Human Impact Project

Denny Gabriel Perez Ospino, a Venezuelan national, was arrested by ICE agents outside Cook County's Bridgeview Courthouse after completing a court hearing for misdemeanor retail theft charges. According to a witness, agents swarmed his vehicle as he attempted to leave, chased him back toward the courthouse, and physically restrained him at the entrance. DHS stated he was released by the Biden administration in November 2023 after Border Patrol apprehension and is subject to removal proceedings.

Ricardo Navarrete (also reported as Hernandez-Navarrete), an 18-year-old senior at Mather High School in Chicago, and his mother Liliana were detained by ICE agents on March 16, 2026, outside Chicago Immigration Court during what they believed was a routine check-in for their pending asylum case. The family had fled Colombia in 2022; Ricardo held a valid work permit and REAL ID with no criminal record and had been accepted to play soccer at Truman College. After detention, the two were separated and Ricardo was transferred between facilities in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, where he reported sleeping on floors without blankets and being held in solitary confinement. Attorneys filed a habeas corpus petition on his behalf; Liliana was released on May 19 after a federal judge ordered her release, and Ricardo was released on May 26, reuniting with her in Crown Point, Indiana. He is required to wear a wrist monitor and check in daily with immigration officials, and he attended his high school graduation ceremony on May 28, 2026, receiving his diploma.

Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, Michael Rabbitt, and four other protesters were indicted on felony conspiracy and forcible impeding charges for allegedly blocking vehicles during demonstrations outside a federal ICE processing facility in Broadview, Illinois. The indictment was filed October 23, 2025, and the defendants, known as the 'Broadview Six,' were required to self-surrender to authorities. In May 2026, a federal judge found that prosecutors had engaged in grand jury misconduct, including improperly influencing jurors and removing those who disagreed, leading the case to collapse. The U.S. Attorney's office subsequently dropped all charges. Defendants reported enduring months of stress and said they collectively owed more than $1 million in legal fees.

ICE agents stopped a blue sedan in the area of 11th Street and Jackson Street in North Chicago on Wednesday morning around 8:20 a.m. and detained the driver while a child was present in the vehicle. The detention was part of continued ICE enforcement activity across the Lake County area, with agents also conducting operations in Waukegan on the same day.

Chicago 26th Ward Alderperson Jessie Fuentes was shoved and handcuffed by masked federal immigration agents at Humboldt Park Health Hospital on October 3, 2025, during Operation Midway Blitz. Fuentes said she was questioning whether agents had a signed judicial warrant to detain a patient and asserting the constitutional rights of a constituent when agents shoved her twice before restraining her, an exchange partly captured on video. She said she had not touched the agents or trespassed, and that agents threatened her with arrest before cuffing her. Fuentes reported suffering shoulder pain, anxiety, nightmares, and emotional distress from the encounter. She filed a federal tort claims notice in October 2025 and formally sued the federal government in May 2026 after the Department of Homeland Security failed to respond within the required timeframe, alleging battery, assault, false arrest, false imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Besnik "Nik" Shembitrasi, a 49-year-old barber from Albania who immigrated to the U.S. in 2006, was arrested by ICE on May 17, 2026, outside his home in Elmwood Park as he was leaving for work. Shembitrasi has built a life in Illinois over two decades, working as a barber at Frank's Barber Shop in Oak Park, married to a U.S. citizen, and father to an 8-year-old daughter born in the U.S. His uncle and employer Frank Shemitraku described him as hardworking, respectful, and dedicated to supporting his family, noting that Shembitrasi had recently purchased a home in Elmwood Park and works two jobs. At the time of reporting, Shembitrasi was being held by ICE in Brazil, Indiana, and his family expressed concern about his separation and uncertain immigration status.

Federal DHS agents conducted at least three immigration-related arrests in Waukegan on Wednesday morning. The first arrest occurred around 9:30 a.m. near Belvidere Road and Powell Avenue; the second around 11:15 a.m. at a Uline warehouse on Lakeside Drive where a man was detained and transported in an unmarked black SUV; and the third around 10:30 a.m. near Catrachos Restaurant on Green Bay Road. At least one detainee was transported to the ICE processing facility in Broadview.

Kevin González, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen with stage 4 colon cancer, pleaded with immigration authorities to release his parents so he could see them before his death. His parents, Mexican nationals Isidoro González Avilés and Norma Anabel Ramírez Amaya, were arrested near Douglas, Arizona on April 14, 2026, after attempting to reenter the U.S. following denied humanitarian and B1/B2 visa requests. They had been previously deported in 2011 and 2024, and were reported chained during court appearances while detained for weeks. A federal judge in Tucson ordered their release on May 8, 2026. They were deported to Mexico that day and traveled to Durango, where they reunited with Kevin on May 8. Kevin died on May 9, 2026, one day after the reunion.

