Human Impact Project

ICE agents from the New Orleans field office arrested 13 suspected undocumented immigrants in Marshall County, Alabama, including 10 Haitian nationals and three Guatemalans. The operation, assisted by the Marshall County Sheriff's Office, Albertville Police Department and Guntersville Police Department, marked the first arrests of Haitian nationals in the area since the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for Haiti in July. An ICE spokesperson described the arrests as 'standard daily enforcement,' and Sheriff Phil Sims said the number of arrests was typical for monthly operations, though the presence of Haitian nationals was notable. Marshall County is home to more than 700 Haitians, many drawn by jobs at local chicken plants.

Xavier Jordán, an Ecuadorian businessman accused by Ecuadorian prosecutors of helping plan and finance the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami. His lawyer said Jordán had applied for asylum in the United States and had a hearing scheduled for May of the following year, arguing he had been legally residing in the country. The lawyer said it was not yet known where Jordán had been taken and ruled out any connection to an Ecuadorian arrest warrant, noting the Interpol red notice against him was not active.

Feride Bardakci, a 26-year-old Turkish national who worked multiple restaurant jobs in Jackson, Wyoming, was intercepted and detained by plainclothes ICE officers at a START bus stop near a Target while traveling between shifts. Officers restrained her with zip ties and drove her away in an SUV; she is now in ICE custody and expected to be transferred to a facility in Aurora, Colorado. DHS said she entered the U.S. legally near Atlanta in June 2023 with authorization to stay until April 2024, but remained after her visa expired, and no criminal record was found in Wyoming or federal courts. Her employer, Teton Tiger General Manager Monica Rozzi, called her 'a friend to all of us' and 'a wonderful person,' and coworkers and community members rallied in support of her. Local officials, including the Teton County Sheriff and Jackson's mayor, criticized ICE for conducting the operation without notifying local law enforcement.

Zach Cosseboom, a 37-year-old UC Santa Barbara employee and U.S. citizen, was pepper-sprayed by a federal immigration agent while volunteering as an observer with immigrant advocacy group SB Resiste at the Santa Barbara County Jail. Cosseboom, a 12-year Santa Barbara resident, was watching ICE agents in the jail's lobby when an agent sprayed him at close range in an incident captured on video, also hitting his wife, Ana Garcia. He was treated at Cottage Health's emergency room afterward and described feeling 'a little helpless' during the incident.

Ydienays Dariana Dominguez, 26, and her six-year-old daughter Zoeh were detained by ICE agents during what the family believed was a routine immigration check-in in Charlotte. Zoeh had just started first grade at Sugar Creek Charter School, and the family had lived in the U.S. for nearly three years while seeking asylum. Their case stemmed from a July 9 virtual immigration hearing that a judge failed to attend, after which Ydienays received a removal order; she believed an advisor was filing an appeal, but it was never submitted. Zoeh's father Anderson, a barber, said an ICE officer initially indicated the pair would be transferred to Texas, but he later learned they had been deported to Venezuela and said he has not been able to reach his wife or daughter since. Advocacy group Siembra NC organized a press conference to seek community support, and State Rep. Julia Greenfield said the family did not receive due process before being removed.

Luis Ochoa and his friend JC, both 17-year-old U.S. citizens, were detained by ICE agents in Alamo, Texas, after stopping to film agents conducting an enforcement action near Santos Livas Elementary School. The teens said they were on their way to submit paperwork to enlist in the Marine Corps when agents pulled Ochoa from his vehicle, breaking his wrist, and pepper-sprayed both teens and struck JC in the face, despite them stating they were U.S. citizens. One agent reportedly told Ochoa, "I don't give a damn... Your parents can't help you now." Ochoa's mother, Teresa Ochoa, said she went roughly eight hours without information about her son and described it as one of the most frightening moments of her life, adding that the ordeal made both teens reconsider plans to enlist. DHS disputed the account, describing the teens as "anti-ICE agitators" who obstructed a lawful vehicle stop and became physically combative, stating two ICE officers suffered minor injuries. The Alamo Police Department forwarded the teens' complaint to the DHS Office of Inspector General for review.

