Human Impact Project

An unidentified mother, who asked not to be named out of fear of retaliation, spent more than two months detained at the Dilley family detention center with her 3-year-old son. She described a long line for medication when her son had a fever and recounted asking staff what would happen if a child began convulsing, saying she was told they would need to wait for an ambulance. She said she saw other very sick children at the facility during her detention.

Aury Cadena, a single mother who arrived in the U.S. from Venezuela in 2023 seeking asylum, was arrested by ICE in December during a scheduled check-in appointment she had never missed. She and her three children, ages 10, 8 and 7, were held for 50 days at the Dilley family detention center in South Texas, despite a court-set 20-day limit for children in detention. Cadena said her children asked her what they had done wrong, and described long waits outdoors at night to get medication when her kids had fevers. She and her children were released after a federal judge allowed ICE to track her with an ankle monitor while her deportation case continues, and the family has returned home to San Antonio, where the children are back in school and she cleans apartments to support them.

Vilma Bautista Torres and her 9-year-old son Kenek, who has Level 3 autism, were detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center for more than 80 days despite a federal settlement limiting child detention to 20 days. During detention, Kenek lost access to specialized therapy and schooling, experienced frequent meltdowns, self-harm episodes, and became increasingly disoriented and afraid. After a pro bono law clinic filed a parole request documenting his autism diagnosis and self-harm, ICE released the family with an ankle monitor.

Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, an Afghan national who worked alongside U.S. Army Special Forces in Paktika province starting in 2005, died in ICE custody at Dallas' Parkland Memorial Hospital shortly after his arrest. ICE agents arrested him outside his Richardson, Texas home on March 13, 2026, while he was driving his children to school; his wife's attempt to hand him his inhaler was reportedly rejected by agents. Paktiawal, who evacuated to the U.S. in 2021 after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and held humanitarian parole valid through 2029 with a pending asylum application, called his brother Naseer that evening saying he couldn't breathe and was shaking and sweating. Hospital staff later found severe tongue swelling and administered epinephrine, but he was pronounced dead shortly after. The Dallas County Medical Examiner ruled the death accidental, caused by anaphylaxis from an adverse drug reaction to an unidentified substance that exacerbated his asthma. DHS said he had been arrested over alleged SNAP fraud and theft, though no charges were filed. His family and advocacy groups are demanding release of the full autopsy report, with his brother asking, "If they know he is going through pain and he is asking for someone to help, what were they waiting for? The last breath?"

ICE agents arrested an undocumented father while he was taking his 15-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, both U.S. citizens, to school in New Jersey. According to witnesses and the family, agents asked the boy to call a relative but drove away before anyone arrived, leaving the two minors unattended on the roadside. The incident violates ICE policy and DHS directives requiring agents to remain on scene until a third party assumes physical custody of minor children.

Erendira Rendon, a DACA recipient of more than 14 years and vice president of immigrant justice at The Resurrection Project, applied for DACA renewal in February 2026 and is facing uncertainty as processing delays have extended up to six months. Unlike previous years when a lapsed DACA was manageable, Rendon said current delays create risk of detention if her renewal lapses. As an immigrant advocate who has helped thousands navigate the system, she now confronts the same vulnerabilities affecting hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients nationwide.

A DACA recipient who has lived in the U.S. for an extended period was detained by immigration authorities immediately upon his release from local criminal custody at the Santa Barbara County jail on March 15, 2026. He was held for over a month without a bond hearing despite being eligible for one under immigration law. The federal court ordered his immediate release and prohibited re-detention without a pre-deprivation bond hearing.

Zahid Chaudhry, a disabled U.S. Army veteran and lawful permanent resident from Pakistan, was detained by ICE at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma in August 2025 after being arrested during a citizenship interview at a USCIS office. ICE cited undisclosed criminal charges from Australia in the early 1990s involving financial deception and passport-related offenses. After 124 days in custody, a federal judge ruled the detention was wrongful, finding that the government failed to provide Chaudhry notice or opportunity to be heard before detaining him, violating his constitutional rights. A government attorney apologized during the habeas hearing. In December 2025, Judge David G. Estudillo ordered Chaudhry's release.

Jonatan, a legal resident with an upcoming asylum hearing, was detained by ICE and held in a local jail in Virginia for three weeks before being released on March 14, 2026. His partner Kirby credits community organizing and intervention by people tracking ICE movements with preventing his disappearance and securing his release. The incident left lasting psychological and financial impacts on both of them.

A man with no criminal record who entered the United States legally and pursued an asylum claim for a decade was transported across multiple states in federal custody. During the multi-day transfer beginning March 14, he experienced prolonged restraint, overcrowding, sleep deprivation, and limited access to food, water, and medical care. Detainees were handcuffed for up to 14 hours, held in facilities beyond capacity, and did not receive proper medical screening or attorney notification.

