Human Impact Project

Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan immigrant who had lived in Austin for about two years working as a DoorDash delivery driver, was shot in the torso by a federal ICE agent following a traffic stop and foot pursuit near Research Boulevard and Anderson Square. Texas state troopers said ICE had requested assistance in pursuing his blue Toyota Corolla shortly before the shooting, and bullet holes were reported on the sides and back of his vehicle. His attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, and U.S. Rep. Greg Casar said he has no criminal history and no final removal order, though DHS cited one; he entered the country through a parole program as an asylum seeker, held a valid work permit, and is married to a woman with legal status. He called his wife 'yelling in pain' after being shot, and a bystander livestreamed him handcuffed with a visible gunshot wound. He was treated at Dell Seton Medical Center in serious but stable condition before being released into ICE custody, and his family and attorneys said they were denied access to see him. About 100 protesters gathered afterward demanding ICE leave Austin, and police used pepper-ball projectiles on the crowd, reportedly affecting a 14-year-old boy. Mayor Kirk Watson, Rep. Casar, and the Travis County DA's office called for an independent investigation involving local police, DHS, and the FBI, along with release of body camera footage.

Jorge (a pseudonym), a Guatemalan man who fled gang extortion threats and joined family in San Diego, was arrested by ICE during a raid on his construction worksite after working there for five months. He spent three months in detention, much of it in frigid holding cells where he slept on bare concrete with only a foil sheet, and developed bronchitis after officers allegedly made cells colder in retaliation for complaints; staff denied him hospital care. He said he signed English-language deportation papers he could not read after being threatened with years in federal detention, later learning the signing carried a 10-year reentry bar, and described being shackled during his deportation flight to Guatemala.

Federal agents in Evanston, Illinois detained a US citizen they mistakenly believed matched a fugitive they were seeking, resulting in injuries to his head, neck, and teeth. Police said the man resisted after being asked for identification and was later released once agents realized he was not the person they were looking for. The agents reportedly left the area after protesters gathered, fearing they would be attacked. The incident is under investigation by local police.

A crowd gathered at the scene of the ICE shooting in Austin throughout the afternoon, and officers fired pepper ball-like projectiles at the crowd after some demonstrators threw rocks and water bottles at law enforcement while people were leaving the area. A 14-year-old boy was among those affected by the chemical agent, according to his father, who spoke to Austin police. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called for an independent investigation into the earlier shooting, citing the chaos it caused in the city.

Javier Rueda, a Venezuelan immigrant, has been held in ICE custody in Oklahoma for approximately seven months. His family says an immigration judge approved his asylum request after a nine-hour hearing, but the government has appealed the decision, keeping him detained. A bond of $20,000 has been set, and his family is seeking donations to pay it within a required deadline, warning that without the funds he could remain detained for several more months awaiting the appeal.

Amnesty International reported that a Phoenix man was bound and beaten by police in Equatorial Guinea after the United States deported him to the central African nation. The human rights group raised concerns about his treatment upon arrival in the country.

Leonardo Sánchez, a Cuban migrant with a large abdominal hernia and a pending operation, was deported to Equatorial Guinea and is being held at the Hotel Bamy in Malabo. His mother, Caridad, said from Miami that she has not heard from him in a week because authorities took away detainees' phones to prevent them from speaking with the press. "What they're doing is criminal; the treatment is unfair," she said.

Carlos Rodríguez, a Cuban migrant, was one of five deportees who refused to leave the ICE deportation plane upon landing, saying they did not feel safe; he says officers carried him off the aircraft and beat him while he was handcuffed. He and three other Cubans, along with a Brazilian, had been told by authorities that if they stayed calm they would be returned to the United States, but the plane instead delivered them to Equatorial Guinea. "This is human trafficking, they trafficked us on a plane," he told EL PAÍS.

