Human Impact Project

An 18-year-old Honduran student was traveling by bus from Houston to California to begin university studies on a scholarship when he was deported to Honduras instead. His mother is now searching for answers about what happened to her son during the trip.

Maria Rocha (also referred to as Maria Rocio Rocha or Rocha-Martinez), mother of U.S. Naval Academy midshipman David Garcia, was detained by ICE officers on Aug. 25 while attending a scheduled green-card interview at a USCIS office. She had previously been granted parole in place, a protection sometimes extended to family members of U.S. service members, and was in the process of obtaining a green card. She was transferred to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas and later deported to Mexico despite efforts by Rep. Joaquin Castro, who nominated Garcia for the Naval Academy, to intervene; ICE denied Castro's office access to visit her. Castro described her as someone who was 'doing everything the right way' and 'raised a bright young man with good character who is serving our nation.'

Rogério da Silva Lima, 42, a Brazilian carpenter and painter living on Martha's Vineyard, was taken into ICE custody with his teenage son Nycolas during their first fishing trip together near Menemsha after the U.S. Coast Guard boarded their boat and transferred them to ICE at Woods Hole. His employer, Rory Moreis, called him a 'hard worker' who was 'determined, dedicated, no limit to the hours or days to work,' while family friend Andrea James described him as 'a hard-working man' and his son as 'the kindest kid on the planet.' DHS said the pair entered the U.S. without authorization in 2021, that da Silva Lima's asylum claim was denied and his appeal dismissed in 2024, and both had been issued removal orders in 2023. His attorney, Amelia Ritenour, filed an emergency habeas corpus petition, and a community GoFundMe raised more than $17,000 for legal aid. Nycolas was released after four days into his adult brother's care, and a federal judge, Indira Talwani, later ordered da Silva Lima's release, ruling ICE had missed the 90-day statutory window to detain and remove him. He remained under the removal order and ultimately departed the U.S. unshackled on a civilian flight paid for by ICE, saying, 'It was the worst feeling in the world. I love my sons, and I did not want to leave them behind.' His sons Nycolas and Nayran remain on Martha's Vineyard to continue school and work.

Federal immigration agents, supported by state and local law enforcement, conducted an operation at China Buffet restaurant in Greeneville, Tennessee on September 2, 2026. Homeland Security Investigations confirmed that several undocumented individuals were detained, with witnesses reporting that around 10 to 14 people, some of Mexican origin, were held. Photos and videos shared by nearby witnesses showed the detained individuals sitting on a curb and in the parking lot behind the restaurant while officers stood by. The restaurant, located in the Fairgrounds Plaza, closed early and remained closed that evening. ICE described the matter as an active, ongoing investigation and officials have not confirmed an exact number of arrests.

Milo Morales, a 27-year-old Indianapolis man, was detained by ICE agents Tuesday morning while working at an east-side job site. His sister, Dulce Morales, an active-duty servicemember, tracked his phone to a parking lot off 38th Street and confronted an ICE agent who confirmed multiple people had been taken into custody at the site but would not say if Milo was among them. Because Milo has no criminal record, he was not assigned a federal identification number, leaving his family unable to track his location. Dulce described him as a hard-working man who is soon expecting a child, and said she feels disheartened as a servicemember watching her family targeted.

Lianyong Wei, a 51-year-old Chinese national who had lived in Saipan since entering the U.S. in 2019 on a two-week parole authorization, died on August 23, 2026, less than a day after being placed in ICE custody. Local police arrested Wei on August 21 on criminal charges, including an alleged attack on a family and assault with a dangerous weapon, and he was transferred to ICE custody the next day to face removal proceedings. A corrections officer found him unresponsive during a routine morning check at the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Corrections facility; he was rushed to a hospital, where resuscitation efforts failed and he was pronounced dead. It remains unclear whether he received a required medical intake screening. Corrections Commissioner Anthony Torres extended condolences to Wei's family and said the department is reviewing its procedures. His cause of death remains under investigation, and the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles has demanded a thorough inquiry, noting he is at least the fifth Chinese national to die in ICE or Border Patrol custody since March 2025. His death is recorded as the 57th ICE detainee death since January 2025.

