Human Impact Project

Everyone had their case dismissed that afternoon which meant ICE could now take them at anytime. With only one way out of the building and ICE sitting in cars throughout the parking lot I knew what was going to happen. The mother’s friend-who had been sitting in the car next to mine-stepped out and met them by the front entrance, just a few feet from where I stood with the Priests. For a second, I couldn’t tell if the mother realized what was about to happen. But it only took that second. Suddenly, the ICE agents-every one of them a masked man-began walking toward us. Toward her. And that’s when it started. The little girl saw them first. “Mommy! Mommy!” she screamed, and burst into tears. Then her brother realized what was happening and started crying too. ICE doesn’t like to take children when the Priests are present and watching. ICE -asked whoever is with the kids to follow them to a different location, so they can take the children too. Because the kids are also in removal proceedings. Please donate so The Sidewalk School can continue to document and record these “disappearances” To donate: SidewalkSchool.org ***Video recorded by The Sidewalk School

Rachel Dionne-Thunder, who is Plains Cree and co-founder of Indigenous Protectors Movement, was stopped and questioned by ICE agents near Powwow Grounds coffee shop on January 10, 2026 without being given a reason for the stop. She locked her vehicle doors and refused to comply with agents' orders to show ID or exit the vehicle, citing Know Your Rights training. Community members came to her aid and the agents left.

ICE agents in Maryland used the state's driver's license database to conduct license plate checks in January 2026 without a traffic violation or warrant, detaining Santos Alvarenga-Rodriguez, 47, a Salvadoran citizen, based on license restrictions. The operation, part of "Operation Take Back America," ran checks on approximately 10 vehicles, with nine resulting in no enforcement action. Nearly a quarter-million Maryland drivers carry similar license restrictions, which can indicate various factors unrelated to immigration status. Alvarenga-Rodriguez resisted during the encounter and was charged with assaulting and resisting officers.

Jorge Elieser Gonzalez Ochoa, a 27-year-old Colombian national seeking asylum, was arrested by plainclothes ICE agents at Bread Garden Market in Iowa City on September 25, 2025, while working and wearing a court-ordered GPS monitor. Agents charged him with document fraud and misuse of immigration documents. A federal judge ruled the DHS actions "indefensible" and found Gonzalez Ochoa was illegally detained, noting agents attempted to circumvent a court order and violated procedural requirements. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served plus one day. After several months in federal immigration detention, Gonzalez Ochoa was released following sustained community organizing and protests by groups including the Iowa City Catholic Worker and Escucha Mi Voz Iowa.

Jose Manuel De Paz Cruz, a 31-year-old father with no criminal record, was arrested by ICE agents in Sunset Park on January 10, 2026, while walking home from work to attend his step-son's birthday party. After being detained in Brooklyn, Cruz was transferred to multiple locations including Manhattan, New Jersey, Arizona, and California.

An Eritrean single mother of three with a pending green card application was detained during Operation PARRIS operations beginning January 9, 2026. During a five-hour interview with USCIS officers, she was questioned about her application materials and reasons for fleeing her country. Her attorney reported that the USCIS officer conducting the interview stated he had no knowledge of why she was detained or authority regarding her detention. She was released a few days after arrest and returned to Minnesota, and her green card application was approved while she was in detention.

Four Native American men, all citizens of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, were detained by ICE agents under a bridge near Little Earth, a Native American housing complex on Minneapolis's southside. According to tribal President Frank Star Comes Out, the men were homeless and unable to provide sufficient documentation of their citizenship and tribal membership during the encounter. At least one of the men was released after a 12-hour hold, but the community was unaware of his whereabouts. Tribal attorneys have been working to locate the men and provide documentation of their citizenship and tribal status.

Rachel Dionne-Thunder, co-founder of the Indigenous Peoples' Movement, was detained by ICE agents on Friday morning while sitting in her car near the Powwow Grounds coffee shop in Minneapolis. Coffee shop workers intervened and stopped the agents, and Dionne-Thunder recorded the incident on Facebook live. She is a Native American and U.S. citizen.

