Human Impact Project

Keiber Alexander Esposito Martinez, a Venezuelan asylum seeker who entered the U.S. legally in 2023, was detained by ICE while driving to or from his job in Buffalo. Over three years he rose from dishwasher to sous chef at Casa Azul restaurant in the Allentown neighborhood, holding legal work authorization and a New York driver's license with no criminal record. Restaurant owner Zina Lapi called him a 'model citizen' and said his detention caused other asylum-seeking employees to quit out of fear. Martinez, who is married to a U.S. citizen, is being held at the federal detention facility in Batavia. His attorney, Matthew Borowski, filed a federal lawsuit seeking his release, saying the family received no explanation for the detention and alleging visibly Latino or Bangladeshi individuals are being targeted.

A video submitted to HudPost appears to show a federal immigration agent kicking a man during an encounter at 52nd Street and Hudson Avenue in West New York, New Jersey. The footage shows an agent making physical contact with the man, though the circumstances leading up to the moment are unclear and could not be independently verified. ICE did not comment on the incident, citing its policy of not discussing active investigations or arrests. The report follows a series of other immigration enforcement actions across Hudson County in recent weeks, including in Guttenberg, North Bergen, Weehawken, and Union City.

A 14-year-old girl from Guatemala was detained by ICE and deported while pregnant. She is now in a rural area of Guatemala preparing to give birth to a baby boy with a due date of August 15th. The mother and her 14-year-old boyfriend, a U.S. resident, had planned to raise their child together in the United States, but her deportation has separated the young family. The family is seeking legal assistance to establish the baby's citizenship, determine the mother's immigration options, and reunite all three in the U.S.

On August 10, 2026, ICE agents detained at least 33 people across the Capital Region of New York, including Albany, Schenectady, and Colonie, in more than 15 separate incidents over roughly six hours. Among those detained was an Ecuadoran family of four — parents Kevin Ushiña and Veronica Saquillo and their children, ages 5 and 9 — who had lived in Albany for two years and had withdrawn from the asylum process the previous year over fears of detention at a check-in. The mother and children are being held at the Dilley Detention Center in Texas, while the father is held in a facility in western New York. Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs said she was “deeply unsettled” by the increased ICE activity and met with local advocacy coalitions supporting affected families.

Omar, a Peruvian sous chef at the restaurant Perla in New York City, was detained by ICE agents on the morning of Friday, August 7, while on his way to work. According to his employer, Omar has been following the lawful path to citizenship, was recently awarded a social security number, pays taxes, and works every day. His employer describes him as a hardworking, dedicated, and morally-just person who has played a significant role in shaping the restaurant over nearly two years of employment and serves as a mentor to the employer's sons. Omar is currently detained at Delaney Hall.

An 11-year-old unaccompanied migrant named Diego appeared alone before an immigration judge in New York City without legal representation, struggling to complete an asylum application in English. The hearing occurred after a federal contract funding legal services for detained immigrant children expired on July 31, leaving thousands of minors to represent themselves. Judge Lisa Ling, a former ICE prosecutor, gave Diego two and a half weeks to file his asylum application or face deportation, despite his expressed fear of returning to Guatemala. Multiple other unaccompanied children, some as young as 11, appeared in court that day without lawyers or adult advocates.

Steven Orrego Upegui was detained by ICE at LaGuardia Airport in New York City while on his way to celebrate his mother's birthday, then chained and transferred to a detention facility in Pennsylvania, where he spent 15 days in custody before being released with help from his partner and family. He has since filed a federal habeas corpus petition in the Southern District of New York challenging his detention and potential removal. A federal judge has ordered that he not be removed from the United States or transferred outside the New York City area while the case proceeds, with the government required to respond by August 12, 2026, and a hearing scheduled for August 18. He continues to raise funds to cover his legal defense and attorney fees.