Loreto Javar, a 76-year-old Filipino national and green card holder who has lived in Fife, Washington since 1995, was detained by ICE during his U.S. citizenship interview in Tukwila. A retired hotel worker and married father of two who raised his family in the U.S. and had renewed his residency multiple times without issue, Javar has stage 4 prostate cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requiring multiple daily medications. ICE alleges he failed to disclose a decades-old conviction related to a fatal altercation in the Philippines when he applied for his visa in 1995, though his daughter, Daisy Javar, says he has no U.S. criminal record. He has been held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma for more than two months, missing oncology appointments due to delayed meals disrupting his medication schedule, and has developed a blood clot. Advocates with the Tanggol Migrante Movement have pressed the Philippine consulate in Seattle and pushed for his compassionate release, gathering more than 150 petition signatures. An immigration judge extended his case to September 20, which his daughter said will cause him to miss another cancer treatment appointment.

A citizen of the Dominican Republic who has lived in Puerto Rico since entering the United States without inspection in 2008 was detained by law enforcement agents during an immigration enforcement operation at his place of work on September 1, 2026. He is married to a U.S. citizen, who had filed a relative petition on his behalf with USCIS that was approved in March 2023. Since his arrest he has been held at the GSA Guaynabo Detention Center and was reportedly denied a bond hearing. He filed a habeas corpus petition and an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order, arguing his detention falls under 8 U.S.C. § 1226 and that he is prima facie eligible for cancellation of removal. The court found he is likely entitled to a bond hearing under Section 1226(a) rather than mandatory detention under Section 1225, and held that he faces irreparable harm without one. The court granted the TRO, barring the government from transferring him outside Puerto Rico, ordered that he receive a bond hearing before an Immigration Judge by September 18, 2026, and held the underlying habeas petition in abeyance pending that hearing.

Iara do Carmo Santana was arrested after her fiancé called 911 during a mental health crisis following a recent miscarriage and infection. She was charged with domestic violence and held roughly four days at ICE's Burlington, Massachusetts field office, where she was often deprived of medicine as her infection worsened. A federal judge, Leo T. Sorokin, ordered her release last week, criticizing ICE for failing to provide necessary medical care. "I was afraid that I was going to go crazy in there," she told the Globe. "I was really scared."

On Sept. 1, ICE agents raided a day laborer gathering spot near General Hart Playground in Woodside, Queens, detaining about eight men. It was the second such raid in three days, and workers say ICE has specifically targeted the site during a weekly mobile soup kitchen distribution. The raids have caused widespread fear, with the usual crowd of about 100 day laborers dwindling to just a few people showing up for work.

Luis Felipe Olarte and his 19-year-old son, Luis Alejandro Olarte, were pulled over and detained by immigration agents on I-95 in St. Johns County, Florida, while Luis Felipe was driving his son back to Washington and Lee University to begin his sophomore year. Luis Alejandro had earned a full QuestBridge scholarship after finishing high school with an associate's degree already completed. The family's car was towed, and both father and son are being held at Baker Correctional Institute in Sanderson, Florida. The family has an asylum case pending in immigration court, holds valid work permits, and says neither man has ever been arrested.

Jeyson Molina's wife was detained by ICE agents in Newark while working as a package delivery driver. The sudden detention has left the family seeking financial support for legal fees to secure representation. The family is raising $8,000 for lawyers as they navigate the legal process.

Noune Phompor, 47, a Laotian refugee who has lived in the U.S. since 1981 under indefinite refugee status, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents during his lunch break at the Chipotle where he has worked since May 2025. Phompor's family says he committed crimes in his 20s while struggling with methamphetamine addiction but has not committed a crime since at least 2014, completing his supervision requirements. He is the sole provider for his partner, Joanna Mabrey, and their 1-year-old son, and is now held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma awaiting removal proceedings with a deportation date of October 20. Friends, family, and Port Angeles Mayor Kate Dexter have been working to secure him legal representation and intervene with lawmakers.

