HUMSI — Human Security Initiative

Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

We collect individual stories of people impacted by U.S. immigration enforcement from news reporting, court records, and community accounts into one searchable public database, updated daily and reviewed by our team. The Human Impact Project is run by the Human Security Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

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4265 incidents with known locations
⚐ Highlighted incident #12415 (not on this page in normal date order)Clear

Two Bismarck restaurant workers detained by ICE, prompting closure and community protest

Sep 25, 2026Bismarck, ND

Two employees of Charra's and Tequila, a Mexican restaurant in north Bismarck, North Dakota, were taken into ICE custody, including the owner's nephew. The restaurant's owner said the workers held permanent resident status and valid, unexpired work authorization, and described remaining staff as "scared" and the team as "in shock" following the arrests, prompting the business to temporarily close. An ICE spokesperson disputed this, stating the two workers had entered the U.S. without legal status and would remain in custody pending immigration proceedings. About 75 people gathered on September 25 to protest outside the William L. Guy Federal Building in Bismarck, opposing increased ICE enforcement activity that left at least 19 people in custody at the Burleigh-Morton Detention Center that week.

ICE agents stop U.S. citizen Maria, causing extensive injuries

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Aug 25, 2025Oregon

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stopped Maria on Thursday morning while she was on her way to pay rent and buy a cake for her grandson's birthday. Sandra Hernández, director of Latinos Unidos Siempre, stated that Maria was racially profiled. The incident resulted in extensive injuries to Maria.

Woman arrested after livestreaming ICE detention in Fort Myers

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Aug 25, 2025Fort Myers, FL

Lesli Marili Samayoa, 26, was arrested after recording ICE agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Fort Myers, Florida. She told N+ Univision she began filming on her way to work to alert her community, but agents surrounded her truck and a Florida Highway Patrol vehicle blocked her path. She livestreamed a 28-second video on Facebook showing agents breaking her vehicle's window before pulling her out by the hair, throwing her to the ground, and pressing their knees against her neck. She was booked into the Lee County jail on a charge of resisting an officer, not an immigration charge, and was held for nine days until September 3, during which she says she lost about 16 pounds. "I feel like I can't trust anyone, I feel abandoned, I feel like I can't call 911. I have anxiety, I don't want to go out; I'm terrified to go outside," she said.

17-year-old violently detained by ICE while retrieving family truck in Texas

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Aug 25, 2025Edinburg, TX

José Ángel, 17, was detained by ICE agents in Edinburg, Texas on August 25 while on his way to retrieve a truck left behind after his uncle's earlier detention. According to José and his sister Regina, 19, who spoke with N+ Univision, their uncle had been detained by ICE while with one of his children, who managed to escape. Their mother asked them to go pick up the abandoned truck, and José was preparing for school when he and Regina went to the location where he was detained.

Undocumented Immigrant Removed From Minnesota Hospital, Transferred to Texas Facility

Aug 24, 2025Bloomington, MN

Adrian Sotelo Guzman was forcibly removed by ICE from M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina and transferred to a mental health facility in Texas, despite hospital staff determining he was experiencing psychosis related to bipolar disorder and was not stable enough for discharge. A federal judge approved the Department of Homeland Security's request for his removal. Medical providers and advocates raised concerns that Sotelo Guzman could not make independent decisions due to active psychosis and was denied family contact during the transfer. His family and advocacy groups are now seeking to reunite with him and calling for investigations into the circumstances of his removal.

ICE agent points weapon at pinned immigrant during Connecticut raid

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Aug 24, 2025Danbury, CT

A video captured ICE agents detaining several immigrant workers in Danbury, Connecticut on Monday, August 24, showing an agent kneeling on a man lying face-down on the street with his hands behind his back while pointing an object toward his head. The person who filmed the video, who asked to remain anonymous, told N+ Univision that one of those detained was his friend, whom he had met at a shelter, describing him as "super amable" and someone who always greeted people warmly. The witness said he and his friend were preparing to leave for work with a group of other workers when immigration agents arrived and began detaining people without identifying themselves.

