Human Impact Project

Luis, an Ecuadorian mechanic and father of three, was arrested by masked ICE agents on August 26 after leaving a courtroom on the 12th floor of 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan with his wife Cocha and their children, ages 7, 13, and 15. The family had attended a routine immigration hearing and believed his case had been extended for another year when agents grabbed Luis without explanation. His children leapt onto him, clutching his shirt to stay together, but an ICE agent violently yanked one of his daughters backward to pry them apart. His 7-year-old son was left weeping as a masked agent blocked the family with his arm. The family came to the U.S. from Ecuador 2.5 years ago, making the journey on foot and by car, fleeing local corruption and fearing for their children's futures. Luis works as a mechanic and is the family's sole financial support. Cocha, who stayed home to care for the children, does not know where her husband was taken or what to do without him.

Guan Heng, a Chinese asylum seeker who documented internment camps in Xinjiang, was arrested by ICE agents at his home in Albany in August 2025 and detained for five months. Guan had fled China after his 2021 YouTube footage exposed human rights abuses targeting Uyghur Muslims. He arrived in the U.S. in 2021, applied for asylum, and settled in New York before his detention. The arrest reflects a troubling pattern affecting Chinese dissidents seeking refuge in the United States.

Mamadou Mouctar Diallo, a 20-year-old asylum seeker from Guinea and student at Brooklyn Frontiers High School, was detained by ICE on August 4, 2025, following a routine court appearance. He was transferred to a detention facility in Pennsylvania. Elected officials, immigrant advocates, and teachers rallied outside the Tweed Courthouse in Lower Manhattan in response to his detention. Diallo was held for approximately five months before being released in November 2025.

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking ICE from holding immigrants at a Manhattan facility (26 Federal Plaza) unless conditions are improved, including providing sleeping mats, hygiene products, and legal access. The facility had been holding detainees on floors without beds, limiting meals to two per day, and denying access to basic necessities and legal representation.

Federal immigration enforcement officers arrested two undocumented immigrants inside the Stamford courthouse on August 11, 2025, forcibly entering a bathroom and breaking a door panel during the encounter. The arrest, which followed the Trump administration's reversal of a federal courthouse enforcement policy, sparked public outcry and led 21 Connecticut state senators to request in September that the state's highest court issue orders prohibiting arrests without judicial warrants in or near courthouses, citing concerns that facilities are being used as "mouse traps" rather than centers for justice.

Geovani Maradiaga Ochoa, a Honduran immigrant who lived in the Bronx for 20 years with a U.S. citizen wife and daughter, was arrested at an ICE check-in and detained at 26 Federal Plaza for six days without access to shower or toothbrush. He stated he felt mistreated during detention. His sworn affidavit is part of a lawsuit by Make the Road New York, the NYCLU, and ACLU seeking to improve conditions at the facility.

A 15-year-old Manhattan high school student, Roger Iza, was arrested by ICE at a check-in appointment on August 9, 2025, along with his father. The pair were transported to private hotels in Louisiana and Texas where they were held incommunicado without access to phones or the internet, prevented from contacting lawyers or the outside world. They were deported to Ecuador on August 14, 2025, after just five days of detention in hotels rather than standard ICE detention facilities.

Benjamin, 16, and his brother Dennis were stopped by Buffalo police in August 2025 during a traffic stop; DHS agents then arrested both brothers despite their possession of Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and Deferred Action protections from deportation. ICE officers questioned them, told them the U.S. would pay $2,000 for self-deportation, and presented them with English-language papers without explanation; Benjamin signed, believing he had no choice. Dennis, who had just turned 18, was deported to Ecuador while Benjamin was transported to a shelter in Texas, then moved to a shelter in Groton, Connecticut, where he spent two months unable to understand why he was being held despite having been previously vetted and approved for release to his father. Benjamin wrote that he felt "trapped" and "like a delinquent," confined to three rooms with no outdoor access without staff supervision. He was released 143 days after his arrest, four days after lawyers filed a lawsuit challenging his detention.

