Human Impact Project

Yeison Saúl Menjívar Portillo, a boy with Down syndrome and epilepsy who is nonverbal and hearing impaired, was detained by ICE in Bridge City, a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana. His family says they do not know where he is or whether he is safe. His mother stated he requires specific medication for epileptic seizures and cannot survive or care for himself without her presence, and she is asking authorities to either tell her where he is or deport her with him.

Diana, a longtime community member known for her kindness and generosity, was taken into ICE custody after attending a scheduled immigration appointment. She is currently awaiting a bond hearing while her immigration case proceeds. Her family and friends are raising funds to cover legal fees, bond costs, and other case-related expenses.

A man, believed to be originally from Venezuela, was arrested by ICE in the parking lot of Wow Supermarket off South Boulevard in Charlotte on Monday morning while working as a Lyft driver. According to video footage and witnesses, approximately 10 immigration officers surrounded the man's car, broke the window, and forcibly removed him from the vehicle. A Siembra NC volunteer and store employee reported the man was assaulted during the arrest. The incident caused the store to close temporarily out of fear for employees' safety.

Josue Castro Rivera, a 24-year-old from Honduras who had lived in the United States for four years, was fatally struck by a pickup truck on October 23, 2025 while attempting to cross Interstate 264 during an ICE traffic stop in Norfolk, Virginia. Castro Rivera was on his way to a gardening job with three passengers when immigration officers pulled over their vehicle as part of a "targeted, intelligence-based" operation. His brother Henry Castro described him as having "a very good heart" and noted that he was working to send money to his family in Honduras. When ICE officers began detaining the vehicle's occupants, Castro Rivera resisted and fled on foot onto the busy highway around 11 a.m., where he was struck by a 2002 Ford pickup truck. An ICE officer administered CPR, but Castro Rivera was pronounced dead at the scene. According to DHS, the vehicle's occupants were determined to be in the country without authorization. Virginia State Police responded to the crash but clarified they did not participate in the pursuit. Josue Castro Rivera, a 24-year-old Honduran man, was hit and killed by a pick-up truck while crossing a highway during an immigration traffic stop in Norfolk, Virginia. The death occurred during intensified federal immigration enforcement operations.

Carlos Roberto Montoya Valdez, a 52-year-old day laborer from Guatemala, died on August 14, 2025, after being struck by an SUV traveling approximately 60 mph while fleeing across Interstate 210 in Monrovia, California during a federal immigration enforcement operation at a Home Depot parking lot. Montoya had lived in the United States for about three years and worked to support his wife of 35 years, Ana María Vásquez, four daughters, and grandchildren in Guatemala. His daughter Ana Victoria recalled his final call the night before his death, in which he expressed hope of returning to Guatemala once he earned enough money to start his own business. His wife described him as "a light" who brought joy to everyone, especially his grandchildren. Between eight and ten day laborers from Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras were arrested during the operation. The Department of Homeland Security stated Montoya was not being pursued by federal agents when he ran. Community advocates, including the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, blamed the enforcement operation's tactics for creating panic that led to his death, and organizers are demanding a full investigation into the circumstances and calling on Home Depot to release any video footage.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted enforcement operations over the weekend resulting in the arrest of 14 individuals with prior criminal convictions for serious offenses including murder, child sexual abuse, assault, and drug trafficking. The arrests spanned multiple states and involved nationals from Mexico, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago, and other countries. According to DHS, approximately 70 percent of ICE arrests involve individuals either charged with or convicted of crimes in the United States. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced arrests of 10 individuals across the country over two consecutive days of operations. The individuals arrested include those with prior convictions for manslaughter, human trafficking of a minor, child pornography, rape, drug trafficking, immigrant smuggling, and other offenses. Arrests took place in Texas (3 individuals), California (2), Utah, Delaware, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New York. The agency did not release additional details about the dates of underlying convictions, sentences served, or current custody status.

