Human Impact Project

Democratic US Senator Padilla was forced to the ground and handcuffed by federal agents. He was released shortly after the incident. The FBI defended the agents' actions in response to questions about the Department of Homeland Security's response.

Brian Gavidia, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen born and raised in East Los Angeles, was detained by Border Patrol agents on June 12 at his workplace on West Olympic Boulevard in Montebello during an immigration enforcement operation in the San Gabriel Valley. An agent pushed Gavidia against a metal fence and demanded proof of citizenship, asking repeatedly where he was born despite his repeated statements that he was American. Video footage shows two agents holding Gavidia against the fence while he stated "I'm American, bro!" Agents confiscated his Real ID and did not return it; they also took his phone for approximately 20 minutes before returning it. Gavidia, whose mother is Colombian and his father is Salvadoran, believes he was targeted because of his Latino heritage and appearance. He described the encounter as traumatic, saying he feared for his life when an agent racked a chamber in an AR-15. A friend who was filming the encounter was injured and bleeding from the forehead after being pushed by another agent. Gavidia has since joined an ACLU lawsuit with other plaintiffs challenging immigration enforcement tactics and racial profiling, and has renounced his earlier support for President Trump, stating he was "manipulated" and "brainwashed." He now carries a copy of the U.S. Constitution and helps with know-your-rights workshops.

Sayed Naser, an Afghan national who worked as a translator and contractor for U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, was detained by ICE agents in June 2025 during a hearing at a San Diego immigration court, after entering the U.S. legally in July 2024 under humanitarian parole while his asylum case was pending. On September 26, federal judge Gonzalo Curiel ordered his release from Otay Mesa Detention Center, ruling that the government violated his due process rights by revoking his parole without notice and placing him in expedited removal despite his pending case. Video of his arrest went viral, prompting veteran-run nonprofits Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and AfghanEvac to launch “Battle Buddies,” a program in which over 1,000 veterans now accompany Afghans to immigration hearings. Naser, reunited with friends and family after his release, said he remains hopeful because of the support he received from Americans.

Brian Gavidia, a U.S. citizen born and raised in East Los Angeles, was pinned against a gate at his car lot by armed federal agents who refused to accept that he was a citizen. He was forced to close his used-car business after agents kept returning to the neighborhood. He joined an ACLU class-action lawsuit challenging ICE's racial profiling. He also had to tell his nine-year-old daughter she couldn't visit from Portland because it wasn't safe.

At least five undocumented immigrants were detained by ICE agents in Phoenixville on a Thursday morning at multiple locations, including an Acme supermarket and Wawa convenience store, according to immigrant advocacy group Project Libertad, with plainclothes officers observed near Starr and Washington streets starting around 7 a.m. That operation came two days after the borough council passed an ordinance limiting immigration enforcement on municipal property. A viral video from Feb. 3, 2026, showed agents breaking a car window outside the Foodery on Bridge Street and pulling two men from the vehicle, prompting bystanders to protest. Phoenixville Mayor Peter Urscheler said local police have no agreement to enforce federal immigration law, while Chester County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz called for greater oversight of ICE's enforcement practices.

Elzon Lemus, a 23-year-old Hispanic U.S. citizen and electrician from Brentwood, Long Island, was stopped by ICE agents on June 3 while riding as a passenger in a car on Union Avenue in Westbury, one of six vehicles halted that day. Agents said he "looks like somebody we are looking for," then opened the car door, removed his identification, and handcuffed him for 20 to 25 minutes, holding him and the driver at the scene for about an hour. Video recorded by Lemus and the driver shows agents approaching the vehicle and demanding identification before the footage ends. His attorney, Frederick Brewington, called the stop racial discrimination and is evaluating a possible lawsuit, while State Assembly Deputy Speaker Phil Ramos described the video as showing a clear rights violation.

A 23-year-old electrician from Brentwood was pulled over by ICE agents while driving a work van in Westbury and was handcuffed and detained for approximately 25 minutes. The agents claimed he looked like someone they were searching for but provided no specific basis for the stop. After finding his ID confirming his U.S. citizenship, the agents released him without explanation or apology.

Noemi's husband was deported to Mexico during the June 2025 ICE raids in Los Angeles. They used to get ready together before she headed to work at LA international airport. Now he calls her each morning at 8am from Mexico.

