Human Impact Project

Hagop Chirinian, a non-citizen surfer, was released after being detained for four months following an accidental trespass onto Camp Pendleton beach. A federal judge ordered ICE to release him, ruling the agency violated its own protocols by detaining him despite knowing he could not be deported, as Lebanon refused to accept him. Chirinian had been living under an order of supervision with a work permit for nearly 30 years without additional convictions.

Rosa Barrera, an 18-year-old, began caring for her three younger siblings after ICE detained her parents at their workplace. She is fundraising for legal representation to help reunite with her parents, while also managing household bills and caring for her sister who has autism and requires medical support.

ICE agents approached and questioned a woman in a Walmart parking lot, asking if she was born in the United States, in an incident captured on video that circulated online. A Native American legal rights group alleged that the individual involved, identified as Jose Roberto Ramirez, was being retaliated against by ICE.

A man who entered the United States around 2010 was detained by ICE on January 27, 2026, without any warning, paperwork, or legitimate reason according to his petition. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his immigration detention. The federal court granted his petition and ordered his immediate release, also restraining authorities from re-detaining him without proper notice and a pre-detention hearing.

Federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations raided multiple Zipps Sports Grill locations across Phoenix on January 27, 2026. As agents departed the 32nd Street and Shea Boulevard location, an agent pepper-sprayed approximately 50 protesters who were standing on the sidewalk and not impeding the vehicles. The protesters, including at least one person who fell to the ground in pain, had not been blocking the agents' departure.

The Department of Homeland Security filed court documents claiming that critical surveillance footage from ICE's Broadview detention center was never recorded, rather than lost as previously stated. The footage from October 20-31, 2025 was sought as evidence in a class action lawsuit by detainees alleging subhuman conditions including insufficient food and water, extreme temperatures, poor sanitation, and abusive officers. DHS also argues the footage would be irrelevant because conditions have since improved.

An ICE agent in Santa Ana, California deployed pepper spray indiscriminately in a residential area, creating a chemical cloud that affected bystanders including children present at the scene. Video footage shows the agent spraying in multiple directions while shouting commands, using the chemical agent as an apparent crowd control or barrier creation tool rather than for self-defense. The incident drew public criticism questioning the agent's training and the necessity of the deployment, as no identifiable threat or crowd was present.

Fong Khang, a Cambodian immigrant, was pardoned by the Minnesota Board of Pardons on January 20 for convictions from nearly 20 years ago. Less than 24 hours later, ICE detained him, threatening his ability to remain in the United States. The article also describes the case of Sithy Yi, a Cambodian genocide survivor and refugee, who was detained by ICE after 10 years of compliance with immigration instructions.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested four people at the Douglas County Courthouse in Omaha on Monday, January 27, 2026, while they were attending scheduled court appearances. Three of those detained faced DUI charges, and one faced charges related to hit-and-run and driving under a suspended license. One detainee had worked out a plea deal and was arrested seven minutes before his hearing was set to start. The judge denied a request to postpone the hearing, issued a warrant for failure to appear, and at least three of the four were transferred to the federal detention center in McCook.

Diana Elizabeth Cartagena Hueso, a 29-year-old Salvadoran asylum seeker detained in New Jersey on January 27, 2026, was transferred five times despite a federal court order blocking transfers. A federal judge ruled her detention illegal and found the government had violated at least 72 court orders since December in similar cases, warning he would require prosecutors to testify under oath if violations continued. The judge noted the government's conduct was intentional misconduct and that Hueso's case was emblematic of the administration's illegal approach to immigration enforcement in the state.

A Chula Vista family of four was reunited after both parents, Reinaldo Chirino from Venezuela and Kris Estefany Pineda-Torregosa from Colombia, were released from ICE custody following more than two weeks of detention in late January. The parents were detained after dropping their children at school, leaving their two young sons in the care of a family friend. One parent was released after a judge granted bond, and the couple is now fighting their removal case while being monitored with ankle bracelets.

Jose Cruz Santos was unlawfully detained by ICE despite having no prior encounters with immigration authorities. A federal court ordered his release under the same conditions that existed prior to detention (no conditions), but ICE released him with monitoring and reporting requirements. The court voided the ICE order and prohibited any conditions on his release, criticizing the agency for knowingly disregarding the judicial order. Jose Cruz Castro, a worker at Don Patron Mexican Restaurant, was detained by ICE. A U.S. District Court judge ruled that his case will be transferred to the Western District of Pennsylvania.

U.S. Army Captain Josie Guilbeau, a 17-year veteran and decorated Intelligence Officer, was arrested for peacefully protesting ICE outside Greg Bovino's hotel. The arrest occurred while she was protesting alongside community members using non-violent methods such as banging pots, blowing whistles, and honking horns.

Immigration agents attempted to detain landscapers in Downey, California, leading to a physical altercation that was captured on video. The landscapers resisted the detention, wrestling with the agents during the incident.

EWS | Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided a Foggy Bottom restaurant in a GW-owned building Wednesday afternoon, detaining and questioning several people, the University confirmed Friday. Officials said in a Federal Updates email Friday that agents detained “a number of individuals” from Circa, located across the street from the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro stop, but did not specify how many and said they have no information suggesting any are affiliated with GW. Friday’s announcement followed a Thursday post by the Immigrant Liberation Coalition at GW, which alleged that ICE pulled between six and 15 people from the restaurant during the raid, detaining some and checking immigration papers of others. York Van Nixon IV, Circa at Foggy Bottom’s senior general manager, declined to comment on the raid or answer questions about the incident and the number of employees ICE detained. A spokesperson from Circa Bistros, which operates Circa at Foggy Bottom, did not immediately return a request for comment on the raid. A University spokesperson declined to comment on when the University learned of the raid, why officials did not issue a GW Alert and whether ICE contacted GW — which owns the building Circa operates in — ahead of the raid.

A federal lawsuit filed by Public Counsel, CHIRLA, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP challenges conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, alleging denied medical care, inadequate nutrition, unsanitary conditions, and retaliation against detainees who speak out. The lawsuit names four plaintiffs and references at least two deaths in custody, including that of Ismael Ayala-Uribe in September 2025. Detainees report untreated infections, denied seizure medication, disease outbreaks, and insufficient food and water.

A congresswoman faced criminal charges for visiting ICE detainees at a detention facility. The incident involved Congress members demanding the release of detainees, including Newark mayor Ras Baraka. The article examines the criminalization of congressional oversight of immigration detention practices.

ICE agents detained Mayra Vaca Latacunga, 25, a single mother from Ecuador, after stopping her car while she was getting groceries in Biddeford, Maine on Friday, January 24, 2026. The detention left her five-year-old daughter Keyli Camila Espin Vaca without a caretaker. Vaca Latacunga, who entered the U.S. two years ago fleeing domestic violence and works in Maine's seafood industry, has no criminal record. She was transferred to Massachusetts and held for several days before being released on Tuesday with an ankle monitor and reunited with her daughter.

A 22-year-old man's father was detained by Border Patrol on January 26th. The son is fundraising to cover his father's legal costs and living expenses.

Heidy Sánchez was separated from her one-year-old daughter during an immigration appointment when ICE agents took the child away while she was breastfeeding. Sánchez was subsequently deported to Cuba and remains separated from her daughter and American husband eight months later.