Luis Manuel Chavarría-Galeano, a 48-year-old exiled Nicaraguan journalist who directs the interview program Café con Voz, was detained by ICE agents on September 14, 2026 while working as an Uber/Lyft driver near Orlando to supplement his journalism income. He fled Nicaragua in 2018 after police raided his newsroom, charged him, and imprisoned colleagues over his reporting critical of Daniel Ortega's government, and filed for asylum in the U.S. in June 2019, a case that has remained pending for seven years despite his holding a work permit and social security number. In 2023, the Ortega-Murillo government stripped Galeano and 93 other journalists, writers, and activists of their citizenship. His wife, Daykel Santamaría, said she received only a brief 15-second call before his phone was taken, during which he asked her to contact a lawyer and notify journalists, and she has expressed fear he could be deported back to the regime that persecuted him. He was transferred to Baker Correctional Facility and then to Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami-Dade, where he awaits an October 2 immigration hearing, with press freedom groups including the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, Nicaraguan opposition members, and U.S. lawmakers such as Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar calling for his release and asylum review.

Lissette Cruz, a Venezuelan mother of three who has lived in the United States for nearly 11 years, was detained by immigration authorities in Tennessee and remains in custody while her case is processed. Her family describes her as the household's primary breadwinner and a fundamental caretaker for her children. Relatives launched the "Help Lissette Stay With Her Family" campaign on social media to raise awareness and gather community support for her release.

Rodrigo, a lawful permanent resident living with advanced throat cancer and other serious medical conditions, endured what his attorneys describe as substantial medical neglect during nearly a year in ICE custody at the California City Detention Facility. He suffered two strokes while detained, and his throat tumor grew to the size of a lemon without proper treatment. Senior Staff Attorney Victoria Petty filed a habeas petition on his behalf and secured his release, after which Rodrigo began speaking publicly about the medical neglect and dangerous conditions he experienced in ICE custody.

Miran Kostic, a 66-year-old Bosnian national living in Boise, Idaho, was indicted by a federal grand jury following an investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, with cooperation from Bosnian authorities and a UN tribunal. Prosecutors allege that as a high-level official in the so-called Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia, Kostic personally pistol-whipped, beat, and kicked prisoners, and ordered subordinates to abuse detainees as well. He is accused of lying about this conduct and concealing war crimes charges filed against him in Bosnia and Herzegovina during his naturalization process, including in applications and interviews with USCIS and the FBI. He faces charges of attempted naturalization fraud and making false statements to federal agents, carrying penalties of up to 10 years in prison per fraud count and five years for the false statements charge.

Angie, 26, learned she was pregnant a few weeks after being booked into the Mesa Verde detention center in California. A few weeks later she woke up passing large amounts of fluid, and medical staff at the facility told her she had miscarried and that it was not her fault. She is among at least 18 women ICE recorded as having miscarried in custody during the first nine months of the Trump administration, though the agency says it has no data on miscarriages after October 2025.

Edgar Martinez, 33, was detained outside his West Phoenix home after men allegedly posing as electricians cut power to check a breaker box, according to his partner, Marisol Lopez. Lopez said the agents never identified themselves or showed a warrant before pinning Martinez to the ground and taking him into custody. She said Martinez had no serious criminal record and was in the process of applying for a T visa as a victim of human trafficking. ICE said Martinez lacks lawful status and cited two prior domestic violence misdemeanors on his record. Martinez was being held at a detention facility in Florence, Arizona, due to capacity issues at other facilities and was set to appear in immigration court.

An unnamed client of immigration attorney Javier Rivera, a victim of domestic violence with legal protections meant to shield her from removal, was deported to Nicaragua in August. A federal court has already ordered her return to the United States. Rivera said the administration is 'in such a hurry to kick people out... that they aren't actually looking at the legality of some of this stuff.'

Post Falls police announced they made 15 arrests of people suspected of violating federal immigration law after joining the 287(g) program with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE agents accompanied Post Falls officers during joint patrol operations from Aug. 24 to Aug. 28, resulting in 13 arrests, with two additional arrests made later. The department said it does not anticipate the number of arrests during the training period reflects future operations.

