Human Impact Project

An 11th grade student from Queens was detained by ICE agents outside a local courthouse while attending a scheduled immigration court hearing to seek asylum. The student's whereabouts remain unknown to their family, causing significant distress. NYC Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles Ramos confirmed the detention and reaffirmed the school system's commitment to maintaining schools as safe spaces for all students.

Nick Stern, a 60-year-old British freelance journalist and photographer who has lived in the U.S. for 18 years, was struck by a 40mm less-lethal munition that embedded approximately one inch into his leg while covering ICE raid protests in Los Angeles on June 7, 2025. Despite being clearly identifiable as press with visible credentials and cameras, Stern was hit around 9 p.m. while documenting the demonstrations outside a Home Depot. The projectile created a five-centimeter wound with significant muscle damage, and emergency surgeons treated the injury as they would a rifle gunshot wound. Stern was carried away by protesters and required emergency surgery at a trauma unit to remove the embedded round; an X-ray revealed the bullet had lodged in his leg. He avoided permanent nerve damage but sustained significant trauma. Stern was one of at least 11 journalists targeted by law enforcement during the protests; other reporters were also struck by tear gas, pepper balls, and less-lethal rounds. Status Coup News, where Stern had previously freelanced, filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell alleging excessive force against journalists covering the protests.

Lexis-Olivier Ray, an investigative reporter for LA Taco, was pepper-sprayed on his arm and neck and shoved multiple times by Los Angeles Police Department officers while covering a protest against immigration enforcement actions at the Metropolitan Detention Center on January 30, 2026. Ray was visibly wearing press credentials and a shirt marked 'press' while documenting the demonstration on his cellphone. Department of Homeland Security officers also deployed tear gas and pepper balls at the crowd. Ray reported severe burning from the pepper spray that lasted for hours and said he believed he was struck with a projectile on his backpack. At a protest the next day, he was struck with additional projectiles and threatened with arrest. The actions appeared to violate California law prohibiting law enforcement from using violent tactics against members of the press.

Ben Camacho, a journalist for The Southlander, was shot twice by LA County Sheriff's Department deputies while reporting on an anti-ICE protest in Paramount, despite visibly wearing a press pass. He sustained injuries to his elbow and knee from what appeared to be less-lethal munitions, fired without warning amid a broader crackdown in which other journalists were hit with tear gas and pepper balls. The Southlander, along with fellow reporter Abraham Márquez, the LA Press Club and Status Coup, has since filed a federal lawsuit against LASD and Sheriff Robert Luna, alleging violations of First Amendment rights and state laws protecting press access during protests. The suit seeks an injunction barring the department from further targeting journalists covering demonstrations.

A reporter for LA Daily News and Southern California News Group was struck by law enforcement while covering ICE raid protests in Los Angeles County over two consecutive days in June 2025. On June 6, she was shot with a pepper ball bullet in her left thigh by Homeland Security Investigations agents while reporting on ICE operations. The following day in Paramount, she was struck just above her right ear with a rubber bullet by the same agency's agents and exposed to tear gas during a law enforcement dispersal of protesters. She has asthma and experienced difficulty breathing during the incidents, was diagnosed with a concussion, and later reported ongoing symptoms including brain fog, headaches, vomiting, and heightened anxiety. She sought emergency medical care for her injuries and became a plaintiff in a lawsuit that won a preliminary injunction in California's Central District barring ICE and CBP from brutalizing protesters, legal observers, and members of the press.

On June 7, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE agents conducted enforcement operations in Paramount and Downey, California, with a staging area near a Home Depot store. The operations targeted individuals with active arrest warrants and criminal histories, resulting in at least 44 detentions. Word of the federal presence spread on social media, drawing over 1,000 protesters to the scene. Clashes erupted between federal agents in riot gear and demonstrators, with law enforcement deploying tear gas, flash-bang grenades, and pepper balls after protesters blocked vehicles and threw objects. The incident prompted the Trump administration to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles.

An ICE agent was recorded on video pulling a gun on a young woman whose father was being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Berclair area of Memphis.

A street vendor was detained by federal immigration agents outside a Ladera Heights Home Depot on June 23 after clinging to a tree in an attempt to avoid apprehension. She was arrested while still wearing her work apron, with video showing men pulling her from the tree and placing her in a vehicle. Her family says they have been unable to locate her for several days, with advocates noting it took more than two days for her name to appear in the federal detainee locator system during the June 2025 immigration enforcement operations across Los Angeles County.

On June 6, 2024, federal immigration agents conducted a raid on Ambiance Apparel, a garment factory in downtown Los Angeles, arresting over 40 workers, many from Zapotec Indigenous communities. The operation separated families and triggered legal challenges and advocacy organizing. One year later, affected workers and families continue to face economic hardship, emotional trauma, and pending immigration proceedings. Advocates including Lucha Zapoteca secured the release of 11 of 14 initially detained family members and raised over $300,000 in support, though some workers remain in federal custody and others have been deported.

