Human Impact Project

A 76-year-old Indonesian father was detained by ICE agents outside the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center on April 7 while attempting to drop assault charges against his 47-year-old son in court. The father was released shortly after his detention, but his son remained in immigration detention over two weeks later. The incident has raised concerns among advocates about immigrants risking deportation when participating in the justice system. Advocates have called for restrictions on ICE activity at the courthouse, where dozens of immigrants have been arrested in the past 15 months.

Jasser L. Bautista Espinoza filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus challenging his detention. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania granted his petition on April 7, 2026. The court ordered respondents to immediately release Bautista Espinoza from custody and return all personal belongings and identification documents confiscated during his detention. The court enjoined respondents from detaining Bautista Espinoza for seven days following his release based on 8 U.S.C. §§ 1225 or 1226. If the government seeks to detain him after seven days, it must provide a bond hearing within 48 hours or his remedy will recur. The petitioner may submit a motion for attorney fees within 60 days of the order.

Subramanyam "Subu" Vedam, a 64-year-old legal permanent resident from India, won an immigration hearing to remain in the United States after his 1980 murder conviction was vacated in 2024 following over 43 years in prison. Immigration Judge Adam Panopoulos ruled that Vedam's lengthy wrongful imprisonment, spotless prison record, and demonstrated rehabilitation outweighed prior drug convictions from the early 1980s, finding he poses no danger to the community and possesses good moral character. Vedam had been taken into ICE custody after his conviction was dismissed and was days away from naturalized citizenship when the deportation case was heard.

Subramanyam "Subu" Vedam, 64, spent over 40 years in prison after a 1983 first-degree murder conviction that was vacated in August 2025 when prosecutors were found to have withheld ballistics evidence. Upon his conviction being overturned, ICE detained him based on a longstanding deportation order tied to a prior drug-related conviction. On April 1, 2026, an immigration judge ruled that Vedam could remain in the United States, citing his personal transformation and strong family ties. DHS has until May 4 to appeal the decision, and Vedam must still file a bond request for release from custody.

Nine clergy members and one immigration activist were arrested on Monday morning while blocking the ICE headquarters garage in Center City Philadelphia as part of a "Week of Action Against ICE and Collaborators." Homeland Security officers forcibly removed the protesters from the garage doors and took them into custody around 9:45 a.m. All were charged with obstructing access to the garage under federal security infrastructure rules and issued violation notices requiring $530 in penalties or a federal court appearance.

Charles Wongso, an Indonesian national and longtime Philadelphia resident, was detained by ICE on December 11, 2025, while leaving for work. He was initially held at Philadelphia Federal Detention Center before being transferred to Moshannon ICE detention facility. His adult children, Jacqueline and Johnson, have been fighting to have his case reopened through proper legal channels, arguing ICE is attempting to proceed with deportation without following due process for the motion to reopen. As of March 27, 2026, his stay of removal was denied. The family is filing a Mandamus Injunction to stop the deportation and prevent a 10-year reentry ban, and has sought community support for the case.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested an undocumented immigrant on March 26, 2026, while he was being driven by his attorney to a court appearance in Bellefonte. The man, described as a father of two who had lived in the community for nearly two decades, was pulled over on East College Avenue by five ICE agents in unmarked vehicles. State College Police confirmed they had no prior knowledge of the operation and did not participate. The arrest marked at least the second ICE detention of an individual en route to a Centre County court proceeding within a month.

Mahady Sacko, a 50-year-old undocumented Mauritanian national, was arrested by ICE in Philadelphia for illegally voting in seven federal elections between 2008 and 2024. Despite being ordered removed from the country in 2000 and placed under immigration supervision, Sacko remained in the U.S. and registered and voted in multiple elections. Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting, with violations carrying fines and up to five years in prison.

Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old Haitian asylum seeker who arrived at the southern border in 2022, died from hypothermia on March 2, 2026, after being released by ICE on February 27 or 28, 2026, under the Alternatives to Detention Program with an electronic ankle monitor. Michel had spent six months in Washington County Correctional Facility awaiting a preliminary hearing on misdemeanor charges stemming from an arrest for yelling due to untreated severe mental health issues. After her release, she was taken approximately 25 miles away to Pittsburgh and left at a bus shelter in sub-freezing temperatures (20–30°F) while wearing summer clothes, where she spent 24 to 30 hours alone before being found unresponsive. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide. Her family plans to sue the U.S. government and other entities, alleging ICE failed to account for her severe vulnerability, including untreated mental health conditions and significant language barriers.

