Human Impact Project

Leonardo Sánchez, a Cuban migrant with a large abdominal hernia and a pending operation, was deported to Equatorial Guinea and is being held at the Hotel Bamy in Malabo. His mother, Caridad, said from Miami that she has not heard from him in a week because authorities took away detainees' phones to prevent them from speaking with the press. "What they're doing is criminal; the treatment is unfair," she said.

Carlos Rodríguez, a Cuban migrant, was one of five deportees who refused to leave the ICE deportation plane upon landing, saying they did not feel safe; he says officers carried him off the aircraft and beat him while he was handcuffed. He and three other Cubans, along with a Brazilian, had been told by authorities that if they stayed calm they would be returned to the United States, but the plane instead delivered them to Equatorial Guinea. "This is human trafficking, they trafficked us on a plane," he told EL PAÍS.

Demonstrators have repeatedly clashed with federal agents outside the ICE detention facility in Broadview, Illinois, over several consecutive weeks, protesting detention conditions and showing support for detainees. On September 19, 2025, protesters blocking the facility's driveway were pepper-sprayed, including directly in the face, and an ICE vehicle struck at least one protester who sustained minor injuries; a witnessing attorney described agents as pushing protesters in an 'aggressive and violent manner.' On September 26, agents used pepper balls, tear gas, and baton rounds against more than 100 protesters, taking 11 into custody, with five later facing federal charges. On October 4, agents again deployed tear gas, pepper balls, and other chemical munitions against protesters, journalists, and legal observers, with chemical agents also affecting nearby residents; congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss were arrested. Broadview's mayor sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security citing dangers to residents from chemical agents and blocked emergency access, while lawsuits were filed alleging excessive force and First Amendment violations.

A 34-year-old Venezuelan man known only as JCCV, who lives in The Dalles, Oregon with his family and had a pending immigration application, testified he was detained by ICE agents who mistakenly believed he was his brother and never checked his identification. He was transported to a detention facility in Portland and held for multiple days, during which agents pressured him to sign a voluntary self-deportation document written in English, a language he cannot read, without explaining what it meant. His testimony was part of a federal court hearing examining whether ICE has continued making warrantless arrests in Oregon despite a February injunction requiring warrants and flight-risk assessments before arrests.

ICE officers arrested Zokhid Zakhidov, 37, a Uzbek national and commercial truck driver, during a targeted enforcement action at a travel stop in Woodbridge, New Jersey. He held a New York commercial learner's permit and had a May 15 conviction for driving while intoxicated, along with pending charges for assault and harassment. Cranbury, New Jersey, police had previously arrested him in April as a fugitive from justice. He remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Carlos Felipe Jaramillo Grajales, a 55-year-old Colombian national living in Jacksonville, Florida, was sentenced to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft, passport fraud, falsely claiming a Social Security number, and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. Court records show he began using a stolen U.S. citizen's identity in 2003 to obtain a Florida driver's license and a U.S. passport, later registering to vote in 2010 by claiming to be a naturalized citizen and casting ballots in multiple elections, including the 2020 presidential race in Duval County. While using the assumed identity, he married a woman who was unaware he was not actually a U.S. citizen; she later naturalized based on the marriage, and the couple divorced in 2020. He returned to Colombia, reentered the U.S. under his real name via a fiancé visa sponsored by his ex-wife, and the couple remarried in June 2025. A federal court entered a judicial order for his removal to Colombia following his prison term. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Jacksonville, along with the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service and the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General.

Raúl Suárez Herrero, a 59-year-old Cuban man who moved to the U.S. at age 12 and lived there for nearly five decades, was detained by ICE during a routine annual check-in in July 2025. He was held at the 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention facility in the Florida Everglades, where he says guards locked him in a metal cage roughly the size of a phone booth for more than 15 hours after he prayed aloud for a fellow detainee having a seizure. Suárez said he was kicked hard enough to bruise his leg, denied food and medical care, and left unable to lie down while fearing snakes and mosquitoes entering the cage, an experience he described as leaving him psychologically 'shattered.' A former truck driver who built a business with his brother, a U.S. citizen who died of COVID in 2021, Suárez was deported to Mexico in February 2026 after a federal judge's deadline for his release or removal passed. A DHS inspector general report later confirmed the facility used such small cages, calling the practice 'highly unconventional,' though DHS disputes claims that conditions were inhumane.

