Human Impact Project

ICE announced it removed several immigrants convicted of crimes including sexual assault, voluntary manslaughter and driving while intoxicated on July 19. The agency said the removals are part of its ongoing effort to arrest and deport immigrants deemed threats to public safety.

A Liberian national has lived in Philadelphia under an Order of Supervision (OSUP) since 2000 after receiving withholding of removal due to danger he would face in Liberia, a status reaffirmed in 2025. ICE recently revoked his OSUP, citing a significant likelihood of removal in the near future based on a new agreement between the United States and Ghana to accept deportees from West African nations. He was taken into custody and given a revocation notice citing only vague 'changed circumstances' and the securing of a travel document, with no mention that Ghana was the intended destination. An ICE informal interview conducted with him also failed to address Ghana or any third-country removal plan. He filed a habeas petition arguing due process violations, including mandatory detention without individualized review and lack of notice regarding his destination country, which would prevent him from raising claims about the safety of removal to Ghana. The court found that ICE's revocation procedures failed to comply with due process and its own regulations because he was never properly notified that Ghana was the target country, denying him a meaningful opportunity to contest that designation. The court noted unresolved concerns, including litigation before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice alleging Ghana quickly repatriates deportees to their countries of origin despite persecution risks. The judge ruled that ICE's procedures did not comport with due process, rendering his removal unlawful at this time.

A Ukrainian refugee is a Ukrainian citizen who fled Russia's invasion in early 2024 after his home in Luhansk was destroyed by a Russian missile. He arrived in the United States on February 28, 2024 with DHS travel authorization and was granted parole under the Uniting for Ukraine program. Over more than two years in the US, he obtained employment as a commercial truck driver, paid taxes, developed strong community ties, and committed no criminal offense. On July 19, 2026, local law enforcement in Cheyenne, Wyoming detained him during a routine traffic stop after learning he lacked lawful immigration status, and transferred him to ICE custody without any criminal charge, warrant, prior notice, or individualized assessment of flight risk or dangerousness. DHS initiated removal proceedings on July 21, 2026. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the lawfulness of his detention and seeking either immediate release or a prompt bond hearing before an Immigration Judge. On August 7, 2026, the federal district court granted the petition, finding the detention violated both the Immigration and Nationality Act and Fifth Amendment due process rights, and ordered his immediate release by August 9, 2026 on his own recognizance with no additional conditions beyond his original parole.

Sanan Atou, 43, was held in solitary confinement for approximately three weeks in January at North Lake Processing Center in Northern Michigan. He says the isolation cell had poor heating, with a vent that did little to warm the corner room with two exterior walls from the former Baldwin prison facility. Atou stated: "I felt like I was going to freeze to death. I didn't know if I was going to wake up." Data shows that as immigration detention has expanded under the Trump administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has increasingly used solitary confinement, a practice experts say causes mental, physical, and psychological harm.

An Indian national who arrived on a student visa, married to a U.S. citizen for 6 years, was arrested by ICE and detained at a facility in Tennessee. He was offered the choice to fight deportation in a Louisiana state prison for 6 months with no guarantee of legal status approval, or to self-deport. He chose self-deportation. His wife, a U.S. citizen, suffers from a debilitating medical condition and their child has special needs. With the father's self-deportation, the family decided the mother and child would relocate to India to reunite with him, leaving behind their life in Tennessee. The mother, who has no family support locally and whose husband's family lives overseas, faces the challenge of traveling internationally for the first time with her child to a country where neither speaks the language, while managing her medical condition and her child's special needs.

Gonzalo Roberto Yasaca Arellano, a national of Ecuador, was arrested by ICE Boston officers during targeted enforcement operations in Brockton, Massachusetts. According to ICE, Yasaca Arellano has a documented criminal history in the United States.

Jhorland Atehortua, a 22-year-old Colombian national, was arrested by Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies on Interstate 4 after being clocked traveling 101 mph in a 70 mph zone and driving erratically. Deputies observed signs of impairment and found marijuana and a smoking pipe in his vehicle during a search. Atehortua faces charges including driving under the influence, dangerous excessive speed, reckless driving, possession of cannabis, and possession of drug paraphernalia. ICE has placed a detainer hold on him.

Daniel Hernández has been detained by ICE. His daughter Daniela launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for his legal representation and to support the family during his detention.

Maikol, a 22-year-old Venezuelan national, was detained in Utah and held in immigration custody for five months. He was transferred through multiple detention centers across the country and housed at Desert View Annex in Adelanto, California, where he says conditions were inhumane. He was recently released with conditions requiring him to return to Utah by a specific deadline to maintain his release status.

Martha Sias, a Mexican national and green card holder, was arrested by ICE on July 15 in Chaparral, New Mexico during a targeted immigration enforcement operation. According to court records, Sias pleaded guilty in October 2025 to manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance after CBP officers discovered approximately 20 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the door panels of an SUV she was driving across the Paso del Norte border bridge in January 2022. She was sentenced to 10 years of probation with 400 hours of community service. ICE said Sias is subject to removal proceedings and will have an opportunity to present her case before an immigration judge.

