GoFundMe fundraiser to assist with his case.

An immigrant previously released on bond or parole was detained on April 25, 2026, after previously being released on bond or parole. The court found that the government violated due process by re-detaining him without providing a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter. The court ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention and required the government to provide seven days' notice and a proper hearing before any future re-detention.

Feliciano Paulino Soares, a Brazilian citizen who came to the United States in 2021, was arrested by ICE in August 2025 while a passenger in a car in Connecticut. After filing a habeas petition, a federal judge sided with him in April 2026 and an immigration judge ordered his release on bond, finding him neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community. Four days after his release, Utah police stopped Soares for speeding on his way home to the East Coast, and ICE took him from the jail and transported him to a detention center in Aurora, Colorado. U.S. Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter ordered Soares's immediate release and is considering sanctions against the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and ICE for unlawfully detaining him after an immigration judge had already determined he was suitable for release.

The Laramie County Sheriff's Office arrested 46 people for immigration violations during a three-day commercial vehicle enforcement operation called "Truck Around And Find Out: Operation Spring Break" conducted in partnership with federal authorities on April 25, 2026. The operation resulted in 85 total criminal arrests, with one undocumented truck driver found operating without a commercial driver's license and parked illegally. The sheriff's office, whose deputies were sworn in by ICE under 287(g) authority, stated the enforcement actions aim to improve road safety.

Border Patrol agents arrested three people during a vehicle stop north of Sanderson on April 25. Two undocumented immigrants and a U.S. citizen who was attempting to smuggle them were taken into custody.

A vigil titled "Disappeared in Berks" was held at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Reading to commemorate 75 immigrants discharged from Berks County Jail to ICE between March 2025 and March 2026. Seventy-five pairs of empty shoes were displayed to represent those taken. The event featured testimonies including a letter from Gladis Garzon about her husband Carlos Gonzalo, who has been in ICE custody for eight months after being transferred from the county jail, and has been moved between detention facilities in multiple states.

A Dominican Republic citizen who entered Puerto Rico without inspection in 2004 was detained on April 24, 2026 during an enforcement operation on Ave. Américo Miranda while on his way to open his business. He is the sole caregiver for his U.S. citizen wife and daughter and has a pending I-130 petition filed by his daughter. A federal court granted a temporary restraining order preventing his transfer outside Puerto Rico and ordered that he receive a bond hearing before an Immigration Judge.

A Venezuelan citizen was detained by ICE and held at Buffalo Federal Detention Facility. He filed a habeas corpus petition on April 24, 2026, alleging unlawful detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225 and requesting immediate release or a bond hearing. The court granted his motion to prevent removal from the United States until an evidentiary hearing determination is made, but denied his requests for immediate release and to prevent transfer within districts.

A Russian citizen was detained by ICE on April 24, 2026, during a routine check-in after living freely in the United States for four years since her 2022 release. She had been released on parole/supervision in April 2022 after ICE determined she was not a flight risk or danger to the community, and had been attending yearly check-ins with no criminal record. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring her immediate release, finding her detention violated due process rights as she received no notice or hearing before re-detention.

A federal judge in Philadelphia ordered the Trump administration to pay nearly $40,000 in legal fees to an immigrant who sued ICE over its attempt to require him to wear an ankle monitor. U.S. District Judge Kai N. Scott found that ICE's actions were unlawful and that the agency offered no factual basis to justify requiring the monitor as the man's immigration case proceeded. The man, identified only by his initials N.N., had been released on bond by an immigration judge who determined he was neither a safety nor flight risk.

Zoila Guerra Sandoval, mother of a child whose father José Mynor López died in the 2024 Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, faces deportation proceedings under the Trump administration. López was one of six construction workers killed when a cargo vessel hit the bridge. The Biden administration had provided immigration protections to about 30 people with immediate connections to the victims, but those protections are being withdrawn under the current administration.

Yasser Jose Lopez Soza, an 18-year-old high school student at Memphis Business Academy, was detained by ICE agents on February 20, 2026, while a passenger in a vehicle during a traffic stop on the way to a soccer game. He was held at the West Tennessee Detention Facility in Mason, Tennessee, as part of enforcement actions from the Memphis Task Force established in late 2025. Tennessee State Rep. Gabby Salinas visited him and noted he was a good student with a job and college soccer prospects. On April 24, 2026, Federal Judge Sheryl Lipman ordered his immediate release, ruling that his detention without bond violated his due process rights. Lopez Soza, originally from Nicaragua, was released after approximately two months in custody.

A federal judge in Florida ordered the immediate release of Alejandro Osvaldo Ghysels Reales, who had been detained by ICE despite holding deferred action status under a U-1 nonimmigrant visa, which makes him ineligible for deportation. Judge Kyle Dudek ruled that ICE's detention was unlawful and violated Reales' constitutional rights, criticizing the government for failing to recognize his valid legal protection.

Isaac Villegas Molina, a Pasadena resident and lead plaintiff in federal litigation challenging ICE enforcement operations, was arrested by federal agents on June 18, 2025, at a bus stop along with two other day laborers. He was released on bond in July 2025. On April 17, 2026, Villegas was arrested again by ICE during an appointment with the Alternatives to Detention-Intensive Supervision Appearance Program. His lawyer filed a habeas petition alleging the arrest was unlawful, without a warrant, and retaliatory given his pending removal case hearing. Following the arrest, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order. Villegas was released from Adelanto Detention Center after community outcry and advocacy from supporters including local elected leaders and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON).

Rihan Shinwari, an 18-year-old Afghan high school senior at Cheshire High School in Connecticut, was detained by ICE on April 6, 2026, during a traffic stop. ICE detained him based on erroneous paperwork claiming his humanitarian parole had expired in October 2025, though court filings confirmed it remained valid until October 2026. His family had legally entered the U.S. on humanitarian parole in October 2024 after his father served as an interpreter for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts for over two weeks, an immigration court judge set his bond at $1,500 and ordered his release on April 21, 2026. Rihan was released on April 22, 2026, and remains in removal proceedings; his attorneys sought reinstatement of his humanitarian parole.

Cristofer Ortega, 21, came to the United States as a child from Honduras and was living in Plainfield, New Jersey, studying for an HVAC certification while pursuing permanent residency through Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJ). In July 2025, while visiting family in New Hampshire, federal agents in an unmarked car pulled Ortega and the driver from a vehicle at a red light at gunpoint. Despite having no criminal record and never being arrested before, Ortega was detained for over eight months at facilities in Mississippi and New Hampshire. His attorney believed the stop was racial profiling and filed a Freedom of Information Act request with ICE to determine if agents were specifically targeting Ortega; ICE claimed no records existed. Ortega filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in U.S. District Court in New Hampshire in November 2025 challenging his detention and removal, which included documentation of his SIJ approval. A temporary restraining order was issued in February 2026, but the case was dismissed by stipulation on April 23, 2026. Ortega was deported to Honduras on March 29, 2026, separated from his family and his future in the United States. He reported experiencing severe mental health impacts from detention, including nightmares, insomnia, and ongoing trauma related to his prior history of abandonment.