Carlos Josué Marchena, a 37-year-old Costa Rican national from Guanacaste, died on September 18, 2026 while in ICE custody at the Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana, after being detained since January. His cousin, Bryan Marchena, said Carlos was diabetic and appeared to have suffered a cardiac problem, and that he was found unconscious after complaining of severe chest pain hours earlier. Family members said his care had been adequate while he was held in Michigan but grew concerned after he was transferred through several facilities, citing inconsistent meal timing and medication management for his diabetes. His sister, Francini Araya Marchena, confirmed his death and said ICE never carried out his planned deportation to Costa Rica. Friends said he had migrated to the U.S. seeking better opportunities for his children, and a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help bring his body home while the family awaits autopsy results to determine the official cause of death.

Demonstrators have repeatedly clashed with federal agents outside the ICE detention facility in Broadview, Illinois, over several consecutive weeks, protesting detention conditions and showing support for detainees. On September 19, 2025, protesters blocking the facility's driveway were pepper-sprayed, including directly in the face, and an ICE vehicle struck at least one protester who sustained minor injuries; a witnessing attorney described agents as pushing protesters in an 'aggressive and violent manner.' On September 26, agents used pepper balls, tear gas, and baton rounds against more than 100 protesters, taking 11 into custody, with five later facing federal charges. On October 4, agents again deployed tear gas, pepper balls, and other chemical munitions against protesters, journalists, and legal observers, with chemical agents also affecting nearby residents; congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss were arrested. Broadview's mayor sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security citing dangers to residents from chemical agents and blocked emergency access, while lawsuits were filed alleging excessive force and First Amendment violations.

Carlos Felipe Jaramillo Grajales, a 55-year-old Colombian national living in Jacksonville, Florida, was sentenced to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft, passport fraud, falsely claiming a Social Security number, and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. Court records show he began using a stolen U.S. citizen's identity in 2003 to obtain a Florida driver's license and a U.S. passport, later registering to vote in 2010 by claiming to be a naturalized citizen and casting ballots in multiple elections, including the 2020 presidential race in Duval County. While using the assumed identity, he married a woman who was unaware he was not actually a U.S. citizen; she later naturalized based on the marriage, and the couple divorced in 2020. He returned to Colombia, reentered the U.S. under his real name via a fiancé visa sponsored by his ex-wife, and the couple remarried in June 2025. A federal court entered a judicial order for his removal to Colombia following his prison term. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Jacksonville, along with the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service and the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General.

Raúl Suárez Herrero, a 59-year-old Cuban man who moved to the U.S. at age 12 and lived there for nearly five decades, was detained by ICE during a routine annual check-in in July 2025. He was held at the 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention facility in the Florida Everglades, where he says guards locked him in a metal cage roughly the size of a phone booth for more than 15 hours after he prayed aloud for a fellow detainee having a seizure. Suárez said he was kicked hard enough to bruise his leg, denied food and medical care, and left unable to lie down while fearing snakes and mosquitoes entering the cage, an experience he described as leaving him psychologically 'shattered.' A former truck driver who built a business with his brother, a U.S. citizen who died of COVID in 2021, Suárez was deported to Mexico in February 2026 after a federal judge's deadline for his release or removal passed. A DHS inspector general report later confirmed the facility used such small cages, calling the practice 'highly unconventional,' though DHS disputes claims that conditions were inhumane.

Jefferson, a Venezuelan asylum seeker and father of two, has spent months detained at the Don Hutto detention center in Texas, separated from his wife and children. Speaking with his wife by video call, he described the facility's living conditions and lack of access to healthcare. A local pastor who meets weekly with families of detainees said roughly one in four families in her congregation has had a loved one arrested and deported.

Walto Deshommes, a Haitian father, was detained by ICE agents just outside a North Park Head Start daycare in San Diego moments after walking his 2-year-old daughter into her classroom. A family advocate said the arrest occurred off school grounds, and Deshommes managed to throw his car keys and ID to daycare staff as he was taken into custody. Staff at the center, operated by the Neighborhood House Association, followed emergency procedures to hand the toddler off to a designated contact. Deshommes and his partner, Suze, had been living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status until the Trump administration ended TPS for Haitians in July following a Supreme Court ruling; both have pending asylum cases with an upcoming immigration court date. Suze said she remains committed to appearing at that court date despite facing the process without Deshommes. A family advocate said the arrest reflects a recent trend of ICE targeting Haitians who have fallen out of status but still have pending cases.

