Human Impact Project

Nqobile Malangeni, a pregnant South African woman who lives in Connecticut with her fiancé, a U.S. Army veteran, was arrested by ICE agents at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas as she prepared to board a JetBlue flight home. She had traveled to Las Vegas for a vacation to celebrate her birthday. In footage of the arrest shared across U.S. media, agents told her they had a final order of removal against her for overstaying her authorized period of stay. Her fiancé told reporters they followed all proper procedures and never received a removal letter in the mail, describing the arrest as completely unexpected. She is being held at the Henderson Detention Center in Nevada.

A pregnant woman was arrested by ICE at Harry Reid International Airport in late July after returning to the United States from a vacation in Las Vegas. She was detained on immigration charges related to allegedly overstaying her visa. Her fiancé expressed concern about whether he will be able to meet his child.

Luis Vasquez Alvarado fled Guatemala in 2023 after being threatened by a gang and applied for asylum with his family, settling in the Las Vegas area. On May 30, 2026, he was arrested by Metropolitan Police Department; upon his June 1 release, ICE detained him without providing a bond hearing. Vasquez Alvarado filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention, but federal authorities failed to substantively respond and made misrepresentations about their communication with his attorneys. U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware ruled on Friday that Vasquez Alvarado was subject to mandatory detention, found his detention was erroneous and prolonged, and determined that federal authorities failed to identify any lawful authority permitting continued detention. The judge ordered his immediate release.

Abigail Martinez-Aguiana, an immigration detainee, filed a counseled Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus challenging the lawfulness of her ongoing detention at Washoe County Jail in ICE custody. She asserts she is a member of the certified class in Jacobo-Ramirez v. Noem and may be entitled to relief pursuant to the court's grant of partial summary judgment to class members. The court issued an order preserving jurisdiction by prohibiting respondents from removing the petitioner from the District of Nevada absent leave of court. The court ordered federal respondents to produce specific immigration documents by July 27, 2026, and to file a notice indicating whether they contend the petitioner is a class member and identifying the statutory provision authorizing detention. The court preliminarily found that the petitioner may be entitled to habeas relief under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment, and the Jacobo-Ramirez v. Mullin decision.

Phu Nguyen, a 57-year-old Australian citizen born in Vietnam, was confronted by plainclothes ICE agents at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on July 13, 2026. Video footage shows agents holding him on the ground and attempting to handcuff him while he was in Terminal 3. When onlookers and a TSA officer intervened, the agents walked away, leaving him with a handcuff attached to one wrist. Las Vegas police officers arrived and removed the handcuff after determining there were no outstanding warrants against him. According to DHS, Nguyen's valid two-year visa had expired in 2015. ICE arrested him the following day at Los Angeles International Airport, and he is currently held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center pending removal proceedings.

Floridalma Chinchilla, an immigration detainee held at Washoe County Detention Center in Nevada, filed a federal habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 challenging her ongoing detention. She filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent her transfer outside the district and secure her release pending resolution of her habeas petition, alleging she is subject to a final removal order and at risk of imminent removal. The court found the petition stated a prima facie case for relief and issued an order prohibiting her transfer out of the district or removal unless the court grants a motion to modify the order.

Phu Nguyen, a 57-year-old Australian citizen born in Vietnam, was tackled and handcuffed by two plainclothes ICE agents in Terminal 3 of Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on July 13, 2026. Nguyen had entered the United States legally on a visa in May 2013 but remained in the country after his authorized stay expired in May 2015. Bystander and filmmaker Chris Motley recorded the confrontation on the airport floor; when officers realized they were being filmed, they withdrew, leaving one handcuff attached to Nguyen's wrist. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police arrived and removed the handcuff, finding no outstanding warrants. The following day, ICE agents arrested Nguyen at Los Angeles International Airport as he boarded a departing flight. He is currently held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Centre in California pending removal proceedings.

U.S. District Judge Richard F. Boulware II ordered the release of immigrants detained in Nevada facilities, accusing Immigration and Customs Enforcement of defying his March 2026 ruling that the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy is unconstitutional. The detainees had been arrested without proper warrants and denied individualized determinations on whether they should be held or released on bond. Judge Boulware stated the individuals cannot be detained again until their removal proceedings are heard in immigration court, where the government must prove detention is justified by clear and convincing evidence. The judge described ICE's continued enforcement of the mandatory detention policy as "governmental lawlessness" and "rebelling" against his binding court order. Boulware warned he would consider sanctions against ICE officials who defied his orders and noted this was part of a broader pattern of ICE noncompliance with his directives in Nevada.