On August 2, around 1:50 p.m., a man was detained inside the emergency room at NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, located at 83 Gold Street, by masked ICE agents. A witness said she tried to learn the man's name and photograph the scene, but agents told her he was in quarantine and threatened to charge her after she took photos. A DHS vehicle pulled into the emergency bay while protesters gathered outside and later confronted the vehicle; hospital security called police on journalists outside, though officers said they had no legal grounds to remove them. Activists said the detained man was taken out through another exit as the incident unfolded amid a broader increase in ICE operations across New York City and Long Island in late July, following statements from border security official Tom Homan about stepped-up enforcement in the region.

Cary Brown, a Jamaican national, was sentenced to three to nine years in state prison and was expected to remain incarcerated until at least 2029. ICE took him into custody in August to deport him before his sentence was complete. His case was cited as another example of ICE removing individuals from state prisons ahead of their scheduled release dates.

Eight noncitizens were arrested during a U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE operation at a solar farm on Riches Corners Road in Albion, New York on July 30, 2026. Seven of the men are from Venezuela and one is from Jamaica. All were working on the solar farm project at the time of the operation, which was conducted after ICE received a tip through its tipline. The arrested individuals were processed at Rochester and Buffalo CBP stations before being transferred to ICE for deportation proceedings. Nearly three weeks later, nearly 20 people marched in Albion to protest the detention and deportation of immigrants and farmworkers, an event organized by the nonprofit Rural & Migrant Ministry after a local youth group member, Analiah Figueroa, and her family said they encountered federal agents near the same field during the operation. Figueroa said her family, who are U.S. citizens, were stopped by an agent at a stop sign and later saw agents repeatedly drive past their home, which she said felt intimidating.

ICE agents arrested two men in Freeport on East Seaman Avenue early Thursday morning following what witnesses described as a vehicle pursuit. Video and photos show agents forcing a man to the ground and removing two men from a white van. Witnesses reported seeing agents searching the men, placing their belongings in white bags, and handcuffing them. Community advocates report the arrests are part of increased immigration enforcement activity across Long Island, with ICE agents also spotted in Hauppauge and Roosevelt.

Elzon Lemus, a 23-year-old Hispanic U.S. citizen and electrician from Brentwood, Long Island, was stopped by ICE and Homeland Security agents on June 3 while riding as a passenger on his way to work in Westbury, one of six vehicles halted that day. Agents told him he "looks like somebody we are looking for" but would not identify themselves or specify whom they sought. When Lemus declined to hand over ID without information from the agents, they opened the car door, confiscated his phone, and handcuffed him for 20 to 25 minutes before finding his ID in his pocket; he and the driver were held at the scene for about an hour. Video recorded by Lemus and the driver captured the encounter, and agents released him without explanation or apology after confirming his citizenship. His attorney, Frederick Brewington, called the stop racial profiling and a breach of federal civil rights and is evaluating a lawsuit, while State Assembly Deputy Speaker Phil Ramos said the video showed a clear rights violation and called for a Department of Justice investigation.

From July 27 to August 29, 2026, ICE's Operation Rotten Apple detained 2,197 immigrants across New York state, including in Democratic-led 'sanctuary' cities, according to DHS's official count. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin publicly announced the results on September 1, framing the operation as a response to New York's political leadership and its new Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, which bars local police from partnering with ICE. Legal aid attorneys in Queens and Brooklyn say the arrest figures obscure that Latino immigrants were disproportionately affected, contrasting with DHS's public-safety framing of the sweep.

At least 11 people, including asylum seeker Jesus Carrión, were detained during check-ins at ICE's Malta field office, according to court records and immigrant rights advocates. An emergency habeas petition was filed the same day to prevent their transfer outside the Northern District of New York, and they were initially held at Montgomery County jail before a court ruling allowed transfer to the Batavia detention center with restrictions on further movement. Carrión's wife, Jean Aurilio, said he was taken into custody while waiting for what was expected to be a routine check-in. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the detained individuals lacked legal status and would receive due process, as nationwide ICE arrests rose to an average of 1,474 per day by late July, according to federal data.

Jesus Carrion, a 63-year-old asylum seeker, was detained by ICE on July 26 during a routine check-in at the Malta facility after receiving a text instructing him to bring his paperwork and family members. His wife, Jean Aurilio, an American citizen and teacher, accompanied him expecting a standard interview but was told Carrion would be taken into custody and transferred to the detention center in Batavia, with a possible court appearance in two weeks. Aurilio said they had been following all requirements and rules, and she remains waiting for information about his status and when she will hear from him.

