Human Impact Project

Jean, a 12-year-old from Haiti, was detained at the U.S. border and held in federal custody for 505 days, spending his 13th birthday in an ORR shelter in California and later a foster care program in New Haven, Connecticut. His family in Fort Lauderdale—his father, stepmother, and two sisters—had completed all required vetting, background checks, and home studies, yet the Office of Refugee Resettlement repeatedly requested documents his family could not obtain, including a Haitian death certificate from territory controlled by gangs. After his sisters were released to their stepmother, Jean remained detained; ORR cited a DNA test showing his father was not his biological parent, though his father said this changed nothing. A federal judge ultimately ruled the government's process "arbitrary and capricious" and ordered Jean's release, with the judge noting that unlawful detention "results in an injury that really can never be remedied." In August 2026, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal cited Jean's case, along with a 5-year-old Connecticut girl held 118 days, in a letter demanding that the HHS inspector general investigate ORR's prolonged detention of immigrant children, accusing the agency of an "obstructionist policy" toward families seeking reunification.

Seyo Cecunjanin, a West Hartford restaurant and laundry business owner from Montenegro, was arrested by ICE on June 20, 2026, in a Dunkin' Donuts parking lot surrounded by five unmarked vehicles while with two of his sons. He was detained at Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island for approximately 12 days. Cecunjanin entered the U.S. in 1997 using a fraudulent passport and had an outstanding removal order, but had been permitted to reenter in 2024 and maintained valid work authorization at the time of his arrest. He owns two restaurants and a laundry business employing 15 people and has a pending permanent resident application filed in September 2023. U.S. Rep. John Larson and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, along with other members of Connecticut's congressional delegation, held a press conference and sent letters to ICE demanding his release, citing his valid work authorization and pending immigration case. Cecunjanin was released on June 26, 2026 (or July 2, 2026 according to another account).

Edvin Obdulio Barnica-Esquivel was arrested by ICE agents at Danbury Superior Court on June 22, 2026, on a federal charge of illegally reentering the United States after prior deportations in 2012 and 2019. A video shared with CT Insider showed at least six ICE agents escorting him out of the courthouse in handcuffs. Connecticut Judicial Branch spokesperson Stephen Ment confirmed this was the first and only courthouse arrest since a new state law took effect May 4, 2026, requiring judicial marshals to verify a warrant beforehand, and said the warrant was verified prior to the detention. ICE, which executed a judicial warrant issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti on June 10, 2026, said in a statement that "Connecticut's sanctuary politicians do not control federal law enforcement."

Three foreign nationals were arrested during an ICE targeted enforcement operation in Danbury on June 16-17, 2026. Edwin Palacios-Rivera, a Peruvian national, was arrested and has previous arrests for domestic violence, criminal mischief, possession of burglar tools, violations of a protective order, criminal trespass, and interfering with police. Jose Espinoza-Ceraquive, an Ecuadorian national, was arrested and has pending charges for operating a motor vehicle under the influence and third-degree criminal mischief; he is subject to a final removal order issued in 2024. Jorge Tamay-Angulo, also an Ecuadorian national, was arrested during the operation, though ICE provided no additional details regarding his case.

Bruno Orlando Medina Mendoza and Jorge Manuel Escobar Quispe from Peru, and Raul Andrey Echavez Castro from Colombia, were among five people arrested by New Britain police on June 5 in a sting in which detectives posed online as having access to a minor for sex. All three face charges of commercial sexual abuse of a minor, attempted sexual contact with a victim under 16, and second-degree sexual assault. ICE has lodged detainers and is asking Connecticut officials not to release the men from custody, saying all three entered the United States in 2023—Quispe and Castro through Arizona and Mendoza through California.

ICE agents conducted a targeted enforcement operation outside a Danbury, Connecticut courthouse on June 4, 2026, detaining at least six people. Local law enforcement and officials, including the police chief and mayor's office, received no advance notice of the operation. DHS stated those arrested faced criminal charges including sexual assault of a minor, child abuse, kidnapping, and assault on police officers, though specific names and detailed charges were not provided. The raid sparked protests and condemnation from Connecticut Democratic officials, who criticized the use of armed and masked agents in the enforcement action.

