Human Impact Project

ICE agents confronted Ecuadorian immigrant Cristian Vaca at his home in Maine, with an agent threatening on camera to 'come back for your whole family.' Vaca arrived from Ecuador in September 2023 and reported having a work permit and a scheduled immigration hearing. The incident occurred during ICE's 'Operation Catch of the Day' enforcement operation in Maine.

A corrections officer recruit for the Cumberland County jail was arrested by ICE despite having passed background checks and federal employment verification, according to Sheriff Kevin Joyce. Joyce said the person had no known criminal history and was authorized to work in the United States. The arrest occurred amid a broader ICE enforcement surge in Maine that has also detained other vetted county employees.

A corrections officer employed by the York County jail, who had been vetted by county authorities, was detained by ICE this week after being summoned to an immigration appointment. As of Friday the officer remained held at a detention facility in Plymouth, Massachusetts. York County officials said the case shows that despite ICE promoting the enforcement surge as targeting the "worst of the worst," the reality appears more complicated.

Juan Sebastián Carvajal-Muñoz, a Colombian civil engineer with a master's degree from the University of Maine and a valid H-1B work visa, was violently detained by ICE agents while driving to work in Portland, Maine. Masked agents in unmarked vehicles surrounded his car, smashed his driver's side window with a crowbar, pointed a Taser at him, and dragged him out despite his attempts to show proof of lawful status, leaving his car running in the street. He was placed in full-body shackles and transported across state lines to an ICE facility in Massachusetts, where he was held for hours in a windowless cell before being released without charges roughly 105 miles from his home. Carvajal-Muñoz, who has no criminal record despite the operation reportedly targeting immigrants with criminal histories, said he continues to fear being detained again. With assistance from the ACLU of Maine, he filed a federal lawsuit against ICE agent Jack Cory Ravencamp and two unidentified agents, alleging excessive force, warrantless arrest, unlawful detention, racial discrimination, and violations of his Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights.

Joabe Barbosa, a 25-year-old Brazilian doctoral student at Roosevelt University on an F-1 visa, faces forced departure to Brazil after going unmatched for a required internship in his final year of clinical psychology studies. Without an internship placement, Barbosa must leave the U.S. within 60 days after the school year ends and may not be able to return to complete his degree, which he is on track to finish in 2027.

Federal prosecutors filed charges against two American citizens, including an 18-year-old, stemming from an ICE raid at a Hardin Valley construction site. The workers are accused of preventing federal agents from enforcing immigration law, with allegations that one used his truck to strike an ICE vehicle. Witnesses dispute the account, stating an ICE agent struck the teen's truck first before agents aimed guns and forcibly removed him from the vehicle.

ICE arrested Augusta Clara's partner on May 7 during a traffic stop in Worcester, Massachusetts. The next morning, ICE came to Clara's home demanding she return the car and sign paperwork. When Clara left her house with her 17-year-old sister and 3-month-old son, ICE stopped her car and arrested her. As Clara's mother arrived to take the baby, ICE agents attempted to arrest her as well and violently restrained Clara's sister, pinning her face to the ground. Neighbors gathered and protested, preventing ICE from taking the infant. Clara's sister and mother were arrested; Clara was also taken into custody.

Cecil Elvir-Quinonez, a 25-year-old Honduran national who has lived in the U.S. since 2014, was arrested on New Year's Eve 2025 after being stopped for speeding in Louisiana. She was separated from her two American-born children, including a five-month-old still breastfeeding at the time of arrest. While in ICE custody, Elvir-Quinonez discovered she was pregnant with her third child. She experienced heavy bleeding and cramps but received limited medical care beyond one emergency room visit. Her youngest child has been repeatedly sick since her arrest, and her five-year-old has developed new speech difficulties. Advocacy groups including the ACLU and National Immigration Project report that Elvir-Quinonez's case is part of a documented pattern: more than a dozen women have suffered medical neglect and mistreatment while pregnant in ICE custody, including cases of women shackled during miscarriages, denied prenatal care, and given inadequate nutrition. The advocacy coalition has urged ICE to release all pregnant detainees.

Makengo Nzeza was detained by ICE on January 23, 2026, while returning to the hospital after his wife gave birth via C-section to their newborn daughter. Nzeza, a member of First Parish Congregational Church in Saco, was arrested as part of Operation Catch of the Day. He had been granted asylum. DHS stated that Nzeza entered the country on a tourist visa in 2017 that expired in 2018. His wife was left alone at the hospital with their newborn and three other children ages 3, 6, and 11. A fundraiser was created to support the family and cover legal fees and bond costs.

Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, one of seven people charged with stealing millions in jewelry, diamonds, emeralds, gold, rubies and designer watches in 2022, was allowed to self-deport to South America by federal immigration authorities before facing trial. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges prior to his deportation.

Osvaldo Damian Diaz Hernandez, a noncitizen who had been previously released on bond or conditional parole, was re-detained by immigration authorities on January 22, 2026 without being provided a pre-deprivation bond hearing. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his ongoing immigration detention. The federal court ruled that the Due Process Clause requires the government to provide a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter before re-detaining someone who was previously released, and ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention.

A noncitizen who had been previously released on bond or conditional parole was re-detained by immigration authorities on January 22, 2026. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his ongoing immigration detention, arguing that the government violated his due process rights by re-detaining him without providing a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter. The federal court granted his petition and ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he was subject to prior to his January 22 detention.

ICE agents detained five-year-old Liam Ramos and his father at their home in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, using the child as bait to gain entry despite the family having an active asylum case and no deportation order. Federal agents have detained children as young as four years old in ICE custody.

A Cumberland County corrections officer was detained by ICE agents Wednesday night in Portland despite having documentation showing he was authorized to work until April 2029. The officer had a clean background check when hired in February 2024 and was actively pursuing legal immigration status. Sheriff Kevin Joyce commented on the arrest, noting the officer's background and immigration status pursuit.

Emily Despain, a 21-year-old U.S. citizen from Tempe, Arizona, was detained by ICE for approximately four hours during a protest outside the ICE Phoenix Field Office on January 22, 2026. She alleged that an ICE agent pushed her face-first into the ground during a confrontation between protesters and agents, though she stated she did not physically engage with any officers. She was released without explanation or apology around 1:30 a.m. on January 23.

Evaristo Kalonji, an asylum seeker from Angola with no criminal record, was detained by ICE agents on January 22, 2026 in South Portland. His pastor, Carlos Nzolameso, found Kalonji's car abandoned with keys on the floor. Kalonji was moved between detention centers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island while his pending asylum case awaits a court date scheduled for May 2028.

Former Customs and Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino is under criminal investigation for throwing a gas canister at protesters and observers in Minneapolis' Mueller Park on January 21, 2026. Video footage documents Bovino deploying the canister, which released green gas potentially containing carcinogenic substances. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced the investigation as part of 17 criminal cases involving potentially unlawful conduct by federal agents during Operation Metro Surge.

Francisco Gaspar Andrés, a 48-year-old Guatemalan immigrant, died on December 3, 2025, at The Hospitals of Providence East in El Paso after 93 days in ICE custody at Camp East Montana detention facility. He was arrested in Florida on September 1 and transferred to the facility on September 19, marking the first confirmed death there. His health deteriorated in mid-November with complications from alcoholic hepatic cirrhosis, low sodium levels, and kidney failure. He was hospitalized on November 16 and placed on dialysis and a liver transplant list before being pronounced dead on December 3. His daughter said during weekly phone calls he reported suffering from lack of food, lack of medical care, and terrible conditions, and stated: 'My dad was taken to the hospital when he was already dying, and it was too late.' Another detainee confirmed he had asked for help but did not receive it. His wife, Lucía Pedro Juan, was deported to Guatemala on November 28 before learning of his death. An immigration judge had ordered his removal on November 14, two days before his hospitalization. The El Paso County Medical Examiner attributed his death to natural causes stemming from advanced alcoholic liver cirrhosis with renal failure and internal bleeding, though conflicting reports indicate authorities also ruled it a homicide.

A 16-year-old Ecuadorian asylum seeker named Sebastian was detained by ICE agents in North Minneapolis in mid-January while on a food run. He was moved between multiple holding facilities, including a guarded hotel, before being flown to a youth shelter in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During his detention, his family and ICE's own attorneys reported having no record of him in custody. Lawyers located him after a week-long period.

A 10-year-old girl and her father, Guatemalan asylum-seekers with six years of U.S. residency and an active asylum claim, were detained by federal agents in Spokane on January 9 after a school drop-off and transferred to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. The father holds a valid work permit and has no criminal history. Washington state leaders condemned the enforcement action, noting the family's community ties and scheduled 2027 court hearing.