Human Impact Project

Sergei Izbitski, a 46-year-old who has lived in the U.S. for 34 years after leaving Kazakhstan as a boy, was arrested by ICE on June 9 and transported to the Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia, New Mexico. Izbitski is not a Kazakhstani citizen, making deportation impossible. He has no criminal history and operated a successful painting and remodeling business in New Jersey. After a prior deportation attempt failed, he was placed on immigration supervision. A U.S. Magistrate Judge recommended his release on conditions, though his case remained pending. Izbitski is among more than 100 individuals detained in New Mexico challenging the Trump administration's interpretation of immigration law that subjects long-term residents to mandatory detention without bond hearings.

Sergei Izbitski, a 46-year-old who has lived in the U.S. for 34 years after fleeing Kazakhstan as a boy, was arrested by ICE on June 9 and transported to the Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia, New Mexico. Izbitski cannot be deported because he is not a Kazakh citizen and no country will accept him. He ran a successful painting and remodeling business in New Jersey, has no criminal history, and had been complying with immigration supervision. Despite a federal magistrate judge recommending his release on conditions, he remained detained indefinitely as of the article's publication. His case is among more than 100 similar cases in New Mexico where long-term residents are being held without bond hearings.

An unnamed man was detained by ICE on June 9, 2025, at a Home Depot in Huntington Park, California, where he regularly sought work. His family launched a fundraiser to pay for legal representation to challenge the deportation process. The man is described as the sole provider for his family.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted sweeps across Orange County on June 10, 2025, detaining at least a dozen people at a Home Depot on Harbor Boulevard and others at multiple locations including businesses near Warner Avenue and Broadway. Hundreds of protesters gathered at Santa Ana's federal building and civic center in response, and law enforcement deployed pepper spray and tear gas as the demonstration grew and blocked streets. Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said ICE appeared to target day laborers waiting for work.

Angel Piña, a U.S. citizen, was arrested by ICE and Border Patrol agents in June or July and filed a federal tort claim on August 20 alleging racial profiling and wrongful arrest. Charges against him have been dismissed. He is one of six claimants represented by the Carrillo Law Firm alleging racial profiling by ICE and Border Patrol in Southern California.

Dzhakhar Aslambekov, a 27-year-old Russian citizen, entered the US in February 2024 and was initially released on parole in March 2024. In June 2025, ICE re-arrested him through a targeted enforcement operation after he had been working as a delivery driver and complying with immigration proceedings. The court ordered his immediate release, finding his re-detention without a hearing violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights.

Robert Rosado, 54, was charged with robbery, impersonating a public servant, and other offenses after entering an auto repair shop on June 8, 2025, wearing tactical gear and a fake ICE badge, claiming he would take undocumented employees into custody. He zip-tied a woman employee and stole approximately $1,000 before fleeing in an unmarked van. Investigators identified Rosado through license plate readers and surveillance footage, discovering a fake badge, airsoft gun, and other items at his residence. He is being held on $800,000 bail with a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 8, 2025.

Laura, a 32-year-old Colombian woman who entered the U.S. undocumented in February 2022 with her husband Luis and their 13-year-old son Angel, was diagnosed with metastatic gastric cancer after months of avoiding medical care due to fear of ICE detention. Her husband Luis was arrested at their North Miami home and transferred to Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center in Louisiana on June 8. Laura delayed seeking medical treatment out of fear she would be detained without her son, but eventually sought care at an urgent facility near Aventura and was diagnosed with terminal cancer that had spread to her ovaries, lungs, and back. She was hospitalized for a combined 14 days without insurance and has a final deportation order; she plans to return to Colombia with her son.

Randy Mesa Padrón, a 30-year-old Cuban barber, was detained by ICE on June 3, 2025, immediately after an immigration judge dismissed his asylum case without hearing his attorney's arguments. Mesa had entered the U.S. legally in February 2022 with an I-220A parole form and attended all required appointments. ICE officers were waiting in the courthouse hallway and arrested him as he left, transferring him first to a detention center in Pompano Beach where he was pressured to sign a voluntary deportation order within 24 hours, which he refused. He was later moved to Adams County Correctional Center in Mississippi. His wife launched a GoFundMe campaign that raised over $5,000 for legal defense, while his attorney pursued an appeal and habeas corpus petition challenging the detention. As of June 2025, Mesa remained in custody over a year after his initial detention.

Jesus Cruz was detained by ICE agents at a Westchester car wash in Los Angeles on June 9, 2025, while employed polishing luxury vehicles. His wife Noemi Ciau was unable to locate him in ICE's online system or receive communication for days after his detention. At least 26 car wash workers were detained across L.A. area locations during immigration raids that week, with advocates reporting difficulty locating detainees held in temporary facilities.

Grammy-winning musician Finneas was tear-gassed while participating in a peaceful protest against ICE immigration raids in Los Angeles on June 8, 2025. He shared his experience on Instagram, criticizing law enforcement's response to the demonstration. The protest was among thousands across the city expressing frustration with the Trump administration's immigration enforcement actions.

