Human Impact Project

Brian Gavidia, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained and interrogated by armed Border Patrol agents at a tow yard in Montebello during a roving patrol. Agents pushed him against a metal gate and demanded to know where he was born, asking specific questions about his birthplace despite his repeated assertions that he was American and attempts to show his Real ID. Agents took his identification and detained him for investigation of interference in an enforcement operation before releasing him after confirming his U.S. citizenship. The incident occurred during broader Border Patrol sweeps across Southern California targeting largely Latino neighborhoods and raising concerns about racial profiling.

A man was arrested by ICE on June 15, 2025, in Anaheim, California, while entering a store. He has been detained for over 7 months despite being in the process of obtaining residency through USCIS and having no criminal record. He has suffered serious health complications including hospitalization for oxygen deprivation, legal injustices including attorney abandonment, and needs funds for legal representation before his final asylum hearing in June.

On Saturday, June 14, ICE agents conducted a raid on a popular swap meet in Santa Fe Springs featuring vendors, food, and entertainment. Dozens of heavily armed, masked officers carried out the operation before a scheduled 5:30 p.m. concert, which was subsequently canceled. Witnesses reported that agents appeared to be targeting people based on appearance, with one attendee describing being photographed by agents after stating he was from the United States. DHS confirmed that two people were arrested at the swap meet and are facing deportation. The raid was part of sustained ICE activity across southern California targeting day laborers, car washers, warehouse workers, and residents in public spaces.

Heidi Plummer, a U.S. citizen and Orange County attorney, was arrested by federal agents at Centennial Regional Park in Santa Ana on June 14 while taking a walk. Plummer was detained, handcuffed, and transported to an ICE detention facility in Santa Ana, where she was held for approximately an hour and a half before being released. ICE denied the incident occurred, stating they were not at the park that day and made no arrests there.

Border Patrol agents questioned Brian Gavidia, a U.S. citizen born in East Los Angeles, at his workplace on West Olympic Boulevard. Despite Gavidia showing his Real ID and repeatedly asserting his citizenship, agents held him against a fence, twisted his arm, and confiscated his ID and phone. The incident was captured on video.

Justin Chung, who moved to the U.S. from South Korea at age two, was detained by ICE agents at his home despite having agreed to voluntarily depart and having purchased a ticket for June 13. He had been granted clemency and parole after serving time for a youth offense, married his wife Neftali, a U.S. citizen, in October 2023, and had since worked mentoring at-risk teens. ICE notified him on June 12 to prepare for deportation before detaining him, and Neftali, who is six weeks pregnant, is seeking funds for legal assistance and support.

Javier Diaz Santana, a 32-year-old deaf DACA recipient with no criminal history, was arrested by ICE agents during a raid at a car wash in Temple City, California on June 12, 2025. Despite being deaf and unable to communicate, agents confiscated his phone and wallet, handcuffed him, and transported him to an El Paso detention center without explaining his detention or accommodating his disability. He was released on July 8 after his attorney provided proof of his DACA status to authorities.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attended an ICE raid at a Huntington Park home targeting a man with a criminal history. The raid occurred at the residence of Sabrina Medina, a 28-year-old pregnant U.S. citizen mother of four, though the intended target was her husband. Agents conducted a room-by-room search while Medina and her children were removed from the home, though agents left empty-handed.

Jason Brian Gavidia, a 29-year-old US citizen born in Montebello, was detained by armed border patrol agents in an unmarked car near his auto body shop. Video footage shows agents pressing him against a fence, twisting his arm, and interrogating him about his birthplace despite his repeated statements that he was born in the United States and offered to show his ID. Witnesses described the encounter as racial profiling based on appearance. Gavidia was eventually released, but the incident occurred amid a series of ICE raids across southern California targeting people based on their appearance.

Brian Gavidia, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen born and raised in East Los Angeles, was detained by Border Patrol agents on June 12 at his workplace on West Olympic Boulevard in Montebello during an immigration enforcement operation in the San Gabriel Valley. An agent pushed Gavidia against a metal fence and demanded proof of citizenship, asking repeatedly where he was born despite his repeated statements that he was American. Video footage shows two agents holding Gavidia against the fence while he stated "I'm American, bro!" Agents confiscated his Real ID and did not return it; they also took his phone for approximately 20 minutes before returning it. Gavidia, whose mother is Colombian and his father is Salvadoran, believes he was targeted because of his Latino heritage and appearance. He described the encounter as traumatic, saying he feared for his life when an agent racked a chamber in an AR-15. A friend who was filming the encounter was injured and bleeding from the forehead after being pushed by another agent. Gavidia has since joined an ACLU lawsuit with other plaintiffs challenging immigration enforcement tactics and racial profiling, and has renounced his earlier support for President Trump, stating he was "manipulated" and "brainwashed." He now carries a copy of the U.S. Constitution and helps with know-your-rights workshops.

