Human Impact Project

An Indigenous young woman was detained by ICE agents while standing on a public sidewalk outside the South Portland ICE facility in Portland, Oregon, during a protest that followed reports of an ICE raid on Warm Springs Reservation land. The woman wore a red handprint painted across her mouth and cheek as a symbol of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives movement. ICE agents claimed they were on Tribal land only to use the restroom and denied conducting targeted enforcement, though the 1855 treaty with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs remains legally binding.

Two individuals were taken into custody by ICE on the morning of July 14, 2026 at a Love's gas station in Madras. Video posted by the Latino Community Association shows two masked individuals wearing bulletproof vests and bearing Police and U.S. Border Patrol markings approaching a group of vehicles. The Latino Community Association received multiple reports of immigration enforcement activity in the area and was working to confirm whether these individuals were among those transported to Tacoma Northwest Detention Center.

Two residents of Bend were arrested by ICE on July 8, 2026 at approximately 6:45 a.m. near the Deschutes Memorial Chapel and Gardens. Video footage shows two masked individuals in bulletproof vests apprehending the individuals from an unmarked red Jeep SUV and gray Dodge Durango. The Bend Police Department and Deschutes County Sheriff's Office were not aware of ICE presence in the area. The individuals were transported to the Tacoma Northwest Detention Center. The Latino Community Association has been in contact with the families and is offering wraparound support services.

Two Lane County residents identified by initials H-F-M-J and A-V-L were detained by ICE officers during a vehicle stop near Eugene on July 3, 2026. According to legal petitions filed by Catholic Community Services of Lane County, the officers boxed in the vehicle without displaying arrest warrants, explaining the reason for the stop, or identifying themselves as immigration officials. The petitions allege the arrests were based solely on the detainees' perceived race and ethnicity rather than individualized assessment of flight risk or immigration status, and claim officers failed to inquire about family, employment, or community ties. ICE stated the detainees were arrested during a targeted enforcement action and that warrants had been issued for both men.

Francisca's partner and father of her five children was taken by ICE on June 20, 2026, and subsequently deported. Francisca now faces the burden of supporting her children—including a 2-year-old—while also navigating support for her deported partner. The family struggled to pay rent and basic necessities including food, diapers, and utilities after his removal.

Juana, a mother of four with no criminal record, was arrested by ICE agents on the side of the road in Grants Pass on June 9, 2026. A bystander videotaped the arrest, which showed agents handcuffing her and placing her in an unmarked vehicle while her van was left locked on the roadside. She was transported to the Tacoma immigration detention center and is facing deportation.

During an ICE operation at the Port of Astoria on June 7, 2026, federal agents pepper sprayed Astoria resident Stefanie Collar as ICE vehicles departed. Collar, who was not part of an organized observer group, confronted the vehicles at a traffic light and shouted at the agents. Video evidence showed an agent in a minivan attempted to open his door and deploy pepper spray before driving away; two additional vehicles behind the van also sprayed Collar as they passed. An ICE officer later called local police to report that agents had used pepper spray after what they characterized as a crowd swarming their vehicles.

Marco Antonio Mendoza-Cesar, a Venezuelan national, was detained by ICE agents during an operation at the Port of Astoria's Pier 1 on June 7, 2026. ICE conducted the operation on federally controlled port property without notifying Port of Astoria officials or local law enforcement. The operation raised concerns about whether it violated Oregon's sanctuary law, which prohibits state and local agencies from participating in immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant.

ICE detained six individuals in the Rogue Valley region of Southern Oregon between May 19 and May 29, 2026, marking a significant escalation in enforcement activity—the first notable surge since July 2025. Detentions occurred in public places including outside Jackson County Circuit Court, near parks, at workplaces, and during traffic stops. Community volunteers with Rogue Valley Migra Watch documented the incidents and tracked ICE vehicle sightings in the area.

A 45-year-old farm worker identified as MJMA was detained along with six others when ICE agents stopped a van without a warrant on October 30, 2025. Officers smashed the van window, used facial recognition technology to attempt identification, and detained MJMA despite her assertion of her right to remain silent and request for legal representation. She had an ongoing asylum case at the time. Federal Judge Mustafa Kasubhai ruled in February 2026 that the arrests were unlawful, citing officer misconduct, inaccurate statements in reports, and improper use of facial recognition technology. The judge noted that MJMA had entered the U.S. with a valid temporary visa, contrary to officers' claims.