Sirena Prosper, a hairdresser and mother of seven who owns Royal Hands Salon in Pompano Beach, was detained by ICE agents outside her shop while three of her young sons watched, one recording on his phone. Family members said agents lured her to the back door under the pretense of returning her ID before taking her into custody; ICE said she resisted arrest. Prosper was born in the Bahamas to Haitian parents and has lived in Florida since infancy, but faces deportation to Haiti, a country her family says she has never visited, based on a 2002 removal order tied to a decades-old burglary and larceny conviction. Her family said she had legal residency, served her sentence, and had complied with ICE check-ins for years. She is being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, a facility advocates say saw two deaths over the summer. Relatives held a prayer vigil outside her salon demanding her release and are now caring for her three youngest children while seeking a hold on her deportation.

ICE agents detained five men in Montclair, New Jersey on Sept. 14, 2026, while they were on their way to a construction job, and detained at least one more man in neighboring Bloomfield the same day; a community group estimated about 10 people were detained across both towns. Witnesses said agents smashed a truck's passenger window and forcibly pulled one man from the vehicle by his leg while handcuffing the others against the truck. ICE said the driver had refused to comply with officers' commands, but attorney Joseph Fortunato filed habeas corpus petitions arguing the men were detained without individualized custody determinations. A federal judge signed an order Friday night blocking the transfer of two of the men to Louisiana, and they were returned to Delaney Hall in Newark; supporters are raising money through a community bail fund to pay a $7,500 immigration bond for one of the men, a 24-year-old construction worker identified as Kevin. Montclair Mayor Renee Baskerville said she found the enforcement activity "deeply disturbing" and stressed the need to recognize the men's humanity.

In late August, ICE deported three Nicaraguan men to the Central African Republic, even though none of them had ties to that country and at least two had protections in place that barred their return to Nicaragua. The men reported being transported in handcuffs under duress and were left stranded in Bangui with uncertain immigration status. The deportations are part of a broader U.S. policy of sending migrants to third-party African countries when legal barriers prevent their return to their countries of origin.

Gerardo Chavez Lopez, a longtime Clatsop County resident who owned and operated businesses in the area, was arrested by ICE officers in June along with at least one other person. ICE officers used property at the Port of Astoria to move people between vehicles during the arrests, prompting complaints to the Oregon Department of Justice over a potential violation of the state's sanctuary laws. The Port of Astoria said staff faced a difficult situation and did the right thing by allowing ICE agents access to port property.

ICE agents detained several men in Montclair's Fourth Ward on the morning of September 14, 2026, stopping a pickup truck near Elm Street and Bloomfield Avenue as the men were driving to perform construction work at The Vestry, a luxury apartment building. Witnesses said agents smashed the truck's window, forcibly pulled one man out by his leg, and pushed others against the vehicle while handcuffing them, just a block from Charles H. Bullock Elementary School as children arrived for the day. One detained man, a 24-year-old construction worker identified as Kevin, was held on a $7,500 immigration bond, with community members raising funds through the Envision Freedom Fund. Mayor Renee Baskerville and Deputy Mayor Susan Shin Andersen said ICE had not notified local police of the operation. After attorney Joseph Fortunato filed habeas corpus petitions, a federal judge ordered two of the men returned to Delaney Hall in New Jersey after ICE had already placed them on a bus bound for a flight to a Louisiana detention facility.

As the school year began in Queens, immigrant families expressed fear over ICE activity in their neighborhoods. In one incident, a father was detained by ICE agents while running morning errands in Corona before he could return home to drive his son to school, prompting his wife to rush to the scene in tears. Community members and local advocates, including the group Las Doñas, responded to support the family, while other parents like Margarita described ongoing anxiety about enforcement affecting daily routines like school drop-offs.

