Human Impact Project

An opinion piece argues that ICE detention facilities function as camps rather than mere detention centers, citing over 65,000 people currently confined and at least 52 deaths in ICE custody since the second Trump administration began. It highlights a woman in Arizona detained for 16 months without adequate treatment for her leukemia, who has lost more than 70 pounds and regularly vomits blood, and describes a now-closed Florida facility where detainees were allegedly held in a two-by-two-foot outdoor punishment cage.

A citizen of Armenia was admitted to the United States in February 2013 and has lived in the U.S. for over 13 years. He was placed into removal proceedings in 2023 and found removable by an immigration judge in September 2023. The Board of Immigration Appeals affirmed this determination in January 2024. In April 2024, an immigration judge released him from custody on a $20,000 bond with an order of supervision, which he complied with for over two years. On July 30, 2026, he was unexpectedly detained by ICE during a routine check-in. He is married to a United States citizen, and his wife is due to give birth to their first child on August 17, 2026. On August 4, 2026, a federal judge granted his motion for a preliminary injunction, ordering his immediate release based on a violation of his due process rights, as he was re-detained without a pre-deprivation hearing before a neutral decision-maker.

Jesus Verde Hernandez, a Worden man who has lived in Montana for 10 years with his partner of 14 years and their three children, ages 9, 6 and 4, was arrested on July 30 by Customs and Border Patrol without a warrant or probable cause while agents searched for another man they said resembled him. He is also stepfather to his partner's two adult children, and his partner and all five children are U.S. citizens. During his 30-hour transport between Lewistown, Jordan, Malta, Havre and Great Falls, he was given only crackers and water, denied medication for chronic pain, and pressured by federal authorities to self-deport. Chief District Judge Brian Morris ordered his release, ruling the detention violated his constitutional rights and that the government lacked statutory authority to hold him, and his attorneys at Upper Seven Law are pursuing class certification for roughly 17 people similarly detained at the Cascade County Detention Center, with a court order barring authorities from moving any of them out of Montana before an Aug. 18 hearing in Missoula.

Eight noncitizens were arrested during a U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE operation at a solar farm on Riches Corners Road in Albion, New York on July 30, 2026. Seven of the men are from Venezuela and one is from Jamaica. All were working on the solar farm project at the time of the operation, which was conducted after ICE received a tip through its tipline. The arrested individuals were processed at Rochester and Buffalo CBP stations before being transferred to ICE for deportation proceedings. Nearly three weeks later, nearly 20 people marched in Albion to protest the detention and deportation of immigrants and farmworkers, an event organized by the nonprofit Rural & Migrant Ministry after a local youth group member, Analiah Figueroa, and her family said they encountered federal agents near the same field during the operation. Figueroa said her family, who are U.S. citizens, were stopped by an agent at a stop sign and later saw agents repeatedly drive past their home, which she said felt intimidating.

Mario Alfonso Rivera Santiago, detained at Rio Grande Processing Center in Laredo, Texas, filed a pro se Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 against the Department of Homeland Security and the Warden of Rio Grande Detention Center. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ordered respondents to submit their response by August 7, 2026, with Rivera Santiago able to reply by August 21, 2026. The court also ordered respondents to notify it at least five days before any anticipated transfer or removal of Rivera Santiago outside the Southern District of Texas.

A noncitizen who has resided in the United States since 2024 was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island. The Government argued he was subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2), claiming all noncitizens not admitted or paroled are "applicants for admission" seeking entry. The District Court granted his habeas petition, finding the detention unlawful because § 1225(b)(2) applies only to those at the border seeking admission, not interior arrests. The court ordered his immediate release and a bond hearing before an immigration judge under § 1226(a).

An immigrant detained at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas filed a habeas corpus petition. The court ordered respondents to provide information about when the petitioner entered the United States, whether the petitioner was previously apprehended and released by immigration authorities, and the status of the petitioner's immigration and removal proceedings. The court ordered respondents to file a response within 7 days of electronic service.

A Laotian refugee admitted to the U.S. in 1983 and lawful permanent resident since 1986 was detained by ICE on July 30, 2026, during a routine check-in without prior notice or opportunity to be heard. ICE officers informed him they had obtained travel documents for his deportation to Laos and cancelled his 26-year order of supervision, placing him into custody despite his attorney's notice of intent to file a motion to reopen immigration proceedings. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release and prohibiting his re-detention without notice and a pre-deprivation hearing before a neutral decisionmaker.

Fadel Cherif, 56, a Philadelphia resident with 20 years of legal status in the United States under Withholding of Removal protection, was arrested by ICE and detained at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in central Pennsylvania. An immigration judge granted Cherif's petition for asylum on December 18, 2025, though the Department of Homeland Security has appealed that decision. On January 29, 2026, a federal judge granted Cherif's habeas corpus petition, ordering that he receive an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge by February 9, 2026, or be released from custody. Cherif was represented by attorney Rafael Urena in his legal challenge to his detention. His eldest son Ahmad, 22, expressed concern about the impact on his younger brothers, ages 13 and 15, saying his father's presence is important to them.

