Human Impact Project

An Armenian asylum seeker is a citizen and national of Armenia who entered the United States on July 17, 2021 and filed an asylum application that remains pending before immigration courts. He has complied with all immigration proceedings, appeared for hearings, maintained residence in California, operated a lawful business, and established substantial ties to the community. On April 1, 2026, ICE officers detained him at a courthouse in Burbank, California where he appeared for a criminal hearing, and he has remained in custody at Adelanto Detention Facility since that date. He sought a Temporary Restraining Order for his immediate release or a constitutionally adequate bond hearing, alleging his continued detention violates the Fifth Amendment and bears no reasonable relation to any legitimate civil immigration purpose. The respondents did not oppose the relief and acknowledged he is a member of the Bond Eligible Class in Bautista v. Santacruz, entitling him to an individualized bond hearing. The court granted the TRO and ordered that he must receive an individualized bond hearing within 3 days, or be released within 4 days, with the government bearing the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence whether he poses a flight risk or danger to the public.

Genaro Gonzalez-Uribe, a 72-year-old undocumented man, was detained by ICE on March 30, 2026, while driving to work in Lodi, California. He was pulled over by unmarked vehicles and transferred to a detention facility in Kern County. His family reports he has no criminal history, prior deportations, or removal orders. They also expressed concerns about his health and access to medication while in custody and are seeking legal assistance as he faces removal proceedings.

A Guatemalan national entered the United States on December 5, 2022. He was issued a Notice to Appear for removal proceedings and released on his own recognizance on March 2, 2023. On March 31, 2026, he was re-detained by ICE when he reported for an appointment at Mesa Verda Detention Center. He filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus challenging his detention, arguing that his prior release created a liberty interest in continued release and that his re-detention violated due process. On April 22, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release on the same conditions as his prior release. The court also enjoined ICE from re-detaining him absent exigent circumstances without providing notice and a pre-detention hearing before an immigration judge, with the government bearing the burden of proving he is a danger or flight risk by clear and convincing evidence.

Isaias, an asylee, was detained by ICE during a routine immigration check-in meeting earlier this year. He was the primary source of financial support for his elderly mother Rosa, who is now unable to work and needs assistance with rent and phone bills.

Angelina Lopez-Jimenez, 41, a Guatemalan national, and her 9-year-old daughter Wendy Godinez-Jimenez were detained by plainclothes ICE agents on March 22, 2026, at San Francisco International Airport's Terminal 3 as they prepared to board a flight to Miami. TSA agents had alerted ICE after spotting the pair on a passenger list, since both had a final removal order issued by an immigration judge in 2019. Video showed Wendy crying as officers detained her mother, who resisted and was handcuffed and placed in a wheelchair; a bystander who filmed the encounter said officers would not identify themselves when asked. Multiple airport employees and passengers, unaware the incident involved immigration enforcement, called 911. The pair were transferred to Texas and deported to Guatemala within approximately 36 hours. SFO said it was not notified in advance and called the incident isolated, while Democratic lawmakers and community groups condemned the detention, with some alleging San Francisco police illegally assisted ICE in violation of the city's sanctuary policies.

An asylum seeker from Iran was re-detained on March 30, 2026, during a routine ICE check-in appointment after being previously released on recognizance in December 2023. ICE detained him solely because he had not been granted lawful status to remain in the U.S., despite having no criminal record and complying with all release conditions. The court found his detention violated due process and ordered his immediate release.

Jhonathan Cosme Antonio, a 25-year-old Carpinteria man, encountered ICE agents attempting to apprehend him on March 27, 2026, and fled on foot before jumping the perimeter fence at Santa Barbara County's Main Jail to evade them. He was injured during the fence jump and was later found hiding between storage containers within the jail's secured perimeter. He was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Santa Barbara County deputies issued him a citation for trespassing, and he was not turned over to ICE custody.

A Guatemala native residing in the U.S. since 2019 was detained by ICE during a scheduled check-in on March 26, 2026. She was transferred to the Adelanto Detention Facility and held without bond based on a BIA decision requiring mandatory detention for those who entered without inspection. The court granted a TRO ordering her release or bond hearing within seven days.

A 22-year-old Peruvian national with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status was arrested by Burbank Police on March 26, 2026, but never charged with any crime. The next day, ICE took him into custody from the police department and detained him at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. The federal court ordered his immediate release, finding that ICE violated his due process rights by re-detaining him without proper notice or a bond hearing.

A man was detained by ICE on March 26, 2026, at approximately 6:30 AM while traveling to work at Sunrise and Vista Chino in Palm Springs. He was initially held at a facility in San Bernardino before being transferred to an undisclosed detention center. His family reports no explanation was provided for his arrest and states the detention was based on his skin color.

José Guadalupe Ramos Solano, a Mexican national married to Antonia Tovar for 28 years and father of two adult children, died on March 25, 2026, after being found unconscious at Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. He had been arrested by ICE on February 23 in Torrance following a prior conviction for possession of a controlled substance and theft, and was later found to have died of COVID-19 pneumonia. During intake screening, staff documented his diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, but his wife said he did not receive adequate medical care during his month in custody, citing poor food, crowded conditions, and lack of medicine. Witnesses said he had trouble breathing and removed his shirt feeling he was suffocating before losing consciousness; he was pronounced dead at Victor Valley Global Medical Center after CPR and emergency response efforts failed. His death was one of at least 14 ICE custody deaths reported between January and late March 2026, and a federal judge later ordered sweeping improvements to Adelanto, including better sanitation, medical care, and independent monitoring.

