Human Impact Project

A Venezuelan man who was paroled into the United States in September 2023 was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on August 3, 2026, following a traffic stop. An immigration judge had ordered him removed to Venezuela on July 13, 2026, but he is pursuing an appeal of that removal order, so it is not yet final. He is held at the North Florida Detention Facility. He filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus arguing he was not subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2) and sought immediate release. The court agreed, finding that because he was not seeking entry at the border when re-detained, he was not subject to mandatory detention under § 1225 and was instead entitled to an individualized bond hearing under § 1226(a). The court granted the petition, ordering respondents to either provide him a bond hearing within seven days or release him, and denied the government's motion to dismiss.

José Efraín Chajón Raxón died at University Hospital in New Jersey after suffering seizures while detained at the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark. He was released from ICE custody a day and a half after the seizures before he died. His body was repatriated to his hometown in San Juan Sacatepéquez, Guatemala, where his community held vigils and a funeral.

A citizen of Mali who has lived in the United States since January 2001 was granted withholding of removal to Mali by an immigration judge in March 2013. He was detained by immigration officials on August 3, 2026 during a routine check-in, at which point he was given a Notice of Imminent Removal indicating he would instead be removed to Cameroon. He alleges he expressed a fear of persecution in Cameroon and requested a third-country screening interview with his immigration counsel present. He is currently detained at the Alexandria Staging Facility, where officials told him removal was scheduled for August 19, 2026. He filed a habeas petition alleging due process violations for being denied an opportunity to challenge his removal to Cameroon, along with an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to halt his removal. The court denied the motion, finding it lacked jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(g) to stay the removal and that he failed to provide evidence, such as travel documents, substantiating that removal was truly imminent.

A citizen of Kosovo was granted deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture (CAT) on November 9, 2022. He was detained by immigration authorities at the Newark Field Office and filed a habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 on August 3, 2026, challenging the legality of his detention. He argued he is being wrongfully held under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b) and sought release or a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). The court noted there is no indication he is currently in removal proceedings, and clarified that a CAT grant does not preclude detention or removal to a third country. The court denied his motion for a temporary restraining order without prejudice, finding insufficient facts to determine whether his detention is lawful under 8 U.S.C. § 1231. The court declined to dismiss the petition and ordered an expedited briefing schedule, requiring the government to file a full answer within 7 days addressing the statutory basis for detention. A prior stay of transfer from the District of New Jersey, entered by the Chief Judge, remains in effect during the proceedings.

Pablo Santiago Gonzalez was detained by ICE officers on August 3, 2026, after they smashed the window of his car and dragged him out while he was buying work supplies on his way to work. He was taken alongside his uncle. Gonzalez is the primary breadwinner for his family of nine, including his wife and seven children—one adult and six minors under age 18, with three under age 10. He was deported to Mexico on August 11, 2026. His family, unable to afford legal representation, organized a fundraiser to cover legal fees, bail, fines, and household expenses while facing financial hardship.

Jorge Luis Eliecer Ruiz, a 36-year-old Venezuelan national, was detained by ICE on August 3, 2026, after being stopped near the intersection of Wiles Road and State Road 7 in Coconut Creek. He is married to Courtney Walter, a U.S. citizen who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The couple married in 2025 and filed an I-130 family-based petition in September 2025 to establish Ruiz's lawful permanent residency. Walter said the stress of her husband's detention has worsened her health, causing her to lose weight and struggle to eat. Ruiz is being held at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach. His attorney, David Estrella, is pursuing a habeas corpus petition and argues that Ruiz has withholding of removal protection that prevents his return to Venezuela.