A federal magistrate judge in the Southern District of Georgia denied the Trump administration's attempt to dismiss a habeas petition filed by Ya'akub Vijandre, who has been held in ICE detention for nearly a year over his speech and advocacy. The ruling allows his case to proceed to a district judge for further review. Advocates say the decision is a step toward his potential release from custody.

A teenage asylum seeker identified in court records as E.L.A., who entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor, was deported to El Salvador on September 1 despite protections under the class-action settlement J.O.P. v. DHS. He had previously been removed in March 2026, then returned to the U.S. in August after class counsel intervened so his asylum application could be adjudicated. While being held in immigration detention in Louisiana awaiting an asylum interview, he was reportedly told he would be transferred to another facility but instead was placed on a flight to El Salvador. A federal judge ordered DHS to explain who authorized the removal and how it will be corrected.

A 67-year-old lawful permanent resident who has lived legally in the U.S. for about 50 years was held for eight days by CBP at San Francisco International Airport after returning from a trip to Guadalajara, Mexico, and landing in Fresno. He told the San Francisco Chronicle that agents removed him from his flight and transported him in handcuffs to San Francisco, where he says he slept sitting in a chair under lights kept on and struggled to manage his blood sugar despite having diabetes, hypertension and vision problems. His detention was reportedly linked to an old criminal record; he was later transferred to an ICE detention facility for several months before his attorneys secured his release. The case is part of a broader investigation that found 25 people were held more than 72 hours at SFO through July, 19 of whom were green card holders, despite CBP policy generally limiting custody to 72 hours.

César Cepeda Gomez, a Venezuelan delivery driver for Walmart who held a work permit and had an asylum hearing scheduled for October, was detained by ICE agents outside a Bloomington Walmart alongside a coworker. He lives in Bloomington with his partner and her child. ICE said he was being held at North Lake Correctional Facility in Michigan.

Manuel Alejandro Nadal-Ortiz, a Venezuelan man who came to the U.S. under an asylum claim and held a work permit, was detained by ICE agents outside a Bloomington Walmart while working as a delivery driver for DoorDash, Uber and Walmart. His girlfriend, Joanna Hanner, said his mother called her crying within minutes of the arrest, and the family spent the day calling detention centers before Ortiz reached them by phone that afternoon from Chicago, saying he was being transferred to a jail in Michigan. Hanner said Ortiz had no criminal record beyond a paid speeding ticket, closely monitored local ICE activity to avoid it, and was saving money to support his father in Venezuela. As of publication, Ortiz did not appear in the ICE detainee locator and his exact location was unknown.

José David Murcia Valdez, a 30-year-old Honduran refugee, fled Honduras six years ago after a machete attack cost him a finger and left scars across his arms and shoulders. He settled in Monterrey, Mexico, and worked for three years at a recycling plant until Mexican authorities arrived to check employees' papers and deported him back to Honduras. Unable to remain in Honduras because of the earlier attack, he returned to Mexico and joined a migrant caravan called Sueños sin Fronteras, attempting to bike more than 1,000 miles back to Monterrey in search of work.

Felipe Flores was deported alongside Daniel Ramirez as part of the same third-country deportation flight to Guatemala City. Before the flight, he spent days in cramped U.S. detention facilities without being able to shower or brush his teeth, followed by a 15-hour stint in handcuffs. After being released in Guatemala City, he was bused with other Mexican deportees across the border into Tapachula, Mexico.

Daniel Ramirez, a 30-year-old Texas resident born in Mexico's Tamaulipas state and raised in Brownsville, was detained by U.S. immigration agents near his home. Rather than being returned to Mexico, he was shackled and flown to Guatemala City as part of the Trump administration's third-country deportation policy, then bused across the border into Tapachula, Mexico, more than 1,000 miles from the U.S. border. Ramirez, who lived in the U.S. for years without legal status, said the transfer felt like "a punishment for us so we don't go back again." He later took a multi-day bus trip to Matamoros, near Brownsville, where he found work painting cars.

