HUMSI — Human Security Initiative

Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

We collect individual stories of people impacted by U.S. immigration enforcement from news reporting, court records, and community accounts into one searchable public database, updated daily and reviewed by our team. The Human Impact Project is run by the Human Security Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

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4283 incidents with known locations
⚐ Highlighted incident #12928 (not on this page in normal date order)Clear

St. Paul man held at Guantánamo, allegedly beaten, deported to Somalia after mother's death

Sep 25, 2026St. Paul, MNSomalia

Adam Mohamed Abdullah, a 31-year-old Somali auto mechanic and asylum seeker living in St. Paul, was arrested by masked federal agents on December 12, 2025 during 'Operation Metro Surge,' despite holding a work permit, Social Security number, a pending asylum application, and no criminal record beyond two parking tickets, and despite regularly attending ICE check-ins. He was moved through detention facilities in Minnesota, Kentucky and Louisiana over roughly nine months before being transferred to Guantánamo Bay's Camp Six in late August alongside fellow Minnesotans Hassan Abdi Abtidoon and Abdullahi Jamal Abdi. His attorney, Marc Prokosch, said communication with him was limited and possibly not confidential, calling the use of the base a 'political scare tactic,' a characterization Sen. Tina Smith echoed after DHS described the group as having serious criminal histories without presenting evidence specific to Abdullah. Abdullah began a hunger strike over lack of information, after which he said guards beat him and placed him in a freezing solitary cell; while detained, his mother died after authorities denied his request for an international call and voluntary departure to see her. The ACLU sued the federal government over its use of Guantánamo for civil immigration detention, with a hearing set for October 14. Abdullah and the other two men were flown through Kenya and deported to Somalia around September 25, 2026.

ICE agents point rifles at family, detain men in Gresham apartment raid

Oct 16, 2025Gresham, OR

Maricruz Andres, 24, and her 3-month-old baby were inside a Gresham apartment when ICE agents repeatedly shouted a name from outside for over an hour. When the family did not come out, armed officers forced their way in, drew rifles as they entered the bedroom where Andres and others had taken refuge, and arrested two men. Andres said the agents displayed no warrant. The incident occurred as ICE enforcement in Oregon has intensified, with reports of agents pulling Latino high school students from a car at gunpoint twice in one day in Hillsboro, arresting construction workers at job sites, and conducting operations in public spaces and businesses.

Chong Leng Vue, man who arrived in US as infant, detained by ICE at immigration appointment

Oct 16, 2025Atlanta, GALaos

Chong Leng Vue, 45, a Hmong man who has lived in the United States for 44 years since arriving as an infant, was detained by ICE on October 16 at an immigration office in Atlanta after appearing for a routine appointment in response to a mailed notice. Vue was born stateless in a Thai refugee camp after his family fled persecution in Laos during the Secret War; he has no ties outside the U.S. and is the sole provider for his family of seven, all U.S. citizens. DHS cited his 2004 removal order related to prior assault and firearm convictions. Vue is currently held at Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, where his wife reports cold conditions, limited access to showers and hygiene supplies, and difficulty communicating with family and attorneys. His wife said the detention has forced the family to withdraw their children from extracurricular activities and left them struggling financially.

Cuban national detained after criminal convictions, faces removal to Ecuador

Oct 16, 2025Cuba

A Cuban national who presented himself at Miami International Airport in December 2022 seeking asylum was placed into immigration custody on October 16, 2025, after completing a criminal sentence in Pennsylvania. He had been charged and convicted of crimes in Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania, receiving a 163-day to one-year sentence. An immigration judge ordered his removal to Ecuador on December 23, 2025, and the removal order became final on January 23, 2026. The court denied his habeas petition and temporary restraining order, finding his post-removal detention of less than six months presumptively reasonable.

Day-laborer advocates arrested at Home Depot, denied attorney access during detention

Oct 16, 2025Van Nuys, CA

Jude Jasmine Jeannine Allard, 28, and Jenaro-Ernesto Ayala, 43, day-laborer advocates, were arrested by federal Border Patrol at a Home Depot parking lot in Van Nuys on suspicion of interfering with immigration enforcement operations. They are facing additional felony charges for allegedly placing homemade tire spikes to disable law enforcement vehicles. Ayala is a U.S. citizen and outreach coordinator at the Van Nuys Day Labor Center who helps connect workers with resources and jobs. After their arrests, attorneys Cal Soto and Colleen Flynn attempted to meet with the detainees at the Federal Detention Center on Alameda Street in Downtown Los Angeles but were denied access, with federal authorities citing ongoing "processing" and inability to locate where the detainees were being held.

Man held in jail for weeks despite court-ordered release, ACLU sues over ICE partnership

Oct 16, 2025Las Vegas, NV

The ACLU of Nevada filed a lawsuit challenging Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's 287(g) partnership with ICE, which allows local officers to hold undocumented immigrants for transfer to federal agents. The case centers on Sergio Morais-Hechavarria, a 36-year-old man arrested in August who pleaded guilty to attempted possession of a stolen vehicle. After completing his criminal sentence, a judge ordered his release to an inpatient treatment facility, but Metro detained him on an ICE immigration hold for weeks beyond his release date. On October 16, Morais-Hechavarria was transferred to a Texas immigration facility without notice to his attorneys and in violation of the court order. The ACLU contends the 287(g) partnership violates Nevada state law and Dillon's rule, which prohibits local agencies from exercising powers not authorized by the Legislature.

Man arrested at nightclub while serving as designated driver, detained six weeks

Oct 16, 2025Colorado Springs, CO

A 32-year-old man identified as G.R.R. was arrested at a Colorado Springs nightclub while waiting to be a designated driver for a friend. He was detained for over six weeks. The ACLU filed a lawsuit on his behalf challenging the arrest as lacking probable cause and part of a pattern of indiscriminate enforcement.

Comedian Arrested by ICE While Protesting in Giraffe Suit in Portland

Oct 16, 2025Portland, OR

Robby Roadsteamer, a comedian and activist, was shot with pepper-spray balls by ICE officers on a rooftop and then detained at an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon while dressed as a giraffe and singing modified protest songs. He was cited for failing to comply with orders and trespassing, and plans to sue ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.

Dallas man arrested for threatening ICE agents on social media

Oct 16, 2025Dallas, TXMexico

Eduardo Aguilar, a 23-year-old undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was federally charged for making threats against ICE agents on social media. Aguilar allegedly posted in Spanish calling for armed individuals and offering money for each ICE agent killed. He appeared before a federal judge in Dallas who ordered him held in federal custody pending trial.

Queer and trans immigrants allege abuse at Louisiana ICE detention facility.

Oct 16, 2025Basile, LA

Queer and trans immigrants detained at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center alleged they were forced into an unsanctioned work program performing hard manual labor for minimal pay, and sexually harassed and assaulted by an assistant warden named Manuel Reyes between 2023 and 2025. Detainees reported facing medical neglect, retaliation for reporting abuse, and having their complaints systematically ignored by ICE officials. Four detainees filed administrative complaints under the Federal Tort Claims Act, and civil rights complaints were submitted to DHS oversight bodies by RFK Human Rights, the ACLU of Louisiana, and the National Immigration Project.

72-year-old man removed from home in robe and underwear due to mistaken identity

Oct 15, 2025Memphis, TN

A 72-year-old man was removed from his apartment and marched outside while wearing only his robe and underwear as a result of mistaken identity during Memphis Safe Task Force operations. He was among residents harassed during the task force surge authorized by President Trump.

Immigration detainee seeks release after re-detention without bond hearing

Oct 15, 2025

Hector Esteban Justo was re-detained by immigration authorities on October 15, 2025, after previously being released on bond or conditional parole. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his ongoing immigration detention, arguing that he was denied a constitutionally required pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter. The court granted his petition and ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention.

Memphis man stopped and questioned by armed federal agents without identifying badges

Oct 15, 2025Memphis, TN

Reggie Williams, a 39-year-old Black artist, was stopped by Memphis police officers while walking to a nearby store on October 15, 2025. After initial questioning, four armed federal agents in an unmarked SUV with rifles and body armor but no identifying badges descended on him and conducted an aggressive interrogation. An armed agent asked if he was from Ethiopia or Ghana. Williams said he believed he would not have made it home safely without his birth certificate and state ID. He was not arrested or ticketed but reported feeling terrorized during the encounter, which occurred as part of Trump's Memphis Safe Task Force operation.

Portland man wrongly arrested by ICE, lost in detention system

Oct 15, 2025Portland, ORMexico

Juan Barbosa Gomez, a 60-year-old Mexican national with a valid work visa and clean criminal record, was arrested by ICE officers on October 15 in Portland, Oregon. His family claims the arrest was wrongful and says he has lived and worked legally in the U.S. for over 30 years. Since his arrest, Barbosa has been transferred between multiple detention facilities across three states and does not appear on ICE's online detainee locator, leaving his family unable to locate him or mount a legal defense.

Melissa Tran, Maryland mother of five, released after five months ICE detention.

