Human Impact Project

Aminata Seck, a 26-year-old graduate student and women's basketball player from Dakar, Senegal, at Kentucky State University, was detained by federal officers at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Aug. 7, 2026, while preparing to travel with her team to a tournament. Her attorneys said she entered the U.S. on a student visa in 2019 and never received notice of a September 2025 hearing that resulted in an in absentia removal order. She was moved among at least four detention facilities, suffered seizures requiring hospitalization, and needed surgery for an ACL injury and torn Achilles, with attorneys describing inconsistent medical care. By late September she was found hospitalized and appeared sedated, prompting her attorneys to file a motion to reopen her case and a habeas corpus petition. A Memphis immigration judge reopened her case after finding she never received notice of the removal order, though she remained in custody, including time in solitary confinement at Grayson County Detention Center. Kentucky State coach Amani Williams and Rep. Morgan McGarvey publicly supported her, with McGarvey saying, 'The Trump administration's cruelty knows no bounds but we will never let this become normal and we won't stop fighting for her.' Her legal team announced she would be released on $2,500 bond on Oct. 6, 2026.

Armelle Bondonga, a 21-year-old who came to the U.S. as a child from the Democratic Republic of Congo under her father's asylum case, was detained by ICE agents on August 12 during her marriage-based green card interview at the USCIS field office in Louisville. Her husband, U.S. citizen Terrance Bradshaw, and their 19-month-old U.S. citizen son were present when agents separated the couple; Bradshaw left with their son. Bondonga had a final removal order from November 2025 but was pursuing residency through marriage, with Bradshaw's I-130 petition still pending. Her attorneys argued agents lacked a warrant and unlawfully detained her, while federal officials called the arrest a lawful targeted operation. She was held for eight weeks at the Clark County jail in Jeffersonville, Indiana, after an immigration judge denied bond in September. Community members, including Sadiqa Reynolds, rallied on her behalf, and more than 1,300 people signed an open letter supporting her. A federal judge later granted her habeas corpus petition, finding her continued detention unauthorized since the 90-day removal period had expired, and ordered her immediate release.

Juan, who has lived in the United States for 25 years and worked two jobs nearly every day, was taken into ICE custody. Friends describe him as a cherished member of their community known for his sense of humor and love of the Cincinnati Bengals. His supporters set up a fundraiser to help cover his legal and financial needs while he remains detained.

Aminata (Amina) Seck, a 26-year-old graduate student and basketball center for Kentucky State University from Dakar, Senegal, was detained by ICE on Aug. 7 at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport while preparing to fly with her team to an HBCU tournament in New York. Seck entered the U.S. on a student visa in 2019 and was ordered removed after missing an immigration hearing; her attorney, Sadiqa Reynolds, said Seck never received notice of the hearing and missed the deadline while recovering from back surgery and an ACL injury. Wearing a leg brace at the time of her arrest, she has since been moved between at least four detention facilities in Kentucky and Chicago as well as a hospital over 48 days, reportedly experiencing seizures and limited access to phone calls, visitors, or basic medical care. Seck started most games last season, averaging more than 11 points and 7 rebounds, and earned All-Conference and SIAC Elite 16 academic-athletic honors. Her head coach, Amani Williams, has advocated on her behalf, and U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey said he is monitoring her situation.

Sarafinah Bukirwa, 31, a Ugandan woman living in Louisville and founder of the Sarafinah Sickle Cell Society nonprofit, was detained by ICE agents at Muhammad Ali International Airport while traveling to a sickle cell conference in California, one day after being hospitalized for a sickle cell crisis. Bukirwa entered the U.S. legally, has a pending asylum claim and valid work authorization, and has never been charged with a crime. She was transferred to Grayson County Detention Center, where she says she lost consciousness in a van with no air conditioning, was physically restrained, had a stimulant held over her face, and had her hijab removed in front of male officers. Her brother, Isaac Kabunga, said she was denied her prescribed medication for nearly a week despite having it with her, with doses allegedly diluted in water; her physician warned of risks including severe infection, stroke, organ damage and death without proper care. U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey called for her release and confirmed her attorneys filed a habeas corpus motion, while the Grayson County Jailer maintains she is receiving all prescribed medications.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested at least six people in Western Kentucky on Thursday. Several of those arrested are now being held at the Hopkins County Jail, where 185 other immigrants are awaiting deportation. Community members, including a former Hopkins County judge, have criticized the arrests, raising concerns about racial profiling and due process.