Mario and more than 40 other workers, many from Zapotec Indigenous communities, were detained during an ICE raid at Ambiance Apparel on June 6, 2025. A year later, some workers have been deported while others remain in immigration proceedings, with families facing ongoing economic hardship and trauma. Mario's daughter Yurien and other family members continue to struggle with the lasting consequences of the enforcement action.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted coordinated raids in Los Angeles's Fashion District on June 6, 2025, detaining more than 40 undocumented immigrants, including over 20 workers at a Korean-owned wholesale clothing business. Following the raids, some Korean American merchants closed their stores and protests occurred throughout the city. Business activity in the area was affected, with some workers departing and customers avoiding the location.

On June 5, 2025, ICE agents conducted a sweep of the Rio Rancho Walmart parking lot, detaining approximately a dozen delivery drivers from Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, and elsewhere. The operation was prompted by calls to ICE hotlines from American-born delivery drivers reporting the locations of immigrant workers. Sandoval County Sheriff's Office provided support to the operation. At least three of those detained remain in custody, though none have been confirmed deported.

ICE arrested a witness at the Minnehaha County Courthouse in Sioux Falls while the person was testifying in a trial. The arrest occurred in front of the witness's wife and baby while jurors were on break. The judge immediately declared a mistrial. The Public Defender's Office noted that the witness had been legally subpoenaed and that the defendant is a U.S. citizen, expressing concern that such arrests could deter witnesses from testifying in future cases, particularly in immigrant communities.

A Peruvian woman who crossed the U.S. border illegally was acquitted of unauthorized access to a newly designated militarized zone along the southern border. The trial involved charges related to the new militarized zone at the US-Mexico border.

Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old permanent resident and Columbia University undergraduate, was pursued by ICE in March 2025 following her arrest for trespassing at a pro-Palestine demonstration on Barnard College campus in early 2025, for which she paid a fine. ICE searched her dorm room and her parents' home but did not locate her. She filed suit against the Trump Administration alleging violation of her First Amendment rights. On June 5, 2025, U.S. District Judge Naomi Buchwald issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting ICE from arresting or detaining Chung and rejected the government's motion to dismiss, noting that ICE failed to issue her a notice to appear in immigration court. Chung subsequently returned to court on May 29, 2025, seeking to consolidate the protective order while her constitutional case proceeds.

ICE agents arrested multiple immigrants at the San Antonio Immigration Court on May 29, 2025, as they appeared for scheduled court hearings. At least one individual, possibly a minor, was detained using a zip tie. The arrests included a family with four children and were witnessed by staff from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained several migrants outside San Antonio Immigration Court on Thursday, including at least three families with seven people arrested in less than an hour. Activists confirmed that a 3-year-old child was loaded onto a bus with his mother and taken away by ICE. The detentions occurred as families appeared for court hearings.

ICE agents arrested nearly 20 immigrants in Norriton, Montgomery County over two weeks. The arrests targeted homes, businesses, and day laborers, with agents using facial recognition software and entering homes without warrants. Community advocates and local officials commented on the enforcement actions, and immigrant rights groups organized a Saturday rally to support affected families.

Marina Lopez, a woman seeking asylum from Guatemala, was detained by ICE on June 4, 2025, during a routine check-in appointment and spent seven months in a Kentucky detention center. The federal government provided no evidence or explanation for her detention, and she was released on December 23, 2025, after a judge found the government had no record justifying her continued imprisonment. During her detention, her church community provided extensive support to her family, organizing fundraising, childcare, and daily assistance.

ICE agents conducted a raid in Norristown, Pennsylvania, targeting a family who claim to be U.S. citizens. According to the family's statement, agents rammed into a family member's car, threatened them with a loaded gun, and attempted to take someone without a warrant, despite the person living in the residence and no warrant being presented.

Maria Isidro, a 52-year-old Mexican immigrant and wife of pastor Josafat Isidro of Centro de Adoración Vida Nueva in Live Oak, Florida, was detained and deported after a June 3 immigration check-in she believed was routine, despite holding an annual stay of deportation since arriving in the U.S. in 1998. Her daughter, Daniella Isidro, says the family came to the U.S. on a legal medical visa for a sibling's treatment and complied annually with Homeland Security requirements, pointing to a Social Security card issued to Maria in 2015. The Department of Homeland Security states Isidro received a final removal order in 2004 after missing a court date and had evaded deportation for two decades, and denies family claims that she was denied medical care in custody. Isidro was held for eight days before being transported to Matamoros, Mexico on June 11, and has been married 31 years with four children and a husband remaining in Florida.