Laura, a mother of four children including a 2-week-old newborn, is in immigration detention facing deportation proceedings. She has lived in the United States since age 9 and has no criminal record. Her children are being cared for by their grandmother while Laura's case moves through the legal system. The family is seeking financial support for food, childcare, rent, legal expenses, and other necessities while Laura is detained.

Vardan Gukasian, a political dissident and former paramedic from Armenia, was detained in Henderson, Nevada for over 13 months despite serious health problems including uncontrolled high blood pressure. In June 2025, while experiencing dizziness, a nosebleed, and severe headache, his cellmate and then an entire cell block banged on doors requesting medical help; assistance did not arrive until he was hospitalized that day. In a court declaration filed in March 2026, Gukasian, who spent years imprisoned in Armenia, wrote he had never witnessed such medical neglect anywhere. The city of Henderson stated medical care was always available and that no court orders for care changes had been issued.

About 1,400 people gathered at the federal courthouse in downtown Las Vegas for the No Kings protest against immigration enforcement on March 29, 2026. Six people were arrested by Metro police on various charges including refusing to remove a prohibited item, throwing rocks, battery against protesters, and pedestrian in roadway violations. Additional demonstrations took place in North Las Vegas and Henderson.

Jovanni Paola Garcia-Aburto, who has resided in the United States since 1996, was arrested by ICE in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 24, 2026. The government detained her under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2), but the court found this violated immigration law since she had no prior ICE encounters. The court ordered her immediate release and prohibited re-detention without proper legal authority.

Five individuals previously deported from the United States were charged with illegal reentry and remanded to ICE custody in Las Vegas between March and April 2026. Juan Manuel Castellanos-Velazquez, a Mexican national, was remanded on April 13 after serving a 36-to-96-month sentence for drug trafficking and had been deported eight times between 2008 and 2016. Jimmy Jeyson Escobar-Nerio, a Salvadoran national, was remanded on April 8 after arrest by North Las Vegas police for driving under the influence and had been deported twice in 2019 and 2021. Victor Hugo Garcia-Dominguez, a Mexican national, was remanded on April 16 after serving a 19-to-96-month sentence for conspiracy to commit robbery and had been deported twice in 2020 and 2023. Marbin Alexander Ramirez-Rodas, a Salvadoran national, was arrested on March 16 for domestic battery by strangulation, battery on a pregnant victim, coercion, driving under the influence, and child abuse or neglect. Antonio Trinidad Garcia-Gallo, a Mexican national, was remanded on April 22 after serving a two-to-five-year sentence for drug trafficking and had been deported twice in 2015 and 2020. All five were charged with one count of deported alien found in the United States.

Diana Butnarciuc, a Moldovan immigrant who arrived in the U.S. legally in 2008, was arrested by ICE agents on February 13, 2026, during a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services interview for a permanent resident card in Las Vegas. Butnarciuc, who is married to Marine veteran Patrick Baja and has two children, has no criminal record, works, and pays taxes. Although she faced a 2018 deportation order after her asylum claim was denied, her marriage to Baja made her eligible for a green card. Her attorney stated that Butnarciuc entered the U.S. legally and should be entitled to permanent resident status. She is being held at Henderson Detention Center, and her husband is seeking her release.

Gabriel Espinoza Diaz, a 22-year-old undocumented community college student who had lived in the U.S. since age 4, was detained by ICE after a confrontation with security at the Strat Hotel in Las Vegas in January 2026 following a disputed threatening text message. Although charges were dropped and a judge granted voluntary departure, ICE kept him in custody and deported him to Mexico. He was transferred to an Arizona facility in a pre-dawn transfer without family notification and left at the border in Nogales, Sonora. Now living in Tijuana, Espinoza has abandoned his dream of becoming a teacher in the United States.

Samir Ganim, a lawful permanent resident who has lived in the U.S. since 1966, was arrested by Las Vegas police for driving under the influence on December 8, 2025. He was released into ICE custody the next day and has remained in immigration detention since, despite Jordan declining to accept him for removal. The court ordered his immediate release, finding his detention violated due process after over six months in custody with no reasonably foreseeable removal.