The NYCLU, ACLU, and other legal organizations filed a federal lawsuit challenging ICE's policy of arresting immigrants who attend mandatory immigration court hearings. The lawsuit claims the Trump administration's practice violates the Administrative Procedure Act and due process rights, as people are being arrested when complying with legal obligations to appear in court and then fast-tracked for deportation.

Yeonsoo Go, age 21, a South Korean student with an R-2 religious worker visa, was arrested by ICE outside a federal courthouse in New York on July 31 after reporting for a routine visa hearing. She was initially held without access to legal counsel at a Manhattan facility, then transferred to an ICE detention center in Louisiana, and released after five days on August 5. ICE claimed her R-2 visa expired more than two years ago, though her visa attorney states it is not set to expire until December 2025 and Go was in the process of converting to a student visa. The visa hearing on July 31 reportedly went well and the judge had granted her a hearing date for late August.

Yeonsoo Go, a 21-year-old Scarsdale High School graduate attending Purdue University, was arrested by ICE on July 31, 2025, outside a federal courthouse in New York following a routine visa hearing. ICE claimed her R-2 religious worker visa had expired over two years prior, but Go was released on August 5 after her attorney confirmed the visa remained valid through December 2025. Go's mother is an Episcopal church pastor in Scarsdale, and Go had been in the process of converting to a student visa at the time of her detention.

Gerson Josué Santamaría Turcios, a 23-year-old Honduran immigrant and Rhinebeck High School graduate, was arrested by ICE on July 18 as he returned home from work. He owns a local lawn care, maintenance and landscaping business in Rhinebeck and has lived in the community for years, attending high school there and building long-term employment relationships with local residents. A Manhattan judge denied his request for a temporary restraining order to pause his deportation on July 23, though the order expires July 30, giving supporters an additional week to pursue legal options. Community members including his former employers, high school teachers, and classmates have rallied behind him, raising over $60,000 for his legal defense through a grassroots fundraiser organized by Jenny Friedberg, who has employed him regularly for five years.

Derlis Snaider Chusin Toaquiza, a 19-year-old Ecuadorian asylum-seeker and 11th grader at Grover Cleveland High School in Queens, was detained by ICE on June 4 at a scheduled immigration court appearance in Texas. An immigration judge granted him release on bond, and the Envision Freedom Fund posted a $20,000 bond to secure his release. Chusin reunited with his family on Friday after a month in detention, with his legal team arguing that ICE violated his due process rights. His asylum case remains pending.

Tenzin, a 29-year-old Tibetan refugee originally from Nepal, arrived at Newark airport on July 12 and was detained after attempting to cross into Canada. He spent over six months in ICE detention in Batavia, NY, where his asylum case was dismissed by a judge due to an interpreter's illness, then targeted for deportation to Uganda under the Trump administration's pretermission policy. His attorney successfully intervened to have him deported to Canada instead, where he arrived on February 19.

Immigrants detained at ICE holding rooms at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan have complained of inhumane conditions including cramped quarters, inadequate food, inability to bathe or change clothes, and sleeping on concrete floors. Some detainees reported stays lasting up to 10 days in what were previously temporary processing areas, with allegations of insufficient medical care and limited communication with family and lawyers.

Carlos Lopez Benitez was arrested by ICE agents immediately after his immigration court hearing in July 2025, which he attended with his two U.S. citizen sisters. He was detained at 26 Federal Plaza for multiple days in severely overcrowded conditions. An ICE officer held up a phone showing a photo of Lopez Benitez weeping and laughed. When he asked why they were arresting him, an ICE officer responded "it's a new government." After his release from custody, he testified about the conditions and stated: "No one should have to go through what I went through, or what thousands of other people who have been arrested and detained in this building have gone through."

Jian Hao Zhang, owner of China Moon restaurant in Camden, was arrested by ICE agents on June 27 and detained at an ICE facility in Batavia for eight months. An immigration court judge had ordered him to leave the country, but he did not comply. Zhang was released in March 2026 after winning an appeal and has returned home to his family.

Jin Hao Zhang, a 56-year-old restaurateur who operated the China Moon restaurant on Main Street in Camden for nearly 20 years, was detained by ICE agents on June 25, 2025. According to reports, Zhang entered the U.S. on a fraudulent visa in 1990 and was ordered to leave by an immigration court judge in 2000 but remained in the country for the past 25 years. The raid closed the restaurant.

Joselyn Chipantiza-Sisalema, a 20-year-old from Ecuador, was arrested on June 24, 2025, and sent to a Louisiana detention center. She was released three weeks later.

ICE fabricated its authority for over a year to arrest individuals attending legally mandated immigration court hearings at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. A May 2025 ICE guidance memo that agents used to justify the arrests did not actually apply to immigration courts, according to a letter filed by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in March 2026. The agency conducted mass arrests and separated families under false legal pretenses, with agents stalking immigrants in courthouse hallways and transferring detainees across the country to prevent them from meeting with lawyers. The revelation prompted civil rights organizations to request the federal court reconsider its prior denial of a stay on the arrests.

Elzon Lemus, a 23-year-old Hispanic U.S. citizen from Brentwood, Long Island, was stopped and detained by ICE agents without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. Agents stopped the vehicle he was a passenger in, claiming he "looks like somebody we are looking for." When Lemus refused to provide identification without explanation, an agent forcibly opened the car door, handcuffed him, and confiscated his phone. His attorneys argue the incident violated his civil rights and constitutes racial profiling, calling for a federal investigation.

A 23-year-old electrician from Brentwood was pulled over by ICE agents while driving a work van in Westbury and was handcuffed and detained for approximately 25 minutes. The agents claimed he looked like someone they were searching for but provided no specific basis for the stop. After finding his ID confirming his U.S. citizenship, the agents released him without explanation or apology.

An 11th grade student from Queens was detained by ICE agents outside a local courthouse while attending a scheduled immigration court hearing to seek asylum. The student's whereabouts remain unknown to their family, causing significant distress. NYC Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles Ramos confirmed the detention and reaffirmed the school system's commitment to maintaining schools as safe spaces for all students.

Derlis Snaider Chusin Toaquiza, a 19-year-old 11th grader from Ecuador at Grover Cleveland High School in Queens, was detained by ICE on June 4, 2025, during a scheduled immigration court hearing. He was initially held at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City in severely overcrowded conditions—confined in a room so crowded he could not lie down and forced to sleep sitting up with approximately two dozen other people. Over two days of detention at that facility, he was given only two meals total. He was then moved to a gymnasium inside the facility that was equally overcrowded with no beds, blankets, or access to basic necessities. After six weeks in a Texas detention facility, the Envision Freedom Fund posted his $20,000 bond, and he was released on July 18, 2025, to reunite with his family.

Arzou Hami, an Iranian woman suffering from serious mental health issues, was detained in June 2025 as part of a sweep of Iranian migrants following U.S. military action against Iran. She was detained by Buffalo ICE agents at the Niagara County Jail before being transferred to Texas. Her attorney alleged in court filings that her detention prevented her from receiving mental health medications. Her attorney reported she has received some medication, but it is not the same as what she was previously prescribed.

ICE agents approached poll worker Paigelynne Gonyea at a Syracuse polling site during state primaries, asking her to sign a warning notice related to an Instagram post where she credited reporting that identified Jonathan Ross, an ICE agent involved in a fatal shooting. Gonyea refused to sign the notice, which she says would have constituted an admission of guilt. The incident highlights ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility investigating civilians for online speech, with court documents indicating OPR investigated 131 cases of alleged doxing and threats against ICE employees between January 2025 and March 2026.

Joselyn Chipantiza-Sisalema, age 20, was detained at 26 Federal Plaza for 10 days where conditions included lights that were never shut off and unbearable summer heat. She was provided minimal food—often just cookies thrown into the detention area—and had to beg staff for food and water. She was eventually released from ICE custody following a federal judge's order. She stated: "We had to beg the people working there that they gave us something to eat, they didn't even give us water. Sometimes a few cookies they'd throw in there. A human being doesn't deserve to be treated that way. They had us in there like animals."