On February 9, 2026, ICE agents conducted a raid at a home in Lower Providence Township, Pennsylvania, targeting Jose Manuel Cordova Lopez, 26, a Mexican national whose work visa expired in 2021. Agents arrived in unmarked vehicles and civilian clothes, forced entry by breaking down the door, and injured a woman identified as Lupe Lopez during the operation. She reported being hit in the head by an officer. Children in the home were left shaken. State Rep. Joe Webster stated agents did not initially have a warrant and described the operation as chaotic. Lopez was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and ramming an ICE vehicle. Following the raid, neighbors provided assistance with door repairs and supplies, and family members called for an independent investigation into the use of force. A GoFundMe established for the family raised more than $10,000.

On February 9-10, 2026, ICE agents conducted an enforcement operation in Lower Providence Township/Trooper area of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, to apprehend Jose Manuel Cordova Lopez, a Mexican citizen who overstayed his H-2A visa. The operation involved over 20 unmarked vehicles and masked federal agents who pursued Cordova Lopez to a residential home, broke down doors, and detained him while two minors and other family members were present. Elected officials commented on reports that an ICE agent assaulted a family member, broken doors caused distress to children and families, and the operation disrupted the neighborhood and prevented school bus pickup.

Federal Border Patrol and Homeland Security agents took Jose Cordova-Lopez into custody after a hours-long operation at a home in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Cordova-Lopez, a Mexican national with no legal status, was wanted in connection with immigration proceedings and allegedly resisting an ICE officer's attempted traffic stop. Family members reported that agents broke down the door and used force, with claims that one family member was hit in the face. Children were present during the operation.

Federal ICE agents conducted arrests in downtown Phoenixville, Pennsylvania on February 4, 2026, targeting individuals in vehicles. Witnesses reported the arrests involved agents smashing windows and forcibly removing people from cars.

Johny Merida Aguilara, an undocumented immigrant detained by ICE in September 2024, accepted deportation to Bolivia after nearly five months in custody. His wife, Gimena Morales Antezana, and their three U.S. citizen children plan to depart with him this month. The family's decision comes after financial hardship and the need to care for their 5-year-old son who has brain cancer, autism, and severe feeding difficulties. Aguilara's family lawyer won a temporary deportation stay in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, but the family chose voluntary departure amid mounting economic pressures and uncertainty over pending asylum and T visa applications.

A same-sex female couple in Pennsylvania had one woman detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a regularly scheduled immigration check-in. The detainee was transferred to a detention center in California.

Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir, a 46-year-old Eritrean man and respected leader of the Muslim community, died on December 14, 2025, after 216 days in ICE custody at Moshannon Valley ICE Processing Center in Pennsylvania. On December 5, 2025, Abdulkadir filed a habeas corpus petition seeking release from custody. He sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction on December 11, 2025, but the court denied both motions. On January 13, 2026, the court dismissed his habeas petition as moot following his death. CAIR Northern Ohio and CAIR Philadelphia issued a statement expressing condolences to his family and reaffirming their commitment to advocating for humane treatment in immigration detention facilities.

Parady La, a 46-year-old Cambodian refugee and longtime Philadelphia-area resident, died in January 2026 after being detained by ICE. La was arrested by ICE on January 6 outside his home and held at the Federal Detention Center (FDC Philadelphia), where he was treated for severe drug withdrawal. On January 7, officers found him unresponsive in his cell, administered CPR and Narcan, and transported him to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was diagnosed with anoxic brain injury, shock, and multiple organ failures. He died on January 9. His family and organizations including the ACLU of Pennsylvania and CAIR-Philadelphia demanded accountability and transparency, with the ACLU filing a Freedom of Information Act request for records related to his detention, medical treatment, and death.

Luis Gilberto Loja Mayancela, 24, an Ecuadorian immigrant with Special Immigrant Juvenile status and valid work authorization, was detained by ICE on January 15, 2026, despite his protective status. A U.S. District judge ruled he is entitled to a bond hearing in immigration court, with seven days to schedule the hearing or he must be released. Mayancela, held at Moshannon Valley Processing Center, was separated from his wife and 3-month-old son at the time of his arrest.

