Human Impact Project

On March 25, 2026, ICE detained six Guatemalan workers aged 18-40 at a residential roofing site in Cambridge, Maryland. The homeowner allegedly summoned federal agents while the workers were still on the roof to avoid paying approximately $10,000 in wages owed for the three-day job. A coworker with permanent residency, Bryan Polanco, livestreamed the detention on social media, capturing agents surrounding the property and the homeowner allegedly providing a ladder to help agents reach the workers. ICE disputes claims that the homeowner tipped them off, and no charges have been filed.

Alberto Rodríguez, 73, a Cuban who had lived nearly 50 years in the United States, was deported to Mexico as part of the Trump administration's third-country deportation program. He arrived in Villahermosa at 2 a.m. in prison garb and spent his first nights sleeping in a park. Rodríguez, who uses a cane due to a stroke that leaves him perpetually foggy, now sits outside a Catholic shelter with limited prospects for work or medical care. He has expressed suicidal ideation since his arrival.

A Venezuelan asylum-seeker who fled political persecution and entered the United States in September 2023. On January 30, 2024, she applied for admission at the Nogales, Arizona port of entry, was charged with inadmissibility, and was paroled for two years. During her parole, she was authorized to work, support her family living in the United States, and filed an asylum application. On March 26, 2026, she was arrested by Utah law enforcement based on an outstanding warrant for a domestic violence matter that was ultimately resolved without charges or conviction. She was then transferred to Department of Homeland Security custody and transported to California City Detention Center. On May 19, 2026, she filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus challenging her re-detention without a bond hearing. The court granted her petition, finding she has a protected liberty interest in her release and is entitled to a pre-deprivation bond hearing before re-detention can be justified.

A woman who entered the United States on August 2, 2021 on a B-2 visitor visa filed an I-485 application for adjustment of status on February 27, 2026. On March 26, 2026, she attended a biometrics appointment scheduled in connection with her pending adjustment of status application when she was detained by ICE authorities at that appointment. Following her detention, she was provided a bond hearing where an immigration judge concluded she posed a flight risk and danger to the community based on a dismissed misdemeanor charge. She filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus and motion for temporary restraining order challenging her detention. On May 5, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted her habeas corpus petition, finding that ICE improperly used the adjustment of status process as a vehicle for "gotcha law enforcement" in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The court ordered her immediate release on the conditions she was subject to prior to her detention and enjoined respondents from re-detaining her through the adjustment of status process.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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