An Iraqi man showing early signs of dementia was arrested by ICE agents in his front yard after living in the United States for more than 30 years. An immigration judge had ruled he would likely face torture if returned to Iraq, but he was nonetheless held in an Arizona detention facility while officials searched for another country willing to accept him. He was among more than 120 immigrants identified in Arizona who remained detained despite winning protection from removal to their home countries.

Edgar Cabrera Gomez was struck by an ICE agent's patrol vehicle after a traffic stop of a van on the Liberty Expressway in Dougherty County, Georgia. Authorities said all occupants fled the van on foot toward a wooded area, and Gomez fell in the median where he became lodged under the ICE vehicle. His family disputes claims that he was driving, saying he was only injured because agents ran him over while he was running. ICE agents were still searching for the other two occupants of the van.

A Maryland mother, who is undocumented, delayed seeking medical care for her U.S. citizen son's severe asthma attack out of fear of encountering ICE agents on the road. The boy was eventually taken to a local clinic and then medevaced to a Washington, D.C. hospital. A new American Academy of Pediatrics survey found that a large share of pediatricians report families avoiding medical care, public benefits, and school due to immigration enforcement fears.

A Durham family, including children ages 11 and 6, was detained after what advocates described as a routine asylum appointment in Charlotte and deported to Honduras within 72 hours, according to ABC11. The Department of Homeland Security disputed the advocates' account, saying the family had received due process and had no pending asylum claims or immigration applications.

Mamady Camara, 21, fled Guinea after police allegedly beat him during a crackdown on anti-government protesters, leaving him with a lasting scar. He crossed the southern border in 2023, was released to pursue an asylum claim, and built a life in Ypsilanti, Michigan, earning a high school diploma, attending community college, and working as a caregiver for Hal Rothbart, a disabled Navy veteran. In January, ICE agents arrested him when he arrived for a scheduled appointment in Detroit, and he has remained in detention at North Lake Processing Center for nearly nine months despite having no criminal record. An immigration judge denied his release as a flight risk, his asylum claim was later denied, and he is now appealing to the Board of Immigration Appeals while the Rothbart family raises funds for his legal defense.

A 34-year-old Mexican national was detained by ICE agents outside his Flagstaff apartment on East Cortland Boulevard as he was preparing to take his two children to school, according to family spokesperson Maria Castillo Rincon. He was transported to Phoenix shortly after. ICE then called his wife, a 32-year-old Mexican national, and told her that if she did not turn herself in at Phoenix, agents would raid her home; she and her two children, ages 14 and 7, drove to Phoenix and self-deported that same day. The family had sought asylum in the U.S. after fleeing violence in Mexico, but a judge denied their application earlier in the summer and issued a deportation notice; it was the first known ICE enforcement operation in Flagstaff since the agency opened a local field office.

Santiago Merlo, a Colombian man living in California, posted his car for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Months later, a purported buyer using the name "Brian" arranged to meet him to see the vehicle. When Merlo arrived, he says about 10 patrol units with federal agents were waiting, and he was handcuffed and detained. Merlo says he had a valid work permit and a pending asylum application at the time he was later deported to Colombia.

A man from Pakistan in his early 40s was arrested and initially processed and detained in Baltimore in April 2025 before being transferred to a long-term detention facility in central Pennsylvania, where he stayed nearly three months. Over the following year he was moved 17 more times, three of them back to the same Pennsylvania facility, traveling a total of 11,347 miles before he was conditionally released this summer.

Cece Mokua, a 29-year-old pregnant Kenyan asylum applicant living in Spokane with her husband, Humphrey Oyoo, and their 1-year-old son, was detained by ICE agents while attending what she believed was a scheduled asylum interview with USCIS in Tukwila, WA. Officers separated her from her family, handcuffed her, and held her in holding cells before transferring her to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, where she said she experienced contractions and a migraine. She was given only a doctor's note for a bottom bunk and released after roughly 36 hours without explanation, but remains in deportation proceedings with an ankle monitor and a scheduled check-in with ICE in Spokane. Mokua came to the U.S. legally as a teenager fleeing female genital mutilation but later fell out of legal status. Her husband, a home health aide and SEIU union member, said the family was targeted despite having supporters and press present for the interview. Supporters, including the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and Defend Migrants Alliance, said her case reflects a pattern of ICE using USCIS appointments as a pretext for arrests.

