Human Impact Project

Lucia Vasquez-Gonzalez, a mother from Venezuela, appeared at the Cook County domestic violence courthouse in March to address a misdemeanor domestic battery charge stemming from a dispute with her roommate. She was arrested by ICE agents after the hearing, and the criminal charge was later dropped, but she was transferred to the Campbell County Jail in Newport, Kentucky, where she has remained in custody without receiving a bond hearing. Vasquez entered the United States in 2023 near Brownsville, Texas, with her then-minor daughter and had settled in Chicago while her case proceeded. In April 2026 she filed a federal habeas corpus petition challenging her continued detention without a bond hearing, and the case remains pending in federal court.

Asif Amin Cheema, a 63-year-old Pakistani immigrant who ran Best Sub #2 sandwich shop in Chicago's Humboldt Park for 30 years, was detained by federal immigration agents minutes from his Addison home during the early days of Operation Midway Blitz, despite having no criminal record and a pending green card interview. His family says their former immigration lawyer never informed them of a removal order tied to a missed court date decades earlier, which the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later upheld. Cheema spent nearly three months detained at the Clay County Jail in Indiana, losing 30 pounds and suffering health complications, before being deported to Pakistan on New Year's Day. His 19-year-old son, Nooran Amin, left college responsibilities to run the family business, learning the trade from a longtime employee the family calls 'Uncle' in an effort to keep his father's legacy alive. In March 2026, a community fundraiser featuring Chicago chef Zubair Mohajir was held to support the family and advocacy efforts to bring Cheema home.

A federal judge ruled that at least 32 people arrested during Operation Midway Blitz, a major ICE enforcement action in the Chicago area between June 2025 and October 2025, had their arrests violated a 2022 consent decree governing warrantless apprehensions. Among those improperly arrested were Jose Miguel Jimenez and Jeickson Delgado Avila, undocumented immigrants detained during a September 29 raid on an apartment building at 75th and South Shore Drive when ICE agents rappelled from helicopters and broke down doors. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings found the arrests lacked sufficient probable cause that individuals were flight risks, as required by the Castañon Nava consent decree, and that agents provided no justification for their assessments. Of the 32 improperly arrested, 11 are believed to still be in detention, 11 have left the country, and 10 have been released under various conditions. The judge also rejected a recent agency directive that sought to give immigration agents more discretion to make warrantless arrests.

Dayton Andre Lindsay, a Jamaican green-card holder who has legally resided in the United States for over 28 years, was detained by ICE at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport upon returning from vacation in Jamaica. He and his wife, Benji Lindsay, have been married for over six years and share a blended family of five children and seven grandchildren. Before his arrest, he worked at a Walmart Distribution Center in Joliet, Illinois, and as a chef at several local restaurants. As of July, he remains in ICE custody, and his attorneys have filed a federal habeas corpus petition challenging the legality of his detention.

Nayra Guzmán, a 22-year-old Mexican asylum seeker and U-visa applicant living in Cicero, Illinois, was detained by ICE agents while driving to visit her premature newborn daughter in the NICU, about 15 days after an emergency C-section complicated by preeclampsia. Her mother and brother were also detained despite presenting valid work permits and documentation showing they had lived in the U.S. since 2022 after fleeing cartel violence. Guzmán, who has Type 1 diabetes and was suffering postpartum pain and a breast infection, was held for roughly 34 to 36 hours at the Broadview Processing Center, a facility that has faced allegations of overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and limited medical care. During her detention she was denied postpartum care, a breast pump, medical assessment, adequate food, water, and blankets, while still trying to produce breast milk for her daughter, who remained unable to eat or breathe independently. Her detention occurred amid the Trump administration's Operation Midway Blitz enforcement campaign in the Chicago area. Lawyers petitioned for her release citing health concerns, and a federal judge ordered Guzmán and her family released on conditional bail, preventing their scheduled transfer to out-of-state facilities.

Victor Jardon-Reyes, a 33-year-old DACA recipient from Guerrero, Mexico, lost his job on February 18, 2026, after his DACA renewal application stalled for months. He applied to renew his DACA in November 2025, received an appointment for fingerprinting in January 2026, but his work permit expired before the renewal was processed, causing him to lose work authorization and legal protections from deportation. Jardon-Reyes, a homeowner in Chicago's Belmont Cragin neighborhood with a mortgage and college enrollment, is now afraid to leave his home due to risk of ICE detention. His situation exemplifies a nationwide problem of DACA renewal delays affecting an estimated half million recipients.

Ruben Torres Maldonado, a home painter who has lived in the U.S. since 2003, was arrested by ICE agents on October 18, 2025, outside a Home Depot in the Chicago area and detained at the Broadview ICE facility before being transferred to Clay County, Indiana. His arrest occurred shortly after his 16-year-old daughter Ofelia returned home from the hospital, where she was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for stage 4 Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. Her cancer treatments were put on hold during his detention. A federal judge ruled that Torres Maldonado's detention violated his due process rights. An immigration judge set his bond at $2,000, which his family paid, and ruled him conditionally entitled to cancellation of removal based on family hardship, noting he poses no danger to the public and has strong family and community ties. He was released on Thursday, October 30, reuniting him with his family. On February 15, 2026, Ofelia died after her cancer battle. An immigration judge's ruling on her death came three days before, granting Torres Maldonado a pathway to lawful permanent residence.