Ana Garcia's mother was arrested by ICE near downtown Mount Vernon, Washington, according to her daughter. Ana said the family was not allowed to see her before she was taken away. The five siblings are now navigating daily life without either parent at home.

ICE officers arrested Jose Saul Canas-Guandique, a 49-year-old Salvadoran national, in Falls Church, Virginia on August 31, 2026. He is wanted in Colorado on felony charges including child sexual assault, solicitation of child prostitution, and using the internet to lure a child. He had lawfully entered the U.S. in 2004 but remained after his permitted stay expired, and he is now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Gilberto Jacobo Mata was taken into ICE custody on August 31, 2026 while on his way to work. He had lived in the United States for 14 years and was the sole income provider for his four children, ages 1 1/2 to 14. Family members describe him as a hardworking man who treated others with kindness and are raising funds to cover legal fees and support his children.

The petitioner was detained at a facility in or near Vinton, Texas, though his exact facility and immediate custodian had not been reliably confirmed to him or his supporters at the time of filing. He filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, along with a motion for a temporary restraining order seeking to prevent his removal from the country and to prevent his transfer outside the Western District of Texas without advance notice. The court found it lacked jurisdiction to stay his removal because such claims are barred under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(g) as directly connected to execution of a removal order. The court did find it had jurisdiction over the underlying habeas petition itself, since it was filed in the district of confinement and named the facility administrator as respondent. The court noted that its jurisdiction would not be lost even if he were transferred to another facility after filing. The motion for a temporary restraining order was denied in full.

A man held at the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention under 8 U.S.C. §§ 1225 and 1226, seeking release or, alternatively, a bond hearing. He argued that the government's interpretation of these statutes to deny him a bond hearing was unlawful. The court found this dispute had already been resolved in his favor by a recent Tenth Circuit decision interpreting the same statutory provisions. The court granted the petition in part, ordering that he receive a bond hearing within seven days at which the government must bear the burden of proving his continued detention is justified. The court also enjoined the government from denying him bond on the basis that he is detained under § 1225(b), and barred his removal from the District of Colorado except pursuant to a final removal order, in order to preserve its jurisdiction over the case.

Victor Salgado Araujo, 44, was detained by ICE on July 7, 2026, after witnessing an ICE agent fatally shoot his brother, Houston homebuilder Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, while the two drove their construction crew to a job site. He was held for 54 days at the Montgomery ICE Processing Center, where he missed his brother's funeral. The three detained witnesses filed habeas petitions and sought U visas, and reported pressure from ICE to self-deport while in custody. Victor was released in late August 2026, the last of the three witnesses freed, and reunited with his family. His attorney said he is expected to testify before the Harris County grand jury investigating the shooting while pursuing a U visa and facing separate removal proceedings.

ICE Phoenix arrested two men during targeted enforcement actions in northern Arizona the week of August 2. Norberto Osornio-Gutierrez, a 50-year-old Mexican national with a history of immigration violations and past deportation orders, was arrested near Prescott. Dinesh Sapkota, a 28-year-old Nepali national who overstayed his visa, was arrested near Flagstaff following 2023 convictions tied to a 2022 arrest.

Federal and Tennessee state agents raided El Corralón, an immigrant-owned nightclub and restaurant in Memphis's Berclair neighborhood, in a pre-dawn operation called 'Operation Corral Light' on August 30. Witnesses said patrons and employees were corralled onto the dance floor, checked for identification, and loaded onto buses while children screamed for their detained parents; advocates estimated parents of at least 16 children were taken. Among those detained were a mother and stepfather, now held in separate facilities — she in Basile, Louisiana, and he in Mason, Tennessee — leaving their four children and four cousins in the care of their grandmother, who said the youngest wakes up crying for his mother while a 16-year-old has taken on helping raise the younger children. DHS confirmed more than 120 arrests but has publicly identified only five detainees, citing prior charges such as larceny, drug possession, and assault, while the status of most remaining detainees has not been disclosed. The operation stemmed from Tennessee Bureau of Investigation warrants targeting illegal gambling machines and narcotics, prompting the ACLU, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, State Rep. Gabby Salinas, and Memphis's mayor to question whether it exceeded the warrant's scope. Some detainees were reportedly deported to Honduras within days, and four people were released at the scene after showing documentation.

