Human Impact Project

A Haitian truck driver said he was pulled over by police in Indiana in June while heading to Ohio for a delivery, after an officer cited a missing trailer reflector that he said he actually had. He said he produced all the documents the officer requested but was still arrested and taken to an immigration detention facility without explanation. His case was among dozens reviewed by reporters in which commercial truckers were stopped by police and then handed over to ICE.

In June, video footage showed an ICE agent dragging a U.S. citizen by her arms along the floor of the San Luis Obispo County Jail lobby to move her out of his way, according to rapid responder Jennifer Guernsey, who described agents at the jail as frequently 'get[ting] real aggressive.'

Prisciliano Trejo, 29, died from acute leukemia days after Jesus Manuel Arenas Silva's death in ICE custody. His family said detention officials delayed urgent medical treatment despite his repeated complaints of severe symptoms.

Jose Chajon-Raxon, a man detained at Delaney Hall, experienced a seizure and was transported to the hospital around the time of a July congressional hearing on conditions at the facility. ICE granted him a temporary medical release before he died, and because he was technically no longer in detention, his death was not counted as a death in ICE custody.

Seven plaintiffs who were detained in ICE custody for civil immigration purposes filed suit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security after the agency failed to return their seized property, including Employment Authorization Documents, cell phones, and car keys, more than four months after their release. The lawsuit, brought on behalf of the named plaintiffs and a class of similarly situated individuals, alleges the losses cost them work opportunities and left them afraid to go out in public without identification for fear of being detained again. The case argues ICE has adopted a de facto policy of failing to return property once its legitimate governmental interest in the items has expired, violating the Fourth Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act.

A San Diego-based transgender organizer who advocates for immigrant and transgender rights was pulled from their home at gunpoint in their underwear by Homeland Security Investigations agents during a predawn raid in mid-August. Agents handcuffed the activist and their partner, held them outside for about an hour and a half, and ransacked their home and car, confiscating a phone, journal, shoes, a dashcam and other belongings. The warrant the activist was eventually given had no case number, cited the activist's dead name and an alias they had never used, and gave no explanation for the search; the activist, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons, has been unable to find legal representation because they were never charged with a crime.

Gurpreet Singh, a commercial truck driver, was driving north on Interstate 69 near Muncie, Indiana when a tire blew out and he was taken to a hospital for stitches. After treatment, Indiana State Police arrested him at the hospital for immigration violations and turned him over to ICE, which transferred him to the Daviess County jail in western Kentucky. Through an interpreter, Singh said he felt afraid and disoriented after the crash and didn't know what would happen to him. A federal judge ordered his release in July, but he said he could not immediately return to work because authorities had kept his backpack containing his immigration papers.

Federal immigration agents conducted a weeklong operation from Oct. 5 to Oct. 11 across San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, taking 114 people into custody according to data from 805 UndocuFund, a nonprofit that supports undocumented immigrants. Agents targeted workplaces, neighborhoods, busy streets and even people visiting ICE field offices to update their paperwork, arresting five people in San Luis Obispo, 75 in Santa Barbara County (mostly Santa Maria and Lompoc) and 34 in Ventura County. DHS described the activity as part of a 'nationwide public safety surge in sanctuary cities,' while Gov. Gavin Newsom and local officials condemned the tactics as instilling fear in communities.

Nguinamau Celestino, an asylum seeker from Angola who has lived in Saco, Maine since 2017 and works in plumbing and HVAC, was detained by ICE agents at the Portland Jetport on Oct. 9 while traveling to visit his 15-year-old deaf son in Washington, D.C. He was identified by agents after showing ID to a TSA agent and was told he had overstayed a visa he entered on legally in May 2018; his family's asylum application remains pending and he has no criminal history. Celestino was processed at an ICE facility in Scarborough before being transferred to Strafford County Corrections in Dover, New Hampshire. His daughter said his work authorization card, Social Security card, and Angolan ID went missing from his belongings, and the family is worried about the impact on his wife, who has lupus, and his son, who had to leave school for the weekend. The family started a GoFundMe, nearing its $30,000 goal, to cover legal and attorney costs as they seek his release.

Alfredo, a U.S. citizen in Victorville, California, was confronted by ICE agents while preparing to take his son, who has autism, to school. According to his wife, April Vélez, at least three agents grabbed and struck him and tried to remove him from his property after telling him he resembled someone they were looking for. The agents released him and left without explanation after neighbors and witnesses began filming the encounter. The family said the incident left their son deeply frightened and that Alfredo required medical attention.

Pedro Eduardo Hernández Gudino, an 18-year-old Venezuelan who arrived in the U.S. with his family at age 9, was detained by ICE in New Mexico and remains in a migrant detention center awaiting resolution of his case. He had recently earned an Associate Degree and was studying engineering at the University of Texas Permian Basin, with aspirations to develop prosthetics for veterans and people with disabilities. He had received a scholarship from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a Presidential Scholarship offer from the University of New Haven but could not accept them due to financial hardship. During the summer he worked at a shoe store and a fast-food restaurant to pay for his studies and help support his mother, who raised him alone.

Uriel Pérez López, 24, was detained by ICE agents after dropping his daughter off at school. According to a witness, agents used a Taser on him during the arrest, and he was later seen receiving medical attention while restrained in a transport device.

Federal immigration agents conducted a week-long surge of warrantless detentions across California's Central Valley, targeting gas stations, Mexican bakeries, and residential areas as farmworkers started their day, according to local advocates and officials. Fresno city councilmember Miguel Arias said one constituent with no criminal record and legal status was detained while cutting his own lawn, and Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer condemned a video showing agents arresting a man in front of his screaming children. A nonprofit manager said the operation, which she called the largest in years, is targeting anyone who 'looks Hispanic,' leaving families afraid to send their children to school. The raids came amid a contested congressional race in California's 22nd District, with local Democrats alleging the enforcement surge is intended to suppress Latino voter turnout.

