Human Impact Project

Valeria Mendoza Santiago, a 25-year-old pregnant woman from Oaxaca, Mexico, was arrested by ICE agents at a bus stop in Anchorage on March 20, 2026, and transferred to Hiland Mountain Correctional Center before her lawyers won her release via a temporary restraining order citing ICE guidelines against detaining pregnant women. Her case is now proceeding in Alaska's federal court. Mendoza Santiago said she entered the U.S. near Tijuana in 2021 to join her husband, a flooring worker and member of the Triqui Indigenous group, and that she fears returning to Mexico due to threats of violence. She lives with her husband, their son, and her mother-in-law in Anchorage, where the family has enrolled their son in school and spent time together visiting parks.

S.M.H., a 16-year-old Los Angeles high school student and aspiring tennis player, was detained by ICE in April 2026 along with his parents, Maryam and Eissa Tahmasebi—both educators, with Maryam a professor at Los Angeles Pierce College—after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked the family's green cards. Lawyers say the family, all permanent residents, is being punished because Eissa's mother, at age 19, served as a spokesperson for the student group that held Americans hostage in Iran in 1979, calling it unprecedented "bloodline punishment" for actions preceding their births. S.M.H. and his mother have been held for more than 120 days at the Dilley family detention center—far exceeding the 20-day Flores settlement limit—while his father is detained separately, with the family limited to 10-minute biweekly phone calls. In a letter published in The Nation, Maryam described the ordeal as an "unendurable, unending nightmare," while immigration lawyer Hassan Ahmad said he has not seen foreign policy grounds used to detain people based solely on family relationship rather than individual conduct.

Everlee Wihongi, a New Zealand citizen and long-term U.S. resident with a green card, was detained by ICE in early April after returning from New Zealand. She was held for more than 70 days because of a 2016 cannabis conviction that was later thrown out by the courts in June. During her detention at facilities in California, Arizona, and Texas, Wihongi described dehumanizing conditions including being referred to by her bunk-bed number rather than her name, extremely early meal times (3:45 a.m. in Arizona), shackling during transit, and witnessing children and pregnant women being shackled and moved between facilities. She has since been released and returned to Wisconsin with her family.

Y.R., a 37-year-old undocumented Honduran immigrant who came to the U.S. in early 2022, was arrested by ICE in April 2026 while trying to gain custody of her niece and nephew, who had spent nearly 400 days in a federal shelter after crossing the Texas-Mexico border in spring 2025. She had spent nearly a year completing government vetting, including background checks and DNA tests, to become their sponsor, before ICE agents arrested her in a parking lot near her home with help from the Office of Refugee Resettlement after the Trump administration dropped rules barring the office from sharing sponsor information with ICE. After two weeks in a North Texas detention center, an immigration judge released her on bond, and she reunited with her now 11-year-old niece and 14-year-old nephew in May, though she remains in deportation proceedings. "I never thought about giving up on trying to get them. Even when I got arrested, I immediately thought about my niece and nephew," she said, adding she told her lawyer she would not leave the U.S. without the children. The Trump administration has implemented narrowed identity-document rules and mandatory DNA testing for sponsors seeking custody of children in federal shelters.

Daniela, originally from Colombia, came to the United States on a work permit and is married to a U.S. citizen with a pending green card application. For months, she cooperated with a detective from the Florida Department of Financial Services, answering dozens of questions and providing documentation about insurance fraud committed by her former employer. When the detective asked her to meet in April to discuss the case, Daniela was instead detained, handcuffed, and arrested. "It's very cruel the way they arrested me," she said; neither the detective nor the department responded to requests for comment. She has no criminal record. She was taken to the Palm Beach County jail and then transferred in chains to ICE facilities in two different states before being released on bond in May. The 287(g) Task Force program now includes more than 1,300 law enforcement agencies across 32 states and two U.S. territories deputized to enforce federal immigration laws.

Melona fled Eritrea and sought asylum in the United States but was deported to Panama under a formal U.S. government agreement, a country where she has no ties and speaks no language. She was held in a hotel with hundreds of other migrants and asylum seekers without explanation or information about her future. The U.S. government is conducting deportation flights to Panama and Costa Rica as part of formal policy agreements. Melona's case represents a systemic pattern rather than an isolated incident.

Subramanyam "Subu" Vedam, 64, spent over 40 years in prison after a 1983 first-degree murder conviction that was vacated in August 2025 when prosecutors were found to have withheld ballistics evidence. Upon his conviction being overturned, ICE detained him based on a longstanding deportation order tied to a prior drug-related conviction. On April 1, 2026, an immigration judge ruled that Vedam could remain in the United States, citing his personal transformation during incarceration, including academic study and mentoring nieces he came to know only while behind bars. His sister testified in support of him staying, and Vedam said in a statement he was grateful for the support of his family and friends. DHS has until May 4 to appeal the decision, and Vedam must still file a bond request for release from custody.

A Honduran citizen who entered the U.S. as a minor in 2016 and lived freely for nearly 10 years was re-detained by ICE on April 1, 2026 while fishing. The government detained him under a new interpretation of immigration law without finding he was a flight risk or danger to the community. The federal court ordered his immediate release, ruling his detention unlawful.

A 53-year-old professional mariner identified as F was deported from San Diego port after CBP agents accused him of accessing a website containing child sexual exploitation material during 2017-2018. F denied the allegations and was never charged with any crime. His visa was revoked within 24 hours and he was deported to the Philippines.

