Human Impact Project

A Vietnamese national who entered the U.S. as a refugee in 1988 was re-detained by ICE on March 20, 2026, during a routine check-in. He had a valid removal order issued against him in 1997, but removal efforts failed at that time and he was released on an Order of Supervision. The court denied his habeas petition on July 16, 2026, finding that changed circumstances—including improved U.S.-Vietnam diplomatic relations and deportation protocols—created a significant likelihood of his removal in the reasonably foreseeable future.

A man with a clean police record, an employment letter, and a rental lease filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan on March 20, 2026, challenging his detention. The petition includes motions for temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, and immediate release, with supporting documentation including passport, employment letter, rental lease, and clean police record.

An Irving police officer conducted a traffic stop of a white Nissan pickup truck on March 20, 2026, after observing an obscured license plate and evasive driving. A K-9 unit alerted to narcotics, leading to a probable cause search that discovered cocaine, marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, and a THC vape pen. Two individuals, Mitchell Kvaal and Karen Sarahi Duran-Quintero, were arrested and transported to Irving Jail.

Paolo Zampolli, a Trump associate and presidential special envoy, requested that ICE detain his Brazilian ex-girlfriend Amanda Ungaro who was in a Miami jail on fraud charges. ICE official David Venturella promptly arranged for Ungaro to be placed in ICE custody, and she was ultimately deported. The incident reflects allegations that federal government resources are being used to settle personal scores during the second Trump administration.

Igor Babkin, a Russian art teacher who fled political persecution, entered the U.S. legally under humanitarian parole in 2024 and was released under supervision. On February 3, 2026, ICE detained him during a routine annual check-in appointment despite his legal status and prior release. Held at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall for approximately six weeks, Babkin's attorney challenged the detention as violating due process rights. On March 17, 2026, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ordered Babkin's release, finding that ICE had violated his due process rights by reversing its earlier discretionary decision to release him without providing individualized assessment or evidence of changed circumstances. Babkin was released on March 20, 2026.

Three people were detained during an ICE raid on a South Burlington home on March 11, 2026. The detainees were Daysi Camila Patin Patin, 20, from Ecuador; her sister Jisella Johana Patin Patin; and Cristian Humberto Jerez Andrade. None of the three were named in the warrant that authorized the raid. Following federal court hearings, all three were ordered released by a judge, with Daysi Camila Patin Patin's release ordered on March 20, 2026.

Jiaye You, a fourth-year Chinese-American student at University at Buffalo, was arrested by ICE after attending a routine immigration hearing in New York City and is currently held at Jackson Parish Correctional Center in Louisiana. The reason for his detention remains unclear. His professor has launched a GoFundMe campaign that has raised over $24,000 for legal fees, and the university has expressed support for his case.

Royer Pérez-Jimenez, a 19-year-old indigenous Tzotzil Mayan from San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, Mexico, died on March 16, 2026, at Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida, while in ICE custody. He had immigrated to the United States at age 15 to join an uncle but was left on his own after the uncle was deported. He worked continuously in a restaurant but earned minimal wages. On January 21, 2026, he was arrested during a traffic stop after giving a false name and was convicted of misdemeanors on February 19. He was transferred to ICE custody on February 21 and moved to the Moore Haven facility on February 26. On March 16 at approximately 2:34 a.m., he was found unresponsive in his dormitory; despite CPR efforts by detention staff and emergency responders, he was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m. ICE stated the death was a presumed suicide, though the official cause remained under investigation. His father Manuel Pérez rejected the suicide conclusion and called for a thorough investigation. His death was one of at least 13 to 14 acknowledged deaths in ICE detention occurring between January and late March 2026.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger ruled that ICE unlawfully detained asylum seeker Andrei Bankevich from Belarus in Muscatine County Jail for over a year and that federal officials violated his due process rights by refusing to release him without a court order.

Jose Valera Vera, a medical assistant at a Memphis clinic, was detained by ICE after traveling to Nashville for an immigration hearing. Vera, a former doctor from Venezuela seeking political asylum, was taken into custody at the hearing despite having a pending petition filed by his wife, who is a permanent resident. He has since been transferred to a facility in Mason, Tennessee.

Raúl Tapia, a Mexican immigrant who has lived in the United States for about 25 years, was detained by ICE agents while driving to work with his son near their home in Georgetown, Delaware. According to his family, three unmarked black trucks surrounded their van at a stop sign, and six masked agents broke the van's windows and forcibly removed Raúl without presenting a warrant. His son Dante said agents questioned him about his birthplace before releasing him and detaining his father. Delaware court records show Raúl has no criminal history, and his wife Beth said the family had recently begun working with a new attorney to resolve his immigration status. He is being held in a detention center in Philadelphia and is expected to be transferred to Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania, with an immigration hearing scheduled. Community organizations including La Esperanza and the ACLU of Delaware raised concerns about the warrantless stop and tactics used.