Christian Espinosa-Sarango, 33, an Ecuadorian national, was arrested by ICE on February 13 after being released on bond by North Haven police. Espinosa-Sarango had been arrested in December as part of a child sexual exploitation sting and charged with enticing a minor and attempted sexual assault. ICE had lodged a detainer, but Connecticut's Trust Act prevented local police from holding him without a judicial warrant. During his ICE arrest, he allegedly resisted and attempted to flee, leading officers to break his vehicle window.

Javier Anibal Melgar was detained by ICE officers on May 15, 2026, while sitting in his vehicle at 1259 Park Avenue in Bridgeport, Connecticut, as he prepared to take his 16-year-old son to school in New Haven. ICE described the arrest as part of "targeted operations" and said Melgar is from El Salvador, entered the country illegally in 2005, and had a final removal order issued by an immigration judge in October 2006. Officers allowed Melgar to contact his wife, who arrived to pick up their son before he was taken into custody. Connecticut lawmakers, including State Rep. Christopher Rosario, condemned the arrest as a violation of ICE's sensitive location policies, and groups including Make the Road Connecticut and the Bridgeport Rapid Response Network are now supporting the family.

Juan Pablo Vasquez-Miranda was arrested by ICE officers on Wednesday in Hartford. At least one officer wore a mask and lacked clear identification, appearing to violate state law. Vasquez-Miranda had entered the U.S. in November 2022 on parole, which was subsequently terminated. He faced pending state charges for disorderly conduct, interfering with an emergency call, and strangulation/suffocation.

A 33-year-old man from Ecuador was arrested by ICE agents on February 14 outside his home on Lombard Street in Fair Haven, Connecticut, less than two hours before he was scheduled to appear in state court. According to ICE, the man was arrested on an immigration warrant. The arrest occurred as masked federal agents surrounded his car, smashed the passenger-side window, and handcuffed him. At the time of his arrest, the man had an upcoming court hearing on charges related to child exploitation, and his case was rescheduled to March 10.

Alejandro Josue Cervantes-Mencia was arrested by ICE officers on Lafayette Street in Hartford on May 18, 2026. Several officers wore masks and lacked clear identification, violating Connecticut's recently signed law prohibiting immigration officers from wearing masks during enforcement actions. According to ICE, Cervantes-Mencia entered the U.S. illegally in 2016 and had a final removal order issued by an immigration judge on April 5, 2022. He was also facing state charges for possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to sell.

Keyla, an Ecuadorian nursing student at Southern Connecticut State University, was arrested by ICE agents off campus in Middletown, Connecticut on March 31. She is currently held at the Strafford County Corrections facility in New Hampshire and has an upcoming court date. A friend and advocate, Tabitha Sookdeo of Connecticut Students for a Dream, described Keyla as a hard worker who is kind, dedicated to her studies, and someone who 'brightens every room she enters.' Keyla's parents asked that her identifying information be kept private and said she is frightened and wants to come home; Connecticut's online court database shows no criminal convictions or pending charges associated with her name, though DHS claimed she had prior arrests. More than 100 SCSU students, faculty, and immigrant rights advocates rallied on campus calling for her release and raising funds for her legal defense.

ICE agents attempted to arrest Oscar Ocampo, a 41-year-old from Ecuador, on Exchange Street in New Haven while he was holding his seven-month-old son during a daycare drop-off. Neighbors and activists from the New Haven Immigrants Coalition emerged and recorded the encounter, urging the agents to leave. After approximately 20 minutes, the ICE agents departed without detaining Ocampo.

Rihan Shinwari, an 18-year-old Afghan high school senior at Cheshire High School in Connecticut, was detained by ICE on April 6, 2026, during a traffic stop. ICE detained him based on erroneous paperwork claiming his humanitarian parole had expired in October 2025, though court filings confirmed it remained valid until October 2026. His family had legally entered the U.S. on humanitarian parole in October 2024 after his father served as an interpreter for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts for over two weeks, an immigration court judge set his bond at $1,500 and ordered his release on April 21, 2026. Rihan was released on April 22, 2026, and remains in removal proceedings; his attorneys sought reinstatement of his humanitarian parole.