Roberto Chilavert Olmedo was held at 26 Federal Plaza for days during the summer 2025 surge in ICE arrests. In written testimony presented to the federal court, he described the experience as a nightmare, stating: "My time at 26 Federal Plaza still haunts me. It is a nightmare and I cannot believe that human beings can be treated like that in a place like the United States."

Ramiro G., a 33-year-old man from Ecuador living in Buffalo, New York, was walking to work when he noticed an unmarked van trailing him. He texted his wife: 'Don't come outside, I think ICE is here.' When the van turned on its lights, masked officers asked for identification. Because he was undocumented, he had nothing to show and was arrested. He was handcuffed and taken to Buffalo (Batavia) Service Processing Center before being transferred to Camp East Montana.

Documents revealed in a federal lawsuit show that ICE officers detained up to 100 people at a time in a makeshift facility on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan in 2025, despite the Trump administration denying overcrowding. Internal emails and testimony from ICE officials themselves acknowledged the deteriorating conditions, including detainees lying on cement floors, inadequate food, lack of medical care, and failure to comply with a judge's order limiting occupancy. Detainees including Nuvia Ventura Martinez and Carlos Lopez Benitez testified about days spent in cells designed for only 12-hour stays, with no beds or showers.

Sara Lopez Garcia, a 20-year-old student at Suffolk County Community College with a 3.9 GPA, was arrested by ICE agents on May 21 during a raid on her family home in Mastic. She claimed she had special immigrant juvenile legal status and a valid work permit. She was detained for over two months and subsequently deported to Colombia in August.

Unaccompanied migrant children, including a 4-year-old girl, are appearing in immigration court proceedings without legal representation after the Trump administration terminated a $200 million federal contract funding legal services for minors. Data shows nearly all children without attorneys are deported, compared to 23% of those with representation.

Josue Coreas-Chavek, 29, from El Salvador, was arrested by ICE Buffalo on April 18, 2025, immediately after his release from Wyoming Correctional Facility. He had been sentenced in January 2025 to three years of incarceration and five years of supervised release for second-degree attempted robbery, conspiracy, and criminal facilitation. He faces additional pending charges including robbery, kidnapping, assault, coercion, unlawful imprisonment, and grand larceny, and is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Tim, a Nigerian man, was transferred to the Batavia ICE detention facility in April 2025 after suffering a major concussion from a fall while finishing a federal prison sentence. He was discharged from a Massachusetts hospital with nine prescribed medications and orders for inpatient physical therapy. At Batavia, he went at least a month without medication and received only one physical therapy session before being deported in summer 2025. He now requires a walker and reports severe mental health issues and insomnia.

Immigration Judge Jem Sponzo issued 25 deportation orders for minors in a single morning in April 2025 in a downtown New York immigration courtroom, with some hearings lasting only minutes. Among those ordered deported were an 8-year-old girl from Ecuador seeking asylum and SIJS whose mother had already won asylum; a Guatemalan child whose attorney requested more time to prepare evidence for an asylum petition citing an abusive father in the home country; and a high school senior from Guatemala seeking SIJS and asylum. Attorneys reported feeling blindsided by the judge's rapid-fire denials. Sponzo was subsequently fired, becoming one of over 100 immigration judges terminated since Trump returned to office.

Nine members of a Queens church music ministry were detained by ICE during a traffic stop on their return trip from an out-of-state church event. While in detention, they signed documents for voluntary departure to Guatemala. All nine were primary breadwinners who left behind spouses and young children.

Alma Lopez Diaz accompanied her sons Jose, 20, and Josue, 19, to a routine ICE check-in at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan in March 2025, where they were unexpectedly detained and subsequently deported to El Salvador. Neither brother had criminal records, and both were pursuing green cards through Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. The deportation separated them from their mother and 8-year-old nonverbal brother Mateo, a U.S. citizen with Moebius syndrome who requires constant care.

M.K., a lawful permanent resident and student at Columbia University, was arrested by ICE on March 8, 2025, at his student housing with no prior notice. According to his habeas corpus petition, DHS agents initially claimed his student visa had been revoked, but M.K. presented documents proving he is a green card holder. The agents arrested him anyway, claiming his green card had been revoked without providing any basis for the revocation. M.K. is married to a U.S. citizen who is 8 months pregnant. His petition alleges the arrest and detention violate his First Amendment and Due Process rights and claims the government is using immigration enforcement to suppress student activism and political speech.