A woman protesting immigration enforcement operations outside a federal detention facility in downtown Los Angeles was struck by a vehicle on March 14, 2026, as it exited the compound. The vehicle, driven by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, made contact with the protester twice before she landed on the hood and was thrown to the curb. The protester sustained minor injuries and was evaluated at a hospital. The Department of Homeland Security stated the officer was attempting to exit after being surrounded by demonstrators, while the protester said she did not intentionally step into the vehicle's path.

An Eritrean national entered the United States without inspection on March 9, 2023, and has resided in the country for approximately three years. On March 13, 2026, ICE arrested him and placed him in removal proceedings under 8 U.S.C. § 1229a, detaining him pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2) as a person who entered without inspection. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention and sought either an individualized custody determination or release, arguing he should be detained under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), which permits bond hearings. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma denied his motion for temporary restraining order, finding that he failed to demonstrate likelihood of success on the merits, irreparable harm, or that the equities favored release. The court determined his detention under § 1225(b)(2) was lawful and his due process claims were either premature or inadequately argued.

An individual who entered the U.S. in December 2023 was initially detained by immigration authorities, then released on their own recognizance after approximately one month. On March 13, 2026, they were taken into custody for a traffic violation and subsequently detained again by immigration authorities. The court ordered their immediate release, finding that their prior release created a liberty interest and that continued detention violated due process.

A 42-year-old Guatemalan man who has lived in the United States since 2004 was detained by ICE on March 13, 2026, while attending a court hearing for the dismissal of a criminal offense. He is engaged to a U.S. citizen and is the father of three U.S. citizens. Following his detention, he was transferred to the San Bernardino Sub Office and held at Adelanto Detention Facility. On March 31, 2026, he filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus seeking immediate release or a bond hearing within seven days, raising claims of unlawful denial of a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), violation of Fifth Amendment due process rights, and violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. On April 13, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted his Petition for Temporary Restraining Order, finding that he is entitled to an individualized bond hearing as a member of the Bond Eligible Class established in Bautista v. Santacruz. The court ordered respondents to either provide evidence that he received a bond hearing or release him from custody within 48 hours, with no release restrictions such as electronic monitoring unless deemed necessary at a future bond hearing.

Virginia Lissbeth Pineda Lemus, a 21-year-old Salvadoran woman who crossed the U.S. border as an unaccompanied minor at age 16, was arrested on domestic assault charges in January 2026 and taken into ICE custody after posting bond on those state charges, which were later dismissed. She was held at Lincoln County Jail on an ICE hold for two months before U.S. District Judge John Gerrard ordered her outright release on March 13, 2026. Pineda described her detention as traumatizing, saying she was treated "more like an animal than a person." She remains in deportation proceedings but has reunited with her boyfriend and is building her case outside of jail.

A whistleblower at the Baltimore ICE detention facility alleged severe conditions including use of a restraint chair and unsanitary environments. A video documented overcrowding in January 2026, prompting Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen to raise concerns. ICE transferred approximately 100 detainees from the facility to Arizona on March 12, 2026, the day before a congressional oversight visit. A federal judge subsequently ruled in March 2026 that ICE must limit capacity at the downtown Baltimore holding facility to 56 people across five cells, citing health and safety risks. The court ordered ICE to conduct medical screenings within 12 hours of arrival, clean cells daily, and ensure access to hygiene supplies and medication within 24 hours.

Alejandra Juarez, a Mexican immigrant and wife of decorated Marine combat veteran Temo Juarez, was deported during the first Trump administration, leaving behind her husband and two school-age daughters. In 2021, after lawmakers' intervention, President Biden granted her humanitarian parole to reunite with her family. However, her parole expired in June 2025, and she has no path to citizenship. She signed a document as a teenager that permanently barred her from legal status. With the administration ramping up immigration enforcement and ending parole programs, Juarez sees no viable legal option and must leave the country by July 4 to celebrate her younger daughter's 16th birthday before departing.

Habiba Soliman, 18, and her four younger siblings (ages 4-16) were detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center for more than nine months following their father's arrest in connection with a firebombing attack at a Jewish event in Boulder, Colorado. DHS arrested the mother and children and investigated their alleged involvement in the attack, though they denied any connection and publicly disavowed their father's actions. An arrest warrant reported that their father stated he never discussed his plans with family. An immigration judge initially determined the family posed no danger or flight risk and granted bond, but later reversed the decision after ICE appealed. Soliman was subsequently separated from her younger siblings and moved to an adult section of the facility.

Aleksei and his wife were arrested at the U.S. border with their 5-year-old twins and detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center for more than 120 days, six times the 20-day federal limit. When Aleksei asked an ICE officer about the violation, he was told the court settlement limiting child detention was "not applicable anymore." The twins experienced psychological deterioration including frequent meltdowns, sleep disruption, weight loss, and fear of strangers. The family was released in February after securing legal representation and filing a parole request.

A pregnant woman reported being shot in the stomach with a rubber bullet by a federal agent while observing an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles on a Saturday night.