Human Impact Project

Joe Ceballos, 55, a lawful permanent resident and twice-elected former mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, who immigrated from Mexico at age four, was detained by ICE on May 13-14, 2026, after pleading guilty in April 2026 to three misdemeanor counts of disorderly election conduct for voting without U.S. citizenship. Ceballos stated he mistakenly believed his permanent residency status allowed him to vote. He voted in elections in 2022, 2023, and 2024, and disclosed his voting history voluntarily during a naturalization interview. Under his plea deal, he received one year probation with a suspended six-month jail sentence, a $2,000 fine, and court fees. ICE subsequently initiated removal proceedings, citing voting as a removable offense, and took Ceballos into custody at its detention facility in Wichita, where he now faces potential deportation to Mexico.

Allan Dabrio Marrero, a gay asylum seeker from the Cayman Islands, was detained by ICE on November 24, 2024, immediately after attending a marriage-based green card interview at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City with his U.S. citizen husband Matthew. Although USCIS approved his marriage petition, ICE agents arrested him outside the building after discovering a 2022 removal order that Marrero claims he never received—he states he was in a rehabilitation center when the hearing occurred. Advocates and faith leaders, including Make the Road New York and Middle Collegiate Church, called for his release, citing ICE's failure to provide prescribed medication for anxiety and depression and the lack of notice regarding the original hearing. A motion to reopen his deportation case paused removal proceedings but did not secure immediate release. A judge granted Marrero release on $6,000 bond on January 27, 2026, finding no flight risk given his clean record and marriage to a U.S. citizen. However, ICE refused to accept the bond payment and continued his detention across five facilities. Marrero was finally released on May 15, 2026, reuniting with his husband at Middle Collegiate Church after nearly five months in custody.

Otis Nicholas Ffriend, a Jamaican LGBTQ asylum seeker who had been granted Convention Against Torture withholding of removal in November 2024, was arrested without a warrant by ICE agents at his California home on May 1, 2026. He had been complying with supervision requirements and living with his U.S. citizen wife. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release and barring re-detention without a hearing. After the government moved to dissolve the order, U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick granted a preliminary injunction on May 14, 2026, continuing Ffriend's release pending further proceedings. The government has since appealed the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Victor Manuel Rocha, a former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia and State Department official who is a Colombian national, was convicted in 2024 of conspiring to act as an agent for Cuban intelligence for over 50 years beginning in 1973. He is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence. Rocha obtained U.S. citizenship in 1977-1978 after falsely representing under oath that he was not affiliated with the Communist Party and had not committed unreported crimes, concealing his ties to Cuba and his covert intelligence work. In May 2026, the Justice Department and USCIS moved to denaturalize him, filing a civil complaint alleging he fraudulently obtained naturalization by lying about his espionage activities and communist affiliations.

Debashis Ghosh, a 62-year-old Indian-American businessman who became a U.S. citizen in 2012, faces denaturalization proceedings initiated by the Department of Justice and USCIS. Ghosh falsely claimed on his naturalization application that he had no criminal history, concealing his involvement in a $2.5 million investor fraud scheme that ran from 2010 to 2014. He was convicted of wire fraud in 2017 for conspiring to defraud investors of funds intended for construction of an aircraft maintenance facility, misrepresenting how the money would be safeguarded. Authorities say he committed and concealed the fraud both before and after his naturalization. Ghosh is one of 12 individuals the Justice Department is targeting for denaturalization on charges including fraud, war crimes, and support for terrorist organizations.

The U.S. Department of Justice and USCIS filed a lawsuit to denaturalize Abduvosit Razikov, a 46-year-old Uzbekistani national, for allegedly obtaining his green card and citizenship through fraud. According to the complaint, Razikov paid a U.S. citizen approximately $5,000 for a sham marriage in 2005 to secure permanent residency, arranged a similar fraudulent marriage for his partner in 2007, and organized a third sham marriage after becoming a naturalized citizen in 2012. He also allegedly made false statements during his naturalization proceedings. The case is part of a broader Justice Department action targeting 12 individuals accused of concealing terrorist support, war crimes, or other serious offenses during their naturalization process.

Four protesters, ranging in age from early twenties to late seventies, were arrested on charges of unlawful trespass and resisting arrest during a demonstration at an ICE digital surveillance center in Williston, Vermont. The protesters blocked entrances to impede ICE operations, and the property manager said he asked police to remove them after they refused to leave. One of those arrested, Peter Booth, had previously been cited for trespassing during a similar protest in February, when 11 people were arrested and two others were cited; Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George declined to prosecute any of those involved in that earlier action. All four arrestees are scheduled to appear in court on June 30, 2026.

A Salvadoran woman who was previously under an order of supervision and had been granted withholding of removal to El Salvador was re-detained by ICE on May 14, 2026 after her supervised release was revoked. The court found that ICE violated federal regulations by failing to provide adequate notice of revocation reasons and conducting the required informal interview on the same day as detention. The court ordered her immediate release, finding the revocation procedures unlawful.

George Ofuan Oyakhire, a Nigerian national, was targeted for denaturalization after obtaining citizenship on March 22, 1996, under the false name Oliver Bennett Oyakhire. He first entered the U.S. in 1986 under his true name but obtained temporary resident status in 1988 and permanent residence in 1990 using the false identity.

Oscar Alberto Pelaez, a former Colombian priest, is facing revocation of his U.S. citizenship after the Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit alleging he deliberately concealed his crimes during naturalization. Pelaez was granted citizenship in 2001, but pleaded guilty in 2002 to 13 felonies for sexually abusing a 14-year-old parishioner between 1998 and 2000. He had falsely attested on his citizenship application that he had no criminal record. The case was revived following a recent investigation as part of a broader effort to identify cases where immigration benefits were obtained through false information.