The petitioner is currently detained at the T. Don Hutto Detention Center and has filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, challenging his ongoing detention without an individualized bond hearing. He is being held as an applicant for admission subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A). The court found that, on the face of the petition, he may be entitled to relief and ordered the government to show cause by September 18, 2026, why the writ should not be granted. The petitioner may reply by September 21, 2026, and either party may request a hearing. The court further ordered that he not be removed from the United States or transferred outside the Austin Division of the Western District of Texas while the case is pending.

A Colombian mother seeking asylum after fleeing domestic violence says she has suffered months of delayed and inadequate medical care for a serious kidney and urinary tract infection while detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego. She crossed the border in the San Diego-Tijuana area in September 2025 and has been held since October while her asylum case, which the government sought to redirect to Honduras, remains on appeal. Medical records show repeated visits for pain, bleeding, and blood in her urine that went undertreated for months, including delayed antibiotics, a delayed ultrasound and CT scan, and two emergency room visits before she was hospitalized and diagnosed with pyelonephritis. She said a guard mistreated her, including a 30-day suspension of her phone privileges that cut off contact with her two children.

Gabriel Johnson, a 55-year-old pastor and father originally from Liberia who had held legal status since age 15, was detained by ICE in Cary, North Carolina in mid-July, which his family described as stemming from a misunderstanding over a missed immigration appointment. His daughter, Gabri Johnson, said officials later pursued his removal under a broader immigration policy change, and that ICE denied him consistent food, water, and medication for more than 16 days in custody. On July 30, Johnson suffered a stroke that left the left side of his body completely paralyzed. His family said ICE initially refused to let hospital staff contact his daughter and denied the family visits, calls, or health updates, and that he was unable to access needed rehabilitation care while detained. ICE denied mistreatment allegations, stating Johnson was taken to a hospital after showing stroke-like symptoms and remained under medical care. An emergency stay of removal was filed on his behalf, and he has since been released from ICE custody and is moving to a 24-hour rehabilitation hospital for treatment.

Jose Rafael Alambarrio, a Venezuelan national who fled political persecution and arrived in the U.S. in 2023, was detained on January 15, 2026 during a routine annual check-in at the Dallas ICE office while applying for a green card and pursuing asylum. He had no criminal record and had faithfully attended all previous check-ins. He was initially held at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, before being transferred without notice to an ICE facility in Mississippi. His wife, a McKinney teacher and U.S. citizen, has publicly pleaded for his release and continues to fight for him from a distance. Nine months later, Alambarrio remains in detention while appealing the denial of his asylum application, with a decision on his residency process still pending.

ICE agents conducted a targeted enforcement operation in Woodstock, Illinois, arresting six men ranging in age from 23 to 48. Those detained were identified as Alex Francisco Diaz-Quintanilla, 47, of El Salvador; Israel Espinal-Diaz, 48, of Mexico; Daniel Nehemias Martinez-Esteban, 30, of Guatemala; Lazaro Cruz-Morales, 43, of Mexico; Gabriel Martinez-Quintanar, 26, of Mexico; and Jayson Josiel Ruiz-Figueroa, 23, of Honduras. At least one man was taken into custody in the parking lot of Woodstock Automotive Service. ICE said Diaz-Quintanilla had a 2024 weapons conviction, and all six remain in custody pending removal proceedings, with several held at the Clay County, Indiana Jail and one at Miami Correctional Center in Indiana. A separate federal drug trafficking warrant was served at the same location about two and a half hours later by DEA, Illinois State Police, FBI and local agencies, which authorities said was unrelated to the immigration enforcement action.

Marco was recently detained by ICE, according to his daughter Leire, who is raising money to cover immigration legal representation and attorney fees. The family is working to secure his release and asked for donations, prayers, and help sharing their story.

Jorge was detained by ICE agents who followed him until he stopped his vehicle on his way to work. His brother Geovanni describes him as a hard worker with no criminal record who has lived in the U.S. almost his entire life, and a devoted father whose four children depend on him. The family is raising funds to hire a lawyer to fight his deportation and seek his release on bail while he remains in detention.