Detainees at a McCook, Nebraska ICE detention facility reported experiencing fear and hazardous conditions as wildfire smoke drifted into the center. The article documents detainees' accounts of their experiences, including prayer and other coping mechanisms during the smoky conditions at the facility.

A Cuban national held at Florence Correctional Center in Arizona staged multiple hunger strikes to protest what he described as inhumane detention conditions and lack of transparency regarding his asylum claims. He alleges that ICE subjected him to solitary confinement and restrictive measures to isolate him from legal counsel and advocacy groups after his protests gained attention. He was subsequently deported to Ecuador, a third country, which terminated his ability to participate in U.S. legal proceedings.

Twenty-two people from the Greater Binghamton Area were detained over one week during heightened ICE enforcement in Broome County. Most detentions occurred while people were commuting to work or working outdoor jobs between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. The detained individuals were mostly Spanish speakers but also included people of South Asian and Central Asian descent. Several of those detained were legally present in the United States. Local organizations are urging residents to take precautions and providing an ICE hotline for reporting suspected activity.

Danny Joel Quispe Maizanche, an Ecuadorian national, was arrested by ICE officers on Himrod Street in Bushwick during a targeted enforcement operation. He entered the United States near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, in April 2024 and was enrolled in the federal Alternatives to Detention program but failed to comply with its reporting requirements. According to DHS, Quispe Maizanche has accepted Incentivized Voluntary Departure and is expected to return to Ecuador.

Félix Alcorta Rodríguez, a 63-year-old Mexican national, died on June 19, 2026, at Webb County Detention Center in Laredo, Texas, after being found unresponsive in his cell. ICE personnel performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation before he was transferred to Laredo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. He had been in ICE custody for only a few days and was transferred to ICE custody after serving time for prior traffic violations. The cause of death is pending autopsy results. His death was one of at least 16 Mexican nationals who died in U.S. immigration detention facilities during the current federal administration, and the 20th person to die in ICE custody in 2026. Civil rights advocates from the Laredo Immigrant Alliance and Texas Civil Rights Project presented a report to Webb County commissioners detailing alleged violations at the facility, including failure to monitor suicidal detainees for up to 22 hours and delays of up to 25 days in conducting initial medical assessments. The Mexican government filed complaints and demanded criminal investigations into the death.

In June, immigration agents entered a branch courthouse in Bridgeview and struggled with a man on the ground as onlookers asked whether they had a warrant, in a scene captured on video that circulated widely online. Agents took two adults and a child into custody after the adults had appeared in court on misdemeanor retail theft cases. A person in a Cook County sheriff's office uniform was seen greeting an immigration agent and assisting as the detained man was placed into a vehicle, prompting state lawmakers to send letters demanding answers from Sheriff Tom Dart.

Orlando Martinez Mendoza, 48, migrated from Cuba to the US in 2015 by boat. Immigration authorities arrested him at a court hearing in Tennessee where he had appeared for a speeding charge. He was transported to three different detention centers in Tennessee over two months, then to a holding facility at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola), then to Arizona, and finally to Palenque, Mexico in 2025. He described the transfer to Angola as staged for media purposes, with police escorts, sirens, and TV cameras present. He said immigration officials "dumped us right in front of COMAR like we were dogs."

Four Kenyan nationals—Newton Njuguna Githiri, Mohamed Chekchekani, Ian Mwangi Irungu, and Said Salat Yarow—are facing deportation from the United States after ICE determined their criminal convictions make them removable under federal law. Githiri was arrested in New Orleans after serving criminal sentences and was convicted in Alabama. Chekchekani was detained in Los Angeles and court records show he was convicted of kidnapping a minor and RICO violations. Details on Irungu and Yarow's cases have not been disclosed. Each man is subject to immigration proceedings that could result in removal from the country.

