Human Impact Project

U.S. Border Patrol agents pulled over suspects at a Circle K gas station near Bemidji Regional Airport. The suspects fled on foot to the airport and ended up on the runway, where they were apprehended with assistance from a Bemidji Police Officer, Minnesota State Trooper, and two Border Patrol Agents. Separately, ICE officers detained at least one person, and possibly more, at the SouthShore Hotel the same morning, an action Mayor Jorge Prince said local police were not involved in or asked to assist with, though officers did respond to reports of people fleeing into the lake. Prince said both actions were targeted efforts to find specific individuals rather than broader sweeps, while acknowledging community anxiety following the earlier Metro Surge operation.

Maikel Guerra Morales, a Cuban national convicted of aircraft piracy in 2003 after hijacking a commuter plane, was released from ICE custody by Senior U.S. District Judge John E. Steele on July 8, 2026, after more than six months in detention. Judge Steele ruled that ICE lacked a concrete plan to deport Morales and was violating the 2001 Supreme Court decision in Zadvydas v. Davis against indefinite detention. Morales had been released under supervision in March 2023 but was re-arrested in December 2025 despite complying with all supervision terms. Judge Steele ordered ICE to release Morales within 24 hours under the same conditions that had previously applied. In an exclusive statement, Morales expressed gratitude for Judge Steele, saying he would "always remember Judge Steele as a man who honored the oath he took" and calling him someone who applied "the law with independence, integrity, and justice." Judge Steele died at age 77 days after issuing the ruling. U.S. Rep. Greg Steube subsequently filed articles of impeachment against the deceased judge, making Judge Steele the first federal judge to die during impeachment proceedings.

Two construction workers from National City were arrested by federal immigration agents around 7 a.m. on July 17, 2026, outside a residential construction site in Cardiff. According to a co-worker, the brothers have worked at construction sites for nearly two decades. One is married with two children; his son is now an adult aspiring to become an architect. The arrest occurred quietly and quickly in unmarked vehicles, with some neighbors unaware of what happened despite being nearby. The workers' silver Nissan Frontier was left abandoned at the scene with their equipment and lunch still inside.

Twin sisters Angely and Alexka Jerez-Medina, 18-year-old students at Western International High School in Detroit, were detained by ICE in Buffalo, New York on June 24, 2026, while working a summer job cleaning an Amazon warehouse. According to court documents, the twins have never been arrested or convicted of a crime, have attended all immigration court appointments, and had previous removal proceedings dismissed by an immigration judge with no current removal proceedings pending. Their teacher described them as excellent, hardworking, shy students, with Angely participating in the school's JROTC program and Alexka interested in pursuing a career in the sciences. Both are active members of Pan de Vida Lutheran Church in Detroit. The twins were subsequently transferred to ICE detention facilities in El Paso, Texas and Louisiana. An attorney filed a habeas corpus petition on their behalf on June 25, and U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and multiple state and local officials have requested their release.

ICE agents in Passaic, New Jersey detained a U.S. citizen who repeatedly asked them to verify his identification. According to a neighbor who filmed the incident, the man told the federal agents who he was and pleaded with them to check his ID, but agents forced him to the ground, handcuffed him, and placed him in their vehicle without verifying his identity. A separate video circulating online shows the man continuing to ask agents to check his ID while being handcuffed, which they refused to do.

Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25- or 26-year-old Colombian national with legal work authorization, was fatally shot by ICE officer David Brouillette on July 13, 2026, during a mistaken traffic stop near a laundromat in Biddeford, Maine. He was working an early-morning DoorDash delivery shift when agents conducting surveillance on a different address approached his vehicle and fired five shots through the windshield, with his 3-year-old daughter witnessing the shooting. DHS said the vehicle attempted to flee and the officer fired fearing for public safety, a claim disputed by witnesses; Sen. Angus King said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed Guerrero was not the intended target. He lived with his partner Karolina Rojas and also worked as a veterinary clinic cleaner; she described him as 'a hard worker devoted to his family' who 'always dreamed big' for their daughter. His death prompted hundreds of protesters to gather and led to inquiries by the Maine Attorney General's Office, the FBI, and the DHS Office of Inspector General, with Democratic lawmakers, including Congressman Bennie Thompson, calling for an investigation into the officer's hiring history.

