Human Impact Project

A man was detained by ICE on March 26, 2026, at approximately 6:30 AM while traveling to work at Sunrise and Vista Chino in Palm Springs. He was initially held at a facility in San Bernardino before being transferred to an undisclosed detention center. His family reports no explanation was provided for his arrest and states the detention was based on his skin color.

Neysis was detained by ICE while six months pregnant with twins. When she began experiencing painful contractions, she was shackled to a hospital bed instead of receiving compassionate medical care. The incident has prompted calls for Congressional investigation into detention facility conditions.

The Trump administration's crackdown on student visas has resulted in cancellations affecting some of Africa's best and brightest students. The policy has separated at least one Iranian couple, with the wife on a student visa unable to reunite with her husband due to the travel ban.

Six Guatemalan workers were detained by ICE agents at a home in Cambridge, Maryland, after the homeowner allegedly called immigration authorities on them while they were fixing her roof. The incident was livestreamed by coworker Bryan Polanco, a Dominican national with permanent residency, who accused the homeowner of calling ICE and handing agents a ladder to reach the workers. According to reports, the homeowner owed the workers $10,000 and allegedly threatened to call ICE again if they returned to finish the job.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested an undocumented immigrant on March 26, 2026, while he was being driven by his attorney to a court appearance in Bellefonte. The man, described as a father of two who had lived in the community for nearly two decades, was pulled over on East College Avenue by five ICE agents in unmarked vehicles. State College Police confirmed they had no prior knowledge of the operation and did not participate. The arrest marked at least the second ICE detention of an individual en route to a Centre County court proceeding within a month.

Martha Ruíz, a Salvadoran woman detained by ICE, suffered a stroke while in custody. She requested medical assistance for weeks but was not helped until she collapsed and required hospitalization. After six months of separation, she was reunited with her family. Her daughters allege ICE failed to provide adequate medical care.

A U.S. lawmaker confronted the Border Patrol commissioner during a Congressional hearing about an incident where Border Patrol agents allegedly pepper sprayed a U.S. citizen family—including a baby—through their vehicle window as they attempted to leave a parking lot. The commissioner acknowledged that pepper spraying into a moving vehicle window is not proper procedure and said he would follow up on whether any agents were investigated or disciplined.

José Guadalupe Ramos Solano, a Mexican national married to Antonia Tovar for 28 years and father of two adult children, died on March 25, 2026, after being found unconscious at Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. He had been arrested by ICE on February 23 in Torrance following a prior conviction for possession of a controlled substance and theft, and was later found to have died of COVID-19 pneumonia. During intake screening, staff documented his diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, but his wife said he did not receive adequate medical care during his month in custody, citing poor food, crowded conditions, and lack of medicine. Witnesses said he had trouble breathing and removed his shirt feeling he was suffocating before losing consciousness; he was pronounced dead at Victor Valley Global Medical Center after CPR and emergency response efforts failed. His death was one of at least 14 ICE custody deaths reported between January and late March 2026, and a federal judge later ordered sweeping improvements to Adelanto, including better sanitation, medical care, and independent monitoring.

Deiver Henao Jimenez, a 9-year-old asylum-seeker from Colombia, was detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas with his parents beginning in early March after a routine immigration check-in. Community activists launched advocacy efforts calling for his release so he could return to school and compete in his state spelling bee. After pleading during a video call with children's entertainer Ms. Rachel, ICE released the family on humanitarian parole in late March, allowing Deiver to attend the competition.

Luis has been held in ICE custody since March 25, 2026, while fighting a removal order. His sister organized a fundraiser to help cover legal expenses and financial support during his detention. His attorneys are reported to be optimistic about his case.

An Indian national and commercial truck driver entered the United States on May 27, 2022, and was apprehended by Customs and Border Protection. On September 7, 2022, he was served with a Notice to Appear charging removability under INA § 212(a)(6)(A)(i), and DHS released him on an Order of Release on Recognizance with conditions including electronic monitoring and regular ICE reporting. He has no criminal history, is not subject to a final removal order, and fully complied with all release conditions. On March 25, 2026, while working as a commercial truck driver on Interstate 54, he was stopped by highway patrol officers without any traffic violation, citation, or identified lawful basis for detention. Highway patrol officers nevertheless contacted ICE and transferred him to ICE custody, and he was subsequently transferred to the Golden State Annex Detention Facility in McFarland, California. The government argued his detention was mandatory under expedited removal procedures, but the federal district court found that his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause. The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, while enjoining respondents from re-detaining him without seven days' notice and a bond hearing before a neutral arbiter.