Maria Trinidad Loya Medina, a Mexican national who lived in Albany, Oregon for over 20 years and was the primary caregiver for her husband and two U.S. citizen children, was detained by ICE agents on January 10, 2026, during Operation Black Rose while shopping at a sporting goods store in Albany. She was held at Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington for four months. An immigration judge denied her bond request on February 4 after a brief hearing, despite evidence of strong community ties and no criminal history. On May 7, Federal Judge Grady J. Leupold ordered her immediate release, finding that the immigration judge violated her constitutional due process rights by failing to consider relevant factors and abusing discretion in denying bond. The judge cited documented harm to her family, including her husband's stroke and daughter's depression. ICE delayed her release until May 8.

A Newport man was arrested by ICE agents on Monday. According to ICE, the man has an extensive criminal record and has been deported four times previously.

Hana Francis, 26, was arrested at a sit-in demonstration in a hotel lobby on Southwest 2nd Avenue in Portland during May Day protests. She was charged with second-degree criminal trespass.

Thirteen people were arrested during May Day protest activity in Portland on May 2, 2026, at two locations. Near the ICE facility in South Portland, five were arrested around 8:30 p.m. after protesters gathered to advocate for workers' and immigrant rights; police reported that protesters threw rocks and water bottles at officers, injuring two. Seven additional arrests were made during a hotel sit-in on Southwest 2nd Avenue.

Portland police arrested five people during a May Day protest at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in south Portland on Friday evening. Protesters gathered to advocate for worker and immigrant rights and to push for revoking the ICE facility's permit. Police reported that protesters threw rocks and water bottles at officers, injuring two. Portland police made multiple arrests during May Day protests on Friday, May 1, 2026, near the ICE facility in South Portland. Officers arrested nine people at a hotel sit-in demonstration, and additional arrests were made throughout the day and evening during protest activities near the ICE facility. Police reported that some protesters threw rocks and water bottles at officers, with one officer sustaining a non-life-threatening injury.

Thovatsay Phimmoungkhoun, owner of Khao Niew Lao Street Food, a food cart operating near Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The cart, known for serving Lao street food including sticky rice to PSU students, announced permanent closure following his detention. Phimmoungkhoun was transferred to a detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, and faces deportation to Laos. His family and supporters created a GoFundMe fundraiser to assist with his case.

Rajinder Kumar, a 32-year-old undocumented Indian national, was detained by ICE on April 22, 2026, after being released from Oregon jail on April 2. Kumar is accused of causing a fatal crash on November 24, 2025, on U.S. Highway 20 in Deschutes County that killed newlyweds William Micah Carter and Jennifer Lynn Lower. He is currently detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma awaiting deportation proceedings and has been charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment.

A Hispanic mother was detained by immigration agents while working as a delivery driver. The post appeals for help and offers to share a GoFundMe link for those commenting.

On March 29, 2026, police arrested multiple protesters during a demonstration at the Portland ICE building in Portland. Isiah A. Lee, 26, climbed onto the lower roof of the facility and vandalized it, resulting in charges of first-degree criminal mischief and second-degree criminal trespass. Isaias Laguna, 21, was arrested and charged with second-degree criminal mischief, second-degree disorderly conduct, and second-degree criminal trespass. Robert Stoms, 37, was arrested and charged with second-degree criminal mischief. Lee was taken to Multnomah County Detention Center.

An Afghan asylum seeker was assured by ICE that two missed check-ins would not be held against him—one due to a double-booked appointment and another due to hospitalization for a heart arrhythmia. Two months after the hospitalization, ICE detained him at work, claiming he was a flight risk for missed check-ins and failing to report a move to Portland. ICE provided no documentary evidence of the violations. U.S. District Judge Kymberly K. Evanson ruled in his favor and released him after 41 days of detention at the Northwest Detention Center.

A 23-year-old Colombian man was detained on March 10, 2026, at an ICE check-in appointment in Eugene based on a pending felony domestic violence assault charge in Linn County. He is an asylum seeker who fled politically motivated violence in Colombia. The alleged victim filed a statement saying she does not fear him and that the arrest does not represent his character as a person or father. Chief U.S. District Judge Michael McShane granted his habeas petition on May 14, 2026, finding the detention unjustified and rejecting the government's broad interpretation of mandatory detention law.

A federal judge in Oregon has restricted federal officers from using tear gas at protests at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland. The ruling limits law enforcement's use of force against demonstrators at the ICE facility.