Maria Gonzalez Itzep was detained by ICE agents while on her way to work on Palm Beach Boulevard, along with her 4-month-old and 3-year-old children, according to protesters who gathered outside the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Center in Lee County demanding their release. Protesters said Gonzalez Itzep was nursing her infant at the time and noted her two children were born in the U.S. Friends described the family as hard-working and close-knit, with one acquaintance saying, "These are good people. These are not criminals." ICE did not respond to a request for comment on the family's status.

Jonathan Paredes Rodriguez, a Venezuelan asylum seeker with a valid work permit, was detained by ICE after he approached an Ogden police officer for help because he believed an unmarked vehicle was following him while he worked as a DoorDash driver. Video of the encounter showed the Ogden officer conversing with an ICE agent before the agent approached Paredes Rodriguez's stopped vehicle and detained him, even though he believed his pending immigration proceedings allowed him to remain in the country. He spent about six weeks in ICE custody, during which he lost roughly 18 to 19 pounds and developed a lingering cough, and was released last week. Since returning home to his family, he has struggled with sleep and said he hopes sharing his story will help others understand the fear immigrants face in the system.

Oscar Quintero Frias, co-owner of Colombian specialty coffee shop Cof& in downtown Bellingham, was detained by ICE on September 15 at Sea-Tac Airport while returning from a work trip to Chicago. He was held at the Northwest ICE Processing Facility in Tacoma; DHS claimed he had overstayed a tourist visa that expired in 2021, while his family said he is a lawful permanent resident with no U.S. criminal history. Quintero Frias, an electrical engineer who fled potential kidnapping threats in Colombia, earned his engineering license after immigrating in 2021 and opened Cof& with his wife that same year, later winning a Bellingham Mayor City Center Award in 2024 for helping revitalize downtown. A friend said he and his family worked hard to build the business despite financial hurdles facing noncitizen entrepreneurs. A GoFundMe for his legal and bond costs raised nearly $60,000, and he was released from detention on October 13, thanking the community for its support.

Fatou Traore, a 43-year-old custodian at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics born in Ivory Coast, was detained by plainclothes ICE agents in an unmarked vehicle on September 24, 2026, while driving to pick up her sister for work. Traore, who had lived in Iowa City for decades with no criminal record, held a 2011 order granting withholding of removal and a valid employment authorization card good through 2029, though ICE said she had a final removal order and had used fraudulent travel documents. Her attorneys disputed ICE's claims, saying she consistently requested a lawyer when questioned. She was moved through detention facilities in Cedar Rapids, Eldora/Hardin County, and Omaha before being held at Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana, where her son said she was denied access to an attorney, a judge, and phone calls before being told she could leave 'peacefully or by force.' Despite a pending federal motion to stay her removal and a request for a credible fear interview, she was deported on October 12 to Sierra Leone, a country she had never visited, leaving behind her husband and four U.S.-citizen sons ages 3 to 19. Her case drew support from coworkers, faith leaders, Escucha Mi Voz Iowa, a congresswoman, a U.S. senator, three Iowa bishops, and more than 400 rally attendees.

Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian man, died in December 2025 at the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, less than a day after being detained. ICE initially described his death as an unexplained "medical emergency" and attributed it to "natural causes," but a medical examiner later determined he died from a pulmonary embolism. An ambulance transporting him to University Hospital was delayed by five minutes as officials prioritized allowing a van of new detainees into the facility. His death came amid widespread complaints from detainees at Delaney Hall about contaminated water, spoiled food, and inadequate medical care, and was one of at least two deaths at the facility and one of 23 deaths in ICE custody during the year. ACLU of New Jersey Executive Director Amol Sinha later cited his death during congressional testimony about medical neglect and denial of medication at the facility.

Molis Augustave, 33, a pastor at Iglesia de Dios Voz de Alerta in York, Pennsylvania, and a DoorDash driver and former community organizer with We Are CASA, was pulled over by West Manchester Township police for a burned-out headlight and expired registration after losing his work permit when Haiti's TPS protections ended. He was turned over to ICE under a local 287(g) agreement and says he was handled roughly, leaving him with lasting neck and back pain. Despite an approved I-130 petition, a pending green card application, and a federal habeas petition, he was held at Louisiana facilities and moved toward deportation; his wife, U.S. citizen Omara Augustave Nunez, church members, and immigrant advocacy groups succeeded in getting him pulled from an initial flight, while 89 others aboard were deported. While detained he led Bible study and counseled fellow detainees, including one considering suicide. Days later, USCIS denied his green card application, and after 19 days in custody he was deported to Haiti, the country he had fled a decade earlier due to gang violence, leaving behind his wife and three children, with his motion to reopen still pending.

Maria Gonzalez, a nursing mother from Guatemala who had lived in the U.S. for five years, was detained by ICE agents Monday morning in Fort Myers after the vehicle taking her to work was pulled over, according to friends. She had just dropped off her 4-month-old baby and 3-year-old daughter with a babysitter before the stop, and her husband and young children were later detained as well. Friends described her as a hardworking mother with no criminal history who was actively breastfeeding her infant, and one advocate said the family was targeted 'because of the color of their skin.' ICE said Gonzalez accepted voluntary departure and left the country with her children on October 14, 2026, while friends said she remains at a detention center in Louisiana with her family.