ICE detains carwasher Gustavo after 7 months, granted bond at $17,500

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Aug 24, 2025Torrance, CA

Gustavo was detained by ICE on August 24, 2025, while working at Bubble Hand Car Wash in Torrance. After being held for 7 months, he was granted bond at $17,500. His sister Rosa organized a GoFundMe to raise funds for his legal expenses, noting that Gustavo is elderly with medical conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, and cirrhosis.

Trans Brazilian woman violently pulled from car by ICE agents outside D.C.

Aug 23, 2025Silver Spring, MDBrazil

Alice Correia Barbosa, a transgender Brazilian woman, was detained by plainclothes ICE agents on August 23 after being pulled from a car in Silver Spring, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. Video of the arrest showed multiple men unbuckling and forcibly removing her from the vehicle while misgendering her. ICE said Barbosa overstayed her B-2 tourist visa by nearly six years and cited prior arrests for drug possession as reasons for the detainment. She has since been held at the Caroline Detention Center, and ICE has announced plans to deport her. A friend, describing her as a vibrant volleyball player and beloved daughter, started a GoFundMe to help fund her legal defense.

US citizen detained by ICE agents in Simi Valley, claims racial profiling

Aug 22, 2025Simi Valley, CA

Rodrigo Almendarez, a U.S. citizen born in Canoga Park, was detained by ICE agents outside his workplace in Simi Valley without being identified or told why. He was released after showing his ID and a coworker's intervention. He plans to file a lawsuit over the incident.

ICE fires at U.S. citizen pleading about children in car

Aug 22, 2025

An ICE officer fired at a U.S. citizen during an enforcement incident. Video footage shows the officer firing while the citizen stated he had children in his car.

HSI and ICE agents chase family in Indio, causing crash

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Aug 22, 2025Indio, CA

HSI and ICE agents chased a family in Indio, California, causing a couple to crash their vehicle. Agents removed the man from the scene in their vehicles. The children were left at the scene. An ambulance arrived for the mother and children.

Federal agents open fire on family vehicle during San Bernardino immigration enforcement operation

Aug 22, 2025San Bernardino, CA

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers opened fire during an immigration enforcement operation in San Bernardino, California on Saturday, firing three shots at a departing vehicle. Masked agents in unmarked vehicles surrounded the family's truck with weapons drawn and broke windows without identifying themselves, prompting the driver to flee out of fear. Federal authorities claimed the action was self-defense after the vehicle struck two officers, though no agents were injured. The family later refused to allow agents into their home without a warrant, and federal agents surrounded the residence for several hours.

Mississippi construction worker detained by ICE after minor traffic accident

Aug 22, 2025Bay St. Louis, MSMexico

Heriberto Reyes-Ochoas, known as Eddie, a 34-year-old native of Mexico who has lived in Kiln, Mississippi for nearly 20 years, was arrested by immigration authorities after a minor car accident. He was stopped by a state trooper for failure to yield and driving without a license, held at the Hancock County jail, and then transferred to the Adams County Correctional Center, an ICE facility in Natchez, Mississippi. His wife, Catherine Cool, said the couple has been married 12 years and is expecting their first child, and that Reyes-Ochoas has no criminal record and was in the process of applying for a green card, awaiting an interview when he was detained. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said he will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

ICE arrests rise across Western Pennsylvania with local police help

Aug 22, 2025Pittsburgh, PA

ICE arrests continue to increase across the Western Pennsylvania region, including areas like Monroeville and Ambridge. Federal immigration authorities are receiving assistance from local police in conducting these enforcement operations. The article references an incident on Tuesday involving more than two dozen workers arrested at a construction site at Mount Nittany.

Milo Yiannopoulos arrested by ICE at New Orleans airport, held in Louisiana

Aug 21, 2025Kenner, LAUnited Kingdom

Former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos, a United Kingdom national, was arrested by ICE agents at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, Louisiana. DHS said he legally entered the U.S. through New York City on May 14, 2019, but overstayed his authorized stay. An immigration judge issued him a final order of removal on July 22 after he failed to appear for his immigration hearing, and he is being held at an ICE facility in Alexandria, Louisiana pending removal.