Phanomphone Thiravong, a native of Laos who entered the United States in 1988 as a child refugee and was adjusted to lawful permanent resident status, was detained by ICE on March 3, 2026, when he reported to the ICE office in Portland, Oregon. He was taken to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. Thiravong has a U.S. citizen spouse, one child, and four step-children. A final removal order to Laos was entered on January 5, 2012, but he had been released on Orders of Supervision since May 2015 based on nonremovability. On January 8, 2026, his spouse filed an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative. Thiravong was served with a Notice of Revocation of Release citing changed circumstances making removal reasonably foreseeable. On April 10, 2026, ICE obtained a Laissez-Passer from Laos valid for 90 days. Thiravong filed a habeas corpus petition and motion for temporary restraining order seeking to prevent his removal and transfer pending the court's consideration of his case. On May 1, 2026, the federal magistrate judge denied his motion, finding he had not shown a likelihood of success on the merits because ICE had obtained a valid travel document establishing an unchallenged basis for his detention.

Paulino Martin San Pedro, a handyman who lived and worked in Oregon for years, was arrested by ICE agents in Washington County in late 2025 during an enforcement surge in the Pacific Northwest. The arrests were part of an operation internally called 'Operation Black Rose,' which resulted in a 600% increase in apprehensions in Multnomah County and a 2,100% increase in Washington County. After his arrest, San Pedro was deported to Mexico, where he died in February 2026 from pneumonia complications.

Martin Romero was deported to Mexico while dealing with multiple serious health conditions including lupus vasculitis, hypertension, anemia, and kidney failure requiring dialysis every other day. His daughter created a fundraiser to help cover the costs of his medical treatment, medications, specialist visits, and transportation to dialysis appointments in Mexico, as the family struggles with overwhelming medical expenses.

A U.S. citizen and Latina woman named Maria was stopped by ICE agents on a Salem street, during which officers broke her car window and pulled her from the vehicle. After discovering her passport, agents left. Maria sustained a concussion, torn rotator cuff, and bruised ribs from the incident.

A 7-year-old girl and her parents from Venezuela were detained by immigration agents outside a Portland hospital emergency department on January 16 while seeking emergency medical care for the child's prolonged nosebleed. After three weeks at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, the family was released on February 7, though Congresswoman Maxine Dexter stated she was unsure why ICE approved their release. The detention marked one of the first confirmed cases of an entire family detained in Oregon during the Trump administration's escalated deportation campaign.

A 19-year-old anti-ICE protester was sprayed with chemical agent by a federal officer during a protest in Portland. The protester was vocal but nonviolent and standing still when sprayed. Video evidence documents the incident.

Thousands of protesters marched to an ICE facility in South Portland on Saturday as part of a "Labor Against ICE" rally organized by local unions. Federal agents deployed tear gas, pepper balls, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades after some protesters approached the building's security gate. The protest coincided with a march honoring Alex Pretti, an intensive-care nurse fatally shot by Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis.

On August 13, 2025, DHS agents deployed tear gas and fired less-lethal bullets from the roof of an ICE facility at 4310 S Macadam Ave in Portland, targeting civilians peacefully demonstrating on the public sidewalk. A U.S. military veteran was violently attacked from behind, assaulted, and pinned to the ground while being exposed to tear gas for approximately two minutes by three DHS agents. On January 31, 2026, federal agents deployed tear gas on a densely packed crowd of peaceful anti-ICE protesters during a labor union-led rally and march near the ICE facility. The crowd included children, elderly people, and pets who marched from Elizabeth Caruthers Park before being trapped in lingering tear gas plumes. Agents used tear gas again on February 3. The ACLU of Oregon filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of five plaintiffs: Jack Dickinson (known as "the Portland chicken"), Laurie Eckman (84), Richard Eckman, Mason Lake, and Hugo Rios. Laurie Eckman was shot in the head with a crowd control munition without warning; her husband was tear-gassed and had a munition fired at his walker. Dickinson was repeatedly assaulted and bombarded with chemical munitions. Independent journalists Lake and Rios were shot with pepper balls, tear-gassed, had lights pointed at them to interfere with recording, and Lake was sprayed with bear mace. U.S. District Judge Michael Simon issued a temporary restraining order on February 3 pausing tear gas or crowd control munitions use on non-violent protesters and journalists unless targeting a specific imminent threat. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed an amicus brief supporting the lawsuit.

A Salem woman who is a U.S. citizen was pulled from her vehicle by federal law enforcement officers on January 29, 2026. After being boxed in by unmarked vehicles, agents broke her car window and pulled her to the ground. She suffered a concussion, torn rotator cuff, and bruised ribs.