Izzy Aly, a legal immigrant with an active green card application, was arrested on December 23, 2025, at Philadelphia International Airport upon returning from an approved USCIS visit to Egypt to handle his deceased father's estate. He was held for six months at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania, where he was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure three months into detention. Aly reports receiving inadequate medical care, including only two visits with a nephrologist despite his serious condition, threats of solitary confinement when reporting COVID concerns, and widespread viral infections in crowded detention pods. He was released on June 19, 2026, after advocacy efforts by civil rights groups, members of Congress, and public figures brought attention to his case. Aly now suffers from trauma, lacks health insurance, and is working to recover while advocating for closure of the detention facility.

Izzy Aly, a 40-year-old Egyptian national, has been detained by ICE at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania since December 2025. A DHS medical exam in January found stage 3 kidney disease, but Aly was not informed until March. Advocates allege ICE has denied his requests for treatment, and he recently reported seeing blood in his urine. Immigrant rights groups are calling for his release to receive proper medical care.

Rian Andrianzah, an Indonesian national, was arrested by ICE agents while attending what he believed was a routine biometrics appointment in Philadelphia. His arrest occurred while his wife waited in another room, and he was subsequently sent to a Central Pennsylvania detention center where he now faces deportation. The arrest is part of the Trump administration's strategy shift to apprehend green card applicants, asylum seekers, and others engaged in legal immigration processes.

Omar Viadurre Luis, a Peruvian national granted legal admission and awaiting asylum review, has been detained by ICE since October 2025 after appearing in court on traffic charges that were dropped. Now held at Lewisburg federal penitentiary, he faces deportation to Honduras under Trump administration policies despite having no criminal record, a wife, a young child, stable employment, and serious medical needs. His family was legally admitted to the U.S. in September 2022 and was on the normal path to asylum review before his arrest separated their cases.

A Pennsylvania man exonerated after spending over 40 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit was immediately taken into ICE custody upon his release, with authorities seeking to deport him to India based on a 1988 deportation order. Subu Vedam, who moved to the US at nine months old, was cleared of the 1980 murder charge earlier this month, but ICE cited his old drug conviction and deportation order as grounds for detention. His family and lawyers are fighting the deportation, arguing that Vedam has virtually no ties to India, had applied for US citizenship before his arrest, and demonstrated decades of good behavior in prison where he earned three degrees and mentored fellow inmates.

Subramanyam Vedam, a legal permanent resident born in India, was released from a Pennsylvania maximum security prison after 43 years when prosecutors abandoned his murder case. He was immediately placed in ICE custody at the Moshannon Processing Center and is being held while fighting deportation, with a judge denying him bail.

ICE arrests continue to increase across the Western Pennsylvania region, including areas like Monroeville and Ambridge. Federal immigration authorities are receiving assistance from local police in conducting these enforcement operations. The article references an incident on Tuesday involving more than two dozen workers arrested at a construction site at Mount Nittany.

Sheikh Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir, a 46-year-old green card holder and Imam from Eritrea, died at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center on December 14, 2025, after spending 215 days in ICE custody. The Council on American Islamic Relations stated his death was related to detention system issues regarding medical care, transparency, and conditions.

An 82-year-old man from Pennsylvania was deported to Guatemala after being apprehended during a visit to an ICE office to replace his lost green card. He had lived in the U.S. for nearly 40 years and was granted political asylum in 1987. His family initially could not locate him and later learned he was in a hospital in Guatemala. Guatemala has an agreement with the Trump administration to receive deported immigrants of other nationalities.

A few dozen people gathered at the Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice in Philadelphia to protest an ICE arrest that occurred outside the courthouse. ICE agents arrested a man who was leaving a court hearing on Wednesday, with witnesses reporting the agents refused to identify themselves or present a warrant and used physical force during the arrest.

Mamadou Fadel Cherif, 56, was arrested by ICE on July 13 as he left his home in West Oak Lane. Cherif had been granted Withholding of Removal nearly 20 years ago after fleeing Guinea, where he was jailed by the government for protesting the 1998 presidential election. He has no criminal record, works legally in the United States as a dining services employee at La Salle College High School and as an Uber driver, holds a Social Security number and driver's license, and is the primary financial support for his wife (a green card holder) and four American-born sons, including a Marines reservist. His employer described him as "an extremely hard worker" whom students and staff love. While Withholding of Removal bars deportation to Guinea, ICE can attempt deportation to a third country; his attorney filed a federal court petition seeking his immediate release, arguing there is no likelihood of third-country deportation and he has been denied due process.