Man from Mexico apprehended after chase near Encinitas shopping center

Aug 21, 2025Encinitas, CAMexico

Federal agents, including Border Patrol's BORTAC tactical unit, ICE, and the U.S. Marshal Service, converged on a shopping center parking lot in Encinitas to apprehend a man from Mexico who had been deported twice before and had a final order of removal from 2019. According to CBP, the man rammed one of the agents' vehicles and fled on foot into a wooded area before being taken into custody. Witnesses described the heavily armed, masked agents and unmarked vehicles as alarming, and the man remains in ICE custody pending removal.

Disabled Army veteran detained, bond denied despite two-decade U.S. residency

Aug 21, 2025Tukwila, WAPakistan

Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry, a disabled U.S. Army veteran from Pakistan who has lived in the United States since 2000, was detained by ICE on August 21, 2025, when he arrived for a citizenship interview in Tukwila, Washington. Chaudhry served in the Washington Army National Guard from 2001 to 2005 and was honorably discharged due to a back injury sustained during training; the injury left him using a wheelchair and experiencing severe pain. He has been living in Lacey with his wife Melissa and their two children, and has dedicated his post-military life to activism, serving on former Governor Jay Inslee's Committee on Disability Issues and Employment and as president of Veterans for Peace Olympia. Federal officials say Chaudhry failed to initially disclose fraud convictions from Australia in 1996 related to using documents that were not his to open a bank account and obtain benefits; Chaudhry's wife states he was coerced into pleading guilty and was told there would be no criminal record, and that the convictions carried a lenient sentence. An immigration judge denied his bond on August 29, 2025, leaving him detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma while his removal case moves through the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where he has an ongoing appeal challenging a 2020 Board of Immigration Appeals decision that overturned an immigration judge's 2018 ruling allowing him to keep his green card.

Salvadoran man with TPS arrested without warrant in DC street sweep

Aug 21, 2025Washington, DCEl Salvador

José Escobar Molina, 47, a Salvadoran native with temporary protected status who had lived in Washington, DC for 25 years, was grabbed and handcuffed without questions by ICE agents in two cars as he approached his work truck. He was held overnight in Virginia before being released. He is a plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit challenging warrantless arrests in DC.

Man detained by ICE outside Asheville courthouse without prior notification

Aug 21, 2025Asheville, NCMexico

Jediael Amaya Sanchez, 46, was detained by ICE agents outside the Buncombe County Courthouse on August 21 while attending a civil complaint hearing. Armed officers in tactical gear conducted the arrest in an unmarked vehicle without notifying local law enforcement or his public defender. Amaya Sanchez had recently been acquitted in a jury trial and had only traffic-related convictions on his record. The incident occurred amid a reported 170% increase in ICE arrests in North Carolina this year, raising concerns among civil rights advocates and local law enforcement about procedural transparency and safety.

Brothers tased and arrested by ICE agents in street operation

Aug 20, 2025Norwalk, CT

Ricardo and Leonard Chavez, two brothers, were tased and arrested by ICE agents in the middle of Main Street in Norwalk during the Operation Broken Trust enforcement action. A video posted to social media documented the tasing and arrest of the two men by federal agents.

ICE apprehends 65 immigrants in Connecticut operation, including 29 with serious criminal charges

Aug 20, 2025Connecticut

ICE Boston, in coordination with the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, and ATF, apprehended 65 people during a four-day enforcement operation from August 12-15, 2025, targeting transnational organized crime, gangs, and offenders with serious criminal histories across Connecticut. The operation, named Operation Broken Trust, included arrests at courthouses in Stamford, Norwalk, and Danbury, as well as street arrests. According to ICE, 29 of the 65 people arrested had been convicted or charged with crimes including kidnapping, assault, drug offenses, weapons violations, and sex crimes. The operation was conducted in response to Connecticut's Trust Act, which limits state and local law enforcement cooperation with ICE. Immigration advocates protested the operation and criticized ICE's tactics, including arrests at courthouses and use of force against protesters.