A Colombian woman working as an Uber driver was detained by ICE in Florida despite having a pending asylum case, a valid driver's license, and work authorization. Her family reports constant transfers, lack of information about her whereabouts, poor detention conditions, and concerns about potential deportation while the family remains separated.

Ciocolata Munteanu, a 25-26-year-old Irish citizen, was deported by ICE from Los Angeles to Dublin on March 24, 2026, after living in the U.S. for five years. Before her deportation, ICE confiscated her car and $20,000 in savings, leaving her with $200. Upon arrival at Dublin Airport, she was arrested on outstanding shoplifting charges from 2018-2019 for stealing two hams and cosmetics when she was a teenager in Cork. She pleaded guilty in Cork District Court, paid €380 in compensation, and received fines totaling €200 (€100 per theft).

On March 25, 2026, ICE agents conducted a targeted vehicle stop to arrest Xa Lee, an undocumented individual from Laos with prior criminal convictions. During the stop, Lee attempted to flee and struck an ICE officer with his vehicle. The officer was not injured. Lee fled the scene and remained at large at the time of the announcement. Xa Lee, a Laotian citizen with a criminal history and a 2010 deportation order, attempted to strike an ICE officer with his vehicle during a traffic stop in Sacramento on March 25. Lee fled the scene and remains at large. The ICE officer was not injured during the incident.

An ICE enforcement operation in San Juan, Texas resulted in a male driver being taken into custody by ICE agents. A young girl present at the scene was observed in clear distress and having a panic attack as the agent reached through the car window during the escalating encounter. Neighbors witnessed the incident and the impact on the family.

Several Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota reported being targeted and harassed by ICE agents during the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. State Rep. Brad Tabke said agents ran his license plate, photographed his home, and conducted surveillance outside his residence multiple times in January and February. Other DFL lawmakers reported similar incidents including verbal harassment, agents greeting them by name without prior interaction, and agents taking photographs around their homes.

Bertha Olga Gómez Fong, wife of former Chihuahua Governor César Duarte, was arrested by ICE in El Paso on March 25, 2026, and is being held at the El Paso Service Processing Center. The arrest circumstances remain unclear, with preliminary reports suggesting either a routine immigration check or a coordinated operation related to corruption allegations. As of March 26, 2026, Mexican officials have not initiated formal intervention, and the case could result in either deportation or extradition proceedings depending on bilateral protocols activated by Mexico.

An Indian immigrant who has lived in the US for 25 years was first detained by ICE in March 2012 following a 2007 conviction for attempted lewd acts with a minor. He lost his lawful permanent resident status and has been under Orders of Supervision since 2017, requiring regular ICE check-ins. The court granted a temporary restraining order preventing ICE from re-arresting him without notice and a hearing before a neutral adjudicator.

A Guatemalan citizen who had been released on bond and granted withholding of removal in 2013 was detained on March 24, 2026 during a routine ICE check-in. He had fully complied with his supervision order for over 12 years with no new criminal history. ICE agents told him he was being arrested because of the new administration and they would find a third country if they couldn't send him to Guatemala. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release.

Adrian Ramirez, a Dominican Republic native with an approved juvenile immigrant visa, was detained by ICE on January 16, 2026, while traveling to work in Syracuse after being stopped by agents at a work site. He was held at detention facilities in Batavia and Louisiana, including Jackson Parish Correctional Center, for approximately nine weeks. With support from his Syracuse community, including All Saints Catholic Church members who raised money and wrote letters on his behalf, and assistance from strangers in Louisiana, Ramirez was released on bond with an ankle monitor and returned home to reunite with his family, including his infant son.

Kevin Ntabo, a Kenyan-born father of four living in Edmond, Washington, was detained by ICE at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in December 2025 after returning from Kenya where he attended his father's funeral. Officials flagged his immigration status as irregular upon arrival. He was held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma awaiting a court hearing scheduled for March 17, 2026, to determine whether he would be deported or allowed to remain with his wife and four children.

Jackson Kabut Gichema, a 48-year-old Kenyan national, was arrested by ICE on March 24, 2026, and ordered deported following a conviction in Baltimore County. Gichema entered the United States legally on a visitor's visa in 2003 but remained without legal status after his authorization expired. A 2011 Maryland Court of Special Appeals decision upheld his conviction, triggering mandatory deportation proceedings as the offense qualifies as an aggravated felony under U.S. immigration law.

Wilmar Aristo Pablos-Miguel, a 42-year-old Mexican national, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served on March 24, 2026, for fraud and misuse of visa documents. He was arrested during an ICE workplace raid at Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Nitro on January 16, 2026, where he had been working with a counterfeit Green Card since June 2025. An ICE detainer has been issued for his removal proceedings. The case was part of Operation Country Roads, which resulted in over 650 arrests statewide.