A U.S. deputy marshal was briefly detained by ICE agents in the lobby of a federal building in Tucson, Arizona because he matched the general description of a person ICE was seeking. The deputy marshal's identity was quickly confirmed by other law enforcement officers, and he was released without incident.

An 11th grade student from Queens was detained by ICE agents outside a local courthouse while attending a scheduled immigration court hearing to seek asylum. The student's whereabouts remain unknown to their family, causing significant distress. NYC Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles Ramos confirmed the detention and reaffirmed the school system's commitment to maintaining schools as safe spaces for all students.

Nick Stern, a 60-year-old British freelance journalist and photographer who has lived in the U.S. for 18 years, was struck by a 40mm less-lethal munition that embedded approximately one inch into his leg while covering ICE raid protests in Los Angeles on June 7, 2025. Despite being clearly identifiable as press with visible credentials and cameras, Stern was hit around 9 p.m. while documenting the demonstrations outside a Home Depot. The projectile created a five-centimeter wound with significant muscle damage, and emergency surgeons treated the injury as they would a rifle gunshot wound. Stern was carried away by protesters and required emergency surgery at a trauma unit to remove the embedded round; an X-ray revealed the bullet had lodged in his leg. He avoided permanent nerve damage but sustained significant trauma. Stern was one of at least 11 journalists targeted by law enforcement during the protests; other reporters were also struck by tear gas, pepper balls, and less-lethal rounds. Status Coup News, where Stern had previously freelanced, filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell alleging excessive force against journalists covering the protests.

Lexis-Olivier Ray, an investigative reporter for LA Taco, was pepper-sprayed on his arm and neck and shoved multiple times by Los Angeles Police Department officers while covering a protest against immigration enforcement actions at the Metropolitan Detention Center on January 30, 2026. Ray was visibly wearing press credentials and a shirt marked 'press' while documenting the demonstration on his cellphone. Department of Homeland Security officers also deployed tear gas and pepper balls at the crowd. Ray reported severe burning from the pepper spray that lasted for hours and said he believed he was struck with a projectile on his backpack. At a protest the next day, he was struck with additional projectiles and threatened with arrest. The actions appeared to violate California law prohibiting law enforcement from using violent tactics against members of the press.

Ben Camacho, a journalist for The Southlander, was shot twice by LA County Sheriff's Department while reporting and photographing at a protest against ICE operations in Paramount. Despite wearing a press pass around his neck, officers struck him without warning with what appeared to be less-lethal munitions. He sustained injuries to his elbow and knee, with his elbow wrapped in gauze and his knee weakened by the impact. The incident occurred during a broader enforcement operation against ICE protests in Los Angeles County, during which multiple journalists covering the event were targeted with tear gas, pepper balls, and less-lethal rounds.

Ryanne Mena, a reporter for LA Daily News and Southern California News Group, was struck by law enforcement while covering ICE raid protests in Los Angeles County over two consecutive days in June 2025. On June 6, she was shot with a pepper ball bullet in her left thigh while reporting on ICE operations. The following day in Paramount, she was struck in the head with a rubber bullet and exposed to tear gas during a law enforcement dispersal of protesters. Mena, who has asthma, experienced difficulty breathing during the incidents and was diagnosed with a concussion. She reported ongoing symptoms including brain fog, headaches, vomiting, and heightened anxiety months later. She sought emergency medical care for her injuries and became a plaintiff in a lawsuit that won a preliminary injunction in California's Central District barring ICE and CBP from brutalizing protesters, legal observers, and members of the press.

Sean Beckner-Carmitchel, a journalist and videographer, was covering a protest against ICE raids in Paramount when law enforcement dispersed the crowd. LA County Sheriff's Department deployed tear gas, percussion grenades, and other crowd-control weapons. A tear gas canister struck Beckner-Carmitchel in the head, covering his face with CS agent. He later indicated the canister appeared to have been fired by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents, part of ICE. He sought emergency medical care but did not sustain severe injuries.

Miguel Lopez, a Livermore father of three, was detained during a routine ICE check-in in May 2025 and deported to Mexico in June 2025 despite a judge's order to allow him to stay. On March 17, 2026, supporters gathered outside federal court as Lopez awaited a judge's decision on whether his permanent resident status was wrongfully stripped in 2014. Lopez's attorney argues the government never provided valid reason for revoking his residency.

On June 7, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE agents conducted enforcement operations in Paramount and Downey, California, with a staging area near a Home Depot store. The operations targeted individuals with active arrest warrants and criminal histories, resulting in at least 44 detentions. Word of the federal presence spread on social media, drawing over 1,000 protesters to the scene. Clashes erupted between federal agents in riot gear and demonstrators, with law enforcement deploying tear gas, flash-bang grenades, and pepper balls after protesters blocked vehicles and threw objects. The incident prompted the Trump administration to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles.