Human Impact Project

Wendy Baca Sánchez, a Honduran national five months pregnant, has been hospitalized multiple times since her detention in late June near San Miguel, Arizona by border agents. She is currently in ICE custody at Eloy Detention Center. The nature and reasons for her multiple hospitalizations are described in reports of ICE's continued detention of pregnant women in Arizona.

Jose Ortega, a 38-year-old bank employee and father figure to his stepdaughter, was recently detained by ICE and is being held in custody pending court proceedings. His spouse, Don Williams, launched a fundraiser to cover legal expenses, attorney fees, and bond costs to fight for his release and bring him home to his family in Phoenix, Arizona.

Jose Yugar-Cruz, a Bolivian citizen and torture survivor, entered the U.S. through Arizona in summer 2024 and was immediately detained by border officials. Although his asylum application was denied, a federal judge granted him withholding of removal under the Convention Against Torture, which prevents his deportation to Bolivia. While detained, DHS attempted to send him to Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Mexico, and Canada. After filing a writ of habeas corpus, he was released and began rebuilding his life in Iowa. On April 8, 2026, during what he believed was a routine ICE check-in, officers re-detained him and placed him on a manifest for deportation to the Democratic Republic of Congo—a country experiencing war and an Ebola outbreak where he had no ties and was scheduled for removal on April 15. His attorney filed an emergency motion the same day; a federal judge barred DHS from removing him outside the country pending further notice, and he was released on May 29, 2026. At his next ICE check-in, over 250 supporters, including activists, clergy, and elected officials, attended to prevent further detention.

An Indian citizen who entered the United States on May 4, 2023 seeking asylum from political persecution was placed in removal proceedings and released on his own recognizance. After over three years of compliance with release conditions, he was re-detained by ICE on May 28, 2026 following a scheduled immigration appointment without written notice or a finding of changed circumstances. The court granted his habeas petition, ordering his immediate release and requiring the government to provide seven days' notice and hold a pre-deprivation bond hearing with clear and convincing evidence of flight risk or danger to the community before any future detention.

Margoth Paredes, 47, an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador, and her 14-year-old son Dilan were detained by ICE after being found in a vehicle suspected of involvement in immigrant smuggling. ICE took Paredes to Cecil Shamley School in Tempe to withdraw Dilan the day before his eighth-grade promotion ceremony, which he missed, and the pair were transported to the Dilley Family Detention Center in Texas. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., who visited the facility and spoke with Paredes by phone, said both have experienced emotional distress, with Dilan frequently crying, and said the Flores Settlement limits detention of migrant children to 20 days, calling for their release. Paredes' two older children also remain detained in Arizona, and the family's detention has sparked protests outside the school.

On May 18, 2026, ICE agents detained 31-year-old DACA recipient and community organizer Karla Toledo at her Tucson home without presenting a judicial warrant, despite her maintaining valid DACA status since age 1 and having no criminal record. ICE agents were reportedly searching for someone else when they arrested Toledo. DHS alleged Toledo assaulted a federal officer and illegally entered the U.S. in October 2024—claims she disputed using video footage showing her compliance and asserting she had legally used advance parole authorization available to DACA recipients. During the arrest, agents allegedly used force to prevent the door from closing and denied her attorney access. Her mother, Veronica Ortiz, held a press conference pleading for her release, and attorney Mo Goldman stated allegations of assault were fabricated, with surveillance footage supporting Toledo's account. Following community protests and statements by U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva, Mexican consulate representatives, and local nonprofits, Toledo was approved for a $1,500 bond and released from Eloy Detention Center. One day after dismissing an earlier deportation case, DHS filed a second notice to appear in immigration court against Toledo.

An uncle and aunt who had attended yearly ICE check-ins since the early 1990s were suddenly detained during a routine check-in and held for over four months. During detention, they were denied access to medications for serious health conditions, and the aunt was transferred to Florence, Arizona without family or attorney notification. Both are stateless individuals from the former USSR facing potential deportation to an unknown country. They were released on January 16, 2026, and are now pursuing a legal appeal.

Aniceto Hernandez-Reyna, who came to the United States from Guanajuato, Mexico at age 17, was detained by ICE officers at a gas station outside Phoenix in front of his two younger sons. His daughter, Army Spc. Jasmine Hernandez, was stationed 2,000 miles away at Fort Stewart, Georgia, at the time; she had enlisted in 2024 in part to protect her family and had filed a Military Parole in Place application on her father's behalf more than a year earlier, which was still pending when he was detained. An ABC News review of state and federal records found no record of violent crime for Hernandez-Reyna, who has had several traffic violations including a 2002 DUI. He remains held at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona, and his daughter said she has only spoken with him once since his arrest, calling it 'a slap in the face' given her military service and describing the situation as a significant source of stress.

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested 52 people under Operation Checkmate in Arizona's Yuma Sector between May 11-15 for residing illegally in the United States. Thirty of those arrested were Indian nationals, with 36 total detainees driving commercial semi-trucks. Three of the Indian nationals lacked valid driver's licenses. All individuals arrested during the operation face deportation proceedings.

Arbella "Yari" Rodríguez Márquez, a green card holder, was arrested at a border checkpoint in Nogales, Arizona in February 2025 and detained at Eloy Detention Center. She has chronic lymphocytic leukemia that was in remission before her detention but has since returned and worsened while in custody. Her health has significantly deteriorated, with symptoms including weight loss (55 pounds), anemia, vomiting blood, and the development of new chronic conditions requiring a walker. Over a year into her detention, state legislators, members of Congress, civil rights organizations, and advocacy groups including Trans Queer Pueblo have called for her humanitarian release. ICE denies allegations of medical neglect, stating she has received 13 medical appointments during detention.