A 21-year-old Indian citizen entered the U.S. without inspection in June 2024 and was released on his own recognizance with removal proceedings pending. He complied with all release conditions and filed for asylum. Immigration authorities re-detained him on March 19, 2026, without notice or opportunity for a hearing. The court granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release, finding the government violated his due process rights.

A 23-year-old woman was detained at a Border Patrol checkpoint on State Route 94 after agents suspected her of smuggling undocumented migrants but found no evidence of a crime. An agent falsely told her he found "deleted evidence" on her phone; when she grabbed it back, agents twisted her arm and wrestled the phone from her. As she turned to walk into a holding cell, an agent Tasered her, striking her breast. She was pregnant with a 2-month-old baby at the time and was hospitalized to have the Taser prong removed; her breastmilk was bloody for weeks. Federal prosecutors charged her with assaulting a federal officer but dismissed the charge in August after body camera footage contradicted agents' allegations and her attorney argued agents violated her constitutional rights by arresting her without probable cause and using excessive force.

Alvaro Velasquez, a high school senior at Roosevelt Schools in Nassau County, New York, was detained by ICE in May 2025 weeks before graduation. He was held at a detention center in Texas for several months before self-deporting to Guatemala. Superintendent Dr. Shawn Wightman traveled to Guatemala at his own expense to deliver Velasquez's cap, gown, and diploma in person after being denied access to him at the detention facility.

Two individuals were detained by ICE and subsequently released on bond following legal proceedings. Estefany María Rodríguez Flores, a Colombian journalist for Nashville Noticias, was detained during a traffic stop on March 4, 2026, and released on March 19 after an immigration judge granted bond. Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman, was detained in March 2025 after meeting with immigration authorities and held for over a year at Prairieland Detention Facility in Texas before being released on March 16, 2026, following a judge's bond order that the Department of Homeland Security declined to appeal. Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman and visible campus advocate, was detained in March 2025 for staying in the U.S. on an expired F-1 student visa. While in detention, she experienced her first-ever seizure and was handcuffed to a hospital bed for 72 hours. An immigration judge ordered her release on bond twice before the government kept her detained through automatic stays. A Texas judge ordered her release a third time on March 16, 2026, setting bond at $100,000.

A growing number of detainees in U.S. immigration detention centers have signed voluntary departure agreements in exchange for promised cash payments ranging from $1,000 to $3,000. Immigration lawyers describe the practice as psychological pressure to discourage migrants from defending their cases in court. Many detainees report signing under pressure to escape harsh detention conditions, though most experience significant delays in receiving promised funds. Luis Andrés Monterroso López, 29, detained at Alvarado detention center in Texas, signed such an agreement and was deported to Guatemala in December 2025. He eventually received $2,600 through Western Union in March 2026, which he used to establish a mechanic shop in his village.

Aliya Rahman, a U.S. citizen from Minneapolis with autism and traumatic brain injury, was arrested by Capitol Police while attending the State of the Union as a guest of Rep. Ilhan Omar. The federal government announced it will not file charges against her. Rahman claims she was arrested for standing silently in the gallery; Capitol Police say she refused to obey lawful orders.

Cristian Humberto Jerez Andrade, a 31-year-old Honduran national, was detained during an ICE raid on March 11, 2026, at a South Burlington residence. ICE agents had a search warrant for the property but Jerez Andrade's name was not on it; they were searching for another individual who was not present. He was held at Northwest State Correctional Facility for approximately one week before an immigration judge granted him release on a $10,000 bond on March 19-20, 2026. Jerez Andrade has not been charged with a crime, though deportation proceedings have been initiated against him.

Chih-Ming 'Petey' Feng, a well-known line cook in Dallas's restaurant industry, was deported to Taiwan on March 19, 2026, after spending more than 130 days in ICE custody. Feng was detained on November 6, 2025, when he attended a follow-up ICE appointment after overstaying his visa since 2010. He was deported to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where his parents live, with his mother and sister currently battling cancer.

A federal jury returned a mixed verdict against nine defendants accused of domestic terrorism stemming from a July 4 noise demonstration outside the Prairieland immigrant detention center in Alvarado, Texas. Prosecutors argued the defendants constituted a "North Texas Antifa cell" and all played a role in a nonfatal shooting of a police officer during the protest. The defendants stated the protest was intended to show solidarity with migrants in detention and involved fireworks and vandalism. Eight defendants were convicted on felony charges including providing material support to terrorists and conspiracy to use explosives.