Jose Roberto Ramirez, a 20-year-old descendant of the Red Lake Nation, was detained by ICE agents on January 8, 2026, after being pulled over at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. According to one account, agents struck him on his face and body during the arrest despite his aunt identifying him as a citizen and Native American. Ramirez is not enrolled in the Red Lake Nation due to the tribe's blood quantum requirement and had no tribal identification. He was released after his mother provided his birth certificate. ICE later claimed he assaulted a federal officer; Ramirez denies the charge and has since been charged with assaulting a federal officer. Red Lake Nation's legal department provided assistance with documentation of his citizenship and family tribal connection.

A 42-year-old Salvadoran national was arrested by ICE agents on January 9, 2026, when he and his wife appeared at the Santa Ana Field Office for a scheduled interview regarding their pending I-130 petition. He had been living in the U.S. since 2004 and was previously released on his own recognizance in 2011 after removal proceedings were initiated. He is the primary financial provider for four U.S. citizen children. The court granted his application for a temporary restraining order and ordered his immediate release from custody.

Jose Avendano, a 62-year-old dishwasher from El Salvador with temporary protected status and a valid work permit, was arrested on January 9, 2026, while driving to work. He told officers he had legal authorization to be in the United States, but was detained and transferred to El Paso. Avendano has lived in the U.S. for 32 years, has a heart condition requiring daily medication and a pacemaker, and missed a critical medical procedure due to his arrest. A federal judge ordered his release after his lawyer filed suit, but ICE kept him in custody for three additional days in violation of the court order.

A father in Minnesota was separated from his child by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The incident was documented on social media. Community organizers in Minneapolis erected makeshift barricades in neighborhoods to monitor and slow ICE vehicle movements by tracking license plates. Minneapolis police dismantled at least five of these barricades, citing concerns about emergency response times and traffic obstruction. Residents repeatedly rebuilt the barricades.

Britain Rodriguez, 31, an Orange County resident and after-school program supervisor, was shot in the face with a less-lethal round by Homeland Security officers during an anti-ICE protest in downtown Santa Ana on January 9, 2026. The projectile damaged his iris, cornea, and lens, causing a cataract and severe vision loss. Officers gave no warning before firing at protesters demonstrating against ICE deportations and the killing of Renee Good in Minnesota. Rodriguez was unable to work or drive following the injury and faces uncertainty about his vision recovery.

A noncitizen was arrested on January 9, 2026, for driving under the influence, transporting an open container of medical marijuana, and possession of medical marijuana without a license. He was detained by immigration authorities immediately following his release from custody on these drug-related charges. The court granted his habeas petition and ordered respondents to provide him a bond hearing within 14 days before an immigration judge, where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that he is a flight risk or danger to public safety, or he must be released on the same terms as his previous release.

Alejandro Perez, a Ballwin resident, pleaded guilty to unlawful re-entry into the United States in federal court and was sentenced to deportation to Mexico with a 20-year bar on re-entry. His U.S. citizen wife, Janie Perez, and their two daughters plan to relocate to Mexico to remain together as a family following his deportation, which is expected to occur within three to ten days after his sentencing in March.

Mauricio Martínez was detained by ICE agents during a traffic stop on January 9 and transferred to a detention facility in El Paso, Texas. His wife Nancy Parra and their three children have remained largely confined to their home. Parra reported that her husband is held in conditions including overcrowding, spoiled food, and poor sanitation. The family experiences financial hardship without his income.

Jose Roberto Ramirez, a 20-year-old member of the Red Lake Nation, was forcibly removed from his aunt's car by ICE agents in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, and struck during the encounter. He was detained for approximately 10 hours. Tribal leaders and members of the Minnesota state legislature's Native American Caucus reported that federal agents were racially profiling Native Americans—U.S. citizens with dual tribal and federal citizenship—mistaking them for immigrants based on skin color. The incident was recorded on camera.

On January 8, 2026, Border Patrol agents entered a Target store in Richfield, Minnesota, and detained two U.S. citizen teenagers employed at the store: Jonathan Aguilar Garcia and Christian Miranda Romano. Despite the detainees presenting a U.S. passport and asserting their citizenship, agents proceeded with detention. Both were later verified as U.S. citizens and released without charges. Christian's family remained in contact with ICE during the detention, and the incident prompted protests calling for accountability and restrictions on agent access without warrants.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent kneed a man identified as Juan Carlos at least five times in the face while other agents held him on the pavement in Minneapolis on January 9, 2026. Video evidence showed the incident occurring on Chicago Avenue near 24th Street. The man was taken to the Whipple Federal Building and then to a hospital due to difficulty breathing.