Multiple protesters were detained and injured during an anti-ICE demonstration at the Eugene Federal Building on January 27, 2026. Federal officers deployed tear gas, pepper balls, and flash-bangs, detaining at least nine demonstrators. Several protesters reported injuries including bruises, hyperextended limbs, and eye injuries sustained during the law enforcement response.

A 25-year-old Guatemalan woman of indigenous Mam ethnicity was detained on January 16, 2026, at an ICE check-in appointment in Eugene due to a pending felony criminal mistreatment case in Marion County. She claims persecution in Guatemala based on her indigenous heritage and reports her daughter is at risk of violence because her former partner is a gang member. Court records show she was released pending the outcome of her habeas petition after attorneys argued she posed neither a flight risk nor danger to the community.

A family of three from Venezuela—parents Yohendry De Jesus Crespo and Darianny Liseth Gonzalez De Crespo, and their 7-year-old daughter Diana—were detained by immigration officers in a parking lot at Portland Adventist Health on January 16, 2026, while attempting to seek medical care for the child's nosebleed. The family, who entered the U.S. through a port of entry in California and have a pending asylum application, is now being held at ICE's South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas.

Maria Loya Medina, a 44-year-old mother of two U.S. citizens, was detained by ICE agents on January 10, 2026, in an Albany, Oregon parking lot during Operation Black Rose. She has been held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Washington for over two months. After being denied bond at a February 4 hearing, her attorneys with Innovation Law Lab filed a habeas corpus petition on March 6, 2026, arguing violations of her Fifth Amendment due process rights and the Immigration and Nationality Act. The petition emphasizes her strong community ties, employment history, family responsibilities including caring for her stroke-afflicted husband, and lack of flight risk or danger to the community. Medina has resided in the United States since 2005.

In January 2026, federal agents posing as utility company employees knocked on several homes in Gresham, a suburb east of Portland, Oregon, with the goal of getting migrants to come out of their houses, according to complaints from three affected families. The families reported the incident to state lawmaker Ricky Ruiz, identifying the agents as ICE. Ruiz stated: "They are doing everything they can to deceive people, lie to our community and then detain them. They don't even follow the law." The incident prompted local utility companies Portland General Electric and Northwest Natural to issue statements warning about people using "pressure tactics to get into homes" and emphasizing that their employees carry official identification and never ask to enter homes.

Miguel Garcia Pazaran and his wife Dulce Maria Trejo Segura were pulled over by immigration agents while driving to work in Hillsboro, Oregon and detained without proper clothing. The couple was taken to a detention center in Tacoma and deported to Mexico within eight days, leaving behind their 2-year-old daughter Sofía, who is a U.S. citizen.

Paulino Martin, an undocumented handyman who lived in Beaverton for over 30 years, was detained by ICE while driving to get lunch and deported to Mexico within three days. The community gathered at Southridge High School to rally in support of Martin, a father of three with no criminal record, as speakers praised his character and work ethic.

Christian Jimenez, 17, a U.S. citizen and high school senior in Oregon, was stopped and detained by ICE officers on November 21, 2025, during his lunch break while driving his father's car. Officers broke the driver's side window despite Jimenez telling them he was a U.S. citizen. He was held at ICE's Portland facility for nearly seven hours before being released and now faces charges of interference or obstruction of investigation. DHS claimed the teenager violently attacked officers with his vehicle, but his family and immigrant-justice groups disputed this account. Jimenez was one of four U.S. citizens detained by ICE in the Portland area that week, prompting a 300-student walkout and community protests over ICE enforcement tactics near schools.

A 17-year-old U.S. citizen and high school senior was detained by ICE agents in Yamhill County, Oregon on Friday during the school lunch period. According to ICE, the student allegedly followed and obstructed federal agents in a vehicle. The student's family confirmed he is a U.S. citizen. McMinnville School District Superintendent Kourtney Ferrua stated the school had not previously had ICE visits and is working to support students' social and emotional needs following the incident. The minor was transported to the ERO Portland office for investigation and potential federal prosecution for impeding federal law enforcement officers. Students nearby witnessed the detention.

Isaias Eduardo Soto Elias, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE Border Patrol agents in Yamhill County after allegedly following and obstructing the agents in a vehicle on Friday. He was transported to the ERO Portland office for investigation and federal prosecution for impeding federal law enforcement officers. DHS stated the detentions occurred during ICE sweeps in the county that resulted in at least seven other arrests.