An Egyptian asylum seeker is an Egyptian citizen who entered the United States without inspection on July 21, 2023, and sought asylum. He was subsequently released on his own recognizance and has lived in the United States continuously since his entry. On August 3, 2026, he was apprehended by immigration officers while attending an ICE check-in meeting that he was required to attend pursuant to his pending appeal of a removal order to the Board of Immigration Appeals. He remains in custody at the West Tennessee Detention Facility and has not received a bond hearing. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention without prior notice, a warrant, or a bond hearing, alleging violations of his statutory and due process rights. The court issued an order staying his transfer and requiring the respondent to respond, noting that under Lopez-Campos v. Raycraft (6th Cir. 2026), noncitizens who have spent significant time in the U.S. interior and have not committed disqualifying offenses cannot be detained without an individualized bond hearing.

Claudia Rodríguez, a 29-year-old Venezuelan immigrant who earned her master's degree in business administration from St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, was detained by ICE at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in July while attempting to board a flight to North Carolina. Rodríguez arrived in the U.S. legally in 2017 on a tourist visa, applied for asylum within six months, and was granted Temporary Protected Status in 2023 while her asylum case remains pending. She was transferred between two South Florida detention facilities, spending eight days at the ICE office in Miramar in severely overcrowded conditions—sleeping on floors in a cell with 75 people, unable to shower or change clothes, and losing 15 pounds. Her cousin Gabriel Domínguez described her as an exemplary athlete with no criminal record. U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz visited the Miramar facility to advocate for her release, calling the detention "unacceptable." Rodríguez was released on Monday evening.

A Guardian investigation found that the Trump administration's ICE officials attempted to subject at least 10 hunger strikers in immigrant detention to involuntary medical procedures including force-feeding between 2025 and 2026. At least three detainees were definitely subjected to force-feeding, and two more were probably forced to undergo the procedures, while five others ended their hunger strikes before the procedures began. DHS obtained court orders authorizing detention center guards to physically restrain hunger strikers while medical staff inserted feeding tubes and performed other involuntary procedures considered torture by human rights groups.

Carlitos Ricardo Parias, detained at the Adelanto ICE facility near Los Angeles, revealed video footage showing a bottle of drinking water apparently contaminated with worm-like creatures or larvae. The footage emerged weeks after a federal judge ordered ICE to ensure 24-hour access to clean drinking water at the facility in response to a class-action lawsuit alleging dangerous conditions including inadequate food, contaminated water, and poor medical care. Parias preserved the contaminated water as evidence after staff distributed it to detained residents.

Ana Granados Sanchez, a 49-year-old Salvadoran national held in ICE's Eloy Detention Center, was deported while still having a nephrostomy tube (urine-collection tube) attached to her body, three months after it was surgically placed. Her urologist at Banner Desert Medical Center had advised against deportation until the tube could be removed, and Granados Sanchez requested to see her specialist in person to have it taken out before leaving the country, citing concerns about medical care availability where she was being deported. While in ICE custody, she did not receive recommended follow-up care. During her detention, she was held in a processing facility with about two dozen other people and forced to use a shared toilet with no privacy, and was not given water at the initial processing center—conditions her urologist said may have contributed to her kidney problems. Advocates' efforts to appeal to ICE to delay her deportation were unsuccessful. The Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project opposed the deportation, citing medical neglect and danger to her health.

Paul, an Indian national with an order withholding his removal based on Convention Against Torture protections, was detained by ICE officers at Dulles Airport after returning from a family trip to Hawaii. As he was being processed at an ICE field office in Virginia, Paul suffered a heart attack, was hospitalized and treated, then released back to ICE custody. He was subsequently released under a preexisting ICE supervision arrangement with his next check-in scheduled for September. His attorney, Jay S. Marks, noted that Paul has protection from removal to India but could be deported to a third country.

