Human Impact Project

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.

Samuel Guzmán, a 24-year-old U.S. citizen born in Maryland who spent part of his childhood in Mexico and lives in Anne Arundel County, was surrounded and handcuffed by masked ICE agents near a 7-Eleven in Annapolis one Sunday in June while driving to his restaurant job. He said he repeatedly told officers he was born in the country, and that one officer asked him, 'If you are an American citizen, why don't you speak better English?' He was held for more than an hour alongside other Latino individuals and said he worried about a co-worker who lived nearby. Guzmán is now the lead plaintiff in a proposed federal class-action lawsuit, Guzmán v. DHS, filed September 9, 2026 in U.S. District Court in Maryland by immigrant rights group CASA. He is joined by three other Maryland residents from Prince George's, Montgomery and Wicomico counties who say they were similarly arrested without warrants or probable cause. The lawsuit alleges ICE adopted an 'arrest first, ask questions later' policy targeting people perceived to be Brown or Black immigrants without individualized assessments, and asks a federal judge to declare such warrantless arrests unconstitutional.

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.

Marof Montanary, known as "Frenchy," a bodybuilder with aspirations of competing at Mr. Olympia, was detained by ICE agents during what he and his partner initially believed was a routine traffic stop while driving to a wedding in Omaha, Nebraska. Agents separated him from his partner and their three dogs, shackled him, and transferred him to a detention facility in Leavenworth, Kansas. Facing high legal costs, Montanary and his legal counsel decided he will pursue a structured voluntary self-deportation while his partner works to file a petition to bring him back to the U.S. legally in the future.

Esteban Rios Sosa was detained by ICE along with his wife at a Camp Pendleton gate in September 2025 while trying to visit their pregnant daughter, whose husband is a U.S. Marine stationed there. Despite holding deferred action and a work permit tied to a pending U visa application as a crime victim, and having visited the base repeatedly without incident, ICE deported him to Mexico within a day; his wife was later released from Otay Mesa Detention Center. During nearly a year in Mexico, he said he feared being kidnapped and struggled with depression. Attorney Monika Langarica of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law filed a habeas corpus case on his behalf, and U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino ruled that his due process rights were violated because he was deported without notice or a hearing, ordering the government to facilitate his return. Rios Sosa crossed back into the U.S. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry to reunite with his family, return to his job cleaning cars, and meet his new grandchild.

Marta was taken into ICE custody after arriving for a routine biometrics appointment at the USCIS office in Gardena, California. Video showed her being seated in a room before ICE agents detained her shortly afterward. Her nephew, Victor Jimenez, started a GoFundMe campaign titled "Help Bring Marta Home" to help cover her bills and provide family stability, noting she may lose the job she worked hard to get. The family says they are heartbroken and uncertain how long she may remain detained, and are asking the community to donate or share the fundraiser.

Wisteguens Jean Quely Charles, a Haitian national who had lived in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status since 2013, was arrested by ICE in the Boston area (Mattapan) on January 22, 2025, in a video that went viral after he shouted profanities and declared 'Biden forever' while resisting arrest. 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. Massachusetts' Norfolk House of Correction had released him in October 2023 without honoring an ICE detainer. He spent roughly 19 months in federal custody 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, during which officials said he became combative.

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, who has owned and operated Guadalajara Taco Shop in Seaside for 23 years, was arrested by ICE officers on September 10 while picking up supplies at a Safeway. Officers and Homeland Security 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 being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, where his family says conditions are poor. 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.

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.

Nelson Contreras-Gelves, a 35-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker who arrived in the U.S. in 2022, was detained by ICE in Philadelphia on June 27, 2026, just a week after his wedding reception with wife Ariel Whaley of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. He had been following all required immigration procedures at the time of his arrest. Contreras-Gelves worked as a distribution associate at Mighty Writers, a nonprofit in New Garden Township, where colleagues described him as 'irreplaceable' and part of their extended family. He was held for about three weeks at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia before being transferred to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, where he faced repeated bond denials and described scalding shower water, insect infestations, poor food, and inadequate medical care. A crowdfunding campaign raised more than $38,000 to help cover legal costs and household expenses. He was unexpectedly released on September 10, 2026, and now wears an ankle monitor, is restricted to travel within Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, and must attend frequent check-ins.

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.

Maria Rosales, a 32-year-old DACA recipient who came to the U.S. from Colombia as a young child and has lived in Florida for nearly three decades, was detained without warrant by ICE agents at Logan Airport on July 10, 2026, while returning home after a trip to Boston. She works as a dermatologist's assistant treating skin cancer patients and founded a nonprofit color guard organization that provides performing arts opportunities to young people in the Orlando area, with friends and colleagues describing her as a dedicated community leader. ICE cited a 2017 removal order from a New Mexico immigration checkpoint stop that Rosales says she was never properly informed of, and her attorney contends the warrant used to justify her detention may have been fabricated after she was already in custody. She was held for 10 days at ICE's Burlington, Massachusetts facility, where she reported inconsistent access to showers, food, water, and medication, and rooms holding as many as eight women at a time. A federal judge ordered her release after finding ICE failed to comply with statutory detention procedures, and she subsequently filed a lawsuit against the agency, which a judge refused to dismiss in September.

Min Khant Zaw, a Rohingya and Kaman activist and asylum seeker from Myanmar, was detained by ICE officers at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in July 2026 while returning from a West Coast trip visiting his grandparents. He spent seven weeks at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Jena before being released on Sept. 9 on a $40,000 bond. Zaw, a computer science graduate researcher at Georgia Institute of Technology, fled Myanmar in 2019 after his family, who are Rohingya political dissidents, warned him not to return amid violence against the Rohingya, and he filed for asylum in 2020.

Diego Mauricio Ospina Sanchez, a 41-year-old Colombian man, was detained by six 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, after a vacation in California and Washington. 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 in-absentia deportation order issued August 13, 2026. Kewin said agents surrounded the couple and demanded identification before taking Ospina Sanchez away, saying, "They hunt us as if we were bad people... as if you were a criminal or an animal." Left alone at the airport, Kewin contacted a local immigrant rights hotline and received help from community members. Since the arrest, Ospina Sanchez has been repeatedly transferred between detention facilities in Tacoma, El Paso, Louisiana, and Arizona, reporting poor sleep, poor appetite, psychological distress, and weight loss, and was denied his regular medical treatment on one occasion. Through a lawyer, Kewin has filed a motion to reopen the case and a stay of removal, spending more than $11,000 on legal fees. A DHS spokesperson said Ospina Sanchez received due process and that the agency is targeting travelers with expired visas as part of a new enforcement push, and the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition said it was the first known immigration arrest this year at the airport.

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.