On May 14, 2026, ICE allegedly arrested at least five people in Geneva, New York, including a U.S. citizen at a Byrne Dairy gas station and four men stopped while driving to work. One person was later released after providing proof of citizenship. Community protests organized by groups including the Finger Lakes Rapid Response Network and Geneva Women's Assembly continued into late May, including a rally at Geneva City Hall on May 24 where dozens gathered before marching down Castle Street. Organizers said they are assisting families affected by the arrests, citing separation, financial strain, and fear in the community.

Marlon Juvenal Chavez Merchan, a native and citizen of Ecuador, is currently detained at Otay Mesa Detention Facility in ICE custody. He filed a habeas corpus petition alleging that ICE violated his due process rights by detaining him without a bond determination hearing. The court conditionally appointed counsel and issued a limited stay to prevent his removal from the district pending a reasoned decision.

Federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations executed coordinated search warrants on May 13-14, 2026, targeting VC Defensa, an immigrant rights organization in Ventura County, California. Over 100 agents raided the homes of multiple volunteers and the organization's Oxnard office, seizing electronic devices including phones, computers, and USB drives. During the operations, agents pointed guns at residents, handcuffed activist Leonardo Martinez and the 16-year-old son of volunteer Alexandria Quintanar, and broke down doors. No arrests were made and authorities did not publicly disclose the basis for the searches or specific criminal allegations. All detainees were released from federal custody, and VC Defensa and allied organizations stated they would contest the raids in court.

Suzy Gerónimo, a transgender activist and founder of Fuerza y Unión Múltiple in North Carolina, was detained by ICE following a traffic stop in Franklin County in March 2026 and transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. She reported being housed in a male unit despite being a transgender woman, and faced harassment, unsafe conditions, lack of Spanish-speaking staff, and inadequate privacy. During her April 28 bail hearing, her legal team announced plans to file an asylum application. A judge ordered DHS to provide accommodations, though implementation has been inconsistent. The community organized support funds and legal defense for her case.

A 33-year-old man from the Middle East was detained by ICE in December 2024 after a scheduled check-in with immigration officials. While held in solitary confinement, he experienced panic attacks and chest pains, and repeatedly struck his head against a door. According to his brother, he is a Christian who fled religious persecution in his home country and has no criminal record. An ICE officer informed him he could be deported to Uganda. Facing indefinite detention, he chose to voluntarily depart the United States rather than continue in custody.

Seven people believed to be immigrants from Mexico and Honduras died from heat stroke while being smuggled in a sealed Union Pacific boxcar in South Texas. Six bodies were discovered inside the boxcar at a rail yard in Laredo on May 10, 2026, when temperatures reached 97–105 degrees. The victims ranged in age from 14 to 56, with three from Mexico and three from Honduras. A woman inside the container called her sister reporting dangerous heat and physical distress, prompting a police response. A seventh body was found near railroad tracks in Bexar County, approximately 150 miles north of Laredo, on May 11 and is believed connected to the incident. Authorities attributed the deaths to heat-related illness and contacted the Department of Homeland Security, with federal officials leading the investigation into the human smuggling operation.

ICE officers pepper-sprayed dozens of detainees inside an enclosed room at the Arizona Removal Operations Coordination Center at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in late February 2026. A 911 call made at 2:13 a.m. reported that one detainee appeared to be having a seizure following the incident, and another man was hospitalized after an asthma episode. The facility, designed to hold around 157 to 203 detainees, was holding 332 people at the time, with detainees packed into rooms at roughly double their intended capacity. Reports on the number of people pepper-sprayed varied, with figures ranging from about 30 to 47 detainees affected.

Cecilia, a 29-year-old pregnant Venezuelan asylum seeker, voluntarily surrendered to ICE with her three sons (ages 6, 9, and 12) on May 5, 2026, at the Centennial field office in Colorado. The family had walked to the U.S. in 2024 seeking stability, but lost their apartment and income after Cecilia's husband Ronald was arrested at an ICE appointment in November 2025. Facing homelessness and unable to support her children as her pregnancy became visible, Cecilia chose assisted voluntary departure. The family arrived in Caracas, Venezuela on May 13, 2026.

A 33-year-old Indian citizen who entered the United States near Lukeville, Arizona in December 2022 had lived in the country for nearly four years before his arrest. After entering, he was released on his own recognizance by DHS after expressing fear of returning to India and being deemed neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community, and he later filed an I-589 application for asylum and withholding of removal. He complied with all conditions of release, including appearing for immigration check-ins, and has no criminal convictions anywhere. He was arrested by ICE on May 13, 2026 without written notice, a warrant, or any individualized flight-risk determination, and no removal proceedings were pending against him at that time. He was first held at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, where a federal court later ordered a bond hearing at which an immigration judge improperly placed the burden on him to prove he was not a flight risk and denied bond; he was later transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he has remained in custody for over three months. He filed an emergency habeas corpus petition seeking immediate release, arguing his detention violated his constitutional and statutory rights because he never received a pre-detention bond hearing. The court found he was likely to succeed on the merits and ordered his immediate release, enjoined the government from re-detaining him without prior court authorization, and set a briefing schedule for further proceedings on the petition.

Julio was detained by ICE while traveling to work. He has no criminal history and was actively pursuing naturalization. His detention has left his wife Maria managing household expenses and bills on a single income while facing legal fees and bond expenses.