Human Impact Project

A man who entered the U.S. on a valid visa and had complied with immigration appointments for seven years was arrested in the middle of his asylum interview. He faced transfer to a detention center near Bakersfield, separated from his American spouse and U.S.-born children. Attorney Elizabeth Knowles from the Bay Area Habeas Network filed an emergency habeas petition after midnight, and a federal judge ordered his immediate release within five hours.

Erick Lionel Cristal Cumes, a Guatemalan immigrant, was detained by ICE on May 28 at Don Patron Mexican Grill in Weston during a raid that also resulted in the detention of more than a dozen other employees. He has been held at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania since his arrest. Cumes is married to Lauren, an American-born citizen whom he married in April; they have been together four years. His attorney argues ICE violated his constitutional rights by detaining him without individualized assessment of flight risk or danger to the community. A federal judge ruled Cumes is entitled to a bond hearing and that his continued detention would be unlawful if the government cannot prove he poses danger or flight risk, with a bond hearing ordered by July 14. Over 50 community members appeared in federal court on June 25 to support Cumes, testifying he is a member of the community in good standing. Lauren testified about poor detention conditions including spoiled food and lack of responsiveness to requests for help, stating she is allowed contact with her husband about once per day. His attorney also argued the case should remain in West Virginia court rather than be transferred to Pennsylvania, contending that transfer could delay resolution of his case.

U.S. District Judge Richard F. Boulware II ordered the release of immigrants detained in Nevada facilities, accusing Immigration and Customs Enforcement of defying his March 2026 ruling that the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy is unconstitutional. The detainees had been arrested without proper warrants and denied individualized determinations on whether they should be held or released on bond. Judge Boulware stated the individuals cannot be detained again until their removal proceedings are heard in immigration court, where the government must prove detention is justified by clear and convincing evidence. The judge described ICE's continued enforcement of the mandatory detention policy as "governmental lawlessness" and "rebelling" against his binding court order. Boulware warned he would consider sanctions against ICE officials who defied his orders and noted this was part of a broader pattern of ICE noncompliance with his directives in Nevada.

Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder and Columbia University graduate student of Syrian-Palestinian descent, was arrested by ICE without a warrant at his apartment building on March 8, 2025, following his pro-Palestinian activism and organizing campus protests. The Trump administration pursued deportation based on allegations he concealed prior employment with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and the British Embassy on his visa application. Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked a rarely used immigration provision claiming his activism threatens U.S. foreign policy. Khalil was held for 104 days at LaSalle Detention Center in Louisiana before a federal judge released him on bail in June 2025. In July 2026, he filed a lawsuit against Trump administration officials and pro-Israel groups, alleging they conspired to target him and others for supporting Palestinian rights, claiming the administration coordinated with surveillance groups Betar and Canary Mission using a document called "Project Esther" as a blueprint.

A Colombian man, a citizen of Colombia, has been in the United States since December 29, 2024, when he presented at the border, was issued a Notice to Appear charging him as removable for lacking valid entry documents, and was granted parole and released on his own recognizance. He has applied for asylum. On July 13, 2026, he was arrested and detained by ICE and has remained in custody without a bond hearing since. He has no criminal history and no final order of removal, and is detained at the Pike County Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania. On July 20, 2026, he filed a habeas corpus petition and a motion for a temporary restraining order in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, arguing that his detention under the mandatory detention provision of 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b) is unlawful because he was paroled into the country and is no longer 'seeking admission,' and that he is instead subject to the discretionary detention provision, 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), which entitles him to a bond hearing.

In a separate enforcement action, ICE detained 13 people during an operation at Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina on July 13, 2026. The incident was cited alongside a similar operation at a Washington campsite as part of a pattern of immigration enforcement occurring on federal forest land.

A mother and her adult son have lived in the United States since December 2022, when they were paroled into the country. The mother worked at a laundromat and supported her son's education, while the son worked at a food-packing facility, attended school, and earned his high school equivalency diploma. Both had complied with all ICE reporting requirements and had no criminal history. On July 13, 2026, over three and a half years after entering the country, they were detained without warning at a routine ICE check-in. They were held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center and filed petitions for writs of habeas corpus arguing their re-detention without notice or a hearing violated their Fifth Amendment due process rights. The government did not oppose their claims. The federal court granted the petitions, finding their re-detention violated due process, and ordered their release within 24 hours under their prior conditions of release, with return of their personal belongings and immigration documents.

A Mexican national and noncitizen is currently held in ICE custody at Diamondback Correctional Facility in Oklahoma. He has a final order of removal and is seeking to prevent his removal to Mexico or a third country. He claims membership in the Immigration Center for Women and Children (ICWC) class of ICE detainees with pending immigration benefit applications, including U Visa petitions, and states he has a pending Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)-based petition that bears on his removability and eligibility for relief. He filed a habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 and moved for a stay of removal pending resolution of his petition, or alternatively, for a temporary restraining order (TRO). The Magistrate Judge recommended denying his motion for stay/TRO, finding the Western District of Oklahoma lacks jurisdiction to enjoin removal proceedings under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(g), which bars district courts from hearing claims arising from DHS decisions to execute removal orders.

A Chinese national admitted to the U.S. on a valid B-1/B-2 visa on April 4, 2024, was re-detained by ICE on July 13, 2026, at Los Angeles International Airport without notice, warrant, or hearing. During her two+ years in the country, she had been granted employment authorization, worked lawfully, established community ties, and maintained a clean criminal record while her asylum application was pending. The court ordered her release on her prior conditions within 24 hours, finding her re-detention without pre-deprivation process violated Fifth Amendment due process rights.