Christian Jimenez, 17, a U.S. citizen and high school senior, was detained by ICE officers while driving off school grounds during lunch break in McMinnville. An officer broke the car's driver's side window and detained Jimenez despite him stating he was a U.S. citizen. He was transported to an ICE facility in South Portland and released shortly before 7 p.m. Authorities are attempting to charge his brother with obstruction of investigation.

On November 21, 2025, ICE agents detained Christian Jimenez, a 17-year-old U.S. citizen and McMinnville High School senior, during lunch break in Oregon. Despite asserting his citizenship, agents broke his car window and transported him to an ICE facility in South Portland before releasing him later that day. The detention was part of ICE sweeps in Yamhill County that week resulting in at least 7 total detentions, including at least 4 U.S. citizens. The incident occurred off school grounds but was witnessed by students in the area. A protest was held in response. The McMinnville School District confirmed increased ICE activity in the community while noting that agents have not entered school buildings.

Two U.S. citizen women were detained by ICE agents in Canby on Thursday after filming the agents in a parking lot. They were held for hours without access to an attorney before being released. The Oregon for All coalition, which reported the detentions, noted the women have chosen to remain anonymous due to fears of retaliation. The detentions occurred during ICE sweeps in Yamhill County that resulted in at least seven other arrests.

Misael Garcia Lopez, 48, spent 18 years building a life in Eugene, Oregon with his wife Valeria and three children—Leo, 11, Jasmine, 22, and Luis—working in landscaping, roofing, and other jobs. On November 19, 2025, ICE agents in unmarked vehicles conducted a traffic stop near Meadowlark Prairie minutes after he dropped Leo at school and arrested him for lacking legal status, despite his clean criminal record. Over nearly two months detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, Garcia Lopez received support letters from family, friends, and community members attesting to his work ethic, kindness, and role as a devoted father. His 22-year-old daughter Jasmine, a U.S. citizen and certified nursing assistant, spoke publicly about his case despite her mother's fear. On January 15, 2026, Garcia Lopez accepted voluntary departure and was deported to Mexico, arriving with only 96 cents and no documents. His family remained in Oregon; months later, he watched via video call as his grandson was born.

Harrinson Jose Osuna Benitez, a Venezuelan tattoo artist seeking asylum over fears of torture and persecution, was released on parole when he arrived at the U.S. border in September 2024 after ICE found no criminal history. He moved to Portland with his partner, who gave birth to their son in December 2024. On November 17, 2025, when Osuna Benitez appeared for an immigration court appointment in Portland, ICE detained him. Court documents indicate ICE later reassessed his tattoos as a security concern, despite having cleared him on the same basis at entry. He spent two months in detention while his family struggled financially without his income as primary breadwinner.

Juanita Avila, a Guatemalan-born permanent resident and shop owner, was detained by ICE agents on November 5, 2025, while driving on Highway 99 in Cottage Grove despite having her valid green card in her pocket. Avila alleges she was racially profiled and that agents used excessive force, dragging her from her vehicle and pinning her to the pavement. Her case became part of a lawsuit that challenged ICE's "arrest first, justify later" tactics; in May 2026, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking ICE agents in Oregon from detaining people without warrants or probable cause, ruling their conduct "brutal and violent" and a systematic violation of constitutional rights.

ICE agents arrested Juanita Avila, a 47-year-old legal permanent resident carrying her green card, during a traffic stop in November 2025 without showing a warrant or probable cause. Video evidence of the arrest captured by her daughter became part of a lawsuit challenging ICE's arrest practices. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking ICE from continuing warrantless arrests in Oregon, citing the agency's conduct and systematic violation of constitutional rights.

Berenice Garcia-Hernandez, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE for approximately seven hours after photographing unmarked ICE vehicles near a Chick-fil-A in Gresham. She was documenting the agents' presence to warn her community after seeing a Facebook alert. ICE agents broke her car window and removed her from the vehicle, though no criminal charges had been filed as of the article's publication.

MJMA, a 45-year-old farm worker and lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit, was detained in a van stop by ICE agents who smashed the vehicle's windows without waiting for occupants to comply with commands. Body-camera footage shows MJMA asserting her right to remain silent and requesting a lawyer in Spanish, while an officer broke her phone as she called 911. Agents used facial recognition software to scan her face multiple times, obtaining inaccurate matches—one incorrectly identifying her as "Maria"—and falsely claiming she entered the country unlawfully when she had actually arrived with a valid temporary visa. A federal judge ruled the arrests unlawful and unjustified, finding officers engaged in misconduct, made inaccurate statements in reports, and improperly used facial recognition technology without warrants. MJMA has an ongoing asylum case.