A federal judge ordered the immediate release of Nyamuoch Thomas Duoth, a lawful permanent resident born in a refugee camp in Ethiopia who arrived in the U.S. as a refugee in 1994, from a Pottawattamie County, Iowa jail where she was held by ICE. Duoth, a citizen of South Sudan, was first ordered removed in 2020 and released from custody in 2022 after authorities found no significant likelihood of deportation, but ICE detained her again in March 2025, and she remained jailed for more than six months after her removal order became final without progress toward removal. After months in custody, Duoth filed a federal lawsuit against ICE, the Department of Homeland Security and Pottawattamie County seeking her release. U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher said the government's argument for continued detention was 'hard to take seriously,' noting she had lived in the community without incident for years, and her attorneys are now seeking reimbursement of legal fees from the federal government.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested seven undocumented immigrants during a targeted operation in Bemidji on July 16, 2026. Benjamin Rodriguez Medina, from Mexico, was arrested while working on a construction site at the SouthShore Hotel on Lake Bemidji; he attempted to flee by swimming into the lake before being apprehended. The other six men arrested were Manuel Pomavilla Pichisaca (Ecuador), Luis Zaruma Delgado (Ecuador/Spain dual citizen), Diego Soto Velosco (Mexico), Xavier Llumiquinga Cajamarca (Ecuador), Wilson Pomavilla Guaman (Ecuador), and Luis Tipan-Calderon (Ecuador). All seven were in ICE custody pending further immigration proceedings.

ICE agents detained a Bronx asylum seeker at an immigration court in Manhattan while he attended a mandatory asylum hearing, despite a May 2026 federal court order prohibiting such arrests, and transferred him to Delaney Hall detention facility in New Jersey. The man, who had no criminal convictions and had complied with all immigration directives, filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention. On August 22, 2026, the government filed a notice of non-opposition to his release, and U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods granted the petition, ordering his immediate release.

A noncitizen filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, challenging his detention at the South Texas ICE Processing Center without a bond hearing. The court issued an order for service requiring respondents to file a response within seven days identifying his country of birth, date of entry, statutory basis for removability, previous immigration detention history, and current immigration status. The court indicated that the case appears to turn on whether his detention without a bond hearing violates the due process rights afforded to noncitizens who have established a substantial presence in the United States, and directed respondents to consider the court's prior orders addressing this question. Respondents were permitted to either file a full response or indicate no material factual differences from related cases while preserving legal arguments.

A federal immigration detainee filed a pro se Application for a Writ of Habeas Corpus Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 while detained at the ICE Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado. The court found deficiencies in his filing and ordered him to cure them within 30 days, including submitting a proper 28 U.S.C. § 1915 Motion and Affidavit or paying the $5.00 filing fee. The court warned that failure to cure the deficiencies within 30 days would result in dismissal without prejudice.

Federal ICE agents detained a man in St. Charles, Missouri. According to witnesses, an agent slammed the handcuffed man's face into a stone wall while he was restrained. The video also shows agents confronting a bystander who was recording from a public area, chasing him, pushing him backward, and pointing what appeared to be a taser in his direction. Courts have generally recognized a First Amendment right to record law-enforcement officers performing public duties.

Jorge Vilchez, owner of Caracas Latin Food restaurant in El Paso, Texas, was detained by ICE on July 16, 2026. A Venezuelan national who arrived in the United States on September 22, 2019, on a visa that expired on March 21, 2020, Vilchez had recently organized a humanitarian aid campaign through his restaurant to collect food, medicine, and supplies for earthquake victims in Venezuela on June 24. According to his family, he has no criminal record and had gained recognition in the El Paso community for his relief efforts and commitment to helping others. His asylum case remains pending before an immigration judge. He is being held at the Otero County Processing Center in New Mexico. His family and friends launched fundraising campaigns, including a GoFundMe, to cover legal fees and immigration process costs, while the restaurant announced it will continue operating during normal business hours.

Shucheng "Charlie" Yang, 32, a Chinese national employed as an attorney with Alaska's Department of Law Civil Division, was arrested by ICE on July 10, 2026 in Anchorage. Yang was admitted to the Alaska Bar Association and licensed to practice law in June 2025. According to ICE, Yang violated the terms of his admission to the U.S. and is subject to deportation, though the specific violation was not clarified by ICE. An attorney familiar with immigration proceedings suggested Yang likely applied for asylum. Court records show Yang received a speeding ticket in April for driving 103 mph in a 65 mph zone on the Seward Highway, which he resolved by pleading no contest and paying a $2,300 fine. As of July 16, he was being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington awaiting immigration proceedings scheduled for October.