Eight people were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Thursday morning in Henderson. At least three of those arrested are members of Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, described by the pastor as prominent and longstanding members of the Spanish-speaking Catholic community. Henderson County sheriff's deputies assisted federal agents in the operation, which lasted from approximately 5:30 a.m. to noon.

Artemio Romero, 28, was arrested by ICE on July 21, 2026, while commuting to his job in Paducah, Kentucky, and taken to a holding facility in Hopkinsville. He has lived in the United States since age two and is the primary breadwinner for his mother and two younger brothers, whom he has helped raise. Described as a gifted artist, dancer, and gamer known for his humor and warmth, Romero is a role model and father figure to his younger brother Luis. His family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for legal representation, living expenses, and potential resettlement in Mexico if he is deported.

Federal law enforcement arrested 13 undocumented immigrants during a two-day operation at a window supply business in Paducah, Kentucky in May 2026. Eight of those arrested were indicted by a federal grand jury for using stolen Social Security numbers on employment eligibility verification forms (I-9s) between June 2021 and August 2025. The eight indicted defendants each face up to five years in federal prison if convicted. The remaining five arrested individuals were not criminally charged and were placed in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Abdallah Osman Sheikh, a resident of Fairdale, Kentucky, was targeted for denaturalization for concealing that he possessed indecent digital images of two minors in July 2019 while serving in the Marines and posted such an image to social media. He also received an other-than-honorable discharge from the Marines for misconduct, disqualifying him from naturalization based on military service.

A 21-year-old Hispanic man identified as Juan Miguel Munoz Penalver died in Louisville Metro jail on February 26, 2026, while subject to an ICE immigration detainer. He had been in custody since February 14 on criminal assault charges and was held under an ICE detainer that could have extended his detention beyond his scheduled release. The death is under investigation by LMDC's Professional Standards Unit and Louisville Metro Police's Public Integrity Unit.

Beata Siemionkowicz, a 57-year-old Polish-born green card holder who legally immigrated in 1995 and obtained permanent residency in 2003, was detained by ICE on August 2, 2025, while gardening in her daughter's backyard in Des Plaines, Illinois. DHS cited retail theft convictions from the early 2000s and alleged document fraud related to immigration benefits, as well as a claimed arrest warrant from Poland, though her daughters provided documentation from Polish authorities showing no criminal record there. Siemionkowicz worked as a commercial cleaner and hospice caregiver and was the sole financial provider for her household, which includes her two adult daughters, Claudia and Gabi. She has been held at Campbell County Detention Center in Kentucky, where detainees reported conditions including black mold and dead bedbugs; her daughter Gabi temporarily left nursing school to cover the family's mortgage, utilities, and legal fees. An immigration judge issued a deportation order on December 9, 2025, and her family has filed an appeal while working with Senator Dick Durbin to seek her release, with a final decision expected in summer 2026.

Ernesto Manuel-Andres, an 18-year-old from Guatemala, was detained by ICE on June 4, 2025, just weeks after graduating from Teranga Academy, a learning center for immigrant and refugee youth. He holds Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and Deferred Action, giving him legal status to reside in the U.S. After nearly three weeks in an ICE detention center in Louisiana, Manuel-Andres was unexpectedly released on June 24 when the Department of Homeland Security failed to meet paperwork deadlines for an appeal of his $1,500 bond. The Bowling Green community organized vigils and protests demanding his release, and celebrated his homecoming on June 25 with family, friends, and educators. Teranga Academy principal Kristi Costellow said, "All I can say is that I'm thankful to be in Bowling Green, Ky, where we live in a community where people will see something that's wrong and they will keep at it until it's made right."

Federal agents arrested 13 undocumented immigrants at a window supply business in Paducah, Kentucky during a worksite investigation into employment fraud. Eight of the arrestees were indicted on charges of using stolen or false Social Security numbers on employment verification forms (I-9s) between June 2021 and August 2025. The eight indicted defendants each face up to five years in prison if convicted. The remaining five arrested individuals were not criminally charged and remain in ICE custody pending immigration removal proceedings.