Julio Alfredo De Ávila Hernández disappeared in Jalisco, Mexico, ten years ago after being tortured by a cartel. His parents and siblings later fled to the United States and applied for asylum, but an immigration judge ruled in April that they must continue their asylum process in Ecuador, Honduras, or Guatemala instead of remaining in the U.S. The family has filed an appeal to try to stay. Julio's sister, Alondra De Ávila, 26, crossed the border with her four-year-old son in 2024 to turn themselves in to immigration authorities and tell their story. "We want to stay here. I don't want my son to live what I lived," she said.

Sae Joon Park, 57, a Korean-born US Army veteran awarded a Purple Heart for injuries sustained during the 1989 US invasion of Panama, self-deported to South Korea last year after ICE threatened to detain him at a routine immigration check-in over old criminal convictions. Park had lived in the US since age 7, moving from South Korea to join his mother in Miami, and struggled with PTSD and drug use following his military service, leading to a 2007 drug possession conviction and a 2009 bail-jumping conviction. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul pardoned Park for both convictions, opening a pathway for him to seek to have his removal order vacated and legally return to the US. His attorney said the pardon does not guarantee his return. Park now lives in Busan, South Korea, separated from his two adult children.

A woman working at the El Corralón nightclub and restaurant in Memphis was arrested during an ICE raid on August 30 and, due to a prior order of removal, was flown to Central America within days. Her husband had already been deported the previous year after a traffic stop in Memphis, and the couple has since reunited abroad. However, their four children, who are U.S. citizens, remain in Memphis living with their grandmother, as no power of attorney had been arranged and the kids lack passports, complicating reunification efforts. The mother said she has been 'horribly depressed' being separated from her children.

A man was deported by ICE this past month after living in the United States for 24 years, according to a GoFundMe campaign organized by a family friend. He leaves behind a wife and two children with limited resources, and the family is now seeking help securing basic necessities and support services.

Kwesi Menezes, a 35-year-old lawful permanent resident who had lived in the U.S. since age two and grew up in Burlington County, New Jersey, was found unresponsive in Guyana on August 30, months after being deported there in April. His family believes he overdosed on medication prescribed for schizophrenia, a condition he had struggled with for years. Menezes had been arrested by ICE in Mount Holly, New Jersey, in connection with a prior conviction for assaulting a police officer during what his family described as a mental-health episode, and was later transferred into ICE detention and placed on DHS's 'Worst of the Worst Criminal Aliens Arrested' list in December. His mother and sister said his psychiatric condition was not adequately considered during his immigration proceedings and questioned whether he understood what was happening to him while in custody. Relatives describe him as a gifted singer and dancer who was always willing to help others, and are working to bring his remains back to the U.S. for burial.

Gustavo Parraga Durán, a Venezuelan journalist who has been seeking asylum in the U.S. for nearly a decade, was detained by ICE agents during a traffic stop in Utah. He is currently being held at a detention facility in Washington state. His wife said he has no criminal charges, not even traffic tickets, and has lost his job while the family risks losing their home. Parraga Durán is married and the father of two young daughters.

Khalil, a 24-year-old Afghan man whose brother served alongside U.S. forces in the Afghan Army and another brother died fighting the Taliban as a pilot, was deported to the Central African Republic despite having been granted 'withholding of removal' by a U.S. immigration judge in August 2025, who found he could face persecution in Afghanistan. He crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 2024 and was held in ICE custody throughout his time in the U.S.; he did not qualify for asylum due to a Biden-era policy requiring migrants to seek protection in other countries first. His immigration lawyer, Alma David, said his case shows the administration's effort to 'obliterate the global refugee protection system,' while a retired Marine colonel who supervised his brother said he fears Khalil could be killed if eventually returned to Afghanistan.