An Indian national and commercial truck driver entered the United States on May 27, 2022, and was apprehended by Customs and Border Protection. On September 7, 2022, he was served with a Notice to Appear charging removability under INA § 212(a)(6)(A)(i), and DHS released him on an Order of Release on Recognizance with conditions including electronic monitoring and regular ICE reporting. He has no criminal history, is not subject to a final removal order, and fully complied with all release conditions. On March 25, 2026, while working as a commercial truck driver on Interstate 54, he was stopped by highway patrol officers without any traffic violation, citation, or identified lawful basis for detention. Highway patrol officers nevertheless contacted ICE and transferred him to ICE custody, and he was subsequently transferred to the Golden State Annex Detention Facility in McFarland, California. The government argued his detention was mandatory under expedited removal procedures, but the federal district court found that his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause. The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, while enjoining respondents from re-detaining him without seven days' notice and a bond hearing before a neutral arbiter.

On March 25, 2026, ICE agents conducted a targeted vehicle stop to arrest Xa Lee, an undocumented individual from Laos with prior criminal convictions. During the stop, Lee attempted to flee and struck an ICE officer with his vehicle. The officer was not injured. Lee fled the scene and remained at large at the time of the announcement. Xa Lee, a Laotian citizen with a criminal history and a 2010 deportation order, attempted to strike an ICE officer with his vehicle during a traffic stop in Sacramento on March 25. Lee fled the scene and remains at large. The ICE officer was not injured during the incident.

Alicia Luna Flores, her husband Juan Alberto Baquera Santoyo, and their 12-year-old daughter Melanie were deported to Tijuana within 24 hours after visiting an ICE field office in Camarillo on March 23, where they had expected their ankle monitors to be removed following eight years in the U.S. under asylum proceedings. ICE instead told them their asylum case had been terminated due to a missed court date they said they were unaware of. The family's 3-year-old U.S.-born son, Aaron, was not taken into custody and is being cared for by relatives. In Moorpark, Luna had worked as a house cleaner and Baquera as a day laborer in construction and painting, while Melanie attended Mesa Verde Middle School and dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player. The family is now staying with a relative in Michoacan, Mexico. Moorpark Unified School District officials confirmed the deportation, saying they have been supporting the relatives caring for Aaron and connecting the family with local agencies for food and other immediate needs; Superintendent Kelli Hays said the district will continue that support.

Abel Ortiz, an undocumented immigrant who arrived in Los Angeles as an infant and spent 38 years building a life there, self-deported to Mexico City in August 2025 under pressure from Trump administration immigration enforcement policies. Though Mexican-born, Ortiz identified as American and had established a hair salon business and community ties in LA. Seven months after his departure, he works as a hair stylist in Mexico City but struggles with displacement, grief over leaving his life and friends behind, and identity questions as he adapts to a country where he spent only nine months of his life and speaks Spanish only haltingly.

A Honduran national who had been living in the U.S. for over a decade with protection under the Convention Against Torture was detained by ICE during a routine check-in on March 23, 2026. He had been living free under an Order of Supervision for 14 years without any violations. The court granted his temporary restraining order and ordered his immediate release, finding that ICE violated his due process rights by detaining him without proper notice or hearing.

A 38-year-old Mexican national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2003 was detained by immigration authorities during a traffic stop in Fountain Valley, California on March 23, 2026. He has been held at Adelanto detention facility without a bond hearing despite having a pending asylum application, being married to a U.S. citizen, and having an American citizen son. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring immigration authorities to provide him with an individualized bond hearing within 14 days.

A citizen of India who entered the U.S. in 2019 and was released on bond with supervision was arrested by ICE officers on March 20, 2026, while waiting in line to enter the Fresno Superior Courthouse. He had been charged with removability and placed in expedited removal in 2019, and was recently arrested for driving on a suspended license and carrying a concealed firearm. The court granted a preliminary injunction ordering the government to provide him with a bond hearing within 14 days or immediately release him from detention.

A 23-year-old woman was detained at a Border Patrol checkpoint on State Route 94 after agents suspected her of smuggling undocumented migrants but found no evidence of a crime. An agent falsely told her he found "deleted evidence" on her phone; when she grabbed it back, agents twisted her arm and wrestled the phone from her. As she turned to walk into a holding cell, an agent Tasered her, striking her breast. She was pregnant with a 2-month-old baby at the time and was hospitalized to have the Taser prong removed; her breastmilk was bloody for weeks. Federal prosecutors charged her with assaulting a federal officer but dismissed the charge in August after body camera footage contradicted agents' allegations and her attorney argued agents violated her constitutional rights by arresting her without probable cause and using excessive force.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and ICE regarding conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, which holds approximately 1,800 people. The brief documented inadequate medical care, unsafe conditions, insufficient staffing, contaminated water, spoiled food, lack of clean clothing, and reports of pepper spray use on detainees. Three men died at the facility between September 2025 and February 2026. Detainees also reported limited access to phones for legal calls and failure to accommodate people with disabilities. ICE denied the allegations, stating detainees receive proper meals, water, and medical treatment.