Jefferson, a Venezuelan asylum seeker and father of two, has spent months detained at the Don Hutto detention center in Texas, separated from his wife and children. Speaking with his wife by video call, he described the facility's living conditions and lack of access to healthcare. A local pastor who meets weekly with families of detainees said roughly one in four families in her congregation has had a loved one arrested and deported.

Walto Deshommes, a Haitian father, was detained by ICE agents just outside a North Park Head Start daycare in San Diego moments after walking his 2-year-old daughter into her classroom. A family advocate said the arrest occurred off school grounds, and Deshommes managed to throw his car keys and ID to daycare staff as he was taken into custody. Staff at the center, operated by the Neighborhood House Association, followed emergency procedures to hand the toddler off to a designated contact. Deshommes and his partner, Suze, had been living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status until the Trump administration ended TPS for Haitians in July following a Supreme Court ruling; both have pending asylum cases with an upcoming immigration court date. Suze said she remains committed to appearing at that court date despite facing the process without Deshommes. A family advocate said the arrest reflects a recent trend of ICE targeting Haitians who have fallen out of status but still have pending cases.

An Iraqi man showing early signs of dementia was arrested by ICE agents in his front yard after living in the United States for more than 30 years. An immigration judge had ruled he would likely face torture if returned to Iraq, but he was nonetheless held in an Arizona detention facility while officials searched for another country willing to accept him. He was among more than 120 immigrants identified in Arizona who remained detained despite winning protection from removal to their home countries.

Juan Gerardo Alatorre Martinez, 46, a Mexican national who has lived in the U.S. for more than 25 years, was detained by ICE agents as he arrived for his shift at a gas station in Conway, Washington. Neighbors and coworkers described him as a beloved figure in town, sometimes calling him the 'unofficial mayor,' noting he paid taxes, kept his immigration paperwork in order, and had spent years helping others in the community. Martinez had been pursuing lawful permanent residency through a petition filed decades ago by his U.S. citizen brother and says he does not want to self-deport. His attorney said the original ICE report indicated agents were searching for someone connected to a car Martinez was driving, though DHS said the arrest was part of targeted enforcement citing civil violations including driving without a license. While held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Martinez has described unsanitary conditions, medical neglect, and witnessing another detainee injure himself, as community members have raised over $20,000 for his legal defense.

A Venezuelan asylum seeker in her mid-20s, who entered the United States legally around 2022-2023 and had lived and worked in the country for several years without a criminal record, was detained by ICE agents during an enforcement operation on August 25, 2026. She held a pending asylum application and a valid work permit. She was held at the GSA Guaynabo Immigration Center in Puerto Rico without receiving a bond hearing, despite her detention falling under a discretionary framework that entitles detainees to one. After learning she was scheduled to be transferred out of Puerto Rico, she filed a habeas corpus petition and an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order, arguing the detention violated the Immigration and Nationality Act and her due process rights. A federal court granted the temporary restraining order, barring her transfer outside Puerto Rico's jurisdiction and ordering that she receive a bond hearing before an Immigration Judge, while holding her habeas petition in abeyance pending further briefing and a government status report.

Iryna Gorb, a 38-year-old Ukrainian photographer and barista who worked at Better Half Cafe in San Francisco's Polk Gulch neighborhood for over 15 years, was arrested by plainclothes ICE agents at San Francisco International Airport on July 22, 2026, as she returned from Portland. Video recorded by Richmond City Councilmember Doria Robinson showed agents pinning Gorb to the ground while she screamed for help; witnesses said the agents did not display clear identification. She was transferred to California City Detention Facility in the Mojave Desert, where DHS said she had overstayed a visa from 2010 and alleged she resisted arrest, though she has no criminal record. Her family home in Kharkiv was destroyed in Russian attacks, and friend Andy Eblin described her as 'fiercely loyal, always willing to help friends.' State Sen. Scott Wiener condemned the arrest, noting deportation would send her to a war zone. After seven weeks in detention, Gorb was released and still awaits an immigration court hearing; she thanked fellow detainees and said she plans to share proceeds from her GoFundMe, which raised over $47,000, with other detained women lacking similar resources.

