Human Impact Project

Ofelia Torres, a 16-year-old U.S. citizen and Lake View High School junior from Chicago, died from metastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma on February 13, 2026. Her father, Ruben Torres-Maldonado, an undocumented immigrant, was detained by ICE agents at a Home Depot in October 2025 during the Trump administration's 'Operation Midway Blitz' enforcement initiative. While undergoing hospice care for stage 4 cancer, Ofelia posted social media videos calling for her father's release from custody. Three days before her death, an immigration judge ruled that Torres-Maldonado was entitled to cancellation of removal based on the hardship his deportation would cause his U.S. citizen children, granting him protection from deportation and the ability to pursue permanent residence.

Ruben Torres Maldonado, a home painter who has lived in the U.S. since 2003, was arrested by ICE agents on October 18, 2025, outside a Home Depot in the Chicago area and detained at the Broadview ICE facility before being transferred to Clay County, Indiana. His arrest occurred shortly after his 16-year-old daughter Ofelia returned home from the hospital, where she was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for stage 4 Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. Her cancer treatments were put on hold during his detention. A federal judge ruled that Torres Maldonado's detention violated his due process rights. An immigration judge set his bond at $2,000, which his family paid, and ruled him conditionally entitled to cancellation of removal based on family hardship, noting he poses no danger to the public and has strong family and community ties. He was released on Thursday, October 30, reuniting him with his family. On February 15, 2026, Ofelia died after her cancer battle. An immigration judge's ruling on her death came three days before, granting Torres Maldonado a pathway to lawful permanent residence.

Greggy Sorio, a 37-year-old man from the Philippines held at Tacoma's Northwest ICE Processing Center, was released following a federal court order that deemed his detention unconstitutionally punitive. While in ICE custody, Sorio developed a serious bone infection that resulted in the amputation of one of his toes and part of his foot, along with other serious health conditions including ulcerative colitis and acute blood loss anemia. U.S. District Judge Tana Lin found that the detention center staff engaged in unreasonable treatment and failed to provide adequate medical care. Sorio still faces a deportation order despite his release from detention.

A Cuban citizen who entered the U.S. in 2021 and filed for asylum in 2022 was arrested by Lee County Sheriff's Office in Florida on February 14, 2026 for disorderly public intoxication and property damage. This encounter with police prompted ICE to arrest and detain him at California City Immigration Processing Center. The federal court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered the government to provide him a bond hearing within 14 days.

Arturo Gonzalez, a San Diego community patroller, was arrested in Logan Heights. The San Diego ICE/ERO Office had previously released a statement regarding Gonzalez's alleged criminal history, which appears to be unrelated to the arrest.

A man was arrested by ICE at his family home in San Jose on February 14, 2026, following an Immigration Judge's decision ordering his detention without bond. The IJ found by clear and convincing evidence that he was a danger to the community based on recent incidents involving law enforcement in 2025. He challenged his detention claiming violations of his procedural and substantive due process rights, but the court denied his habeas petition.

ICE agents arrested 19-year-old Brian Nataren at an Olathe Walmart parking lot on February 14 after stopping his vehicle, whose license plate was associated with a person with an outstanding warrant. Nataren was determined to be a U.S. citizen and was later released. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Kansas announced it is reviewing the incident and decided not to pursue charges against him.

A teenage girl who entered the United States as a refugee was arrested and detained overnight by ICE agents in a hotel room in Minneapolis. According to her allegations, immigration authorities separated her from her family and forced her to share a room with federal agents during the detention. The incident prompted protests outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, with demonstrators opposing the enforcement action.

An NBC News investigation found that Department of Homeland Security officers conducting Trump's immigration crackdown used less-lethal weapons including rubber bullets, tear gas, and pepper spray on protesters. Officers shot 13 people with guns and injured hundreds more. Courts in at least four states found that force was used inappropriately and indiscriminately. The use of these weapons began in late spring and summer in California and Oregon, expanded to Chicago in the fall, and reached Minneapolis where officers shot and killed two protesters.

Diana Butnarciuc, a Moldovan immigrant who arrived in the U.S. legally in 2008, was arrested by ICE agents on February 13, 2026, during a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services interview for a permanent resident card in Las Vegas. Butnarciuc, who is married to Marine veteran Patrick Baja and has two children, has no criminal record, works, and pays taxes. Although she faced a 2018 deportation order after her asylum claim was denied, her marriage to Baja made her eligible for a green card. Her attorney stated that Butnarciuc entered the U.S. legally and should be entitled to permanent resident status. She is being held at Henderson Detention Center, and her husband is seeking her release.