Milo Yiannopoulos, a 41-year-old British national and former Breitbart News editor, was detained by ICE agents at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on August 27, 2026. He was moved to an ICE processing facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, before being deported to the United Kingdom about 24 hours later. DHS said he had legally entered the U.S. in 2019 but overstayed his authorization, and that an immigration judge issued a final removal order on July 22 after he failed to appear at a hearing. Yiannopoulos disputes this, saying he held a valid O-1 visa and later a green card through his 2017 marriage to an American man, which he claims was quietly canceled without notice. He said he was surrounded by roughly 15 agents, denied food for a day, and moved repeatedly to keep him from reaching his lawyer, and plans to challenge the removal in court. Far-right activist Laura Loomer claimed she had reported him to ICE, and border czar Tom Homan denied allegations of preferential treatment in the speed of his removal.

The petitioner, who was lawfully admitted to the U.S. on a B-2 visa in March 2025, has resided in the country since then and applied for asylum in January 2026, a claim that remains pending. On August 29, 2026, she was detained after the vehicle she was riding in as a passenger, driven by her boyfriend, was stopped; the document states no process was provided to her during the detention. She is now in removal proceedings and has been held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. She has a history of breast cancer and takes related medication, and imaging taken since her detention showed a mass or tumor in her breast, yet for more than two weeks she received no follow-up care or prescribed medication. She filed a habeas corpus petition and a TRO application seeking release, arguing her detention violated due process. The government did not respond to the petition despite a court-ordered deadline, and the court granted the petition, ordering her immediate release on reasonable conditions without monetary bond.

A 22-year-old Filipina registered nurse working in an acute-care telemetry unit at a Phoenix hospital was detained by ICE agents at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Her family says she held a valid work permit at the time and has no criminal history, and they remain unaware of the reason for her detention. She was transferred to the Eloy Detention Center, and her immigration case has a court hearing scheduled for September 4. Her boyfriend set up a GoFundMe page to help cover legal and financial costs as proceedings continue.

Indi Veitia, a 47-year-old Venezuelan asylum-seeker who lives in Indianapolis with her wife and worked her way up from a warehouse job to a corporate position, was detained by ICE officers while walking to her gate at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport during a work trip. She said plain-clothes officers slammed her against the jetway wall, handcuffed her, and transported her in an unmarked vehicle before transferring her to a detention center in Lumpkin, Georgia, where she spent 21 days in a windowless dormitory with more than 60 other women sharing four toilets and showers, at times without running water or power, describing the conditions as 'inhumane.' Veitia entered the U.S. on a work visa in 2019 and later applied for asylum, holding a valid work permit and driver's license while her application had been pending since 2020. She was released on bond after friends and her employer wrote supporting letters and secured lawyers, but now wears a GPS ankle monitor and must report to the ICE field office in Indianapolis under a court order. Her attorney said asylum applicants like her are 'low-hanging fruit' for detention despite following legal processes, while DHS said a pending asylum application does not confer legal status. Veitia said, 'I have done everything that the government have asked me to do.'

Alex Ramirez Gonzalez and Yan Vasquez Hidalgo, a married Cuban couple working in environmental services at SUNY Upstate Medical University, were detained by ICE after appearing for a scheduled immigration hearing in Mattydale, New York. The couple had fled Cuba, entered the U.S. in 2021, turned themselves in to seek asylum, and held valid work authorization. They said they were handcuffed and chained before being transported to a federal detention facility, where they were held for nearly four months, mostly separated from each other. In January, two immigration judges ruled they could not seek asylum in the U.S. but could pursue it in Ecuador, a country to which they have no connection; their lawyer appealed, and the case remains pending. They were released on bond, with one required to wear an ankle monitor, and have returned to their jobs and families in Syracuse. A third coworker, Mohamed Fofana, remains in ICE custody in Texas.

