Human Impact Project

Victor Manuel Rocha, a former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia and State Department official who is a Colombian national, was convicted in 2024 of conspiring to act as an agent for Cuban intelligence for over 50 years beginning in 1973. He is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence. Rocha obtained U.S. citizenship in 1977-1978 after falsely representing under oath that he was not affiliated with the Communist Party and had not committed unreported crimes, concealing his ties to Cuba and his covert intelligence work. In May 2026, the Justice Department and USCIS moved to denaturalize him, filing a civil complaint alleging he fraudulently obtained naturalization by lying about his espionage activities and communist affiliations.

Debashis Ghosh, a 62-year-old Indian-American businessman who became a U.S. citizen in 2012, faces denaturalization proceedings initiated by the Department of Justice and USCIS. Ghosh falsely claimed on his naturalization application that he had no criminal history, concealing his involvement in a $2.5 million investor fraud scheme that ran from 2010 to 2014. He was convicted of wire fraud in 2017 for conspiring to defraud investors of funds intended for construction of an aircraft maintenance facility, misrepresenting how the money would be safeguarded. Authorities say he committed and concealed the fraud both before and after his naturalization. Ghosh is one of 12 individuals the Justice Department is targeting for denaturalization on charges including fraud, war crimes, and support for terrorist organizations.

The U.S. Department of Justice and USCIS filed a lawsuit to denaturalize Abduvosit Razikov, a 46-year-old Uzbekistani national, for allegedly obtaining his green card and citizenship through fraud. According to the complaint, Razikov paid a U.S. citizen approximately $5,000 for a sham marriage in 2005 to secure permanent residency, arranged a similar fraudulent marriage for his partner in 2007, and organized a third sham marriage after becoming a naturalized citizen in 2012. He also allegedly made false statements during his naturalization proceedings. The case is part of a broader Justice Department action targeting 12 individuals accused of concealing terrorist support, war crimes, or other serious offenses during their naturalization process.

George Ofuan Oyakhire, a Nigerian national, was targeted for denaturalization after obtaining citizenship on March 22, 1996, under the false name Oliver Bennett Oyakhire. He first entered the U.S. in 1986 under his true name but obtained temporary resident status in 1988 and permanent residence in 1990 using the false identity.

Oscar Alberto Pelaez, a former Colombian priest, is facing revocation of his U.S. citizenship after the Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit alleging he deliberately concealed his crimes during naturalization. Pelaez was granted citizenship in 2001, but pleaded guilty in 2002 to 13 felonies for sexually abusing a 14-year-old parishioner between 1998 and 2000. He had falsely attested on his citizenship application that he had no criminal record. The case was revived following a recent investigation as part of a broader effort to identify cases where immigration benefits were obtained through false information.

A 33-year-old man from the Middle East was detained by ICE in December 2024 after a scheduled check-in with immigration officials. While held in solitary confinement, he experienced panic attacks and chest pains, and repeatedly struck his head against a door. According to his brother, he is a Christian who fled religious persecution in his home country and has no criminal record. An ICE officer informed him he could be deported to Uganda. Facing indefinite detention, he chose to voluntarily depart the United States rather than continue in custody.

Dany Donaldo Hernández, a Guatemalan man with stage 4 cancer, was detained by ICE on May 13, 2026, while en route to a chemotherapy appointment at UAB Hospital in Birmingham. Hernández, who arrived in the U.S. in 2019 seeking asylum with his son, had been undergoing cancer treatment after a 16-hour surgery two years ago and was recently found to have recurrent cancer and lymph node involvement. Since his arrest, he has missed at least two chemotherapy sessions and his family is seeking humanitarian parole to allow him to continue treatment outside of custody.

A Honduran immigrant alleges that improper placement of an electronic ankle monitor by ICE resulted in a skin infection and emotional distress after extended wear of the device. The incident highlights concerns about the physical and psychological effects of electronic monitoring on detained immigrants.