Arnoldo Bazan, a 16-year-old U.S. citizen and sophomore at Houston Alief Hastings High School, was detained and assaulted by masked federal immigration agents on October 23, 2025, when they stopped his father, Arnulfo Bazan Carillo, during a drive to school near Gessner Road and Beechnut Street in Houston. According to Arnoldo's account, agents beat him, applied a choke hold around his neck, and subjected him to racial slurs despite his statements that he was a minor and U.S. citizen. Bystanders recorded video showing officers restraining a young man with an arm around his neck. Arnoldo was held for several hours before ICE verified his U.S. citizenship and released him. His father, Arnulfo, who was in the country without authorization, was arrested and subsequently deported to Mexico. ICE disputed the assault allegations, claiming Arnoldo elbowed a federal agent during the encounter and that Arnulfo rammed a federal vehicle and fled; ICE noted Arnulfo had prior unauthorized entries and a misdemeanor DWI conviction. Arnoldo has spoken publicly, including on Capitol Hill, about the incident.

A woman who has resided in the United States since 1996 was arrested by ICE in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 24, 2026. The government detained her under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2), but the court found this violated immigration law since she had no prior ICE encounters. The court ordered her immediate release and prohibited re-detention without proper legal authority.

Eledoro Valenzuela Rodríguez, an undocumented Cuban immigrant, was taken into ICE custody on March 24, 2026, from Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade. Rodríguez has a final deportation order issued in 1980 that had never been executed and an extensive criminal history spanning over four decades across multiple states. He faced outstanding charges in Miami for cocaine possession with intent to sell, firearm possession by a convicted felon, and breaking and entering. ICE stated it plans to ensure his swift deportation.

Ya'akub Ira Vijandre, a Filipino DACA recipient and community activist, was detained by ICE at his Arlington home in October 2025. The federal government is seeking to terminate his DACA protection, citing his social media activity and posts about Palestine activism. On March 24, 2026, community members and supporters spoke before Arlington City Council requesting a resolution calling for his release, citing constitutional concerns and detention conditions at Folkston Detention Center in Georgia.

On March 11, 2026, ICE agents conducted a raid in South Burlington, Vermont, after a vehicle stop on Dorset Street. Court filings later revealed that agents misidentified and arrested Cristian Jerez-Andrade, a Honduran man, after chasing him into a home—they had been seeking Mexican national Deyvi Daniel Corona-Sanchez, who was not present. Hundreds of community members and activists, alerted by Migrant Justice, rapidly assembled at the scene and formed a human barrier to prevent ICE from entering the house and detaining residents. As the standoff continued into the evening, heavily armed ICE agents and Vermont State Police officers in tactical gear forcibly pushed through the crowd, deploying flash-bang devices and shooting pepper balls at protesters. At least one protester was injured and taken away by ambulance, several were arrested, and many others suffered pepper spray exposure.

Abel Ortiz, an undocumented immigrant who arrived in Los Angeles as an infant and spent 38 years building a life there, self-deported to Mexico City in August 2025 under pressure from Trump administration immigration enforcement policies. Though Mexican-born, Ortiz identified as American and had established a hair salon business and community ties in LA. Seven months after his departure, he works as a hair stylist in Mexico City but struggles with displacement, grief over leaving his life and friends behind, and identity questions as he adapts to a country where he spent only nine months of his life and speaks Spanish only haltingly.

Civil rights groups including the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and ACLU of Michigan say ICE enforcement activity has increased at or near Michigan hospitals and clinics following federal withdrawal of guidelines that previously restricted law enforcement in health care settings. Health care providers report a rise in ICE encounters and worry about increased fear among patients and staff.

A middle school student and her parents were deported by ICE on Monday while attending an immigration appointment at the ICE facility in Camarillo. The family was deported to Tijuana within 24 hours. Their 3-year-old sibling, born in the U.S., was not taken into custody and is being cared for by relatives.

Leandro Bermudez, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Venezuela, and his 7-year-old daughter Lucia traveled to Colombia on March 10, 2026, to complete her I-130 visa application at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota. On March 16, U.S. officials denied Lucia's visa request citing a June 2025 Trump proclamation targeting terrorists and security threats. Lucia has lived in Utah since age 2 and attends school there. Her attorney argues the denial misinterprets the order and that Lucia, as the daughter of a U.S. citizen, should be exempt. The family is working with lawyers and Utah's congressional delegation to secure a federal waiver to bring her home.