Scull Delgado arrived in the US during the 1980 Mariel boatlift, fleeing Cuba's mandatory military service. He settled in California, married a U.S. citizen, raised three children and four grandchildren, and worked for decades while building toward retirement—just one month away when immigration agents arrested him during a routine annual sign-in at a U.S. immigration office. He had served his time for a crime committed in the 1990s and maintained a clean record afterward. By November 2025, he had been transported to Mexico, separated from his family after nearly 46 years in the country.

Jaime Alanis Garcia, a 57-year-old farmworker at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, California, died from injuries sustained during a federal immigration raid in July 2025. While fleeing federal immigration agents who deployed rubber bullets, tear gas, and stun guns, Garcia fell approximately 30 feet from a greenhouse roof, sustaining a broken neck and skull fractures. He was placed on life support before his family decided to discontinue his care. Garcia's wife and daughter filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Glass House Farms and the federal government, alleging that federal agents' use of excessive force caused Garcia to seek shelter on the roof. The raid resulted in more than 360 arrests of undocumented workers across Camarillo and Carpinteria locations. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Alanis was never in custody and was not being chased by federal agents. Community members later marched through Carpinteria to commemorate Garcia's death and demand accountability.

A noncitizen who had been previously released on conditional parole was detained on July 11, 2026, at an ICE check-in without a pre-deprivation bond hearing. The court found that the government violated the Due Process Clause by re-detaining him without providing a constitutionally compliant hearing before a neutral arbiter to determine his eligibility for bond. The court ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he was subject to prior to his July 11 detention.

A 20-year-old lawful permanent resident was detained for hours on July 11 during an ICE operation at an apartment complex in Olathe. He was arrested alongside his cousin, Alan Marquez, after ICE agents claimed both men rammed or attempted to ram into federal agents—a claim the men deny. Police transported both men to county jail and held them for several hours before they were released without criminal charges. The legal permanent resident fears that pursuing legal action could jeopardize his immigration status and has decided not to pursue the matter.

Alan Marquez, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained for hours on July 11 after an encounter with ICE agents at an apartment complex in Olathe. Marquez stopped to watch an immigration enforcement operation when ICE agent Jack Ravencamp approached his red truck and pepper-sprayed his vehicle before reversing into it, causing damage to the door and side mirror. Video evidence reviewed by the Post shows the agent reversing into Marquez's truck. Marquez was handcuffed and transported to county jail by Olathe police and held for several hours before being released without criminal charges. Marquez, a U.S. citizen, says he intends to challenge what happened and pursue a damages claim for the vehicle.

A native and citizen of India entered the United States without inspection in December 2022 and was released under an order of supervision while his pending asylum application was processed. On June 25, 2026, when he reported for a routine ICE check-in that he had consistently attended, he was re-detained without notice, explanation, or opportunity to be heard, despite having no criminal history and complying with all conditions of release. The court ordered his immediate release, finding that the revocation of his prior release violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights because he was deprived of liberty without an opportunity to be heard and there was no evidence of changed circumstances.

A man was detained by ICE while on his way to work. He has been a father figure for over 4 years to his stepdaughter and is the biological father of a 2-year-old son who recently celebrated his second birthday. His family describes him as someone who worked hard to provide for and care for them. His stepdaughter is raising funds for immigration legal representation to fight his case.

Nico Valencia, a Mexican national, was detained by ICE while traveling to work and is being held at Stewart Detention Center. His family, including his uncle Jacob and aunt Leanne Valencia, has been unable to contact him since his detention three days prior. Nico immigrated to the United States to support his mother and siblings in rural Mexico. His family is raising funds to cover legal and detention fees associated with his case.