On Wednesday morning, ICE agents attempted to enter Little Earth, the first Native American community housing project in the United States, located on Minneapolis's southside. Property managers turned the agents away. Later that same morning, community members reported and documented video evidence of ICE agents removing at least three individuals from the facility. According to one community member, agents appeared to be targeting maintenance workers and parents dropping children off at the Little Earth Daycare center.

Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales, a 22-year-old mother born in Laurel, Maryland, was detained by ICE near her Baltimore home on December 14, 2025, stemming from a 2023 CBP encounter in Arizona where she was recorded claiming Mexican citizenship. Despite her family and attorneys presenting a Maryland birth certificate, hospital birth records, and fingerprints, DHS maintained she was not a citizen and pursued removal proceedings against her. A federal judge blocked her deportation days after her arrest, but she remained in custody for 25 days, transferred five times through facilities in Louisiana, Texas, and New Jersey, spending Christmas away from her young son. She was released on January 7, 2026, with an ankle monitor and reunited with her 5-year-old son. Her attorneys maintained the documentation clearly established her citizenship. On June 17, 2026, DHS dismissed her deportation case after confirming her birth in Maryland, and she obtained a U.S. passport.

Ahmed Bin Hassan, a Somali American Uber driver and U.S. citizen, was accosted by over a dozen Border Patrol and ICE agents at Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. The agents approached him citing his accent, which Bin Hassan later characterized as evidence of racial profiling. During the viral confrontation, Bin Hassan remained defiant, refusing to provide identification and questioning the agents' authority, before they ultimately walked away.

Federal officers drove through a crowd of protesters outside Hartford's federal building on January 8, 2026, striking at least one person with their vehicles. The protest was held as a vigil for Renee Macklin Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Hartford police are investigating potential hit-and-run and assault charges against the federal officers involved.

ICE agents arrested Alberto Castañeda Mondragón near a St. Paul shopping center on January 8, 2026, and claimed he suffered severe skull fractures and brain hemorrhages by running headfirst into a wall while handcuffed. Medical staff at Hennepin County Medical Center, including doctors and nurses, stated his injuries were inconsistent with that account and suggested he was mistreated by federal agents. Disagreement exists between ICE and hospital staff regarding custody practices and restraint policies.

A man named Julio, an ImmDef Law Center client and father of a U.S. military servicemember, died on February 25 after his health rapidly declined following ICE detention. Despite having a lawful pathway to permanent residency and being medically vulnerable, ICE refused to release him and he was handcuffed to a hospital bed during his final days. His attorney secured his release but the damage to his health was irreversible.

Leonela Liliana Gomez Hernandez, a 27-year-old in her eighth month of pregnancy, was detained by ICE on Wednesday while traveling to a prenatal appointment at a clinic in South Central Los Angeles and was deported to Nicaragua on Friday morning. She called a friend around 1 p.m. on the day of her detention to report her apprehension by federal immigration agents.

Under President Trump's administration, the Trump administration has detained and transferred asylum-seekers to out-of-state detention centers before they receive final removal orders. This represents a change from previous administrations' practice of allowing asylum-seekers to remain in the U.S. during court proceedings.

Ricky Chandee, 52, a Laotian refugee and Minneapolis city engineer, was detained by federal immigration agents on January 24 and faced deportation based on a conviction from over 30 years ago. The Minnesota Board of Pardons unanimously granted him a pardon on May 4, 2026, one day before his scheduled deportation, potentially removing the legal basis for his removal.

Mar Navarro, a DJ and founder of the Minneapolis club night Gothess, was detained by ICE agents on January 8, 2026, while visiting an immigrant-owned bakery in Northeast Minneapolis. Navarro was cuffed so tightly during the arrest that their wrists ached and required a splint for weeks afterward. They were transported to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building but ultimately released. The detention occurred during "Operation Metro Surge," a surge of 3,000 ICE agents deployed to Minnesota in early January 2026.