Elder Yuvini Aguilar Macario, a 19-year-old senior and soccer team captain at Trion High School in Georgia, was detained by ICE on May 1-2, 2026, following a traffic stop when officers discovered he lacked a valid driver's license. ICE discovered a prior deportation order dating back 13 years to his mother's denied asylum application when he was six years old, and placed a detainer on him through the 287(g) program. He was transferred to Irwin County Detention Center and later to Folkston ICE Processing Center, approximately 300 miles from his home in northwest Georgia, where he described being shackled during transport. Before his arrest, Aguilar Macario was a member of the soccer team and had begun taking welding classes at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. He missed his high school graduation ceremony, though his classmates gave him a standing ovation when his name was called and placed his cap, robe, and photo on an empty chair in his honor. His attorneys have filed to reopen his immigration case.

Jose Chajon-Raxon, a Guatemalan man, was detained at Delaney Hall, a privately run immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on July 18. The next day, he experienced a seizure and was taken to University Hospital. He was released from ICE custody on July 22 but subsequently died. DHS did not publicly disclose his death, citing a 2023 policy change stating that ICE is no longer responsible for monitoring or reporting deaths occurring within 30 days of someone's release from custody. U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez disclosed the death publicly and criticized the policy as creating a "loophole" that allows ICE to avoid accountability.

Camila, a 5-year-old girl from Atlixco, Mexico, crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in summer 2025 and was detained in federal immigration custody for 118 days, separated from her mother who lived only a few miles away in New Haven, Connecticut. Unable to be taken by her parents due to their immigration status, the government classified her as "unaccompanied." During detention, Camila was held first in a CBP detention center, then in a Connecticut shelter where she was the youngest child present, and finally in an office building converted for federal use. She saw her mother, who has a pending legal residency application, for only one hour per week. A child psychiatrist's evaluation documented that Camila experienced nightmares, anxiety about family separation, and fear expressed through play. Her mother applied for custody but waited more than 90 days without receiving a decision, as the federal government repeatedly added requirements before deeming her application complete. Camila was released three days after her attorneys filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of her detention. She is now home with her mother and newborn brother, though she continues to experience separation anxiety and sleeps with her mother at night. During the same period, more than two dozen unaccompanied immigrant children were in federal custody in Connecticut on any given day, with some held for as long as 505 days.

A professional drummer who entered the U.S. on a B-1 visa in July 2023 and filed for asylum a month later was arrested by ICE at Los Angeles International Airport on July 18, 2026, while returning home to Florida with his wife after a work trip teaching marimba to younger musicians. His visa expired in May 2024, but he was never detained; instead, he was granted employment authorization valid through February 2029 and continued performing for arts organizations. In 2024 he began dating a U.S. citizen, whom he married in August 2025, and shortly after marrying he filed an alien relative petition; both his asylum and relative petitions remain pending. He has no criminal history and was held at the Desert View Annex detention facility in Adelanto, California. He filed a habeas corpus petition seeking a bond hearing or immediate release, arguing the government's years of tolerance created a liberty interest requiring due process before detention. The court agreed, finding his detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Fifth Amendment, and ordered his release within 24 hours under the same conditions that existed before his detention.

Pierre Andy Jean-Louis, a 20-year-old Haitian migrant, was arrested by ICE on July 18, 2026, during a vehicle stop in Fall River, Massachusetts. Jean-Louis entered the United States in September 2024 at Nogales, Arizona, and was released on a two-year parole by Customs and Border Protection. In June 2026, he was charged in Fall River District Court with felony counts including possession of child pornography, indecent assault and battery, and extortion by threat of injury. He is scheduled to appear in Fall River District Court for a probable cause hearing and before an immigration judge.

Emmanuel Rodriguez, a father of three who immigrated 21 years ago seeking safety, was detained by State Highway Patrol on July 18, 2026, during a family beach vacation in Myrtle Beach after being pulled over for a broken headlight. Despite being eligible for a $232 PR bond that would have allowed immediate release, he was placed on a 48-hour ICE hold due to his immigration status and Horry County's close cooperation with ICE. Rodriguez has no history of violent crimes and has spent his life providing for his family and helping those in need. His daughter, a 20-year-old biology student at UNC Greensboro, describes him as the backbone of the family—both financially and emotionally—and notes he is being deported to a country he has not visited in over 24 years, leaving his wife to care alone for their two other children, including an 18-year-old son with severe autism.

Helena Tobias, 8 months pregnant with two other young sons, was left as the sole caregiver after her husband was recently apprehended and deported by ICE. Unable to work due to lack of childcare, she faces financial hardship covering rent and groceries. A coworker organized a fundraiser to help support the family during this period.

Andrea Cristina Villacis Duque and her immediate family were detained by ICE. Described as a loving sister, daughter, and friend to many, Andrea Cristina is the subject of a GoFundMe campaign organized by Roberto Gonzalez on behalf of HeartKind Foundation to raise funds for immigration attorneys' fees, food allowances, phone call balances, and other detention-related costs, with the goal of avoiding deportation.

A Honduran father was detained by ICE on July 18, 2026, in Austin, Texas, in front of his young daughter who has autism. According to the source, the man is now held in immigration detention in San Antonio facing deportation. His wife stated that if he is deported, she and their daughter plan to self-deport to keep the family together.

Neride Montoya was detained by ICE in the United States for three months before being deported to Venezuela. She arrived in Caracas on the same day a major earthquake struck the country. Shortly after landing, she was taken to a building by authorities when the earthquake began. She attempted to escape down the stairs but a wall collapsed on her, injuring her severely. She sustained fractures in two bones of her right leg, multiple traumatic injuries to her left leg and other parts of her body. She was trapped under rubble but managed to remove debris from her head to her waist before someone helped free her legs. She is now hospitalized at Hospital General del Sur, where she is fighting a serious infection and severe psychological trauma.