A pregnant woman identified as Marie was detained at an ICE facility and told officials of her pregnancy, but was placed in solitary confinement for days and denied medical care despite repeated requests. She was denied translation services at a medical center and was not informed about medical procedures performed. While detained, she witnessed another woman miscarry and deliver a stillborn baby alone in a facility bathroom.

A 70-year-old Iranian woman who had resided peacefully in the United States for 26 years was detained by the Trump administration without valid legal justification. Federal Judge Gary Klausner expressed shock at the government's inability to provide adequate cause for her detention and ordered her release. Her case exemplifies a pattern in which the Department of Justice has failed to present valid arguments to justify detentions across numerous cases.

Gael, a nonverbal 5-year-old boy from Colombia with significant developmental delays undergoing autism evaluations, was detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas for three weeks along with his asylum-seeking parents, Leonardo and Nelsy. The family was arrested on March 3 during an immigration check-in in El Paso. During his confinement, Gael's health deteriorated severely: he struggled to eat, experienced constipation lasting over a week with visible abdominal swelling and pain, and began engaging in self-harm behavior by hitting himself as his distress increased. Before detention, Gael had been receiving therapy in El Paso while the family pursued their asylum case. His attorney, Elora Mukherjee, requested his release on medical grounds after a video call with children's entertainer Ms. Rachel, arranged by a journalist, drew public attention to his condition. The family was released days later and returned to El Paso with required ICE check-ins to continue their asylum proceedings.

A 10-year-old U.S. citizen girl recovering from brain cancer was deported to Mexico along with her undocumented parents and four American-born siblings in February 2025. The family was detained at an immigration checkpoint while traveling from Rio Grande City to Houston for the child's emergency medical checkup. The girl, who had undergone surgery to remove a brain tumor, has been unable to continue her specialized medical treatment and rehabilitation in Mexico. An 11-year-old U.S. citizen recovering from brain cancer was deported to Mexico with her family by Border Patrol agents despite her documented citizenship and need for ongoing medical treatment. The family was traveling to Houston for emergency care when agents ignored a hospital letter the family had used previously at checkpoints and detained the family, deporting them the next day. The citizen child's 18-year-old brother, Fernando Hernández García, was not detained and remained in the U.S. to earn money and send medicine to his sister. The family's lawyers report they have been unable to access proper medical care in Mexico and have applied for humanitarian parole.

Angelina Lopez-Jimenez and her daughter Wendy Godinez-Jimenez were detained by ICE officers at San Francisco International Airport on March 23, 2026, as the mother was being transported on an outbound flight. Video footage captured by travelers shows officers detaining Lopez-Jimenez as her daughter watched, with San Francisco police officers present at the scene. According to DHS, Lopez-Jimenez resisted officers during the arrest and a deportation order for the family was issued in 2019. ICE stated the family unit was being repatriated to Guatemala.

A Honduran national who had been living in the U.S. for over a decade with protection under the Convention Against Torture was detained by ICE during a routine check-in on March 23, 2026. He had been living free under an Order of Supervision for 14 years without any violations. The court granted his temporary restraining order and ordered his immediate release, finding that ICE violated his due process rights by detaining him without proper notice or hearing.

Alicia Luna Flores, her husband Juan Alberto Baquera Santoyo, and their 12-year-old daughter Melanie were deported to Mexico on March 23 after arriving at an ICE office in Camarillo expecting to have their ankle monitors removed. Luna, who had worked as a house cleaner, and Baquera, who worked as a day laborer, had crossed the border eight years earlier and applied for asylum with their then 5-year-old daughter. Melanie attended Mesa Verde Middle School in Moorpark and dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player. The family was given no specific reason for the deportation except a reference to a missed court date that Luna said she was unaware of. They were transported to Tijuana and eventually relocated to Mexico, leaving behind their 3-year-old U.S.-born son Aaron in the care of relatives.

A 38-year-old Mexican national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2003 was detained by immigration authorities during a traffic stop in Fountain Valley, California on March 23, 2026. He has been held at Adelanto detention facility without a bond hearing despite having a pending asylum application, being married to a U.S. citizen, and having an American citizen son. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring immigration authorities to provide him with an individualized bond hearing within 14 days.

Following President Trump's mass deportation campaign, federal agents have conducted large-scale immigration enforcement crackdowns across multiple U.S. cities, resulting in hundreds of thousands of arrests and deportations. Companion animals including dogs, cats, bunnies, and chickens have been left behind by deported families, overwhelming pet rescue organizations and animal control agencies. Rolling River Rescue in New Orleans and other nonprofits are scrambling to find foster and adoptive homes for displaced pets, with some cities reporting significant increases in stray and abandoned animals.