ICE agents from the New Orleans field office arrested 13 suspected undocumented immigrants in Marshall County, Alabama, including 10 Haitian nationals and three Guatemalans. The operation, assisted by the Marshall County Sheriff's Office, Albertville Police Department and Guntersville Police Department, marked the first arrests of Haitian nationals in the area since the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for Haiti in July. An ICE spokesperson described the arrests as 'standard daily enforcement,' and Sheriff Phil Sims said the number of arrests was typical for monthly operations, though the presence of Haitian nationals was notable. Marshall County is home to more than 700 Haitians, many drawn by jobs at local chicken plants.

Xavier Jordán, an Ecuadorian businessman accused by Ecuadorian prosecutors of helping plan and finance the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami. His lawyer said Jordán had applied for asylum in the United States and had a hearing scheduled for May of the following year, arguing he had been legally residing in the country. The lawyer said it was not yet known where Jordán had been taken and ruled out any connection to an Ecuadorian arrest warrant, noting the Interpol red notice against him was not active.

Feride Bardakci, a 26-year-old Turkish national who worked three restaurant jobs in Jackson, Wyoming, was arrested by plainclothes ICE officers at a bus stop near a Target while traveling between shifts. Officers restrained her with zip ties and drove her away in an SUV, and she is now held in ICE custody, expected to be transferred to an ICE facility in Aurora, Colorado. Her employer, Teton Tiger General Manager Monica Rozzi, described her as 'a friend to all of us' and 'a wonderful person,' and a search of Wyoming and federal courts found no criminal record. DHS said Bardakci entered the U.S. legally near Atlanta in June 2023 with authorization to stay until April 2024 but remained after her visa expired. The arrest was witnessed by a bystander who called an immigrant advocacy hotline, and local officials, including the Teton County Sheriff and Jackson's mayor, criticized ICE for conducting the operation without notifying local law enforcement.

Zach Cosseboom, a 37-year-old UC Santa Barbara employee and U.S. citizen, was pepper-sprayed by a federal immigration agent while volunteering as an observer with immigrant advocacy group SB Resiste at the Santa Barbara County Jail. Cosseboom, a 12-year Santa Barbara resident, was watching ICE agents in the jail's lobby when an agent sprayed him at close range in an incident captured on video, also hitting his wife, Ana Garcia. He was treated at Cottage Health's emergency room afterward and described feeling 'a little helpless' during the incident.

Ydienays Dariana Dominguez, 26, and her six-year-old daughter Zoeh were detained by ICE agents during what the family believed was a routine immigration check-in in Charlotte. Zoeh had just started first grade at Sugar Creek Charter School, and the family had lived in the U.S. for nearly three years while seeking asylum. Their case stemmed from a July 9 virtual immigration hearing that a judge failed to attend, after which Ydienays received a removal order; she believed an advisor was filing an appeal, but it was never submitted. Zoeh's father Anderson, a barber, said an ICE officer initially indicated the pair would be transferred to Texas, but he later learned they had been deported to Venezuela and said he has not been able to reach his wife or daughter since. Advocacy group Siembra NC organized a press conference to seek community support, and State Rep. Julia Greenfield said the family did not receive due process before being removed.

Luis Ochoa and his friend JC, both 17-year-old U.S. citizens, were detained by ICE agents in Alamo, Texas, after stopping to film agents conducting an enforcement action near Santos Livas Elementary School. The teens said they were on their way to submit paperwork to enlist in the Marine Corps when agents pulled Ochoa from his vehicle, breaking his wrist, and pepper-sprayed both teens and struck JC in the face, despite them stating they were U.S. citizens. One agent reportedly told Ochoa, "I don't give a damn... Your parents can't help you now." Ochoa's mother, Teresa Ochoa, said she went roughly eight hours without information about her son and described it as one of the most frightening moments of her life, adding that the ordeal made both teens reconsider plans to enlist. DHS disputed the account, describing the teens as "anti-ICE agitators" who obstructed a lawful vehicle stop and became physically combative, stating two ICE officers suffered minor injuries. The Alamo Police Department forwarded the teens' complaint to the DHS Office of Inspector General for review.

