Human Impact Project

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 ICE agents in an unmarked vehicle on September 24, 2026, while leaving for work. Traore, who had lived in Iowa City for decades with no criminal record and is the mother of four sons ages 3 to 19, held a 2011 order granting her withholding of removal from Ivory Coast and a valid employment authorization card good through March 2029. Her attorneys disputed ICE's claims that she admitted to using a fake birth certificate and passport, saying she consistently requested her lawyer when questioned. She was transferred through detention facilities in Cedar Rapids, Eldora, and Omaha before being held at Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana. Despite a federal appeals court ruling blocking third-country deportations and a pending motion to stay her removal, Traore was deported to Sierra Leone, a country she had never visited, without receiving the credible fear interview she had requested. Her case drew support from more than 400 community members at a rally, a Republican congresswoman, a U.S. senator, and three Iowa bishops.

Fatou Traore, a custodian at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and member of AFSCME Council 61, Local 12, was detained by plainclothes ICE agents on September 24, 2026, while driving to pick up her sister for work in Iowa City. She held a 2011 'withholding of removal' order, but ICE said she had a final 2011 removal order and had used fraudulent travel documents to enter the country. She was moved through detention facilities in Cedar Rapids, Hardin County, and Omaha before being transferred to ICE's Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana, where her son Esoumaila Diallo said she was denied access to an attorney, a judge, and phone calls before being told she could leave 'peacefully or by force.' She was deported on October 12 to Sierra Leone, a country she had never visited, before a federal judge ruled on her attorneys' pending motion to stay removal, and her request for a credible fear interview was ignored. She leaves behind her husband, Oumar Diallo, and four U.S.-citizen sons ages 3, 8, 14 and 19, and had worked at the hospital for over a decade. Coworkers, the worker center Escucha Mi Voz Iowa, the Iowa City Catholic Worker, the Immigrant Welcome Network, faith leaders, and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks organized petitions and rallies calling on DHS to facilitate her return, while the family raised money for legal fees and resettlement costs.

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.

Daniela Leiva and her husband, José Gregorio Chacón Pérez, were detained by ICE, according to a GoFundMe campaign started by Daniela's sister. The family describes the emotional toll of the detention, including a young niece who misses her aunt, and mothers in Venezuela and Chile who are unable to be with their children. The campaign aims to raise $10,000 to cover legal expenses and other costs related to the couple's detention.

A man was detained by ICE while working, according to his son, who launched a fundraiser to pay for legal assistance. The detention cut the family's income in half, and the son is seeking a lawyer quickly to try to secure a court date before his father can be deported. The family says the detention has upended their lives within days.

A man was detained by ICE agents at 5:45 a.m. outside an Albertsons grocery store in Carpinteria, California, according to video filmed by volunteers with Carpinteria Sin Fronteras, a group that documents ICE activity in the area. Employees at a nearby Mexican bakery, Case Don Roge, said they recognized the man as a past customer. The incident frightened nearby residents, with some customers hiding inside local businesses and many regulars staying home from the bakery in the days that followed.

ICE agents chased and tackled a man inside an H-E-B grocery store in Alamo, Texas, in Hidalgo County's Rio Grande Valley, with video of the arrest circulating widely on social media. Agents and an Alamo police officer apprehended the man in a store aisle, handcuffing him while he lay face down on the floor. H-E-B said the pursuit began off its property before the man was taken into custody inside the store, and that the company had no prior knowledge of or involvement in the incident. No details on the man's identity or the reason for his arrest have been released.