Roxana Valladares, a 29-year-old Salvadoran woman, spent the night at a hospital in Homestead, Florida with her 6-year-old son, who had a fever and was struggling to breathe, before rushing to line up outside the Miami immigration court for a mass hearing. She arrived by Uber at 4 a.m. with a blanket, a change of clothes, a cooler with water and snacks, and a folding beach chair, ending up third in line for a 1 p.m. hearing amid crowds stretching around the building. Her son slept on a blanket on the sidewalk while she fanned him as they waited. Valladares said she had originally been scheduled for a hearing in September 2027 but received a notice the week before to appear instead. She said she crossed the border two years earlier to seek asylum after fleeing domestic violence and fearing for her life and her son's, and that she was told missing the hearing could result in an automatic deportation order.

Two young men were stopped by ICE agents at a stoplight in Alamo, Texas. One was taken by agents while the other, who was driving, was pepper sprayed. Both were taken into ICE custody, and a local politician intervened to secure their release; both are now reported to be home.

A 16-year-old minor was chased by several ICE agents in Livonia, Michigan, and climbed onto a residential rooftop with his hands raised while an agent pointed a gun directly at him. Video shared by @metrodetroitnews shows additional agents then climbing onto the roof and taking him into custody.

Samson Birhane, 47, arrived in the US as an Eritrean refugee at age 13 and lost his immigration status after a robbery conviction in 1988, though he had already served his sentence and had been regularly checking in with ICE as required. A US immigration judge had previously ruled he faced a risk of torture if returned to Eritrea, but he was instead deported to Equatorial Guinea under a $7.5 million agreement between the countries. On September 11, 2026, Birhane and fellow deportee Ahmed Soliman were arrested and allegedly beaten, blindfolded, and pushed down a staircase by police after helping document abusive conditions at Hotel Bamy, a site used to detain US deportees, with officers accusing him of property damage and seizing his phone. He was transferred to a prison in Malabo, where he has limited access to medical care and his whereabouts have been kept from other detainees.

An unidentified immigrant man with an active work permit was detained by ICE agents in a West Palm Beach parking lot on September 11, according to the nonprofit Guatemalan-Maya Center. His two U.S. citizen children, one of whom is deaf, were left without a parent because their mother was already in ICE custody. The nonprofit's assistant director rushed to the scene to provide legal guidance and care for the remaining family members.

Ainara Andreina Calderon Pena, a woman from Ecuador who legally entered the U.S. through New York City in August 2022, was arrested by ICE agents at Tweed New Haven Airport on September 11, 2026. A DHS spokesperson said she is being held for overstaying her visa and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. State court records show no pending criminal cases or convictions associated with her, and she has filed a sealed petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts contesting the legality of her arrest and detention.

Six employees of GLC Property Maintenance, a landscaping company in Highland Township, Michigan, were stopped by nine ICE vehicles while driving to work. The company says all six workers are legally employed in the U.S. on H-2B visas, and agents released them after reviewing their paperwork. Company owner Tyler Ralko, whose parents founded the business 25 years ago, said the employees are hardworking and pay taxes, and he has contacted an immigration attorney and U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin's office seeking clarity on why they were stopped.

A former Guilford County detention officer, Michael Diehl, was charged with 20 counts of felony forgery after allegedly submitting fake magistrate signatures on ICE detainer forms. The forged documents allowed the jail to hold inmates beyond their release time so ICE could take custody, even though the inmates had not been properly presented to a magistrate. Diehl was fired and arrested, and the investigation into additional forged documents is ongoing.

Pietro Graza de Lima, a gay Brazilian man who lived in Orlando, Florida for about seven years running a small services business, fled Brazil after corrupt police shot him over his sexuality, an attack that cost him a kidney and left lasting physical damage. After his student visa expired and he was arrested for drug possession, ICE detained him for nearly two years, including time at Eloy Detention Center in Arizona. On April 16, 2026, an immigration judge granted him protection from deportation to Brazil under the Convention Against Torture, but ICE continued holding him while seeking another country to deport him to. After he refused to sign a document accepting removal to Liberia, he was shackled for roughly 36 hours and flown to Liberia—where he and other detainees refused to disembark—and then to Equatorial Guinea, a country with which he has no ties. His attorney said he was denied the interview he was entitled to under CAT protections before being sent there. He and about a dozen other deportees have been confined at a decommissioned hotel, Hotel Bamy, in Malabo, where armed officers confiscated his phone on September 8, 2026 after he spoke with journalists, cutting off contact with his attorneys and leaving him unreachable since September 9, 2026.

