Human Impact Project

U.S. Senator Andy Kim, a Democrat representing New Jersey, was pepper-sprayed by federal ICE agents on Monday while attempting to de-escalate a confrontation between protesters and law enforcement outside Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark. Kim had tried to broker a truce between agents and demonstrators before positioning himself between the two sides; he was sprayed in the face and struck in the hand by an unknown object, requiring medics to rinse his eyes and treat him on site. His state director, Paul Aronsohn, was also caught in the spray. Kim said detainees at the facility, which holds roughly 300 people, were on a hunger strike over food quality, heat, and lack of medical care, and noted that New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill had separately been turned away from the facility earlier that day.

An ICE enforcement operation targeting the Dover family occurred in a New Jersey residential neighborhood. The Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center documented the incident and issued a statement condemning what they characterize as a violent enforcement action that separated families and created fear in immigrant communities.

Clara Linhares, a 17-year-old high school student, says her mother, Rita Linhares, 46, was detained by ICE shortly before Clara's graduation and is now held at the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey, awaiting resolution of her immigration case. Clara told Status Coup's Jordan Chariton, and later a Brazilian outlet, that she has experienced worsening hair loss from alopecia, which she attributes to the stress of her mother's detention, and removed her wig on camera to show the condition. She said she lives with constant worry about her mother's health, as Rita has reported struggling to receive medication for glaucoma, anemia, high blood pressure, and circulation problems in custody, though DHS says she received adequate medical care. Clara also said she fears her father could be detained during a routine ICE check-in scheduled for the same day as her graduation.

A man was detained by ICE while attending his asylum appointment. His wife describes him as hardworking and someone who followed the legal process. The family is now facing legal fees, bond costs, and emotional stress while he remains in detention.

Mojtaba, an Iranian national who fled persecution for his participation in the Women, Life, Freedom movement, was released from ICE detention after 17 months. A federal judge ordered a bond hearing following a habeas petition filed by his attorney, Rachel Marandett of the American Friends Service Committee, after the government could not prove he posed a danger or flight risk. An immigration judge then set bond at $35,000, which hundreds of individuals and organizations helped raise. Mojtaba, who was held at the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey, is now building a life in New Jersey.

Carlos Alborozo was detained by ICE while working in a construction job. His family launched a fundraising campaign to help cover legal expenses and immigration lawyer costs to support his case.

A Mexican national who has resided in the United States since approximately 1997 was arrested by ICE agents on May 15, 2026, while entering his residence after walking his dogs. He is the father of one U.S. citizen son, age 20, who is autistic and currently resides in Mexico, and has U.S. citizen nephews and nieces in the United States. He is a skilled electrician with no criminal convictions and no history of violence or criminal conduct during his nearly three decades of U.S. residence. He was seized without a warrant, without notice, and without an opportunity to contact counsel, and transferred directly to ICE custody at Delaney Hall Detention Facility in New Jersey, where he has been held since May 15, 2026. A Notice to Appear was issued on or about May 20, 2026, initiating removal proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review. He filed a habeas corpus petition seeking immediate release from custody or an individualized bond hearing, arguing his detention violates his Fifth Amendment due process rights and is arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act.

Patricia Balbuena Soto, a 49-year-old mother who had lived in New Jersey for roughly 30 years since age 19, was arrested in Atlantic City on July 24, 2025, on charges including home invasion burglary, weapon possession, criminal mischief and property damage. She was transferred to ICE custody the next day and held at Elizabeth Detention Center before being moved to Port Isabel in Texas. DHS said she had previously been removed from the country four times and illegally reentered a fifth time, a felony. She was deported to Mexico on August 5, 2025, leaving behind her 17-year-old daughter, Allison Garcia, a U.S. citizen and honors student with a 4.8 GPA. Garcia told reporters she felt alone navigating daily life without her mother, missed 21 school days, dropped two AP classes, saw her GPA fall to 3.5, abandoned her college plans, and depleted her $10,000 college fund to cover her mother's legal defense while managing the family's mortgage and finances alone.

ICE officers stopped a vehicle on Springfield Avenue in Maplewood on May 5 and arrested four men; the Maplewood Police Department was not involved and was not contacted by federal officers. The Department of Homeland Security later confirmed the four arrests, stating the men lacked legal status, and an agent told a bystander that at least one man had previously been deported and reentered the country. Some of the agents involved wore masks, which a New Jersey law signed in March bars federal immigration agents from doing while on duty; the U.S. Department of Justice has since sued the state over that law.

Adam Marshall, a former infantry officer who has volunteered for over a year helping families of detainees, was arrested and briefly detained while serving as a medic for protesters who had been pepper-sprayed outside Delaney Hall in May 2026. Federal agents pushed him to the ground, carried him by his arms and legs into the detention center's courtyard, scanned his face with a mobile application, held him for two hours, then transported him and two other men to an underpass beneath the New Jersey Turnpike where they were lined up against a metal wall with hands above their heads before being told never to return and released.