Sayed Naser, an Afghan national who worked as a translator and contractor for U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, was detained by ICE agents in June 2025 during a hearing at a San Diego immigration court, after entering the U.S. legally in July 2024 under humanitarian parole while his asylum case was pending. On September 26, federal judge Gonzalo Curiel ordered his release from Otay Mesa Detention Center, ruling that the government violated his due process rights by revoking his parole without notice and placing him in expedited removal despite his pending case. Video of his arrest went viral, prompting veteran-run nonprofits Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and AfghanEvac to launch “Battle Buddies,” a program in which over 1,000 veterans now accompany Afghans to immigration hearings. Naser, reunited with friends and family after his release, said he remains hopeful because of the support he received from Americans.

Brian Gavidia, a U.S. citizen born and raised in East Los Angeles, was pinned against a gate at his car lot by armed federal agents who refused to accept that he was a citizen. He was forced to close his used-car business after agents kept returning to the neighborhood. He joined an ACLU class-action lawsuit challenging ICE's racial profiling. He also had to tell his nine-year-old daughter she couldn't visit from Portland because it wasn't safe.

Noemi's husband was deported to Mexico during the June 2025 ICE raids in Los Angeles. They used to get ready together before she headed to work at LA international airport. Now he calls her each morning at 8am from Mexico.

Yurien saw her father handcuffed, chained from the waist and ankles, and whisked away by ICE agents outside his workplace in LA's fashion district during the June 2025 raids. She remains haunted by the image a year later.

ICE agents rammed a white sedan with two unmarked vehicles in Boyle Heights, pinning it between them during an arrest operation. The vehicle contained a male driver, female passenger, toddler, and baby. Federal agents drew weapons and deployed tear gas before dragging the male driver from the car. The arrested man was identified as Christian Damian Cerno-Camacho, though family members claimed he is a U.S. citizen.

Christian Damian Cerno-Camacho, a 27-year-old, was arrested by federal agents in Boyle Heights after they rammed his white Mercedes sedan with multiple vehicles on Whittier Boulevard, trapping him at the intersection with Calzona Street. According to the Department of Homeland Security, agents were conducting a targeted arrest operation, stating that Cerno-Camacho was wanted in connection with an alleged assault against a CBP officer and that he attempted to flee when they tried to arrest him. A woman and two children, including an infant, were passengers in the vehicle at the time. Video footage showed armed federal agents firing chemical rounds at the vehicle before extracting Cerno-Camacho and leaving the woman and children inside. The woman and children later fled to a nearby grocery store and were reunited with family approximately three hours later. The incident occurred near a school in the neighborhood.

Christian Cerna, a 28-year-old US citizen and carpenter from Paramount, California, was arrested by ICE on June 11, 2025, after participating in an anti-ICE protest near a Home Depot on June 7. Officers used aggressive tactics including ramming his vehicle, detonating flash-bang grenades, and pointing assault rifles at his car while his partner and two young children were inside; court records show the arrest operation involved a drone, four vehicles, and a filming crew. Cerna, whose father was deported when he was 12, was charged with felony assault after border agent Eduardo Mejorado alleged Cerna struck him during the protest, though Cerna and his lawyers say he swung his hand without making contact; he was also struck in the face by pepper balls during the demonstration. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault in December 2025 and was sentenced in March 2026; a federal judge later criticized the case as a "vindictive effort" to impose extrajudicial punishment, and DHS filmed the arrest and posted footage on social media labeling Cerna a "violent rioter."

On June 11, 2025, masked ICE officials detained a man in the parking lot of Downey Memorial Christian Church. Reverend Tanya Lopez witnessed the man on the ground surrounded by three armed, masked officers who refused to identify themselves or produce a warrant. The officers identified themselves only as police and prevented Lopez from questioning them or assisting the man. The church subsequently offered multiple worship options including in-person, Facebook Live, and Zoom services for concerned parishioners.

ICE conducted raids at the Ambiance Apparel warehouse in Los Angeles's Fashion District, detaining approximately two dozen workers on alleged administrative immigration violations. Families of the detained individuals report difficulty making contact with their loved ones and locating where they are being held, with some detainees reportedly already deported. About a dozen of those taken were from Veracruz, Mexico, and attorneys working with the families say access to detainees has been extremely limited.

CNN reporter Jason Carroll and his crew were escorted away from a protest zone in downtown Los Angeles and briefly detained by LAPD while covering the anti-ICE demonstrations. An officer instructed Carroll to place his hands behind his back and told him "You are being detained while you are leaving this area," though Carroll was not placed in restraints. The officer clarified Carroll was "not under arrest because you're press" and took down details from all crew members before releasing them.