Anna Brauch, a local artist, was detained by ICE agents on January 8, 2026, in Northeast Minneapolis while standing near her car, which bore the message "trans rights are human rights." She was seized and beaten during the arrest, sustaining tendon injuries from rough handling. Brauch was transported to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building but was ultimately released. The detention occurred during "Operation Metro Surge," a surge of 3,000 ICE agents deployed to Minnesota in early January 2026.

A Chinese national who filed for asylum in 2017 based on religious persecution was detained by ICE agents when he appeared for his asylum interview at the USCIS office in Tustin after waiting over nine years. He was served with a Notice to Appear for overstaying his visitor visa and has been held at Adelanto Detention Center since January 2026. The court granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release, finding the government violated his due process rights by detaining him without notice and opportunity to be heard.

Wendy Hernandez Reyes was arrested by ICE on January 8, 2026, during a traffic stop in Mobile, Alabama, while traveling to work. Though she requested to take her 3-year-old U.S. citizen son Orlín with her when deported on January 26, ICE denied her request. She was forced to leave him in the care of her brother-in-law, who subsequently killed the boy. Hernandez Reyes is now in Honduras grieving the loss of her son.

Thi Dua Vang, who legally came to the U.S. in December 2023 and is awaiting green card approval, was detained by ICE agents on January 8, 2026 at her St. Paul home. She was transferred to detention facilities in Texas for nearly two weeks before an immigration judge ordered her release on bond. Since her release and required check-in with ICE, agents have reportedly returned to her home three additional times attempting to make contact.

ICE agents arrested Mexican immigrant Alberto Castañeda Mondragón on January 8, 2026, and claimed he suffered eight skull fractures and brain hemorrhages by running headfirst into a wall while handcuffed. Medical staff at Hennepin County Medical Center disputed this account, stating the injuries were inconsistent with such an accident. A federal judge ordered his release from ICE custody, though he faces significant memory loss and ongoing recovery.

Pablo Nieves, a Venezuelan asylum seeker who legally entered the U.S. in 2018 with a work permit, was detained by ICE agents in a Home Depot parking lot in Plymouth, Minnesota on January 8, 2026. He was transferred to a detention center in El Paso, Texas, where he was held for two weeks before being released on bond after a court hearing. The detention occurred during Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement initiative targeting asylum seekers with pending applications.

Alberto C.M., a Mexican citizen who entered the country legally on a temporary H2B worker visa in 2022, was arrested by ICE agents in St. Paul during Operation Metro Surge and suffered life-threatening skull fractures and brain hemorrhages. A federal judge ordered his immediate release after 15 days of hospitalization, finding his detention unlawful as he was arrested without a warrant. Hospital records indicate C.M. reported being dragged and mistreated by federal agents, though ICE has refused to provide details about the cause of his injuries, only stating he "got his s*** rocked."

Jonathan Aguilar Garcia, a 17-year-old U.S. citizen and Target store employee in Richfield, Minnesota, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on January 8, 2026, along with coworker Christian Miranda Romano. Despite repeatedly asserting their U.S. citizenship and presenting identification including a passport, both teenagers were physically apprehended and removed from the store. Garcia was later released at a Walmart parking lot with injuries after his citizenship was verified.

On January 8, 2026, U.S. Border Patrol agents led by Chief Greg Bovino detained two U.S. citizen teenagers, Jonathan Aguilar Garcia and Christian Miranda Romano, while they were working at a Target store in Richfield, Minnesota. Both were apprehended based on their appearance during an immigration enforcement operation. Garcia presented a U.S. passport asserting his citizenship but was initially detained anyway; after verification, agents released him at a Walmart parking lot without charges or transportation assistance. Both individuals were injured during the detention. Miranda Romano, a minor with no criminal history, remained in detention at Fort Snelling despite his family's contact with ICE. State Representative Michael Howard criticized the incident, describing it as "pure madness."

A 26-year-old El Salvadoran who entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor in 2016 was arrested by ICE without a warrant on January 7, 2026, immediately after being released from local custody on a misdemeanor methamphetamine possession charge. He had been living in the community for nine years after being released by ORR, had approved Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and a pending adjustment of status application. The court ordered his release within three days, finding his detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights.

A Honduran citizen and mother of two US citizen children, who was previously released on $12,000 bond in 2015, was arrested without a warrant and re-detained by DHS on January 7, 2026. She had been living in St. Paul, Minnesota for 11 years as the primary caregiver to two US citizen children, ages 5 and 9. The court granted her habeas corpus petition and ordered her immediate release, finding that her re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause.