Julian David Palacios Obregon, a 27-year-old Colombian human rights activist and lawful permanent resident with ties to Canada, spent about 650 days in ICE detention at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. During his detention he suffered from a severe gastrointestinal bacterial infection causing vomiting, diarrhea and fecal incontinence that required him to wear diapers, saying he had no health problems before entering custody. Staff errors caused him to miss three scheduled colonoscopy appointments recommended by a gastroenterologist, forcing him to choose between receiving medical treatment and attending his asylum hearing. Representing himself, he filed two federal habeas corpus petitions and five humanitarian requests with ICE; a federal court had previously found his removal to Canada reasonably foreseeable but ordered he be given a chance to have his fear of removal reviewed by an immigration judge, while denying earlier requests for expedited release or bond. On September 11, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington ordered his release, finding that the deficient medical care had made his detention 'punitive' in violation of due process.

Wisteguens Jean Quely Charles, a Haitian national who had lived in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status since 2013, was arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Mattapan, Massachusetts on January 22, 2025. Video of the arrest, in which he shouted profanities and declared 'Biden forever' while resisting deportation, went viral. DHS said his TPS had been terminated by USCIS in 2022 after he accumulated 17 criminal convictions, including assault, weapons, and drug offenses, and alleged gang membership. He spent roughly 19 months in federal custody while his case proceeded before an immigration judge issued a final removal order in November 2025. ICE deported Charles to Haiti on September 10, 2026, via a flight from Louisiana.

A man was detained by ICE, according to a GoFundMe campaign started by his cousin, Ashley Zuniga. He has a young daughter he is trying to get home to. The family says this is the fifth time a family member has been detained by ICE, and funds raised will go toward paying for a lawyer and other needs related to his detention.

Gustavo Barrera Reyes was also arrested by ICE officers in Seaside around the same time as another local resident. According to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Barrera Reyes entered the United States without authorization in 2014 and now faces removal proceedings.

Martin Anguiano, 63, a longtime Clatsop County resident who has owned and operated Guadalajara Taco Shop in Seaside for 23 years, was arrested by ICE officers on Sept. 10 while picking up supplies at a Safeway. Officers cited a 1993 removal order tied to a decades-old drug possession arrest, after which Anguiano was previously deported and later returned to the country. His wife, Michelle, said she is struggling to understand what happened and described him as a hardworking father, grandfather and husband well known throughout the community. Anguiano is currently held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, where his family says conditions are poor, and a GoFundMe campaign started by his daughter has raised more than $14,000 to help pay bills and legal fees.

The petitioner is currently held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. He filed an ex parte application seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from transferring him to another detention facility. The federal court denied the motion, finding that he failed to meet the procedural and substantive requirements for ex parte relief under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65. The court also held that it lacked jurisdiction to enjoin DHS from transferring him under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii), citing precedent that ICE has authority to determine detention locations and transfer individuals between facilities. The case has been placed on an expedited schedule for further resolution. The document does not specify the petitioner's nationality, family circumstances, employment, or the circumstances of his initial detention.

James Mervil and Josselene Polidor were arrested by ICE agents near John Marshall Elementary School in the Chollas Creek neighborhood of San Diego minutes after dropping off their 2- and 5-year-old children. Witnesses said officers boxed in the family's car, and the mother ran barefoot into a nearby home under construction, where she was handcuffed while pleading with workers for help and explaining her daughter attended the nearby school. Construction workers reported that an officer unholstered his gun and threatened pepper spray when a supervisor tried to intervene, and that the officer entered the home without the owner's permission. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrests, stating the parents had overstayed their visas. San Diego Unified School District confirmed both parents were taken into ICE custody, said the children were not present and were doing well, and arranged for a family friend to pick them up, while also condemning ICE arrests near its campuses. Local elected officials, including Rep. Scott Peters and Mayor Todd Gloria, condemned the arrests, saying such actions traumatize children and families.