Luis, a 25-year-old tile installer from Ecuador, was arrested by ICE agents in the parking lot of Tanger Outlets in Deer Park while sitting in his car. ICE agents ran his out-of-state license plates without his knowledge, identified him as an Ecuadorian citizen, obtained a warrant, and arrested him within 20 minutes without giving him an opportunity to explain that he had a valid work permit and federal status protecting him from deportation. A judge later freed him from custody. Luis's arrest occurred as part of a broader enforcement pattern: Newsday's investigation found ICE has arrested over 2,000 people on Long Island since Trump's second term began, primarily through parking lot surveillance and traffic stops rather than coordinated raids. At least 84 of 400 reviewed cases involved immigrants arrested while using vehicles, despite New York state law barring ICE from accessing DMV records.

Alevtina Soboleva, a 59-year-old Russian asylum seeker from Sunnyvale, California, was detained by ICE agents at Buffalo Niagara International Airport on July 20 while returning from a vacation to Niagara Falls with her adult daughter, Daria. Soboleva had entered the U.S. legally on a visitor visa in 2021 and applied for asylum before it expired, citing fears of persecution in Russia over her opposition to the war in Ukraine. Her attorney said she held valid asylum documentation and work authorization. Daria said her mother, who has a progressive neurological disorder and gum disease requiring special hygiene care, was restrained with handcuffs and chains that caused her pain, developed an untreated fever, and was held in a cage without adequate water or bathroom access. She was transferred through multiple facilities, including Mahoning County Jail in Ohio and a South Louisiana ICE processing center. A federal judge later set her bond at $10,000, and she was released after nearly a month in custody and reunited with her daughter in the Bay Area.

Celestin Dima, a gay asylum seeker from Burkina Faso, fled kidnapping, military persecution and police torture after being outed before crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in 2024. An Arizona immigration judge granted him withholding of removal, finding he would likely face persecution if deported home, but ICE held him at the Eloy Detention Center for nearly two years while searching for a third country willing to accept him, considering Ghana, Cameroon and Uganda—all countries where homosexuality is criminalized. While detained, he grew depressed, stopped eating, and was placed in solitary confinement for two weeks. A federal judge ordered his release in June 2026 after granting a joint habeas petition, but ICE redetained him on July 17 during a mandatory check-in at a field office in Lower Manhattan. He was then transferred through detention facilities in New Jersey and near Dallas, fitted with a GPS ankle monitor, and scheduled for deportation without being told in advance where he would be sent.

ICE agents detained a Bronx asylum seeker at an immigration court in Manhattan while he attended a mandatory asylum hearing, despite a May 2026 federal court order prohibiting such arrests, and transferred him to Delaney Hall detention facility in New Jersey. The man, who had no criminal convictions and had complied with all immigration directives, filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention. On August 22, 2026, the government filed a notice of non-opposition to his release, and U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods granted the petition, ordering his immediate release.

Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-Palestinian lawful permanent resident and Columbia University graduate student known for organizing pro-Palestinian campus protests, was arrested by ICE agents at his student housing in March 2025 with no prior notice. Agents initially claimed his student visa had been revoked, then arrested him anyway after he showed proof of his green card, alleging without explanation that his residency status had also been revoked. His wife, a U.S. citizen, was eight months pregnant at the time. Khalil filed a habeas corpus petition arguing the arrest violated his First Amendment and Due Process rights, accusing the government of using immigration enforcement to suppress student activism. The Trump administration sought his deportation, citing his prior employment with a UN Palestinian refugee agency and invoking a provision allowing removal of noncitizens deemed a foreign policy threat. Khalil was held 104 days at Louisiana's LaSalle Detention Center; a federal appellate court later reversed an earlier release order. After an immigration board denied his appeal in July 2026, Khalil sued Trump administration officials and pro-Israel groups, alleging a coordinated campaign to target pro-Palestinian activists.