Hongbo Zhao, a Chinese citizen with a pending asylum application, was detained by ICE on January 7, 2026, during a routine check-in at an ICE field office. He had been released on his own recognizance since April 2024 and had complied with all reporting requirements. The federal court ordered his immediate release, finding that ICE violated his due process rights by detaining him without notice or a pre-deprivation hearing.

Rafael Vela, a 64-year-old from El Salvador who had lived in the U.S. for over 40 years, was detained by federal agents outside his Silver Lake home on January 7, 2026. Video footage shows masked agents struggling to detain Vela as he reached his doorstep before removing him in an unmarked vehicle. Vela believed he had permanent resident status, but a letter later confirmed discrepancies regarding his actual residency status. Neighbors described him as a friendly community member and expressed concern about the force used during the detention. DHS confirmed the arrest as part of an immigration enforcement operation.

ICE agents were reportedly present outside Roosevelt High School, leading to conflicting accounts from union and DHS officials about the nature and purpose of the operation. Law enforcement and workers' representatives provided different accounts of what occurred.

An investigation identified Border Patrol agents Michael Sveum (EZ-2) and Edgar Vazquez (EZ-17) from an El Paso BORTAC unit as key participants in violent federal enforcement operations across the Midwest. The agents were documented using chemical munitions, pepper spray, and tear gas against crowds in Chicago and Minneapolis, including at the scene where ICE agent Jonathan Ross killed Renée Good on January 7, 2026. The investigation analyzed body camera footage, CBP reports, and incident videos to identify the agents and their role in multiple violent escalations.

According to an Instagram post, two individuals (described as a father and son) were detained by ICE agents who arrived in unmarked cars without a warrant. The post alleges the agents blocked in the vehicle, broke a window, and used force during the detention, including choking one individual with a jacket.

Melisa, a Maryland resident with a valid work permit and pending asylum case, was detained on December 15, 2025 during a routine immigration check-in. She had no criminal record and was employed full-time while preparing to start classes at Carroll Community College and planning her wedding. Her community is raising funds to help her hire an immigration attorney.

ICE agents detained Jose Martinez, a U.S. citizen and Coast Guard veteran, while he was sleeping in his cruise ship cabin during a Carnival cruise in the Caribbean. Agents tackled his wife Tamara Verhas and confiscated her phone to prevent recording. The couple was eventually released but forced to delete all photos and video documentation of the incident.

Rev. Kenny Callaghan, senior pastor at All God's Children Metropolitan Community Church in Minneapolis, was detained by ICE agents on January 7 while standing in solidarity with a Hispanic woman during a protest on Portland Avenue. Callaghan said agents pointed a gun at his face after he told them he was not afraid and offered himself instead of the woman they were approaching. He was handcuffed and placed in an unmarked vehicle for approximately 30 minutes. According to Callaghan, ICE agents then released him, saying "you're White. You wouldn't be fun anyway." Callaghan said the incident revealed to him that ICE raids are "really about fear and intimidation" and made him reflect on how such treatment is "some people's reality every single day of their lives."

Four enrolled members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe were detained by ICE agents in Minneapolis in January 2026 during a large-scale federal enforcement operation. The men were sleeping under a bridge near the Little Earth housing complex in south Minneapolis and lacked identification documents at the time of arrest, though at least one presented tribal identification. Three were transferred to an ICE detention facility at Fort Snelling. A 20-year-old Red Lake Nation descendant reported being struck by agents after identifying himself as a U.S. citizen. Tribal President Frank Star Comes Out called the detentions a violation of treaty rights and constitutional protections, arguing that enrolled tribal members are U.S. citizens by birthright under the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. The Navajo Nation reported that dozens of Native Americans had been questioned or detained during similar ICE operations, reflecting a broader pattern of agents failing to recognize or dismissing tribal identification.

A Nigerian national who had been released on recognizance and participating in an Alternative to Detention program for over two years was arrested by ICE agents during a routine ATD appointment on January 7, 2026. He had no criminal history and had attended all required check-ins, with a pending asylum application. The court granted a preliminary injunction ordering his immediate release, finding his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process.