ICE agents arrested a nursing student in his 20s from Southern Connecticut State University on Main Street in Middletown on Tuesday, April 1st, after following him from the courthouse and blocking in his vehicle at the intersection of Main and Court streets. Middletown Mayor Gene Nocera said local police were not notified of the operation and the man was not a city resident. In response, protesters gathered on Saturday, April 4th at Washington and Main streets to oppose the arrest and ICE enforcement activity in the area, with an additional rally scheduled for Monday outside the university library demanding the student's release. The Trump administration launched "Operation Catch of the Day," an ICE enforcement operation in Maine targeting noncitizens the administration claims have criminal records. ICE agents identified nearly 1,400 individuals for potential detention in Portland, prompting criticism from local officials and Democratic state leaders who questioned the tactics and raised concerns about impacts on Maine's Somali American community.

A man was arrested by a masked, armed federal ICE agent inside the Connecticut Superior Court building at 121 Elm Street in New Haven on the morning of January 20, 2026, just before 8:55 a.m., after he fled into the courthouse following a nearby car crash. The Judicial Branch was not notified of the arrest in advance, as required by Connecticut state law, and the arrest also violated court rules established in September 2025 requiring a signed judicial warrant or documentation of non-protected status before detaining someone on courthouse grounds. Connecticut Chief Justice Raheem L. Mullins said in a statement Thursday that the incident violated the court's policy but did not appear to be an intentional violation, describing it as a rapidly evolving situation involving multiple individuals breaching court security due to activity outside the building.

Federal officers drove through a crowd of protesters outside Hartford's federal building on January 8, 2026, striking at least one person with their vehicles. The protest was held as a vigil for Renee Macklin Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Hartford police are investigating potential hit-and-run and assault charges against the federal officers involved.

Gladys Tentes-Pitiur, an Indigenous Shuar woman from Ecuador, was detained by ICE for 135 days at Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana after being arrested outside a courthouse in New Haven on July 7, 2025. She had fled Ecuador due to persecution and traveled through seven countries with her two young sons, surviving cartel kidnapping in Mexico before arriving in New Haven in November 2023. After an immigration judge granted her asylum on October 17, 2025, citing violence she had fled since age 15, she was released on November 19 and reunited with her sons, ages 6 and 7, outside their Fair Haven school the day before Thanksgiving. Her lawyer, Brenda Wylie, said the case was the only successful asylum grant her office achieved in 2025, and Tentes-Pitiur recalled her younger son initially refusing to believe she would not be taken away again.

Zia S., a 36-year-old Afghan immigrant who served as a U.S. military interpreter, was detained by ICE on July 16, 2025, during a routine USCIS appointment in East Hartford, Connecticut, for biometric processing related to a Green Card application. Despite having lawful parole status until October 2026, no criminal convictions, and approval for humanitarian parole due to Taliban threats, he was moved to a detention facility in Plymouth, Massachusetts. A federal judge issued a 72-hour stay to prevent his deportation, and after nearly three months in custody, a second immigration judge ordered his release on a $15,000 bond on October 9, 2025. The government's subsequent motion to reverse the release was rejected on October 21, 2025. Zia was reunited with his wife and five children in Connecticut. His son Rihan was also detained by ICE in Plymouth during this period.

On October 15, 2025, ICE agents conducted a raid at a car wash in Hamden, Connecticut, detaining between seven and eight people. Among those detained were parents of school-age children. Witnesses reported seeing masked agents in tactical gear and unmarked vehicles; one person was slammed to the ground and another was placed in an unmarked van. An agent allegedly threatened a witness who inquired about detainees. Hamden's mayor, town council president, state legislators, and immigrant rights advocates held a press conference that afternoon to express concern about the raid and family separations.