Luis Manuel Chavarría-Galeano, a 48-year-old exiled Nicaraguan journalist who directs the interview program Café con Voz, was detained by ICE agents on September 14, 2026 while working as an Uber/Lyft driver near Orlando to supplement his journalism income. He fled Nicaragua in 2018 after police raided his newsroom, charged him, and imprisoned colleagues over his reporting critical of Daniel Ortega's government, and filed for asylum in the U.S. in June 2019, a case that has remained pending for seven years despite his holding a work permit and social security number. In 2023, the Ortega-Murillo government stripped Galeano and 93 other journalists, writers, and activists of their citizenship. His wife, Daykel Santamaría, said she received only a brief 15-second call before his phone was taken, during which he asked her to contact a lawyer and notify journalists, and she has expressed fear he could be deported back to the regime that persecuted him. He was transferred to Baker Correctional Facility and then to Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami-Dade, where he awaits an October 2 immigration hearing, with press freedom groups including the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, Nicaraguan opposition members, and U.S. lawmakers such as Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar calling for his release and asylum review.

Lissette Cruz, a Venezuelan mother of three who has lived in the United States for nearly 11 years, was detained by immigration authorities in Tennessee and remains in custody while her case is processed. Her family describes her as the household's primary breadwinner and a fundamental caretaker for her children. Relatives launched the "Help Lissette Stay With Her Family" campaign on social media to raise awareness and gather community support for her release.

Rodrigo, a lawful permanent resident living with advanced throat cancer and other serious medical conditions, endured what his attorneys describe as substantial medical neglect during nearly a year in ICE custody at the California City Detention Facility. He suffered two strokes while detained, and his throat tumor grew to the size of a lemon without proper treatment. Senior Staff Attorney Victoria Petty filed a habeas petition on his behalf and secured his release, after which Rodrigo began speaking publicly about the medical neglect and dangerous conditions he experienced in ICE custody.

Miran Kostic, a 66-year-old Bosnian national living in Boise, Idaho, was indicted by a federal grand jury following an investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, with cooperation from Bosnian authorities and a UN tribunal. Prosecutors allege that as a high-level official in the so-called Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia, Kostic personally pistol-whipped, beat, and kicked prisoners, and ordered subordinates to abuse detainees as well. He is accused of lying about this conduct and concealing war crimes charges filed against him in Bosnia and Herzegovina during his naturalization process, including in applications and interviews with USCIS and the FBI. He faces charges of attempted naturalization fraud and making false statements to federal agents, carrying penalties of up to 10 years in prison per fraud count and five years for the false statements charge.

Angie, 26, learned she was pregnant a few weeks after being booked into the Mesa Verde detention center in California. A few weeks later she woke up passing large amounts of fluid, and medical staff at the facility told her she had miscarried and that it was not her fault. She is among at least 18 women ICE recorded as having miscarried in custody during the first nine months of the Trump administration, though the agency says it has no data on miscarriages after October 2025.

Edgar Martinez, 33, was detained outside his West Phoenix home after men allegedly posing as electricians cut power to check a breaker box, according to his partner, Marisol Lopez. Lopez said the agents never identified themselves or showed a warrant before pinning Martinez to the ground and taking him into custody. She said Martinez had no serious criminal record and was in the process of applying for a T visa as a victim of human trafficking. ICE said Martinez lacks lawful status and cited two prior domestic violence misdemeanors on his record. Martinez was being held at a detention facility in Florence, Arizona, due to capacity issues at other facilities and was set to appear in immigration court.

An unnamed client of immigration attorney Javier Rivera, a victim of domestic violence with legal protections meant to shield her from removal, was deported to Nicaragua in August. A federal court has already ordered her return to the United States. Rivera said the administration is 'in such a hurry to kick people out... that they aren't actually looking at the legality of some of this stuff.'