Dy, a Vietnamese refugee with an order of supervision, was arrested by ICE in November 2017 during a home visit and detained for five months and twenty-one days before being released following public attention and a habeas corpus petition. In fall 2025, during Trump's second term, Dy was arrested again after attending an ICE check-in appointment at the Atlanta field office, where he was sent on what he describes as a trap involving confusing directions between floors. He was transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, where he remained in detention as of April 2026. Dy is a former incarcerated person who turned his life around, became a Christian, married Tammy, and together they own a home and are raising three children with a fourth on the way. His wife and community have organized to support him, including celebrating a gender reveal party during his detention via video call with commissary materials.

An Armenian asylum seeker is a citizen and national of Armenia who entered the United States on July 17, 2021 and filed an asylum application that remains pending before immigration courts. He has complied with all immigration proceedings, appeared for hearings, maintained residence in California, operated a lawful business, and established substantial ties to the community. On April 1, 2026, ICE officers detained him at a courthouse in Burbank, California where he appeared for a criminal hearing, and he has remained in custody at Adelanto Detention Facility since that date. He sought a Temporary Restraining Order for his immediate release or a constitutionally adequate bond hearing, alleging his continued detention violates the Fifth Amendment and bears no reasonable relation to any legitimate civil immigration purpose. The respondents did not oppose the relief and acknowledged he is a member of the Bond Eligible Class in Bautista v. Santacruz, entitling him to an individualized bond hearing. The court granted the TRO and ordered that he must receive an individualized bond hearing within 3 days, or be released within 4 days, with the government bearing the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence whether he poses a flight risk or danger to the public.

In December 2025, Axel Sanchez Toledo called 911 in Palm Beach County, Florida requesting a welfare check on his daughter. A sheriff's deputy who was part of the county's 287(g) Task Force with ICE accused Toledo of being undocumented, detained him, and used physical force when he attempted to flee. Toledo, who had a pending asylum case, was arrested and held in jail for four months on resisting arrest charges before being transferred to ICE custody facing deportation.

ICE agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. was charged by Hennepin County prosecutors with felony first- and second-degree assault after allegedly pointing a gun at people in another vehicle on Highway 62 in Minneapolis in February 2026 during Operation Metro Surge. Morgan turned himself in, posted bond, and made his first court appearance on May 24, 2026. His attorney argued Morgan feared for his safety when the other vehicle swerved near him.

A man who entered the U.S. in May 2021 and was granted humanitarian parole was arrested and detained by ICE during a routine check-in in April 2026 despite complying with all immigration conditions. The petitioner challenged his detention arguing it violated due process rights without a pre-deprivation hearing. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release with permanent injunction against re-detention without constitutional protections.

K, a 23-year-old man, fled Belarus after being stalked and threatened for participating in political rallies opposing the government. After the CBP One system was shut down and being extorted in Mexico, he crossed onto U.S. soil and walked toward a port of entry in South Texas, where Border Patrol arrested him and ignored his asylum request. His phone containing persecution evidence was confiscated and never returned. He was shackled and secretly flown to Costa Rica without being told the destination.

Marcus, a 52-year-old former archivist from Cameroon, and his 14-year-old daughter Élodie were detained during an ICE enforcement action at their apartment in Minneapolis on April 1, 2026. ICE cited a typographical error in Marcus's A-number in his temporary work authorization as justification for the detention. During the enforcement action, ICE mistakenly seized Élodie's architectural drawings, classifying them as "surveillance imagery." Both remain in detention and have been unable to contact a journalist documenting crimes related to art trafficking, which is central to their asylum case. A GoFundMe campaign was initiated to support their case.

Genaro Gonzalez-Uribe, a 72-year-old undocumented man, was detained by ICE on March 30, 2026, while driving to work in Lodi, California. He was pulled over by unmarked vehicles and transferred to a detention facility in Kern County. His family reports he has no criminal history, prior deportations, or removal orders. They also expressed concerns about his health and access to medication while in custody and are seeking legal assistance as he faces removal proceedings.

Ali and Adel, an Iranian gay couple in their late 30s and early 40s, fled Iran in 2021 after being arrested by Iran's morality police for their relationship. They entered the United States at the El Paso, Texas border in early 2025 seeking asylum, but their claims were denied. The men are now separated in ICE detention facilities—Ali in Arizona and Adel near El Paso—facing deportation under a Trump administration policy reversing decades of allowing Iranians fleeing persecution to remain in the country. Adel has suffered severe organ damage and medical deterioration in detention, including significant weight loss and fainting episodes. Court orders have so far prevented their deportation, though both men have been moved to deportation staging facilities multiple times, and the Trump administration has not clarified whether deportation flights to Iran will resume.

Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old nearly blind Rohingya refugee from Myanmar who spoke little English and relied on a cane to walk, was released from Erie County jail on February 19, 2026, after Border Patrol agents determined he was ineligible for deportation. Agents dropped him off at a Tim Hortons north of Buffalo without notifying his family or attorney. Surveillance footage contradicted DHS claims that the location was safe and open, showing the store was closed except for its drive-thru. Alam went missing for several days before his body was found on February 24 near KeyBank Center, about four miles from where he was left. Local officials ruled his death a homicide, caused by complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer worsened by hypothermia and dehydration. Governor Kathy Hochul later cited his death as an example of harm caused by federal immigration enforcement.

A Guatemalan national entered the United States on December 5, 2022. He was issued a Notice to Appear for removal proceedings and released on his own recognizance on March 2, 2023. On March 31, 2026, he was re-detained by ICE when he reported for an appointment at Mesa Verda Detention Center. He filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus challenging his detention, arguing that his prior release created a liberty interest in continued release and that his re-detention violated due process. On April 22, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release on the same conditions as his prior release. The court also enjoined ICE from re-detaining him absent exigent circumstances without providing notice and a pre-detention hearing before an immigration judge, with the government bearing the burden of proving he is a danger or flight risk by clear and convincing evidence.