Teodoro Vazquez-Moreno, 58, a Mexico-born resident of Evansville, was arrested by ICE following a traffic stop and held at the Clay County Justice Center in Brazil, Indiana on an immigration hold. His niece Ana Karen Gonzalez learned of his detention through a text from his son, who operates a food truck business on Evansville's East Side, and discovered her uncle in the back of a federal van outside the Evansville-Vanderburgh Civic Center while seeking information from local officials. According to family members, Vazquez-Moreno carried a valid driver's license and federal work permit at the time of arrest and had no active criminal cases; a years-old DUI case from Dubois County was the only reported scrape with the law. Vazquez-Moreno was being represented by immigration attorney Jason Flora at the time of his arrest. By Saturday, the family confirmed through a phone call that he was the person in the van and were told he would be deported to Mexico, though they received no formal removal documentation.

Raul Moreno Meza, a middle-aged man living in Salt Lake City's Rose Park neighborhood, was restrained by ICE agents inside his home on July 7 after agents followed him from a gas station into his garage without announcing themselves as immigration officers, according to his daughter Elizabeth Garcia. Garcia, a U.S. citizen, filmed the incident in which agents also restrained her teenage brother while their family dog escaped. Garcia said her father has not left the U.S. in 22 years and that their grandfather, a U.S. citizen, petitioned for his legal residency before his death; the family hopes to complete that process. ICE stated Moreno Meza was granted voluntary return to Mexico for illegal entries, but Garcia disputes this account and says she is unaware of multiple entries. An attorney representing Moreno Meza argues that law enforcement cannot enter a home without a warrant except in special circumstances involving exigent danger, and that agents should have waited for him to exit or obtained a warrant.

José Luis, a Mexican man nicknamed 'El acomedido,' was detained by ICE on a street in southern California and held at the GEO Group-run Adelanto detention center, where he was paid just $1 a day to clean tables, bathrooms, dining areas and other common spaces through the facility's Voluntary Work Program. He said he took the work because his family could not deposit money into his account, leaving him needing income for basic items like instant noodles, toothpaste and soap that the facility was supposed to provide. He returned home with a fungal nail infection he suspects came from cleaning toilets, and as the sole provider for his family, his wife and children were left without support during his detention. Advocates, including Juan José Gutiérrez of the Full Rights Coalition for Immigrants, describe the $1-a-day wage as labor exploitation by GEO Group, a company valued at roughly $4 billion. The account comes amid a separate case in which GEO Group agreed to pay California regulators over $100,000 after Cal/OSHA found the company failed to provide protective equipment or training to detainees at its Golden State Annex facility who cleaned mold and handled toxic chemicals.

A Mexican migrant identified in court filings as 'John Doe,' a father of two who cooperated with the U.S. Department of Justice and testified against members of Mexican drug cartels, was deported three times by ICE despite holding protection under the Convention Against Torture. He was first removed to Guatemala on July 10, then twice to Mexico, most recently to an area with significant cartel activity, where he has been in hiding fearing torture or death. U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher ordered the government to take active steps within 14 days to facilitate his return, writing there is an 'immense public interest' in protecting those who risk their safety to assist government prosecutions. Before his deportation, he had been held for six months at a Louisiana detention center after ICE detained him during a routine immigration check-in.

Inocencia Rodríguez, a 32-year-old Dominican mother of an eight-year-old daughter, was detained by ICE officers at a security checkpoint while driving to take a friend to work. She possessed a document proving an ongoing immigration process to regularize her status, including an I-130 petition filed by her permanent resident husband and an approved provisional I-601A waiver. ICE used information from her driver's license—shared by Puerto Rico's Department of Transportation with federal authorities in early 2025—to locate and arrest her. A federal judge found her detention "illegal" and ordered her immediate release, and she was released after posting a $5,000 bond. She now faces deportation proceedings despite her legal documentation and family ties to the U.S. territory.