Post Falls police announced they made 15 arrests of people suspected of violating federal immigration law after joining the 287(g) program with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE agents accompanied Post Falls officers during joint patrol operations from Aug. 24 to Aug. 28, resulting in 13 arrests, with two additional arrests made later. The department said it does not anticipate the number of arrests during the training period reflects future operations.

ICE agents detained five men in Montclair, New Jersey on Sept. 14, 2026, while they were on their way to a construction job, and detained at least one more man in neighboring Bloomfield the same day; a community group estimated about 10 people were detained across both towns. Witnesses said agents smashed a truck's passenger window and forcibly pulled one man from the vehicle by his leg while handcuffing the others against the truck. ICE said the driver had refused to comply with officers' commands, but attorney Joseph Fortunato filed habeas corpus petitions arguing the men were detained without individualized custody determinations. A federal judge signed an order Friday night blocking the transfer of two of the men to Louisiana, and they were returned to Delaney Hall in Newark; supporters are raising money through a community bail fund to pay a $7,500 immigration bond for one of the men, a 24-year-old construction worker identified as Kevin. Montclair Mayor Renee Baskerville said she found the enforcement activity "deeply disturbing" and stressed the need to recognize the men's humanity.

In late August, ICE deported three Nicaraguan men to the Central African Republic, even though none of them had ties to that country and at least two had protections in place that barred their return to Nicaragua. The men reported being transported in handcuffs under duress and were left stranded in Bangui with uncertain immigration status. The deportations are part of a broader U.S. policy of sending migrants to third-party African countries when legal barriers prevent their return to their countries of origin.

Gerardo Chavez Lopez, a longtime Clatsop County resident who owned and operated businesses in the area, was arrested by ICE officers in June along with at least one other person. ICE officers used property at the Port of Astoria to move people between vehicles during the arrests, prompting complaints to the Oregon Department of Justice over a potential violation of the state's sanctuary laws. The Port of Astoria said staff faced a difficult situation and did the right thing by allowing ICE agents access to port property.

ICE agents detained several men in Montclair's Fourth Ward on the morning of September 14, 2026, stopping a pickup truck near Elm Street and Bloomfield Avenue as the men were driving to perform construction work at The Vestry, a luxury apartment building. Witnesses said agents smashed the truck's window, forcibly pulled one man out by his leg, and pushed others against the vehicle while handcuffing them, just a block from Charles H. Bullock Elementary School as children arrived for the day. One detained man, a 24-year-old construction worker identified as Kevin, was held on a $7,500 immigration bond, with community members raising funds through the Envision Freedom Fund. Mayor Renee Baskerville and Deputy Mayor Susan Shin Andersen said ICE had not notified local police of the operation. After attorney Joseph Fortunato filed habeas corpus petitions, a federal judge ordered two of the men returned to Delaney Hall in New Jersey after ICE had already placed them on a bus bound for a flight to a Louisiana detention facility.

As the school year began in Queens, immigrant families expressed fear over ICE activity in their neighborhoods. In one incident, a father was detained by ICE agents while running morning errands in Corona before he could return home to drive his son to school, prompting his wife to rush to the scene in tears. Community members and local advocates, including the group Las Doñas, responded to support the family, while other parents like Margarita described ongoing anxiety about enforcement affecting daily routines like school drop-offs.

The petitioner is currently detained at the T. Don Hutto Detention Center and has filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, challenging his ongoing detention without an individualized bond hearing. He is being held as an applicant for admission subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A). The court found that, on the face of the petition, he may be entitled to relief and ordered the government to show cause by September 18, 2026, why the writ should not be granted. The petitioner may reply by September 21, 2026, and either party may request a hearing. The court further ordered that he not be removed from the United States or transferred outside the Austin Division of the Western District of Texas while the case is pending.