A Cuban national ordered removed in 2019 was released on supervised release due to medical concerns after DHS detained him to execute his removal order. On May 12, 2026, DHS revoked his supervised release without demonstrating changed circumstances or that his removal was reasonably foreseeable. The court found the revocation unlawful and ordered his immediate release, finding that DHS failed to meet its burden under 8 C.F.R. § 241.13(i)(2) to show a significant likelihood of removal in the reasonably foreseeable future.

Jesus Hernandez, a single father of six children including two U.S. Marines, was detained by ICE on May 12, 2026, despite having spent seven years in immigration court proceedings to pursue legal citizenship. His family launched a fundraising campaign to secure legal representation, pay an immigration bond, and cover household expenses during his detention. The family believes he has a strong case to remain in the United States.

A long-term U.S. resident who has resided in the United States since 1999 was detained by immigration authorities on May 12, 2026, and had not received a bond hearing. The court converted his motion for temporary restraining order to a preliminary injunction motion and ordered that he be provided an individualized bond hearing within ten days, but denied his request for immediate release.

Jennifer Santos, a Colombian national with valid work authorization through 2029, was detained by ICE after attending a routine immigration appointment in Texas on October 15, 2025. She was held for seven months and then transported while shackled at the neck, hands, and feet for 30 hours from Texas to Louisiana for deportation to Honduras. Honduras did not authorize her entry, and she was returned to Texas. Her family alleges ICE subjected her to inhumane treatment and reports she was pursuing permanent residency. Her deportation was subsequently postponed, and her family is requesting she be deported to Colombia instead.

Ramon Santoyo-Cristobal was a convicted Sinaloa Cartel trafficker sentenced to eight years in prison after law enforcement extradited him to the U.S. in 2020. Two years into his prison stint, ICE moved him into deportation proceedings.

A Mexican citizen who entered the United States without inspection in November 1986 and lived in the country for nearly 40 years was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on May 11, 2026. The government initially claimed he was subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2), but the court found his detention governed by § 1226(a). The court granted in part the petition for habeas corpus, ordering respondents to provide him with an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge within seven days, while denying his request for immediate release.

Maria, a single mother, was apprehended by ICE while dropping her children off at school, leaving her two children, ages 5 and 7, alone and bewildered without knowing when or if they would see her again. The arrest was part of a broader enforcement operation that resulted in the arrest of parents of at least 27,000 children over a seven-month period.

The ACLU of Puerto Rico denounced ongoing ICE interventions in communities and streets, stating that masked agents are targeting immigrants and violating their rights while endangering public safety. The organization documented cases involving physical assaults, arbitrary interventions near minors, and due process violations. Of nine represented cases, eight resulted in stopping expedited transfers or obtaining court orders, though immigration judges denied bond in two cases despite no danger or flight risk.

Herminia was held in immigration detention for eight months, separated from her 9-year-old and 16-year-old children. During her absence, the children's mental health deteriorated. Her young daughter had trouble sleeping through the night, and her teenage son considered dropping out of school to work and support his sister.

KO, a 41-year-old Guatemalan mother of three, was arrested at an ICE check-in appointment. When she told the officer that she had a 19-month-old child waiting for her at home, the officer responded that her child and she 'could die for all he cared.'

Hubert George Cole, a Honduran citizen who immigrated to the U.S. at age 11, was detained by ICE during his regular check-in on May 8, 2026, after 12 years of complying with supervision conditions. Cole's deferral of removal to Honduras stems from a long legal history: a former gang member with visible tattoos who was seriously injured in a 2007 drive-by shooting, he argued he would likely be tortured or killed in Honduras due to his tattoos and race, a claim supported by testimony from his sister and mother. In 2011, the Ninth Circuit found the Board of Immigration Appeals had failed to properly consider his expert witnesses and remanded his Convention Against Torture claim for further review, which ultimately resulted in deferral of his removal to Honduras. Despite this deferral, ICE served Cole with a Notice of Removal in 2026 stating intent to remove him to Mexico instead. A court granted a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release and prohibiting removal without proper procedures.

Pin He, a native of China, was targeted for denaturalization for obtaining citizenship under the identity Pin He in 2013 after being ordered removed under the name Chun Di He in 1992. He applied for immigration benefits under a different identity the following year and obtained permanent residence in 2007 without disclosing his prior removal order.