A man was hospitalized after being Tased by an ICE agent during his arrest in Danbury during a targeted enforcement operation. City officials said ICE called 911 around 6:45 a.m. reporting the man had been Tased and needed medical attention, and a city ambulance transported him to Danbury Hospital, where he was discharged later that morning. A DHS spokesperson said the man physically resisted arrest and reached for a pocketknife, and that he was carrying a counterfeit lawful permanent resident card and fake Social Security card. Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves called the incident 'deeply concerning' and said the community deserves transparency about what occurred and why that level of force was used.

Sergio Zárate, a father of six who has lived in the U.S. since 2002, was detained by immigration agents in Yakima, Washington, while he was in the state for work. He had traveled there from his home in Oakley, California, in search of employment. His daughter, Yisleth Zárate, said he has long been the family's main provider and is well regarded by his community and church. He is now being held at a detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, hundreds of miles from his family, who say the detention has caused emotional and financial strain and are seeking help covering legal costs.

Sergio Ivan Chaparro Ayala, a manager at Oceanview Diner in Berkeley who lives in Richmond and supports two children, was detained by ICE agents at Oakland International Airport on August 28, 2026, while preparing to board a flight to Las Vegas for an anniversary trip with his partner, Estefani Montes. Chaparro, who entered the U.S. on a tourist visa that expired in 2020, has no criminal record and suffers from severe sleep apnea requiring a CPAP machine. He was moved between multiple detention facilities in California and Washington state, and Montes struggled to get him access to his medical equipment. Attorneys from Centro Legal de la Raza filed a habeas corpus petition arguing his detention violated due process, and a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order ordering his immediate release and barring ICE from re-detaining him without a hearing before a neutral decisionmaker. Coworkers and community members raised more than $25,000 to cover his legal costs, and a preliminary injunction hearing was scheduled for September 15, 2026.

Hleb Matskevich, who came to the U.S. from Belarus at age 14 under asylum protections and later built a life in Palm Coast, Florida, where he owns two businesses, was detained by ICE agents at a Pennsylvania airport after flying in for his fiancée's grandfather's funeral. His fiancée, Alessandra Robinson, said agents cited an expired visa despite his pending case with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Matskevich is being held at Pike County Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania while the couple pursues a bond request and plans to marry while he remains in custody.

Ivan "Sergio" Chapparo, a shift supervisor at the Oceanview Diner in Berkeley who had worked there for more than six years, was detained by federal immigration agents as he was boarding a flight to Las Vegas at either Oakland or San Francisco International Airport. Friends say Chapparo, a father of three, does not have immigration documents and is currently being held in a detention facility. Restaurant co-owner Will Bishop described him as friendly and well-liked by customers and coworkers, and a friend set up a GoFundMe to help cover his legal costs.

A video circulated by Yakima Community Aid showed a person detained by immigration enforcement agents immediately after being released from Yakima police custody on a Monday. Yakima Police Chief Shawn Boyle said officers did not coordinate with ICE, explaining that ICE and other agencies simply monitor publicly available county jail rosters to learn release times. Boyle defended an officer seen in the video handing the detained person's bag of belongings to an ICE officer, calling the action reasonable given the situation. The incident prompted discussion at a town hall about the Keep Washington Working Act, which restricts local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration enforcement.

A relative of Brenda Dumas who holds a valid work permit was detained by ICE in Port Isabel and, after being held, was released with an ankle monitor, becoming one of more than 50,000 people the agency is tracking with the devices. The family member requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation from the federal government. Dumas said she now uses a phone app to track family members' locations and stays in constant communication with them out of safety concerns.

A court filing revealed that earlier this year four ICE vehicles sped past a stopped school bus with its lights flashing in New Jersey before heading toward an apartment complex where elementary school children were waiting for another bus. The children scattered and ran away in fear. Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America's Voice, said the incident showed immigration agents treating young children on their way to school as targets.

Bill Bassikissa Bounguiena, a Cumberland County corrections officer, was detained by ICE in South Portland in June 2026. The Sheriff's Office said he had been hired in August 2024, had no discipline issues, and 'demonstrated dedication to his duties' by often working overtime. He held an employment authorization document confirming he could legally work in the U.S. until 2030, and the Sheriff's Office said it had no further information on why ICE detained him.