A Colombian mother seeking asylum after fleeing domestic violence says she has suffered months of delayed and inadequate medical care for a serious kidney and urinary tract infection while detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego. She crossed the border in the San Diego-Tijuana area in September 2025 and has been held since October while her asylum case, which the government sought to redirect to Honduras, remains on appeal. Medical records show repeated visits for pain, bleeding, and blood in her urine that went undertreated for months, including delayed antibiotics, a delayed ultrasound and CT scan, and two emergency room visits before she was hospitalized and diagnosed with pyelonephritis. She said a guard mistreated her, including a 30-day suspension of her phone privileges that cut off contact with her two children.

Gabriel Johnson, a 55-year-old pastor and father originally from Liberia who had held legal status since age 15, was detained by ICE in Cary, North Carolina in mid-July, which his family described as stemming from a misunderstanding over a missed immigration appointment. His daughter, Gabri Johnson, said officials later pursued his removal under a broader immigration policy change, and that ICE denied him consistent food, water, and medication for more than 16 days in custody. On July 30, Johnson suffered a stroke that left the left side of his body completely paralyzed. His family said ICE initially refused to let hospital staff contact his daughter and denied the family visits, calls, or health updates, and that he was unable to access needed rehabilitation care while detained. ICE denied mistreatment allegations, stating Johnson was taken to a hospital after showing stroke-like symptoms and remained under medical care. An emergency stay of removal was filed on his behalf, and he has since been released from ICE custody and is moving to a 24-hour rehabilitation hospital for treatment.

Jose Rafael Alambarrio, a Venezuelan national who fled political persecution and arrived in the U.S. in 2023, was detained on January 15, 2026 during a routine annual check-in at the Dallas ICE office while applying for a green card and pursuing asylum. He had no criminal record and had faithfully attended all previous check-ins. He was initially held at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, before being transferred without notice to an ICE facility in Mississippi. His wife, a McKinney teacher and U.S. citizen, has publicly pleaded for his release and continues to fight for him from a distance. Nine months later, Alambarrio remains in detention while appealing the denial of his asylum application, with a decision on his residency process still pending.

ICE agents conducted a targeted enforcement operation in Woodstock, Illinois, arresting six men ranging in age from 23 to 48. Those detained were identified as Alex Francisco Diaz-Quintanilla, 47, of El Salvador; Israel Espinal-Diaz, 48, of Mexico; Daniel Nehemias Martinez-Esteban, 30, of Guatemala; Lazaro Cruz-Morales, 43, of Mexico; Gabriel Martinez-Quintanar, 26, of Mexico; and Jayson Josiel Ruiz-Figueroa, 23, of Honduras. At least one man was taken into custody in the parking lot of Woodstock Automotive Service. ICE said Diaz-Quintanilla had a 2024 weapons conviction, and all six remain in custody pending removal proceedings, with several held at the Clay County, Indiana Jail and one at Miami Correctional Center in Indiana. A separate federal drug trafficking warrant was served at the same location about two and a half hours later by DEA, Illinois State Police, FBI and local agencies, which authorities said was unrelated to the immigration enforcement action.

Marco was recently detained by ICE, according to his daughter Leire, who is raising money to cover immigration legal representation and attorney fees. The family is working to secure his release and asked for donations, prayers, and help sharing their story.

Jorge was detained by ICE agents who followed him until he stopped his vehicle on his way to work. His brother Geovanni describes him as a hard worker with no criminal record who has lived in the U.S. almost his entire life, and a devoted father whose four children depend on him. The family is raising funds to hire a lawyer to fight his deportation and seek his release on bail while he remains in detention.

Roxana Valladares, a 29-year-old Salvadoran woman, spent the night at a hospital in Homestead, Florida with her 6-year-old son, who had a fever and was struggling to breathe, before rushing to line up outside the Miami immigration court for a mass hearing. She arrived by Uber at 4 a.m. with a blanket, a change of clothes, a cooler with water and snacks, and a folding beach chair, ending up third in line for a 1 p.m. hearing amid crowds stretching around the building. Her son slept on a blanket on the sidewalk while she fanned him as they waited. Valladares said she had originally been scheduled for a hearing in September 2027 but received a notice the week before to appear instead. She said she crossed the border two years earlier to seek asylum after fleeing domestic violence and fearing for her life and her son's, and that she was told missing the hearing could result in an automatic deportation order.