Claudia Rodriguez Caglianone, a 28-year-old Venezuelan immigrant and former collegiate soccer captain, was detained by ICE at Fort Lauderdale Airport on July 31, 2026, while attempting to board a domestic flight. Rodriguez arrived in the U.S. in 2017 with a tourist visa, applied for asylum less than six months later, and was granted Temporary Protected Status in 2023—protection that ended last October. She graduated from St. Thomas University in Miami with bachelor's and master's degrees and served as captain of the university's soccer team. According to her family, Rodriguez was held in the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Field Office in Miramar for eight days without changing clothes, showering, or proper sleeping accommodations, losing 15 pounds during detention. She was later transferred to the Broward Transitional Center. Her former coach praised her leadership and character. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz visited the facility and called for her release, stating that ICE agents were "invading airports to catch law-abiding residents like Claudia."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested multiple undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes including murder, sexual assault of children, kidnapping, and robbery across the United States. The arrests included individuals from El Salvador, Honduras, Burma, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Laos, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, Peru, and Costa Rica. The DHS spokesperson stated that these enforcement actions removed dangerous criminals from communities.

Ana Castro, a long-time Wyoming resident and immigrant advocate who arrived as a child, is leaving the state amid fears for her safety as red state leaders increasingly cooperate with ICE and pursue hard-line immigration policies. Castro, who worked for a nonprofit and founded the Wyoming chapter of Juntos, an immigrant advocacy group, had spent decades contributing to her rural community despite lacking legal status. Immigrants comprise nearly 30% of rural Wyoming's recent population growth and fill critical gaps in service and construction jobs, but mounting deportation concerns are causing an exodus that threatens rural economies. State leaders acknowledge immigrants' economic importance while supporting stricter enforcement policies.

A long-time member of the Grace St. Paul Episcopal Church community in Tucson was recently detained by ICE and is being held in immigration detention facing deportation. He has lived in Tucson for many decades, works full time, has no criminal record, and is the family's primary breadwinner supporting his wife and children. His sudden detention has left his family unable to cover rent, utilities, groceries, school expenses, and other essential bills, forcing his wife to take on extra work to keep the family afloat.

ICE arrested Jaime Tan Francisco, a 55-year-old man from the Philippines, and took him into custody on August 2 pending removal proceedings. He was admitted to the U.S. in Detroit in April 2000 but overstayed his authorized admission period, which expired in October of that year. Las Vegas police had previously arrested him in July on charges including domestic battery, attempted arson, drug possession, resisting an officer, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He also has prior criminal convictions for harassment and methamphetamine possession.

Pritesh Walia, a rising Indian jazz guitarist born in New Delhi, was arrested at Los Angeles Airport on August 2 for overstaying his O1B visa, which was set to expire in August 2025. Walia arrived in the U.S. in January 2019 and has studied at Musician's Institute, Berklee College of Music, and New England Conservatory, earning degrees in music. He is now being held at Adelanto ICE processing center in Southern California. According to his friend and former classmate saxophonist Joey Rosin, Walia suffers from persistent postural perceptual dizziness, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, and chronic vestibular migraines requiring aggressive physical therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and carefully balanced medication regimens. Rosin expressed concern that the detention facility's fluorescent lighting and conditions may prevent Walia from sleeping and worsen his chronic health conditions. Walia's newest album, "Journey to Nowhere," featuring a 27-piece ensemble, is being released this month.

On August 2, a man was reportedly detained inside the emergency room at NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital by masked federal agents. A DHS vehicle pulled into the emergency bay while protesters gathered outside, and the detained man was removed through another exit. The incident prompted community concern about immigration enforcement in medical settings.

Dozens of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, who held Temporary Protected Status were summoned to ICE check-in appointments on July 31 and August 2, 2026, and pressured to either self-deport with $2,600 in assistance or accept electronic ankle monitors. All rejected the payment offer and were fitted with ankle monitors despite having no criminal background and previously holding legal status. The practice appears to be occurring only in Springfield and represents a departure from standard practice, which typically reserves ankle monitors for immigrants with criminal records or deportation orders. The ankle monitors have a 75-mile radius, creating complications for court appearances in Cleveland, 188 miles away. This enforcement action follows the Supreme Court's June 2026 decision clearing the way for the Trump administration to end TPS protections for up to 350,000 Haitians, and comes amid a broader push to conduct mass deportations.