Human Impact Project

John Theis, a Venezuelan singer and rapper, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on August 22, 2026. His wife, Marley Molina, along with music industry colleagues including producer Junior Caldera and singer ADSO, confirmed his arrest and launched a campaign using the hashtag #FreeJohnTheis calling for his release. His wife has since said he was transferred by private flight from Florida to a detention facility in Indiana. His supporters say he has no criminal record and expressed concern that he is being linked to criminal organizations based solely on his tattoos.

Assim Alkhawaja, a 53-year-old Middle Eastern immigrant who moved to Oceanside about two years ago to pursue graduate studies in human rights, was detained by ICE while dropping off passengers at a Camp Pendleton gate. He holds work authorization valid until 2030 amid a pending asylum case and has no criminal history. His sister Arwa, a U.S. citizen, said he provided his driver's license and work permit at the gate before being told to pull over and detained, then transported to Otay Mesa Detention Center, where he spent about eight days. An immigration judge found he posed no danger to the community and was not a flight risk, ordering his release on $10,000 bond; he now wears a GPS monitor while his case continues. Before his detention, Alkhawaja had sold his businesses in the Middle East to open Sands Coffee Roasters, a coffee shop nearly ready to open. Attorneys say he is among dozens of rideshare and delivery drivers for companies including Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, GrubHub and Roadie detained at the base's gates under a pilot program launched in 2025 in which military police call ICE on non-citizen drivers.

Herlandez Wadner Juste Mondesir, a Haitian man, was detained by ICE agents at Tavern N Town inside the Marriott Beachside Hotel in Key West, Florida. A bystander recorded video of the arrest in the hotel lobby, during which an agent can be heard warning Mondesir, "If you keep fighting we're going to get into a real fight." Mondesir had an asylum case scheduled for October of this year at the time of his detention.

Osman Estrada-Gonzalez, a Guatemalan national who entered the U.S. from Mexico through Texas in June 1999, was arrested by ICE on Aug. 22 during a targeted enforcement operation in Chantilly, Virginia. DHS said he allegedly tried to drive away from the traffic stop and hit an ICE vehicle, then refused to identify himself or exit the car and resisted officers as they tried to remove him. His criminal record includes convictions for assault and battery on a family member, and he remains in ICE custody while removal proceedings continue.

The petitioner, a citizen of Armenia, entered the United States in 2021 on a visitor visa and has had an application for asylum and withholding of removal pending since October 2023. He was detained by ICE on August 22, 2026. On August 29, 2026, he filed a Motion to Schedule Initial Bond Redetermination Hearing in Immigration Court. He then filed a federal habeas petition and an emergency TRO application seeking immediate release or, alternatively, an order requiring prompt resolution of his bond hearing request. Respondents disputed his claim that he was arrested without a warrant, providing evidence of an arrest warrant, but conceded he appears entitled to a bond hearing under recent Ninth Circuit precedent. The district court denied the TRO application, finding no imminent irreparable harm and noting the case would proceed on an expedited habeas briefing schedule.

Joselyn Rodriguez's father was arrested by ICE in front of his home after returning from grocery shopping, having just dropped his children off at school. No reason was given for his detention, leaving the family shocked and struggling to understand what happened. His daughter is raising funds to help pay for legal fees and consultations as the family seeks to bring him home.

Silvano (also reported as Silvino) López Domingo, a Guatemalan man, was detained and physically restrained by ICE agents while waiting to pick up his laundry at a laundromat in New York state. Neighbors who filmed the arrest said four agents forcibly took him away and threatened him with an electric shock. His wife, Milvia Chávez, currently in Guatemala with their 5-month-old daughter, said he has no criminal record and is asking for help to secure his release. Witnesses who saw the arrest expressed concern about the increase in immigration enforcement operations in the state.

Federal immigration agents were seen detaining a man in the parking lot of a Grocery Outlet on South First Street in Yakima, Washington. Witnesses recorded video of the encounter as it unfolded in broad daylight. The man's identity and immigration status have not been confirmed.

Ernesto Alejandro Perez-Garcia, a Mexican national, was arrested by ICE agents while on his morning walk along the Redondo Beach esplanade. He initially denied his identity but admitted the truth after agents showed him a previous mugshot. Perez-Garcia has a lengthy arrest history dating to 2003 and had previously been deported, later re-entering the U.S. multiple times; he said his children live in the United States and he does not know what will happen next. Redondo Beach police had twice declined to honor ICE detainer requests for him, in 2020 and 2026.

Jianxian Yu, a 52-year-old asylum seeker from China who has lived in the United States since December 2019, was arrested by ICE immediately after attending a scheduled interview on his pending asylum application at a USCIS office in Tustin, California on April 9, 2026. He had entered lawfully on a B-2 visitor visa, filed for asylum in 2021, and was granted employment authorization while his case remained pending; during his time in the U.S. he started his own business, held a valid driver's license, paid taxes, and became an active member of his church, being baptized in 2025. He had no criminal convictions and had complied with all immigration appointments. His arrest was based on a claimed foreign warrant referral from Chinese authorities, though the government never submitted the warrant or supporting evidence, and his notice to appear listed only a visa overstay. An immigration judge denied him bond on April 29, 2026, citing flight risk, after which he was transferred to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. Yu filed a federal habeas petition arguing his detention violated due process, and on August 21, 2026, a magistrate judge granted the petition, ordering his immediate release and barring re-detention without prior notice and a hearing; the case was then dismissed with prejudice.