Oct 15, 2025Hagerstown, MDVietnam

Melissa Tran, a Vietnamese refugee and Maryland mother of five who legally immigrated in 1993, was detained by ICE for over five months following a routine check-in due to a non-violent theft conviction from 2001. After a federal judge ordered her release, finding the detention unnecessary, Tran was freed and required to wear an ankle monitor while reporting to ICE authorities. She described harsh detention conditions including poor hygiene facilities and being transported shackled across multiple states, though she now faces potential deportation despite her two decades of clean immigration status.

Judge blocks Justice Department from pressuring platforms to remove ICE-sighting apps

Oct 15, 2025Chicago, IL

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction ordering the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security to stop pressuring Facebook and Apple to remove ICE-monitoring apps and social media groups used by Chicago residents to track immigration enforcement activity. The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by Kassandra Rosado, who created the "ICE Sighting-Chicagoland" Facebook group, and Mark Hodges, who developed the Eyes Up mobile app for recording ICE officers. The judge found the agencies had coerced the tech companies into removing these platforms during the Trump administration's deportation enforcement operations.

ICE agent knelt on neck of citizen teen Evelyn; DHS falsely denied involvement

Oct 15, 2025Chicago, IL

Evelyn, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen, was pulled from a car and detained by ICE agents on October 10, 2025, in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Video showed an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer throw her to the ground and kneel on her neck and upper back as she screamed that she was a citizen and not resisting. According to her aunt, Evelyn and two friends had been following and honking at agents' vehicles to warn neighbors of ICE activity before being chased and detained. She and her friends were held for hours in the Hoffman Estates Police Department parking lot without explanation before being released without charges; Evelyn was later taken away in an ambulance. Her parents, Jazmin and Gerardo, said officers ignored their daughter's pleas of citizenship, with Gerardo saying 'I couldn't protect my child.' Evelyn told the Chicago Tribune, 'I don't like the way they're treating everybody... it's not about race or ethnicity — we're all humans.' A DHS spokesperson falsely claimed the video showed a year-old, unrelated Chicago burglary arrest, a claim PolitiFact rated False after confirming the footage depicted the October 10 incident. The family is considering legal action.

15-Year-Old U.S. Citizen Detained By Federal Agents After East Side Protest

Oct 15, 2025Chicago, IL

A 15-year-old U.S. citizen was detained by Customs and Border Patrol agents on Chicago's East Side after federal agents deployed tear gas at a crash scene. According to his attorneys, the teen was slammed to the ground, zip-tied, and held in a garage for five hours without being booked, read his rights, or allowed to contact his mother. DHS stated the teen was arrested for allegedly throwing an egg at an agent, taken to an FBI field office where he admitted to the action, and released without charges. A 16-year-old U.S. citizen born and raised in Chicago was arrested and body-slammed by federal immigration agents during the East Side operation. His mother, Juanita Garnica, reported receiving a call that her son had been beaten, body-slammed, and taken into custody, but was not informed of his whereabouts or status. He was among multiple people arrested during the federal operation and subsequent protest.

ICE raid at Hamden car wash detains seven to eight people

Oct 15, 2025Hamden, CT

On October 15, 2025, ICE agents conducted a raid at a car wash in Hamden, Connecticut, detaining between seven and eight people. Among those detained were parents of school-age children. Witnesses reported seeing masked agents in tactical gear and unmarked vehicles; one person was slammed to the ground and another was placed in an unmarked van. An agent allegedly threatened a witness who inquired about detainees. Hamden's mayor, town council president, state legislators, and immigrant rights advocates held a press conference that afternoon to express concern about the raid and family separations.

ICE arrests 3 individuals during vehicle stop in Springdale

Oct 15, 2025Springdale, Arkansas

ICE stopped and arrested 3 individuals who were traveling to work at a Family Dollar store on Robinson Avenue in Springdale, Arkansas. Officers broke the car windows during the stop. ICE was reported to have been spotted in other areas of the city that same morning.

Illinois Police Officer Radule Bojovic Detained by ICE for Visa Overstay, Released on Bond and Returned to Duty

Oct 15, 2025Hanover Park, ILMontenegro

Hanover Park police officer Radule Bojovic, a Montenegrin citizen, was detained by ICE on October 15, 2025, as part of Operation Midway Blitz after overstaying his B2 tourist visa by approximately 10 years—he was supposed to leave in March 2015 but remained in the country unlawfully while serving as a sworn officer with firearm access. He was released on bond on October 31 after federal authorities did not contest the release, and returned to full duty shortly after. Village officials stated Bojovic was legally authorized to work and carry a firearm at the time of hire with no criminal history.