On October 4, 2025, Marimar Martinez was shot five times by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent Charles Exum during an immigration enforcement encounter in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood. Federal agents claimed Martinez chased and rammed her car into an agent's vehicle. Martinez was initially charged with assault on federal law enforcement, but the government dropped the charges nearly two months later, and a judge dismissed them with prejudice. Body camera footage and text messages released by the U.S. attorney's office provided details of the incident, though Exum was not wearing his body camera during the shooting. Martinez testified before Congress in February 2026 about the incident and filed a tort claim seeking damages for her injuries.

A 40-year-old man was arrested by federal agents in the lobby of the Bolingbrook Police Department on January 28, 2026, after being approached by agents conducting an immigration enforcement action at his home. The man fled the scene, allegedly ramming an agent's vehicle, and then drove to the police station to report the encounter before being arrested by federal agents in the lobby.

Detainees at ICE's Broadview Detention Center filed a class action lawsuit on October 30, 2025, alleging subhuman conditions including insufficient food and water, extreme temperatures, poor sanitation, and abusive officers. One day later, on October 31, ICE reported that two weeks of surveillance footage from the facility, sought as evidence in the case, was lost in a system crash; government lawyers said they lacked resources to preserve it. By January 2026, the Department of Homeland Security shifted its explanation, filing court documents claiming the footage was never recorded in the first place rather than lost. DHS further argued the footage would be irrelevant because conditions at the facility have since improved.

Joabe Barbosa, a 25-year-old Brazilian doctoral student at Roosevelt University on an F-1 visa, faces forced departure to Brazil after going unmatched for a required internship in his final year of clinical psychology studies. Without an internship placement, Barbosa must leave the U.S. within 60 days after the school year ends and may not be able to return to complete his degree, which he is on track to finish in 2027.

Jelili Qudus, a Nigerian described in court filings as a Muslim faith leader who conducts weekly prayers, visits the sick, and distributes food to people in need, was re-detained when he appeared for his annual ICE check-in in Chicago after approximately 17 years of complying with an Order of Supervision. He was subsequently held at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas. A federal judge later granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release under supervision, finding that immigration authorities violated his due process rights by re-detaining him without providing required notice or an opportunity to respond.

Rebecca Pinyerd, a 70-year-old Filipina lawful permanent resident who has lived in the United States for over 40 years, was scheduled for deportation to the Philippines but the flight was cancelled after airline officials determined she was medically unfit to fly due to advanced kidney disease, thyroid complications, and uncontrolled hypertension. She remains in immigration detention at Clay County Jail in Indiana with no new deportation date announced. Her family has expressed concerns about her access to medical care while in custody and has called for an independent medical evaluation.

Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino stated to Fox News that his agents have arrested U.S. citizens on charges of assaulting federal officers. The article also details allegations of excessive force by Border Patrol and ICE agents, including a November incident in Chicago involving Bovino during 'Operation Midway Blitz.'

Jesus Gutiérrez, a 23-year-old US citizen, was stopped by federal immigration agents in Chicago and handcuffed without identification. Agents used ICE's Mobile Fortify facial recognition app to scan his face, which verified his citizenship status. He was held for about an hour before being released. Federal authorities have acknowledged using this facial recognition technology across the country to verify citizenship and check for deportation orders.

Nathan Griffin, a U.S. citizen and night manager of the Laugh Factory comedy club in Lakeview, was arrested by masked Border Patrol agents on October 24, 2025, outside the club at Belmont and Broadway during immigration enforcement operations on the North Side. Agents accused him of interfering with a federal officer and assaulting an agent by closing a vehicle door on the agent's leg while the agent was searching for a body-worn camera believed dropped during a prior immigration-related arrest. Video posted by the club showed multiple masked agents in full camouflage wrestling Griffin to the ground as bystanders screamed that he had done nothing wrong. Griffin's mother, Elaine Plybon, was also physically engaged with agents while attempting to stop her son's arrest. Griffin was initially charged with one count of forcibly assaulting, impeding, and interfering with a federal officer, facing up to 8 years in prison if convicted. Federal prosecutors dropped all charges on December 10, 2025, after a federal grand jury refused to indict him by returning a 'no bill.'

ICE agents engaged in an hours-long standoff with a man who barricaded himself in a second-floor apartment unit in Elgin on Saturday. Federal agents deployed tear gas canisters and flash-bang grenades while protesters gathered to provide supplies to the man on the balcony. One person was detained around 3 p.m. after agents breached the building. Community members clashed with agents. State officials made statements regarding the incident.

U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino deployed tear gas and pepper spray against protesters in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood on October 23, 2025, during immigration enforcement operations under Operation Midway Blitz. The Department of Homeland Security claimed Bovino acted after being struck by a rock, but video evidence and witnesses contradicted this account, showing him throwing a tear gas canister into the crowd. Federal Judge Sara Ellis ordered Bovino to appear in court to answer allegations that he violated a temporary restraining order prohibiting such tactics without imminent threat. Ellis later found that Bovino had lied about the rock-throwing incident and issued a preliminary injunction against federal immigration agents for using force without warning.

Two U.S. citizens, Aliya Rahman and Marimar Martinez, testified before Congress about their experiences being apprehended by ICE. Rahman, who is disabled, was forcibly removed from her car while en route to a medical appointment in Minneapolis and denied medical care in detention. Martinez was shot five times by ICE agents in Chicago while attempting to warn neighbors about ICE presence in the area.

Antonio Enriquez, 53, a lawful permanent resident, was walking to a store in Melrose Park when federal agents in unmarked vehicles demanded to see his documents. When he told them his green card and documents were at home, agents ignored his pleas and pushed him to the ground, handcuffing him after he resisted. He was taken to an ICE facility and held for six hours until his daughter brought copies of his green card and Social Security card.