Victor Alfredo Perez Martin, a Guatemalan national, was arrested by ICE on July 6, 2026, outside Sentara BelleHarbour outpatient campus in Suffolk during a targeted enforcement operation. Bystander video documented ICE agents tackling him to the ground and repeatedly striking him with punches and knees to the stomach and back while attempting to handcuff him. ICE initially claimed Perez Martin had accepted voluntary departure, but his attorney James Reyes withdrew that acceptance and requested a notice to appear in immigration court. On July 16, U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ruled that ICE had detained him under the wrong statute and ordered his release, finding he was entitled to a bond hearing. Perez Martin was released the same day and will proceed with immigration court proceedings where he will seek bond and face removal.

ICE agents arrested two noncitizens during a targeted enforcement operation in Morristown on July 16, 2026. Marlon Portillo-Masariegos, a Honduran national, was arrested; DHS stated he had been deported twice previously (in June 2018 and September 2018) and had re-entered the country illegally. Eduardo Alonso Guaido Bracho, a Venezuelan national, was also arrested; DHS said he had entered the U.S. illegally in 2024 and had been issued a final removal order on June 3, 2025. Morristown police director Michael Corcoran said ICE agents arrived in unmarked vehicles around 6 p.m. without advance notice and detained several individuals. Residents reported seeing ICE agents chase a young man on foot through backyards.

ICE agents conducted a targeted enforcement operation at the SouthShore Hotel construction site in Bemidji, Minnesota, on July 16, 2026, around 11:20 a.m. When agents arrived, several construction workers fled the job site, and at least one man ran into Lake Bemidji, swimming about 100 yards offshore in an attempt to escape. ICE agents removed him from the water, handcuffed him, and took him into custody, transporting him in an unmarked van. The worker was employed by a subcontractor hired for the hotel's remodeling project; his identity and immigration status were not disclosed. Bemidji Police Department responded to calls about people entering the lake as a public safety concern but was not involved in the enforcement action itself. Lakeside Management, Inc., the hotel's property management company, said it was unaware of any workers lacking legal work authorization.

Martha Sias, a Mexican national and lawful permanent resident, was arrested by ICE agents on July 15, 2026, during a targeted enforcement operation outside an Allsup's convenience store in Chaparral. The arrest drew attention after a social media video circulated showing her detention. According to court records, Sias pleaded guilty in October 2025 to manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance after CBP officers discovered approximately 20 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the door panels of an SUV she was driving at the Paso del Norte border crossing on January 12, 2022. She was sentenced to 10 years of supervised probation and was on probation at the time of her ICE arrest. ICE said she is subject to removal proceedings and will have an opportunity to present her case before an immigration judge.

David Ardila, a 33-year-old DJ from Venezuela, was detained by ICE at Logan Airport on July 10, 2026, after returning from attending a FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match in Boston. Ardila fled Venezuela and applied for asylum in 2017, entering the U.S. on a valid visa that year. He holds a Social Security number and work permits and has been following all legal processes required while waiting nearly a decade for an asylum interview. ICE detained him for allegedly overstaying his visa by over eight years, which his attorney Todd Pomerleau attributes to delays in the asylum application process. Ardila has no criminal record and is currently being held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts, approximately 3,000 miles from his family in Seattle, with legal challenges being filed seeking his release and permission to remain in Massachusetts during his immigration proceedings.

A Border Patrol agent stopped a 20-year-old driver at a Slidell, Louisiana gas station, citing a vehicle light violation, before shifting to immigration questioning. The driver livestreamed the encounter on Facebook and refused to provide identification, prompting the agent to turn to the driver's 13-year-old stepbrother in the passenger seat, demanding his name, birth date and citizenship. The boy, born in Pearl River, confirmed he was a U.S. citizen; both occupants were eventually released. An immigration attorney who reviewed the footage characterized the stop as an illegal detention, noting Border Patrol lacks authority to conduct traffic stops for vehicle code violations.