Yurien saw her father handcuffed, chained from the waist and ankles, and whisked away by ICE agents outside his workplace in LA's fashion district during the June 2025 raids. She remains haunted by the image a year later.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police announced in October that they are resubmitting cases for review related to nearly 100 arrests made during a June 11 anti-ICE protest in downtown Las Vegas. Most charges had been dropped by the City Attorney's Office in September, but police are now resubmitting cases amid questions about whether dispersal orders were properly communicated to demonstrators. Attorneys representing arrested protesters argue many did not receive adequate notice to disperse and are calling for investigation into police conduct during the event.

ICE agents rammed a white sedan with two unmarked vehicles in Boyle Heights, pinning it between them during an arrest operation. The vehicle contained a male driver, female passenger, toddler, and baby. Federal agents drew weapons and deployed tear gas before dragging the male driver from the car. The arrested man was identified as Christian Damian Cerno-Camacho, though family members claimed he is a U.S. citizen.

Christian Damian Cerno-Camacho, a 27-year-old, was arrested by federal agents in Boyle Heights after they rammed his white Mercedes sedan with multiple vehicles on Whittier Boulevard, trapping him at the intersection with Calzona Street. According to the Department of Homeland Security, agents were conducting a targeted arrest operation, stating that Cerno-Camacho was wanted in connection with an alleged assault against a CBP officer and that he attempted to flee when they tried to arrest him. A woman and two children, including an infant, were passengers in the vehicle at the time. Video footage showed armed federal agents firing chemical rounds at the vehicle before extracting Cerno-Camacho and leaving the woman and children inside. The woman and children later fled to a nearby grocery store and were reunited with family approximately three hours later. The incident occurred near a school in the neighborhood.

A mass protest occurred at Spokane's ICE facility after former City Council President Ben Stuckart called for people to prevent two asylum-seeking immigrants from being transported to a Tacoma detention center. Federal Homeland Security Investigations agents used physical force against protesters, while Spokane police later arrived and employed dialogue-based tactics. Three protesters—Bajun Mavalwalla II, Justice Forral, and Jac Archer—were charged with conspiring against ICE agents, and their trial examined the differing enforcement approaches.

Christian Cerna, a 28-year-old US citizen and carpenter from Paramount, California, was arrested by ICE on June 11, 2025, after participating in an anti-ICE protest near a Home Depot on June 7. Officers used aggressive tactics including ramming his vehicle, detonating flash-bang grenades, and pointing assault rifles at his car while his partner and two young children were inside; court records show the arrest operation involved a drone, four vehicles, and a filming crew. Cerna, whose father was deported when he was 12, was charged with felony assault after border agent Eduardo Mejorado alleged Cerna struck him during the protest, though Cerna and his lawyers say he swung his hand without making contact; he was also struck in the face by pepper balls during the demonstration. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault in December 2025 and was sentenced in March 2026; a federal judge later criticized the case as a "vindictive effort" to impose extrajudicial punishment, and DHS filmed the arrest and posted footage on social media labeling Cerna a "violent rioter."

On June 11, 2025, ICE agents coordinated with Chatham County police to conduct traffic stops targeting immigrant workers near a mobile home park outside Savannah. Eight immigrant laborers were apprehended during two traffic stops. Body camera footage reveals ICE agents proposing ongoing collaboration with local police, with one agent offering to respond to future stops.

On June 11, 2025, masked ICE officials detained a man in the parking lot of Downey Memorial Christian Church. Reverend Tanya Lopez witnessed the man on the ground surrounded by three armed, masked officers who refused to identify themselves or produce a warrant. The officers identified themselves only as police and prevented Lopez from questioning them or assisting the man. The church subsequently offered multiple worship options including in-person, Facebook Live, and Zoom services for concerned parishioners.

ICE agents detained approximately 10 men outside an immigration court in Sterling, Virginia. Video recorded by activists shows an ICE agent grabbing one activist and knocking a phone out of another's hand while they were filming the detention operation.

Five of nine protesters who participated in a June 11 demonstration at a Spokane ICE office pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges for attempting to prevent the transportation of two legal immigrants to a detention center. The protesters blocked the facility's driveway and transport bus to stop the deportation of two young men who had entered the U.S. through a humanitarian program. Four other defendants are scheduled for trial in May, and under a plea agreement, the guilty defendants can withdraw their felony pleas for misdemeanor charges if they abide by release conditions for 18 months.

A worker at Glenn Valley Foods was convicted and sentenced to 14 months in prison for wielding a box cutter while attempting to resist an immigration arrest during the June 10, 2025 ICE raid.

Following the Glenn Valley Foods raid on June 10, 2025, federal authorities charged one woman worker with identity fraud. The woman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in prison. Despite ICE's initial claims that the raid uncovered 'massive identity theft,' only this single worker has been charged with identity fraud crimes as of one year later.