An immigrant who is married to a U.S. citizen was detained by ICE agents in New Jersey on July 10, 2026. The person's U.S. citizen spouse contacted immigration attorneys for assistance with the case. The detention occurred shortly after the law firm had warned that spouses of U.S. citizens are being targeted by ICE.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 309 people during a four-day operation in Palm Beach County from July 6 through July 10, 2026. The operation was a joint effort involving federal, state, and local law-enforcement agencies that made more than 100 agents available. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office participated in the operation under the state's 287(g) immigration enforcement agreements mandated under Governor Ron DeSantis. Of the 309 arrested, only 11 had legal violations beyond their immigration status, such as DUI, drug charges, or driving without a license. One person was identified as a suspected member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The arrests represent the largest ICE operation in Palm Beach County since January 2025.

About 10 employees at Ternerita Steakhouse in Orlando were detained by ICE on the night of July 10, 2026, after an employee called police following a workplace dispute, prompting an inspection of the restaurant. Owner Luis Tarrés said authorities found the restaurant fully compliant with licensing and operational requirements, but officers detained and handcuffed workers who lacked U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, including some with valid work permits and Social Security numbers, leaving only citizens and residents behind. Tarrés, describing the business as family-run, said the restaurant has been unable to reopen since the raid due to lack of staff, and that prospective hires he has since approached fear suffering the same fate. The employee who initially called police has not publicly explained what prompted the call.

Jacob Zapeta-Castro, a Guatemalan national and owner of El Quetzal Bakery in Lake Worth Beach, was detained by ICE agents on July 9, 2026. According to his family and advocates, Zapeta-Castro locked himself and his coworkers inside the business to protect undocumented employees from detention. ICE characterized his actions as fleeing agents. At the time of arrest, Zapeta-Castro held a valid work permit, Social Security number, and driver's license, and had filed for asylum in June 2024 and a withholding of removal petition. Multi-agency law enforcement—including ICE, Florida Highway Patrol, and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office—surrounded the business with approximately 50 officers while roughly 50 community members protested outside. The standoff lasted hours in extreme heat. He was charged with re-entering the country after deportation and held in ICE detention in Stuart, with his arraignment scheduled for July 29 in federal court in West Palm Beach. His arrest occurred during a four-day ICE operation in Palm Beach County that resulted in 309 total arrests.

Between July 6–10, 2026, federal, state, and local law enforcement arrested 309 undocumented immigrants during a five-day immigration enforcement operation in Palm Beach County conducted under the federal 287(g) program. More than 100 federal, state, and county personnel participated, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, Florida Highway Patrol's Criminal Apprehension Team, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, with support from the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard. Jacob Zapeta-Castro was among those detained during the enforcement activity, arrested at his bakery where he worked. The operation drew community concern and outrage over the detention methods and scope of the sweep.

Jonathan Delgado was detained by ICE agents in a Food City parking lot in Mesa, Arizona, while his wife Cindy Mendoza recorded the encounter. Delgado is the primary breadwinner for his family and father of three children, including a 6-year-old son with autism who is nonverbal. According to Mendoza, she had only seconds to process the situation and say goodbye as her husband was taken into custody.

A Nicaraguan immigrant and his son were arrested by ICE at their home in Florida three weeks after attempting to claim a $1,000 lottery prize from a Mega 7 drawing. The family alleges that lottery officials retained the ticket and alerted ICE to their address. The father's license was expired due to the revocation of TPS (Temporary Protected Status) for Nicaraguan nationals, which prevented them from claiming the prize at the time.

A 45-year-old Honduran national who entered without inspection over 20 years ago was arrested without an immigration warrant on July 10, 2026, while traveling to work in Florida. He has four U.S. citizen children, stable employment with a valid Employment Authorization Document, deep community ties, and no criminal history. His removal proceedings were administratively closed in 2015. He was detained at Krome North Service Processing Center without a bond hearing, and the petition challenges his detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A), arguing he should be detained under § 1226(a) with bond eligibility.

An Armenian national with a final removal order since 2020 was released on supervision on July 8, 2026, following a prior court order. When he reported to ICE on July 10, 2026, he was re-detained after ICE obtained travel documents from Armenia and scheduled his removal for July 26, 2026. The court denied his emergency request to be released again, finding he did not show a likelihood of success on the merits of his three grounds for relief challenging the revocation of his supervision order.