A man whose daughter was killed has been detained by ICE while fighting to remain in the United States. He has been actively involved in investigating his daughter's death and pursuing justice in her case. Despite progress in his legal efforts to stay in the country, he remains in ICE custody as his case continues.

ICE conducted a raid at an Abbeville manufacturing facility in Louisiana. A warehouse manager described the operation as chaotic, though specific details about the number of people detained, their identities, or the circumstances of their apprehension are not provided in the available article text.

A family was detained by ICE less than two days after a federal court ordered their release, violating the court's directive. The family had been in immigration proceedings when the court issued an order for their freedom, but ICE apprehended them again shortly after, defying the judicial decision.

An 18-year-old was detained by masked individuals alleged to be federal agents during an operation on the 400 block of West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale, California, and forced into an unmarked vehicle. Video of the incident shows the teenager struggling with the agents, calling out in Spanish for help and his mother, and repeatedly stating he did nothing wrong. Bystanders attempted to intervene but were warned they could be arrested for interfering. He is currently being held at the Desert View ICE facility in Adelanto, California, pending removal proceedings, and federal officials say he had previously been encountered by Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas, in January 2024.

Don Graham, 54, a Canadian resident of the United States for over 22 years, was forcibly removed from his work van by federal agents on a Tacoma freeway. According to his daughter Madyson Graham, six black SUVs forced his vehicle off the road, and agents aggressively removed him, shackled him, and transported him to the Tacoma ICE Detention Center. Graham's family—his wife, who is a stay-at-home mother homeschooling their eight-year-old daughter, and his three adult children who are U.S. citizens—are now facing financial hardship as he was their primary income provider. The family is seeking legal representation and hopes to either have him released or, if deported, be able to reunite in Canada.

ICE conducted a targeted operation at a construction site off Franklin Road in Nampa on July 30, 2026, arresting and detaining six undocumented immigrants. DHS stated the individuals will remain in ICE custody pending removal or removal proceedings and will receive full due process.

Mabel, an Oakland resident from Ecuador, was detained by ICE agents at Phoenix airport while waiting for a connecting flight. She had a pending asylum claim and held a valid work permit issued by U.S. immigration authorities. According to her husband Abraham Sanchez, an ICE officer approached the couple with a photo of Mabel on his phone, asked her to confirm her name, and took her away. She spent her first night detained near the airport before being transported to Eloy Detention Center. Her case is part of a broader ICE airport crackdown targeting individuals with expired visas and pending immigration applications.

ICE agents arrested two men in Freeport on East Seaman Avenue early Thursday morning following what witnesses described as a vehicle pursuit. Video and photos show agents forcing a man to the ground and removing two men from a white van. Witnesses reported seeing agents searching the men, placing their belongings in white bags, and handcuffing them. Community advocates report the arrests are part of increased immigration enforcement activity across Long Island, with ICE agents also spotted in Hauppauge and Roosevelt.

A Guatemalan man was arrested by ICE during what his family describes as a violent encounter that left him with a broken nose, missing and chipped teeth, and cuts and bruises on his head and hands. He was Tasered during the arrest and subsequently hospitalized. After being taken into ICE detention, his family reports he has not received proper medical care and struggles to breathe.

Mariana, a Mexican national, entered an immigration office in Fresno believing she had an appointment to advance her legalization process, but ICE agents arrested her there. She was transferred to California City Detention Center, where she spent a month before being released. She reported extremely cold cell temperatures, inadequate medical care for gastrointestinal problems, poor food quality, and detainees having to help each other with emergencies because medical staff was unavailable. A pregnant detainee she witnessed was only given water for a nosebleed and panic attack. Mariana says the experience left her with physical and psychological scars and describes the facility as feeling like a jail.

Sarafinah Bukirwa, 31, a Ugandan woman living in Louisville and founder of the Sarafinah Sickle Cell Society nonprofit, was detained by ICE agents at Muhammad Ali International Airport while traveling to a sickle cell conference in California, one day after being hospitalized for a sickle cell crisis. Bukirwa entered the U.S. legally, has a pending asylum claim and valid work authorization, and has never been charged with a crime. She was transferred to Grayson County Detention Center, where she says she lost consciousness in a van with no air conditioning, was physically restrained, had a stimulant held over her face, and had her hijab removed in front of male officers. Her brother, Isaac Kabunga, said she was denied her prescribed medication for nearly a week despite having it with her, with doses allegedly diluted in water; her physician warned of risks including severe infection, stroke, organ damage and death without proper care. U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey called for her release and confirmed her attorneys filed a habeas corpus motion, while the Grayson County Jailer maintains she is receiving all prescribed medications.