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.

Kenis Alberto López, a Nicaraguan man, was detained in Minnesota and held in U.S. immigration detention for about eight months before being deported to the Central African Republic on August 28, along with two other Nicaraguans, Luis Carlos Mendoza Santamaría and Isaac Cruz. López says ICE officers shot him with rubber bullets, injuring him, then bound, hooded, and dragged him before tying him to a stretcher to force him onto the deportation flight from a Texas airport, which carried about 100 deportees from various countries. He says he has no criminal record and had received a deportation stay in 2024, though DHS told Noticias Telemundo he had re-entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was later released under the Biden administration before his removal. López says he cannot return to Nicaragua due to danger there, and he and the other two men are now confined under police custody in a housing complex in Bangui alongside roughly 40 other migrants, facing severe mobility restrictions and limited access to water and electricity. ICE has not responded to the allegations of mistreatment.

Chang Yeon Cho, 71, a Gardena, California resident known as 'Auntie Jo' who ran a clothing alteration business with her husband Jongs Soo Kim, was detained by ICE in June during her permanent residency interview despite having no criminal convictions. Her detention reportedly stemmed from an old, uncharged arrest linked to a dispute with a customer over unpaid alteration fees. Cho, who speaks Korean and Portuguese but not English after years living in Brazil, was physically restrained on her first night in custody following a communication breakdown, then collapsed and was hospitalized for eight days; the Korean consulate attributed this to low blood pressure and vomiting caused by stress and unfamiliar food. She is held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, where her bond request was denied on August 25 and she received a final order of removal. The Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles has visited her multiple times, and a GoFundMe campaign has raised over $20,000 toward a $24,000 goal for her legal expenses.

ICE officers detained a mother and father near John Marshall Elementary School in San Diego's Chollas Creek neighborhood shortly after morning drop-off. Witnesses say officers boxed in the couple's Toyota Prius at an intersection, prompting the pair to flee on foot into a nearby house under construction, where the woman pleaded with workers for help, saying her daughter attends the school. A construction worker said the ICE officer unholstered his gun and drew pepper spray after the crew tried to intervene. San Diego Unified confirmed the parents' 2- and 5-year-old children attend a school program and were picked up by a family friend after both parents were taken into ICE custody.

Diego Mauricio Ospina Sanchez, a 41-year-old Colombian man, was detained by plainclothes ICE agents at an Alaska Airlines departure gate at Portland International Airport while preparing to fly home to New Jersey with his boyfriend, Kewin. Ospina Sanchez had entered the U.S. legally in October 2024, later overstayed his visa and sought asylum, but said he never received notice of his first immigration court hearing, resulting in an August 2026 deportation order. He was held at a detention center in Tacoma, where he reported poor sleep, poor appetite, psychological distress, weight loss, and received medication for an underlying medical condition, before being transferred to a facility in El Paso, Texas. Kewin, left alone at the airport, contacted a local immigrant rights hotline, received help from community members, and said he fears deportation could interrupt his boyfriend's medical treatment. The Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition said it was the first known immigration arrest this year at the airport, amid a reported spike in ICE arrests targeting travelers with expired visas.

Wilfredo Giron, a construction worker and father, was taken into ICE custody after someone posing as a potential client contacted him about a job, luring him into an encounter that resulted in his detention. He has been held for more than two weeks, leaving behind his wife, Rachel, who is pregnant, and their 2-year-old son. The family is raising funds for immigration attorney fees, legal filings, and a potential bond to secure his release while his case continues.

Marta was detained by ICE after attending a routine biometrics appointment at the USCIS center in Gardena, California. She was seated in a room when she was seen on video being taken away by immigration officers. Her nephew Victor started a fundraiser to help cover her bills and provide family stability, noting she may lose the job she worked hard to get while she remains detained.