David, a hardworking resident of Chicago who worked at La Mijikana, was arrested by ICE. He had been sending his paychecks home to support his family in Mexico, where his mother is facing a serious medical problem. With David now in ICE custody, his family is struggling to cover both his mother's medical treatment and legal fees.

Marcelino Gutiérrez, a pastor and church leader, was stopped during a traffic stop on July 10, 2026, and arrested for not having a valid driver's license. He had entered the United States legally with a visa on February 14, 2015, and has spent the last 11 years working, serving his church, and supporting his wife and four daughters. After his arrest, an ICE immigration hold was placed on him, and he was transferred to immigration detention. His family is raising funds for legal representation and to support his wife and daughters during his detention.

Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian citizen who legally entered the United States in 1994, was convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for repeatedly sexually assaulting a child between 2002 and 2004. He was ordered deported in October 2006 but remained in the country for approximately 20 years because Laos restricted deportee acceptance. ICE arrested Vang on December 10, 2025, with plans to deport him based on his prior conviction. A federal judge in the District of Minnesota ordered his release from ICE custody on February 19, 2026. The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission granted Vang a pardon on June 10, 2026, which removed the conviction from his record. Despite the pardon, Secretary of State Marco Rubio terminated Vang's legal status, and ICE deported him to Laos on July 10, 2026. DHS argued that the pardon did not prevent removal, and the agency criticized the clemency decision.

ICE agents conducted enforcement operations in Clark County on Wednesday and Thursday, detaining at least 28 people who are being held at Clark County Jail. The Clarksville Police Department headquarters served as a staging area for federal agents. Community members reported increased ICE presence at locations including a Home Depot parking lot in Clarksville where Latino workers typically seek employment. Noe Muñoz, owner of El Mañanero Breakfast Spot, closed his restaurant Thursday due to community fear after his brother was pulled over by a Corydon police officer in an unmarked vehicle on Wednesday during what appeared to be a pretextual traffic stop that resulted in no citation. Local activism groups expressed concerns about the enforcement operation.

The Bay County Sheriff's Office conducted multiple immigration enforcement operations in partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, resulting in 55 arrests for allegedly being in the United States unlawfully. The operations were conducted by deputies assigned to the 287(g) program in partnership with ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations units.

Eight workers were detained during an ICE and Homeland Security Investigations operation at La Fontanella Foods, a food manufacturing warehouse in Kansas City's Historic Northeast, on July 9, 2026. The operation began around 9:45 a.m. and lasted approximately two and a half hours, involving seven to ten federal agents and Jackson County sheriff deputies. A worker reported that agents initially stated no one would be taken into custody and were there only to obtain documents, but later detained the eight people. Agents removed boxes of documents and computers from the facility. Federal officials claimed they were executing a federal criminal search warrant, but no witnesses or employees saw the warrant, and one officer acknowledged not personally carrying a copy. The operation was part of intensified ICE enforcement across the Kansas City metro during June and July 2026.

Jacob Zepeta-Castro, owner of the El Quetzal bakery in Lake Worth Beach, was arrested by ICE agents and Florida Highway Patrol troopers after an hours-long standoff that drew a crowd of officers, protesters and passersby. He was charged with defying deportation orders by returning to Florida more than once from his native Guatemala; his family said he was working legally and had a pending asylum application. Zepeta-Castro's family and advocates disputed ICE's claim that he tried to ram an agent's car, saying he locked the bakery's doors to protect his employees and surrendered voluntarily as his distraught children watched. A federal judge has ordered him held without bond at a Stuart detention facility, ruling his asylum application is no defense against the reentry charge.