Degnis Nelson Bofill Miranda, a 39-year-old Cuban-born percussionist, composer, and founder of the group Golpes Libres, was detained by ICE agents at Miami International Airport on August 19 immediately after returning from performances and a music conference in New York. He entered the U.S. legally in April 2023 through a State Department-backed music exchange visa program and has a pending asylum petition that had not yet reached its initial interview stage. His wife, Mara Delgado, said agents were waiting for him at the arrival gate and that he was initially not listed in ICE's detainee locator, complicating efforts to secure legal representation, before he was moved to the Krome North Service Processing Center. ICE said he had not complied with the terms of his 2023 admission but would receive due process, while Delgado said she fears he will be deported to Cuba and separated from her. Delgado described him as a beloved figure in Miami's Cuban music community who teaches local workshops, and fellow musicians publicly voiced support for him. A GoFundMe campaign for his legal defense raised more than $45,000 from over 500 donors within two days.

Luis Adolfo Nouel Gonzalez, a Venezuelan immigrant who worked in construction helping build the QTS data center in Fairfax, Iowa, was detained by ICE after appearing for a scheduled check-in appointment at the Cedar Rapids ICE office. Gonzalez had lived in Iowa for three years with his wife and daughter, was inspected and paroled into the U.S., applied for asylum and Temporary Protected Status, and has no criminal record in Iowa. Advocacy group Escucha Mi Voz said he complied with all conditions of his parole, with member Rogelio Lagunas stating, "Luis did everything the government required of him." His attorney, Raziel Argueta, said the detention followed the Trump administration's termination of TPS for Venezuela, which was upheld by a court in June. The Department of Homeland Security said Gonzalez entered the country near San Luis, Arizona in 2022 and does not hold lawful immigration status. He is being held in Hardin County.

Federal immigration authorities arrested 17 employees of Melhorn Sales Service and Trucking in and around Mount Joy Borough, Pennsylvania, in a series of early-morning traffic stops between August and September 2026. ICE agents stopped company vehicles on West Main Street on Aug. 21 and Sept. 17, arresting four workers each time, and stopped a van near a Sheetz on Route 230 in Rapho Township on Aug. 31, arresting nine additional workers. Mount Joy Borough police Chief Robert Goshen said the stops were 'targeted enforcements' carried out with warrants, and that ICE agents knew the identities of those they were arresting in advance; some employees who showed proof of legal status were not detained. The four individuals arrested Aug. 21 were identified as Guatemalan nationals. Chris Herr, president of the PennAg Industries Association, confirmed those arrested worked for Melhorn, which provides management and transport services for poultry operations, and said farmers already struggle to find skilled labor to safely move birds while maintaining biosecurity standards amid bird flu response.

The petitioner entered the United States without inspection in June 2021 and was apprehended by immigration authorities upon arrival. He was released on parole about two weeks later. On or about August 21, 2026, he was re-detained by immigration authorities. He is currently held at the Golden State Annex Detention Center. He filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus and a motion for a temporary restraining order challenging his renewed detention. Respondents conceded the case was not materially distinguishable from prior rulings by the same court. The court granted the habeas petition, ordering his immediate release on the same conditions as before his re-detention, and enjoined the government from re-detaining him without notice and a pre-deprivation bond hearing before an immigration judge, at which the government must justify detention by clear and convincing evidence.

Arturo Garcia Becerril was pulled over and arrested on August 21 while traveling between jobs, then taken into ICE custody where he has remained in detention. His children say he has a clean record and has always worked hard to support his family, but ICE is allegedly conflating him with another person who has had prior immigration issues. His family is worried about his well-being in detention because he has diabetes, and they are raising money to cover his attorney fees.

The petitioner is an immigration detainee who filed a habeas corpus petition and a motion for a temporary restraining order in federal court. The court had previously ordered respondents to show whether any facts distinguished this case from its prior rulings on detention. Respondents conceded that a recent Ninth Circuit decision established that 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) applies to individuals in the petitioner's circumstances, meaning he is entitled to a custody redetermination hearing before an immigration judge. The court granted the habeas petition and ordered that he receive a bond hearing before a neutral arbiter within ten days. The order requires 72 hours' written notice of the hearing in a language he understands, allows for representation by an attorney, and requires the decisionmaker to consider his financial circumstances and alternative release conditions. If no bond hearing is held within the deadline, respondents must release him. He is currently held at the Golden State Annex detention facility.

A young mother in Miami is caring alone for her one-year-old twin daughters after her husband was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The family is now facing unexpected expenses for housing, food, diapers, formula, childcare, transportation, and legal assistance related to his immigration case. A GoFundMe campaign was created to help support the mother and her daughters during this time.

A close family friend, described as a father of two, uncle, and brother, was arrested by ICE. According to the organizer, he had worked and paid taxes in the U.S. for years without incident. The family started a fundraiser to help cover future costs related to his detention, citing uncertainty over his timeline in the detention facility.

A father detained by ICE while at work in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 21st was the subject of a habeas corpus petition filed in federal court. On September 28, 2026, a U.S. District Court judge in New Mexico ruled that his continued detention without a bond hearing violated his due process rights and ordered immigration officials to release him within 48 hours. His daughter had started a fundraiser to cover potential bail, which the family's lawyer said could range from $5,000 to $10,000, plus legal fees. The family describes him as 'the pillar' of their household.

Gustavo was arrested by ICE on a Wednesday morning while on his way to work. His wife, Flor Cecilia, who is unable to work due to health issues, and their children Kenia and Gustavo Jr. are struggling financially as a result. The family is raising money to hire an attorney to secure his release from jail and fight his deportation case.