Human Impact Project

Diego Armando Gonzalez-Rosales, a former kitchen manager at Zipps Sports Grill, was sentenced to five months in prison after pleading guilty to sharing another person's driver's license and Social Security card to help a friend get hired at the restaurant chain. Gonzalez-Rosales came to the U.S. in 2006 and started as a dishwasher at Zipps before working his way up to kitchen manager, a role in which he vetted and hired new kitchen staff, and he also used fake identification himself to obtain employment. He was arrested during a January raid on Zipps' 15 Valley locations stemming from a Homeland Security Investigations probe into undocumented workers, one of only four employees indicted despite 39 people being arrested that day. His attorney, Debbie Jang, said he was the only person in a management position to face charges and called him a 'pawn' and 'scapegoat' for a company she said systematically engaged in unlawful hiring practices. He faces potential deportation upon release from prison.

A man living with HIV was held for about two weeks at the Florence Staging Facility and went without his HIV medication for the first two days even though ICE knew of his condition. Soon after arrival he developed a high fever and chest pain and was told by guards to submit a written request for care. He says he requested care every day for almost two weeks, reporting chest pain and trouble breathing, and medical was very slow to respond; when he was finally seen he was given only aspirin and water.

A man with Type 1 Diabetes was held for about eight days at the Florence Staging Facility, a unit meant for processing people for no more than 72 hours. He received one medical intake from a nurse and was never given his Metformin. He sent at least four requests for medical care and medication and got no response. When he was examined at another facility, his blood sugar was dangerously high at 499, compared with a normal non-fasting level around 140 mg/dl.

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 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.

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.

Cali Overs, a 17-year-old student body vice president at Dysart High School in Surprise, Arizona, is leading student opposition to a planned ICE detention facility being built about a mile from her school. The Department of Homeland Security purchased a 418,400-square-foot warehouse in January 2026 to convert into an immigration detention center with up to 542 beds. Overs has spoken at city council meetings, met with federal lawmakers and state officials, and advocated for a three-mile buffer zone between ICE facilities and schools, given that Hispanic students comprise over 60% of her school's population.

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 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.

Federal authorities charged five people—Guatemalan national Ingrid Bolanos-Gomez, 41, and Mexican nationals Alejandro Ambrocio-Espinosa, 32, Enrique Cervantes-Barrera, 48, Rigoberto Rangel-Mora, 40, and Jesus Marin-Esquivel, 52—in connection with a human smuggling operation based in Phoenix. Investigators said the group transported migrants across state lines using a fleet of vehicles, including some bearing charity license plates. Two suspects were arrested on April 28 after a traffic stop near Cordes Lakes uncovered 11 people hidden in a minivan. Search warrants executed at Phoenix-area stash houses on April 30 revealed additional migrants—reported as 17 by one source and 22 by another—who said they were confined to bedrooms, denied phone calls, given little food, forced to sleep on the floor, and barred from leaving. The five defendants face federal conspiracy charges, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

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.

Htet Aung, a lawful permanent resident who came to the U.S. from Myanmar at age 8, was taken into ICE custody on June 22, 2025 immediately after a judge released him from a criminal case, finding no probable cause and apologizing to him. He was transferred to the Central Arizona Florence Correctional Complex, operated by CoreCivic, where he spent about three months before his first immigration hearing. As a queer person from Myanmar, he sought protection from persecution and was granted withholding of removal by Immigration Judge Nancy E. Miller, but remained detained afterward. He filed a pro se habeas corpus petition on February 3, 2026, and on May 7, 2026, U.S. District Judge Diane J. Humetewa ordered ICE to release him within 48 hours after roughly 11.5 months in detention.

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.

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.