Jesus Israel Garcia-Cobarruvias, a Mexican national who had previously been deported three times, was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations agents on September 17, 2026 in Martinez, California. The arrest followed an August 31, 2026 incident in which he allegedly drove his vehicle toward ICE officers, striking one officer and damaging a government vehicle before fleeing. Officials said the injured officer currently cannot walk without assistance. During the September arrest, he refused commands to exit his vehicle, and agents used force to remove him and take him into custody. DHS officials said he has prior criminal convictions.

Ho-Yin Mo, a field representative for California Assemblymember Catherine Stefani and former KTSF journalist, was detained by ICE on September 17 during an enforcement operation at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas while traveling to Louisville. DHS said Mo overstayed a temporary entry from 2020, but attorneys and friends say he is likely protected from deportation under Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), a presidential directive shielding eligible Hong Kong residents through February 5, 2027. Immigration attorney Samuel Bickett said arrests of DED-covered Hong Kongers have occurred at a rate of a couple per week since June, and that courts have repeatedly found such detentions unlawful. Stefani called Mo 'a selfless public servant and a valued, legal employee of the California state Legislature' who helps Chinese American constituents access healthcare, childcare, and food support. Mo is being held at Nevada Southern Detention Center awaiting a hearing on September 30, while community members, including a tech leader, have written letters supporting him, and some Hong Kong immigrants have canceled domestic travel plans out of fear.

Bryan Sanjose was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California, on September 5, 2026, while preparing to board a flight with a friend. A friend said the detention was related to his immigration status and records. Bryan serves as the primary caretaker for his mother, who lives with dementia and Alzheimer's and cannot care for herself independently. His family launched a GoFundMe campaign titled "Help Bryan and His Mother" to raise funds for his legal costs and his mother's care needs while he remains in custody.

Edgar Cabrera Gomez was struck by an ICE agent's patrol vehicle after a traffic stop of a van on the Liberty Expressway in Dougherty County, Georgia. Authorities said all occupants fled the van on foot toward a wooded area, and Gomez fell in the median where he became lodged under the ICE vehicle. His family disputes claims that he was driving, saying he was only injured because agents ran him over while he was running. ICE agents were still searching for the other two occupants of the van.

A Maryland mother, who is undocumented, delayed seeking medical care for her U.S. citizen son's severe asthma attack out of fear of encountering ICE agents on the road. The boy was eventually taken to a local clinic and then medevaced to a Washington, D.C. hospital. A new American Academy of Pediatrics survey found that a large share of pediatricians report families avoiding medical care, public benefits, and school due to immigration enforcement fears.

A Durham family, including children ages 11 and 6, was detained after what advocates described as a routine asylum appointment in Charlotte and deported to Honduras within 72 hours, according to ABC11. The Department of Homeland Security disputed the advocates' account, saying the family had received due process and had no pending asylum claims or immigration applications.

Mamady Camara, 21, fled Guinea after police allegedly beat him during a crackdown on anti-government protesters, leaving him with a lasting scar. He crossed the southern border in 2023, was released to pursue an asylum claim, and built a life in Ypsilanti, Michigan, earning a high school diploma, attending community college, and working as a caregiver for Hal Rothbart, a disabled Navy veteran. In January, ICE agents arrested him when he arrived for a scheduled appointment in Detroit, and he has remained in detention at North Lake Processing Center for nearly nine months despite having no criminal record. An immigration judge denied his release as a flight risk, his asylum claim was later denied, and he is now appealing to the Board of Immigration Appeals while the Rothbart family raises funds for his legal defense.