An undocumented individual with a felony conviction has been sentenced to more than 15 years. No additional details about the nature of the conviction, jurisdiction, or circumstances are provided in the available text.

Heidy Sánchez, a 44-year-old Cuban immigrant and home health aide who arrived in the U.S. in 2019, was detained by ICE on April 22, 2025, during what she believed was a routine annual check-in appointment at the Tampa office while nursing her one-year-old daughter, a U.S. citizen born prematurely with seizures. She was handcuffed and separated from her daughter as her husband, Carlos Yuniel Valle, a U.S. citizen who owns a landscaping company, heard her screaming. Two days later, on April 24, Sánchez was deported to Cuba on a flight with 81 other Cuban migrants. Sánchez had no criminal record, worked as a home health aide, held a social security card and driver's license, paid taxes, and was complying with ICE requirements under her I-220B supervision order. Her daughter, distressed by the separation, refused to eat. From Cuba, Sánchez has recorded tearful video pleas to President Trump and walks up to ten times daily searching for internet to video call her daughter. U.S. Representatives María Elvira Salazar and Kathy Castor have called for her reunification, with Castor filing a humanitarian parole request with the Trump administration. DHS disputed Sánchez's account, claiming she was offered the choice to take her child or place the child with a designated relative. Sánchez arrived in Cuba without passport, identification, or documentation explaining her deportation.

A man who had been granted parole on August 15, 2024, was re-detained by ICE on March 22, 2026, without notice or an opportunity to be heard. Respondents stated he was re-detained after violations of his conditions of release. The court granted his habeas petition, ordered his immediate release on the same conditions as before his re-detention, and enjoined respondents from re-detaining him without providing notice and a pre-detention hearing.

Anabell, a Nicaraguan immigrant detained at Campbell County Detention facility, experienced vaginal bleeding and severe abdominal pain — symptoms of a possible miscarriage — while in ICE custody. She submitted a detainee request for medical help on March 22, 2026, but has received limited medical care and cannot access her own medical records to understand what happened to her pregnancy or what care she received. Democratic Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois and other lawmakers are pushing for her release and have been unable to obtain her medical records despite repeated requests, though detainees are legally entitled to access their medical records under federal policy.

ICE agents raided a home in South Burlington, Vermont on March 22, 2026, searching for Deyvi Daniel Corona Sanchez but arrested three other people instead: Ecuadorian sisters Jisella Johana Patin Patin and Camila Patin Patin, and Christian Humberto Jerez Andrade from Honduras. The operation became chaotic when hundreds of protesters surrounded the Dorset Street building, and federal agents used flash bangs and tear gas to clear the crowd and attempt to leave the scene. Local and state police were called to assist, creating conflict between police departments—Vermont officers were skeptical of ICE's actions and some questioned whether the target was even in the home. Federal judges granted release to the two sisters; Jerez Andrade was released on bond. Their attorneys say ICE violated their civil rights by arresting them.

A Venezuelan citizen entered the U.S. on June 21, 2022, was initially detained by immigration authorities, then released on his own recognizance on June 24, 2022. He was re-detained by ICE on March 22, 2026, without notice of the reason for his re-detention or opportunity to contest it. The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding that his re-detention without notice and hearing violated due process.

On March 22 at San Francisco International Airport Terminal 3, TSA agents alerted ICE to the presence of Angelina Lopez Jimenez and her daughter, who had removal orders issued in 2019. ICE agents detained the pair as they prepared to board a flight to Miami. Multiple airport employees and passengers called 911, unaware of the immigration enforcement action. Lopez Jimenez and her daughter were subsequently deported to Guatemala.

Usiel Sanchez Romero, an Omaha contracting business owner who came to the United States without authorization in 2013, was detained by ICE during a traffic stop on March 21, 2026. Romero, who has no criminal record and is married with an 8-year-old son, has operated his contracting business for seven years. Following his detention, he was taken to Pottawattamie County Jail and held without a bond hearing. Romero is suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Pottawattamie County, seeking either his release from custody or a bond hearing in immigration court.

Jose Leal, a Venezuelan-born artist living in Three Rivers, Texas, was detained by ICE following a traffic stop despite having an active asylum case, a valid work permit valid through 2027, and no criminal record. Leal arrived in the U.S. in 2022 and has been compliant with all immigration requirements, including monthly check-ins. His wife, Francis Campos, expressed concern about his detention and said he came to the U.S. fleeing violence. Family and friends continue working to secure his release.