A 10-year-old U.S. citizen named Dylan recounted fleeing during an ICE operation that began near his school bus stop in Lindenwold, New Jersey on Thursday morning. Children waiting at the bus stop panicked and ran when they saw ICE enforcement vehicles, with Dylan running home in fear. The Lindenwold School District said the presence of multiple enforcement vehicles caused significant fear and confusion among fourth- and fifth-graders.

A judge dismissed the deportation case of Narciso Barranco, an Orange County landscaper and father of three U.S. Marines, who was detained by Border Patrol agents in June 2025. Video showed agents pinning him to the ground and punching him during the detention in Santa Ana. The judge ruled Barranco is eligible for lawful status due to his three sons serving in the military, and his attorney is now working to secure permanent residency and a work permit.

Fadya Contreras de Rondon and Johnny Rondon Rodriguez, both real estate agents in Central Florida, were detained by federal immigration agents on January 9, 2026, while traveling to work together. Both had valid documentation and pending asylum cases at the time of their arrest. Fadya was transferred between the Orange County Jail, Broward Transitional Center, and back to Orange County Jail during her nearly month-long detention. U.S. District Judge John Antoon found that the arrest warrants used to justify their detentions contained issues with signature authenticity and were invalid, ordering both released on February 13. Two other individuals detained in connection with the same enforcement action—Junier Alexander Silva Parucho, who had overstayed a visa, and Miguel Rincon Hernandez, an asylum applicant—were also ordered released by judges on February 13 after determinations that their detentions were unlawful or that bond payment processing issues should not delay their release.

Jesus Flores, a Mexican mechanic and father of six children, was detained by ICE agents who faked car trouble outside his home in Columbia Heights, Minnesota on Thursday afternoon. Security camera footage shows two women pretending to have mechanical problems at the curb; when Flores came out to help, ICE agents in other vehicles surrounded the driveway and apprehended him. Two of Flores' children have autism and require special care. His family reports he was transferred to El Paso, Texas within 48 hours, allegedly in violation of a federal judge's order. Flores is undocumented and was previously deported approximately 16 years ago.

A Chinese national who arrived in the U.S. in 2014 on a visitor's visa was detained by ICE at the Adelanto Detention Facility on February 13, 2026. He has lived in the United States for over eleven years, has a wife and two U.S. citizen children ages 4 and 1, and has a pending asylum case seeking protection under the Convention Against Torture. The court ordered his immediate release and enjoined the government from re-detaining him without a proper bond hearing.

Three U.S. citizens—George Retes from California, Aliya Rahman from Minnesota, and Gina Christ from Minnesota—report being detained by ICE and CBP agents during immigration enforcement operations. The incidents involved physical force, pepper spray, flashbangs, and prolonged detention without proper legal procedures, with charges ultimately not filed against any of them.

Terez Metry, a 28-year-old dental assistant with no criminal record, was detained by ICE in Alabama immediately after receiving I-130 approval during a routine immigration interview at a Department of Homeland Security office in Nashville. Metry, who had fled Egypt as a teenager at age 13 and received a removal order at that time, was separated from her U.S. citizen husband Dominique Flemister during the interview. Metry had been living and working in Nashville since 2018 and the couple believed they were following proper legal procedures for her immigration case.

Despite border czar Tom Homan's announcement that Operation Metro Surge would end on February 12, Minnesota residents and officials report ICE continues operations in Twin Cities suburbs. Agents are using disguised vehicles, smaller groups, plain clothes, and deceptive practices including posing as environmental canvassers. Community observers document ICE presence at hotels, bus stops, apartment complexes, and interactions with those documenting enforcement activities.

A man who entered the United States in July 2017 and worked in the pipeline industry for five years, and who is the father of a U.S. citizen residing in Florida, was detained by ICE on February 12, 2026. He had previously been in removal proceedings that were closed in January 2024. The federal court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding that his detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(1) was improper since he had been continuously present in the U.S. for more than two years.

Nicolth Hernandez-Lucero, a 24-year-old Colombian national, was detained by federal immigration agents on Wednesday night while driving home near St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Fort Lauderdale. Her husband, Noah Lazega, recorded the encounter as agents told her she would be detained. Hernandez-Lucero entered the U.S. legally at age 15 and has been in the country for nine years with no criminal record, working as a surgical technician at a local hospital and going through the asylum process with her family. She is now held at a detention facility in Pompano Beach, and her attorney has filed for a bond hearing.