Sebastian Pasco, a bartender at Cork City Pub in Hoboken who holds a valid green card, was detained by ICE on May 1, 2026, while re-entering the country in Florida. The bar launched a fundraiser to cover his legal expenses while awaiting a hearing for his release.

Three Mexican nationals and a fourth man from Absecon were detained during an ICE enforcement operation in Pleasantville on April 30, 2026, despite not being the intended targets of the action. An immigrant advocacy group stated the detainees were working fathers and husbands without criminal records. All are being held pending removal proceedings.

Ramon Rodriguez-Turcios, a Honduran national with a final removal order, was arrested by ICE agents during a targeted enforcement operation in Pleasantville on April 30, 2026. He was the intended target, but agents also detained three Mexican men described by ICE as being in the country illegally. All four are being held pending removal proceedings or are in the process of being removed. An immigrant advocacy group leader said a fourth man, from Absecon, was also taken into custody, describing those detained as fathers and husbands with no criminal records.

Juan "Johnny" Cuahutencos Meza, a long-time community member from East Hampton and Brooklyn, was detained on April 28, 2026, while returning home from work. He is being held at Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, NJ, allegedly as a result of racial profiling. He faces deportation due to a misdemeanor conviction from over 10 years ago and has a court appearance scheduled for May 19, 2026.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations Newark and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Yechiel Yehoshua Farkash, a 43-year-old Lakewood resident, on April 17 pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant obtained under the U.S.-Israel extradition treaty. Israeli authorities sought Farkash's extradition on charges of attempted rape and indecent acts involving children committed between 2020 and 2023.

Damaris Gomez-Laurens, a Maryland woman who lived in Prince George's County for more than 20 years, was detained by ICE during her annual immigration check-in in Baltimore and has been held since August at Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana. She had a work permit and ran an electrical business with her husband, had no criminal record, and had been trying to become a citizen since 2014, according to her niece. In a video call, Gomez-Laurens described unsanitary bathrooms, inadequate food, overcrowded rooms holding up to 108 people, and restricted visitation, while her husband, Kevin Pinto, said their two young sons have struggled with her absence. Family members said she has become known among fellow detainees as 'Pastor' for leading Bible studies and using money sent by relatives to buy food for other women during the holidays.

Michelle Mendoza, a U.S. citizen and mother of two young children, was detained by ICE agents on April 15, 2026, during a school drop-off at the intersection of Main Street and Bangs Avenue in Asbury Park, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Agents took her to the ground, causing visible bruising, and handcuffed her in front of her children (ages 9 and 1). Some ICE agents covered their faces during the arrest, allegedly violating New Jersey state law prohibiting masked officers during enforcement actions. Mendoza was released without charges after eight hours at the Newark ICE detention center (Delaney Hall), though her husband remained in ICE custody. The incident prompted community protests and statements from city officials and state legislators.

Rev. Yeison Cortes Vasquez, a 46-year-old evangelical pastor at The Gathering Place Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, was detained by ICE on March 20, 2026, while working a food delivery job. ICE cited an overstayed tourist visa from Colombia that expired in 2016, though church members stated Vasquez had an active asylum case and was following legal processes. During his approximately three-week detention at Delaney Hall in Newark, church leaders reported he was denied access to a Bible for at least a week; DHS denied these allegations and stated detainees may request religious items. While in custody, Vasquez ministered to other detainees. Members of Congress visited the facility and raised concerns about detention conditions. Vasquez was released on bond with GPS monitoring while awaiting removal proceedings. The National Latino Evangelical Coalition confirmed he has no criminal record.

Ariadna Zumba, 18, a native of Spain who has lived in the United States since she was nine and holds Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, was detained by ICE on April 9, 2026, while walking near her home, without agents presenting a warrant or immediately notifying her family. She was held for 53 days at Delaney Hall in Newark, run by the GEO Group, missing her senior prom and high school graduation, before being released June 1, 2026, after filing a habeas corpus petition. She later received her diploma at a mid-August ceremony at Orange High School. Zumba described moldy food, overcrowding, inadequate medical care and early-morning room checks at Delaney Hall, said she joined a hunger strike over conditions before stopping after officers threatened additional charges, and helped other detainees with translation and paperwork; she has no criminal record, was accepted to Essex County College, and plans to study social sciences before transferring to Montclair State University and eventually attending law school, though she has another ICE appointment scheduled for January.

Diego Cabrera Gonzalez, a 9-year-old with cerebral palsy, and his family from Ecuador face possible deportation after an immigration hearing scheduled for later in April. The family came to the U.S. in 2023 seeking medical care for Diego, who has undergone four surgeries and has improved significantly since arriving. Their legal case was jeopardized when they hired someone who failed to properly file asylum paperwork, but they have since secured new legal representation and are fundraising to cover legal fees.