A noncitizen was re-detained on June 26, 2026, after having been previously released on bond or conditional parole. The government failed to provide him with a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter before re-detaining him, violating the Due Process Clause. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted his petition for writ of habeas corpus and motion for temporary restraining order, ordering his immediate release with the same conditions he was subject to prior to detention, and requiring the government to provide at least seven days' notice and a pre-deprivation bond hearing before any future re-detention.

Yeison Saúl Menjívar Portillo, a boy with Down syndrome and epilepsy who is nonverbal and hearing impaired, was detained by ICE in Bridge City, a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana. His family says they do not know where he is or whether he is safe. His mother stated he requires specific medication for epileptic seizures and cannot survive or care for himself without her presence, and she is asking authorities to either tell her where he is or deport her with him.

Diana, a longtime community member known for her kindness and generosity, was taken into ICE custody after attending a scheduled immigration appointment. She is currently awaiting a bond hearing while her immigration case proceeds. Her family and friends are raising funds to cover legal fees, bond costs, and other case-related expenses.

A man, believed to be originally from Venezuela, was arrested by ICE in the parking lot of Wow Supermarket off South Boulevard in Charlotte on Monday morning while working as a Lyft driver. According to video footage and witnesses, approximately 10 immigration officers surrounded the man's car, broke the window, and forcibly removed him from the vehicle. A Siembra NC volunteer and store employee reported the man was assaulted during the arrest. The incident caused the store to close temporarily out of fear for employees' safety.

Josue Castro Rivera, a 24-year-old from Honduras who had lived in the United States for four years, was fatally struck by a pickup truck on October 23, 2025 while attempting to cross Interstate 264 during an ICE traffic stop in Norfolk, Virginia. Castro Rivera was on his way to a gardening job with three passengers when immigration officers pulled over their vehicle as part of a "targeted, intelligence-based" operation. His brother Henry Castro described him as having "a very good heart" and noted that he was working to send money to his family in Honduras. When ICE officers began detaining the vehicle's occupants, Castro Rivera resisted and fled on foot onto the busy highway around 11 a.m., where he was struck by a 2002 Ford pickup truck. An ICE officer administered CPR, but Castro Rivera was pronounced dead at the scene. According to DHS, the vehicle's occupants were determined to be in the country without authorization. Virginia State Police responded to the crash but clarified they did not participate in the pursuit. Josue Castro Rivera, a 24-year-old Honduran man, was hit and killed by a pick-up truck while crossing a highway during an immigration traffic stop in Norfolk, Virginia. The death occurred during intensified federal immigration enforcement operations.

Carlos Roberto Montoya Valdez, a 52-year-old day laborer from Guatemala, died on August 14, 2025, after being struck by an SUV traveling approximately 60 mph while fleeing across Interstate 210 in Monrovia, California during a federal immigration enforcement operation at a Home Depot parking lot. Montoya had lived in the United States for about three years and worked to support his wife of 35 years, Ana María Vásquez, four daughters, and grandchildren in Guatemala. His daughter Ana Victoria recalled his final call the night before his death, in which he expressed hope of returning to Guatemala once he earned enough money to start his own business. His wife described him as "a light" who brought joy to everyone, especially his grandchildren. Between eight and ten day laborers from Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras were arrested during the operation. The Department of Homeland Security stated Montoya was not being pursued by federal agents when he ran. Community advocates, including the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, blamed the enforcement operation's tactics for creating panic that led to his death, and organizers are demanding a full investigation into the circumstances and calling on Home Depot to release any video footage.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted enforcement operations over the weekend resulting in the arrest of 14 individuals with prior criminal convictions for serious offenses including murder, child sexual abuse, assault, and drug trafficking. The arrests spanned multiple states and involved nationals from Mexico, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago, and other countries. According to DHS, approximately 70 percent of ICE arrests involve individuals either charged with or convicted of crimes in the United States. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced arrests of 10 individuals across the country over two consecutive days of operations. The individuals arrested include those with prior convictions for manslaughter, human trafficking of a minor, child pornography, rape, drug trafficking, immigrant smuggling, and other offenses. Arrests took place in Texas (3 individuals), California (2), Utah, Delaware, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New York. The agency did not release additional details about the dates of underlying convictions, sentences served, or current custody status.

Detainees at a McCook, Nebraska ICE detention facility reported experiencing fear and hazardous conditions as wildfire smoke drifted into the center. The article documents detainees' accounts of their experiences, including prayer and other coping mechanisms during the smoky conditions at the facility.

A Cuban national held at Florence Correctional Center in Arizona staged multiple hunger strikes to protest what he described as inhumane detention conditions and lack of transparency regarding his asylum claims. He alleges that ICE subjected him to solitary confinement and restrictive measures to isolate him from legal counsel and advocacy groups after his protests gained attention. He was subsequently deported to Ecuador, a third country, which terminated his ability to participate in U.S. legal proceedings.

Twenty-two people from the Greater Binghamton Area were detained over one week during heightened ICE enforcement in Broome County. Most detentions occurred while people were commuting to work or working outdoor jobs between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. The detained individuals were mostly Spanish speakers but also included people of South Asian and Central Asian descent. Several of those detained were legally present in the United States. Local organizations are urging residents to take precautions and providing an ICE hotline for reporting suspected activity.

Danny Joel Quispe Maizanche, an Ecuadorian national, was arrested by ICE officers on Himrod Street in Bushwick during a targeted enforcement operation. He entered the United States near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, in April 2024 and was enrolled in the federal Alternatives to Detention program but failed to comply with its reporting requirements. According to DHS, Quispe Maizanche has accepted Incentivized Voluntary Departure and is expected to return to Ecuador.