A family of four—two parents and children ages 1 and 2—were found huddled under a tree after spending many hours lost in woods while attempting to cross from New York into Quebec in March 2025. Unprepared for winter conditions, the parents lost their shoes and hiked barefoot in snow while their children lacked cold-weather gear. The mother called 911 after several hours in freezing conditions, and the family was rescued by local authorities at approximately 4:15 a.m. All four were treated for hypothermia at a hospital and have since requested refugee status with Canadian authorities.

Issa Salma Baouna, a 49-year-old green-card holder from Niger, was denied reentry to the United States at John F. Kennedy International Airport on March 6 after CBP determined he was inadmissible due to a prior removal order from 2022. Baouna had been ordered removed following an arrest for assault and visa overstay, and was paroled back into the country multiple times in 2023. After voluntarily returning to Niger, he contracted malaria that led to kidney failure. His wife left the U.S. with their two children to reunite with him.

Bryan David Tasiguano Leon, an Ecuadorian citizen, was arrested by ICE on March 4, 2025, following his release from NYPD custody despite an ICE detainer request. He had been arrested by NYPD on February 14, 2026, on suspicion of assault. An immigration judge issued a final deportation order against him on February 27, 2025, and federal authorities designated him a public safety risk. He is scheduled for deportation to Ecuador.

Kamal Morales, a counselor at Community Healthcare Network South Bronx clinic, was detained on March 2 during a routine immigration appearance and subsequently deported to Venezuela after 12 years out of the country. He was held in detention centers across five different states before deportation. Community members in the South Bronx and Queens are rallying in support.

Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old permanent resident and Columbia University undergraduate, was pursued by ICE in March 2025 following her arrest for trespassing at a pro-Palestine demonstration on Barnard College campus in early 2025, for which she paid a fine. ICE searched her dorm room and her parents' home but did not locate her. She filed suit against the Trump Administration alleging violation of her First Amendment rights. On June 5, 2025, U.S. District Judge Naomi Buchwald issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting ICE from arresting or detaining Chung and rejected the government's motion to dismiss, noting that ICE failed to issue her a notice to appear in immigration court. Chung subsequently returned to court on May 29, 2025, seeking to consolidate the protective order while her constitutional case proceeds.

Sering Ceesay, a Gambian man with serious heart conditions, was detained by ICE on February 19, 2025, after showing up for a routine immigration appointment in New York City. He was shackled and transferred to the Batavia facility, where he went two weeks without his heart medications. He subsequently suffered a stroke-like syndrome. A physician noted that without strict adherence to his medications, he faced risk of recurrent heart attacks, worsening peripheral artery disease, and strokes. A U.S. District Judge later ordered his release.

Chidi Nwagbo, a Nigerian migrant who had lived in the U.S. for 37 years, was detained at the Buffalo Federal Detention facility in Batavia on February 10, 2025, after attempting to cross into Canada. He arrived at the facility with frostbite and was under doctor's orders to see a specialist at Kessler Burn and Trauma Center in Rochester within a week. ICE staff never took him to the appointment. By the time he saw a doctor 16 days later, portions of six fingers had to be amputated due to untreated frostbite.

Adelso Bravo, a 39-year-old painter from Guatemala who had lived in Syracuse for over 20 years, was detained by ICE on February 10, 2025, after entering the country without authorization decades earlier. With support from family, advocates, and lawyers using a habeas corpus petition strategy, Bravo secured a bond hearing and was released after 21 days with a $5,000 bond and ankle monitor. The habeas corpus petition strategy has been used across the country in response to Trump administration detention policies requiring mandatory detention for immigrants who entered without permission.

Jesus Romero-Hernandez, 27, a Mexican citizen, pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally entering the United States after a previous removal. He faces a maximum two-year prison sentence, a $250,000 fine, and potential deportation. Romero-Hernandez is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17, 2025 in Utica, New York. He was arrested by federal agents on January 30 after being released from Tompkins County Sheriff's custody the previous day.