Britania Uriostegui Rios, a Mexican transgender woman who entered the U.S. in 2003, was deported to Mexico on November 11, 2024, despite a federal judge's March order blocking her removal based on findings that she faced a substantial risk of torture. Uriostegui Rios is a trauma survivor who was sexually trafficked by cartels as a young person and faces significant threats in Mexico due to her transgender identity. She was deported without medications, identification, money, or a cell phone and went into hiding in Tijuana. ICE and Department of Justice officials acknowledged the deportation violated the immigration judge's order and was improper. The Trump administration offered to allow her to voluntarily return to the U.S., where she would be placed back in ICE custody while the government seeks an alternative country for deportation. Her legal team filed suit to prevent her return to federal custody and to secure her release under supervision, arguing the government cannot be trusted to follow court orders.

The ACLU of Nevada filed a lawsuit challenging Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's 287(g) partnership with ICE, which allows local officers to hold undocumented immigrants for transfer to federal agents. The case centers on Sergio Morais-Hechavarria, a 36-year-old man arrested in August who pleaded guilty to attempted possession of a stolen vehicle. After completing his criminal sentence, a judge ordered his release to an inpatient treatment facility, but Metro detained him on an ICE immigration hold for weeks beyond his release date. On October 16, Morais-Hechavarria was transferred to a Texas immigration facility without notice to his attorneys and in violation of the court order. The ACLU contends the 287(g) partnership violates Nevada state law and Dillon's rule, which prohibits local agencies from exercising powers not authorized by the Legislature.

Broadacres Marketplace, a nearly 50-year-old flea market and cultural hub in North Las Vegas, closed on June 21, 2025, due to fears of ICE raids. The 45-acre marketplace serves thousands of Latino customers weekly and employs hundreds of vendors. Ana Bernal Hernandez, whose family operates two food stalls at Broadacres (Gorditas El Fogón and Chilorio's) plus a standalone restaurant with nine employees, reported decreased foot traffic and a shift to takeout orders as customers fear detention. Peter Guzman, president of Las Vegas's Latin Chamber of Commerce, confirmed other Latino restaurants are experiencing slowdowns. The closure comes amid escalated immigration enforcement under the Trump administration and a partnership between Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and ICE, following an ICE raid at a similar swap meet near Los Angeles. Latinos comprise about one-third of Nevada's population and generated $46 billion in goods and services statewide in 2022.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police announced in October that they are resubmitting cases for review related to nearly 100 arrests made during a June 11 anti-ICE protest in downtown Las Vegas. Most charges had been dropped by the City Attorney's Office in September, but police are now resubmitting cases amid questions about whether dispersal orders were properly communicated to demonstrators. Attorneys representing arrested protesters argue many did not receive adequate notice to disperse and are calling for investigation into police conduct during the event.

Rodolfo Hernandez-Yanez, 56, was arrested by ICE agents on May 6, 2025, in a rideshare parking lot along Highway 50 near Carson City while driving his children, aged 17 and 18, to school. He had attempted unauthorized entry in 2005, was turned away, and later entered illegally. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2014 and received a deportation order in 2019; his appeals were denied in March 2023 and his petition for review was dismissed in May 2024. He was processed for deportation to Mexico as part of a broader ICE enforcement operation that arrested 33 people across northern Nevada in two days.

ICE agents conducted a multi-day enforcement operation across northern Nevada, making 17 arrests on Monday, May 5, 2025, and an additional 16 arrests by noon on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Reno, Sparks, Sun Valley, and Carson City. ICE officials stated that all arrested individuals had previous criminal convictions. The operation prompted the Nevada Immigration Coalition to express concerns about increased federal immigration enforcement in the state.

The Nevada Immigrant Coalition reported increased ICE enforcement activity across southern Nevada, leading to the closure of Broadacres Swap Meet, one of North Las Vegas's largest employers. Immigration advocates documented plainclothes ICE officers operating in unmarked vehicles across major Las Vegas areas, with over 30 people detained during earlier enforcement operations. The coalition urged community members to know their rights and develop family preparedness plans amid ongoing immigration enforcement activity.

Eight undocumented immigrants were arrested by ICE agents at a Las Vegas worksite, according to Laura Martin, executive director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. Plainclothes federal agents targeted the business, prompting immigrant advocates to warn of increased federal immigration enforcement activity in the Las Vegas area. The Nevada Immigrant Coalition, which includes PLAN, the Culinary Union, and ACLU of Nevada, organized a news conference and press briefing to alert residents and advise them on their rights during ICE encounters. Advocates noted that enforcement operations have been targeting workplaces, particularly construction sites. Undocumented immigrants make up 9% of Nevada's workforce, the largest share of any state.