Federal immigration agents were spotted at four Cook County courthouses on May 7, 2026, where they arrested at least one person. One person was detained at the Branch 23 & 29 courthouse for a misdemeanor property damage charge that was dismissed. Since February, federal agents have been at or nearby Cook County courthouses at least once a week, detaining at least 12 people at the facilities. Public defenders and watchdog groups said the arrests violate state law and undermine due process rights. The previous Tuesday, federal agents detained a man at the Clinton Blue Line station following his appearance at domestic violence court, using a taser and throwing him against a wall.

ICE arrested a 40-year-old man from Mexico after Chicago police released him, with a federal arrest warrant on file. The warrant, issued April 29 for illegal reentry, was confirmed by Chicago police on May 1, but the department did not transfer him to ICE despite multiple requests, citing the city's sanctuary policies. He had previously been removed by ICE in 2022.

Shah was detained by ICE at the end of November while working. He was arrested in Ohio and is now detained in Texas, while his family—including his daughter and mother-in-law—remain in Chicago facing financial hardship. The family is struggling with rent, car payments, and legal fees, and risks eviction and loss of their only income source.

ICE agents conducted a targeted enforcement operation in Shelbyville on April 21, 2026, and arrested four people during a vehicle stop. The driver, Mirzon Patlan-Trevino, 33, from Mexico, was recently arrested for DUI and determined to be unlawfully in the United States. Three passengers—Antonio Aguilera Garcia, 46, Alexis Saavedra Avile, 31, and Yoni Mora-Aguilera, 22—were also found to be unauthorized to be in the U.S. All four remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. ICE agents arrested four people in Shelbyville on April 21 during targeted enforcement operations. The arrests included 33-year-old Mirzon Patlan-Trevino from Mexico, who had been recently arrested for DUI, and three other individuals identified as Antonio Aguilera Garcia, Alexis Saavedra Avile, and Yoni Mora-Aguilera. All four remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Joytu Chowdhury, a 24-year-old former Illinois Wesleyan University student from Bangladesh who studied finance and computer science, was detained by ICE in December 2025 after his F-1 student visa status lapsed due to transfer-related administrative issues. He was held for about two months across facilities in Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana, where he said he experienced inhumane conditions, including inadequate medical care and severe mental stress. Chowdhury said he had initially planned to fight his case and reunite with his U.S. citizen wife but ultimately felt 'completely shattered' and chose voluntary departure. The Department of Homeland Security disputed his claims, stating its facilities meet medical and basic standards and that it provided him a ticket home at no cost. Chowdhury returned to Bangladesh in February 2026, and a fundraiser has since been organized to help him return to the United States.

Daniel Torres, a Chicago-area man, self-deported to Mexico due to concerns about his immigration status and federal enforcement. He left behind his dog, Coffee, who was brought to animal control in February. Animal rescue organizations, including Microchip Hunters and Border Tails Rescue, used the dog's microchip to locate Torres through social media and coordinated the transportation of Coffee to Mexico, where the two were reunited.

ICE agents arrested a U.S. citizen in Chicago after alleging she made a threat. The woman and onlookers disputed the allegation. Agents forced her to the ground and zip-tied her hands. The arrest followed a failed ICE attempt to access a nearby laundromat, where protesters had gathered.

A man was arrested by DHS federal agents in the 500 block of Moffet Road in Lake Bluff on Tuesday morning. The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights reported it as an immigration arrest, though DHS has not confirmed the reason. Video showed the man telling agents he does not speak English as they asked about weapons and referenced his paperwork. Lake Bluff Police were not present and DHS had not communicated with local authorities about the arrest.

Chicago area officials accused ICE of violating Illinois state law and a Cook County court order that prohibit immigration arrests at courthouses. ICE agents allegedly appeared at the Cook County Domestic Violence Courthouse on Thursday and arrested a woman there on March 13, defying protections signed into law by Governor Pritzker in October.

Luis has been held in ICE custody since March 25, 2026, while fighting a removal order. His sister organized a fundraiser to help cover legal expenses and financial support during his detention. His attorneys are reported to be optimistic about his case.

Ben and five other people in Illinois, Oregon, and Minnesota were arrested while protesting at ICE facilities and had DNA swabs taken without clear consent. Ben was arrested during a protest at Chicago's Broadview ICE facility during Operation Midway Blitz; video reviewed by NPR shows a masked federal officer slamming him to the ground while three immigration officers pinned him down and dragged him to their vehicle. He was held in custody for approximately three hours, then photographed, fingerprinted, and had a DNA swab collected from inside his cheek without clear explanation. The six cases, reported in recent months across three states, are now part of litigation challenging the Department of Homeland Security and FBI DNA database collection practices as violations of First and Fourth Amendment protections.

Erendira Rendon, a DACA recipient of more than 14 years and vice president of immigrant justice at The Resurrection Project, applied for DACA renewal in February 2026 and is facing uncertainty as processing delays have extended up to six months. Unlike previous years when a lapsed DACA was manageable, Rendon said current delays create risk of detention if her renewal lapses. As an immigrant advocate who has helped thousands navigate the system, she now confronts the same vulnerabilities affecting hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients nationwide.