Yeferson Jose Canamo-Jordan, a 28-year-old Venezuelan national, and Felipe Fernando Reymundo, a 23-year-old Guatemalan national, were arrested by ICE during vehicle stops in Upper Marlboro on July 9, 2026, after being released from Prince George's County Detention Center. Both men had been released from county custody after their charges were dismissed or resolved. Canamo-Jordan entered the U.S. in August 2022 and has been convicted of driving without a valid license and recently charged with assault. Reymundo entered without inspection and has faced arrests since 2025 on charges including arson and motor vehicle theft. ICE alleged Canamo-Jordan was affiliated with Tren de Aragua. The arrests followed Prince George's County's decision to decline ICE detainers; the county executive signed an executive order in February banning the use of county property as immigration detention facilities.

A Nicaraguan national who entered the U.S. in September 2022 and was released on recognizance with asylum pending was arrested for driving under the influence on July 4, 2026. He reported to ICE offices on July 9, 2026 pursuant to his release conditions and was detained at Golden State Annex Detention Facility. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause, and ordered a substantive bond hearing within 14 days where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that he poses a danger or flight risk.

Arturo Ruvalcaba, a 38-year-old deaf man with a green card, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against ICE agents and federal officials after an encounter on September 29 outside Salt Lake Community College's Taylorsville campus. According to the lawsuit, three white Ford SUVs pulled up to a bus stop where Ruvalcaba was waiting, and agents in military-style uniforms approached him shouting commands without providing a sign language interpreter or accommodating his deafness. When Ruvalcaba attempted to communicate through gestures and sign language and retrieve his documentation, an agent pushed him down by his shoulders and another pulled forcefully on his arm, injuring his elbow. After presenting his legal status documents, he was released. Ruvalcaba subsequently experienced pain and swelling, required multiple medical treatments, and missed several weeks of work. His wife reported that the encounter affected the emotional well-being of their three adopted sons. On July 8, 2026, the parties filed a stipulated motion to dismiss the case without prejudice, and the court terminated the civil case on July 9, 2026.

Winston, an HVAC technician who has lived in Virginia for six years with his wife and 15-month-old son Luka, was detained by ICE agents in a Home Depot parking lot in New York while working on a maintenance contract along the East Coast. He studied and qualified as an HVAC technician in the United States to provide for his family. His detention has left his wife and young son without income and emotional support; his son searches for him each time the front door opens. His sister Bárbara is fundraising for legal representation costs (approximately $20,000), an immigration bond, and family support expenses while Winston remains detained and unable to work.

An Eritrean national ordered removed in 2016, was released on an Order of Supervision in 2016 and lived in the community for approximately 10 years before being re-detained in 2026. The court found that ICE failed to establish a significant likelihood of removal to Eritrea, which does not cooperate with the United States for repatriation. The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, also establishing procedural protections against removal to third countries.

Sergio Daniel Cerpas Garcia, 36, a Mexican citizen, was arrested by ICE agents at Stanislaus County Superior Court on July 9, 2026, before he could appear for his scheduled arraignment in a pending state criminal case. Cerpas Garcia had voluntarily appeared at court after posting $150,000 bail in May and was detained by federal immigration agents before the courthouse doors opened, according to his attorney Hector Alvarez. ICE stated Cerpas Garcia was deported from the United States in 2017 and later reentered without authorization. His sister Cecilia recounted watching three men handcuff her brother, place him in a black van, and provide no identification initially. The detention has disrupted his state criminal proceedings, in which he has not yet entered a plea to charges of committing a lewd or lascivious act on a child under 14. His defense is preparing a motion under California's Racial Justice Act challenging the circumstances of his detention.

Sergio, a Mexican national who immigrated to the U.S. decades ago to escape crime in Chihuahua, was arrested by ICE at a gas station in Colorado Springs on July 9, 2026. He has worked in construction for nearly 40 years while managing partial blindness and medical issues, according to his 22-year-old daughter Inez. Three other men were also detained in the same operation at an unmarked DHS facility in downtown Colorado Springs. Inez said her father "just wanted the American Dream" and described the arrest as "our worst nightmare."