ICE agents pepper-sprayed 47 detainees in an enclosed room at the Arizona Removal Operations Coordination Center at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in late February, causing at least one detainee to experience a seizure. The incident occurred at a facility designed to hold 157 detainees but was holding 332 at the time, with detainees packed into rooms with double their intended capacity.

The DOJ filed denaturalization actions against Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri, a Phoenix-area resident, alleging he obtained U.S. citizenship through fraud by claiming al-Qaida attacked him and his family when entering in 2009. Al-Nouri is accused of killing two Iraqi police officers in 2006 while acting as a leader of al-Qaida, and Iraq requested his extradition in 2019. The DOJ determined in 2015 that he had lied during the naturalization process.

Humberto Cruz, a 19-year-old San Diego Padres pitching prospect ranked No. 5 in the organization, pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge of accessory after the fact to improper entry related to a human smuggling operation in Arizona. Cruz was arrested on October 28 near Lukeville while driving a BMW with Mexican license plates and transporting two undocumented Mexican citizens, having been paid $1,000 per person to transport them. After his guilty plea in November, Cruz self-deported to Mexico and was placed on the Padres' restricted list with his salary suspended.

Federal authorities dismantled a human smuggling ring on May 8, 2026, arresting five individuals: Mexican nationals Rigoberto Rangel-Mora, Jesus Marin-Esquivel, Alejandro Ambrocio-Espinosa, and Enrique Cervantes-Barrera, along with Guatemalan national Ingrid Bolanos-Gomez. The operation involved confining undocumented immigrants at a Phoenix-area stash house and transporting them across state lines. Federal agents had discovered 17 people confined to bedrooms at the residence on April 30, 2026, subjected to filthy living conditions, food deprivation, and restricted movement.

Eliana G. was detained before her asylum court proceedings began in 2025. After losing her asylum case, she waived her right to appeal and elected to self-deport. Despite this choice, she remained in ICE custody across Arizona and Louisiana detention facilities for over seven months awaiting travel documents. A court designated Ecuador as her third-country deportation location despite her being originally from Honduras, but she has not been given an opportunity to contest this choice. She has two children, ages 10 and 2, living with family members in Western Massachusetts.

Ingrid Bolanos-Gomez, 41, of Guatemala, along with Mexican nationals Alejandro Ambrocio-Espinosa, 32, Enrique Cervantes-Barrera, 48, Rigoberto Rangel-Mora, 40, and Jesus Marin-Esquivel, 52, were indicted on federal conspiracy charges for transporting and harboring migrants through a Phoenix-based smuggling network. Authorities arrested two of the group on April 28 after a traffic stop near Cordes Lakes turned up 11 people in a minivan, part of a fleet investigators had tracked making cross-country trips using vehicles with charity license plates. Search warrants on April 30 at three Phoenix stash houses uncovered 22 more people who told investigators they were barred from leaving their assigned spaces, denied phone calls, given insufficient food and forced to sleep on the floor in unsanitary conditions. The five defendants face up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

Jesus Marin-Esquivel, 52, of Mexico, was arrested and indicted for conspiracy to transport and harbor undocumented immigrants as part of a smuggling organization operating in Phoenix. He was identified as one of the drivers conducting cross-country trips with smuggled migrants.

Arbella "Yari" Rodríguez Márquez, a 39-year-old queer woman and legal permanent resident with chronic lymphocytic leukemia since 2013, was detained by ICE on February 10, 2025, after being apprehended at the Nogales port of entry while returning from Mexico with her partner of over 13 years, Sonia Almaraz. Her legal residency was subsequently revoked by a federal immigration judge, and she was placed in removal proceedings at Eloy Detention Center. Over the course of her detention, her health has severely deteriorated: she has lost 70 pounds, developed additional conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, lymphedema, and anemia, and experiences hematemesis (vomiting blood daily), nosebleeds, bruising, extreme fatigue, and dehydration due to lack of adequate medical care—receiving only Tylenol for pain management. A parole request filed by her lawyer was denied on June 24, 2025. By April 2026, more than three dozen Arizona lawmakers, the LGBTQIA Legislative Caucus, and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups including Trans Queer Pueblo have called for her immediate humanitarian release, warning that her continued detention in a facility with a history of deaths amounts to a "death sentence" given her medical vulnerability.

Five people were indicted on federal charges after investigators discovered 11 undocumented immigrants in a minivan near Cordes Lakes on April 28, 2026, including one confined to the trunk, and 22 more at a Phoenix stash house. The investigation identified Rigoberto Rangel-Mora as the caretaker of the residence where migrants were confined to a bedroom, denied phone access, and subjected to poor living conditions. Alejandro Ambrocio-Espinosa and Enrique Cervantes-Barrera were the minivan drivers, while Jesus Marin-Esquivel and Ingrid Bolanos-Gomez were identified as additional drivers involved in cross-country smuggling trips.

Jose Angel Mireles, a 48-year-old longtime Phoenix resident, was detained by ICE at a courthouse after being cited for driving with stolen plates and deported to Mexico after two months in the Florence ICE detention center. He now lives in a migrant shelter in Nogales, Sonora, hundreds of miles from family elsewhere in Mexico and separated from his 11-year-old daughter in Phoenix across the border wall. Mireles describes his life as now "split in three," between Arizona, his daughter, and his new surroundings in Mexico. He is among thousands of long-term U.S. residents removed under the Trump administration's immigration enforcement surge, which saw removals of individuals with over a decade of U.S. residency increase 42% between 2024 and 2025.