At least five undocumented immigrants were detained by ICE agents in Phoenixville on Thursday morning across multiple locations including an Acme supermarket and Wawa convenience store, according to immigrant advocacy group Project Libertad. Plainclothes officers were observed at the intersection of Starr and Washington streets as early as 7 a.m., with additional activity reported around 8 a.m. The operation occurred two days after the borough council passed an ordinance limiting immigration enforcement on municipal property. Authorities have not formally announced the arrests or identified the detained individuals.

Robert Rosado, 54, was charged with robbery, impersonating a public servant, and other offenses after entering an auto repair shop on June 8, 2025, wearing tactical gear and a fake ICE badge, claiming he would take undocumented employees into custody. He zip-tied a woman employee and stole approximately $1,000 before fleeing in an unmarked van. Investigators identified Rosado through license plate readers and surveillance footage, discovering a fake badge, airsoft gun, and other items at his residence. He is being held on $800,000 bail with a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 8, 2025.

ICE agents arrested nearly 20 immigrants in Norriton, Montgomery County over two weeks. The arrests targeted homes, businesses, and day laborers, with agents using facial recognition software and entering homes without warrants. Community advocates and local officials commented on the enforcement actions, and immigrant rights groups organized a Saturday rally to support affected families.

ICE agents conducted a raid in Norristown, Pennsylvania, targeting a family who claim to be U.S. citizens. According to the family's statement, agents rammed into a family member's car, threatened them with a loaded gun, and attempted to take someone without a warrant, despite the person living in the residence and no warrant being presented.

A.D., a 16-year-old from Guinea, was arrested by Suffolk County Police on May 16, 2025, and transferred to ICE, which held him in an adult detention facility at Moshannon Valley Processing Center for nearly two months due to a clerical error. ICE mistakenly believed he was 26 years old based on a secondary school entrance exam document from Guinea that erroneously listed his birth year as 2000, despite multiple federal and state documents—including his passport, birth certificate, and HHS records—showing he was born in May 2009. Federal Judge Marilyn J. Horan ordered ICE to transfer A.D. into the custody of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement while conducting an age reassessment. A.D. had fled Guinea in December 2023 after local police threatened to burn down his family home due to their Fulani heritage, and had been living in a foster home overseen by New York City's Administration for Children's Services when he was arrested.

Erasmo Zavala Almanza, a 50-year-old undocumented Mexican immigrant, was arrested by ICE agents at his home in April 2025 after cooperating with Berks County police in investigating the fatal shooting of his 20-year-old daughter and wounding of his granddaughter in February 2025. Despite applying for a U visa with support from the District Attorney's Office and receiving a favorable bona fide determination from USCIS along with deferred action and work authorization, ICE detained him at Moshannon Valley Processing Center and initiated deportation proceedings. His case reflects a shift under the Trump administration from prior guidance that discouraged arrests of crime victims and witnesses. A federal judge issued a temporary bar on removal while considering whether to grant a preliminary injunction to block deportation.

Erasmo Zavala, a Berks County man who had applied for a U visa after helping law enforcement investigate his daughter's murder, was arrested by ICE in April 2025 despite his pending humanitarian visa application. After nearly two months in ICE detention, including at Moshannon Valley Processing Center, he was released following a court order from Judge Stephanie Haines. His case highlights a dispute over a Trump administration policy rescinding protections for crime victims and witnesses cooperating with law enforcement.

Marco Antonio Herrera, a Guatemalan citizen, was arrested by ICE officers in Williamsport on April 1, 2025, and subsequently indicted on charges of assaulting a federal officer and unlawful entry. According to prosecutors, Herrera resisted officers and struck one with his elbow during the enforcement operation. If convicted, he could face up to eight years in federal prison, along with supervised release and possible fines.

ICE detained two teenagers in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania on March 20 while they were riding their bikes to work. Coraopolis police stopped the teenagers and may have called ICE to detain them around 9:00 AM. Frontline DIGNITY shared the report to support community awareness and preparedness.

Frontline DIGNITY reported ICE activity in the Cranberry area on March 17 around 10:00 AM, with ICE collaborating with the Butler County Sheriff's Office to detain individuals near Brandt Drive. The organization shared this information to support community awareness and provided instructions for witnesses to report enforcement activity safely.

Leonela Marquez started a GoFundMe campaign in January 2025 after her husband, Mario Eduardo Fajardo Aviles, was detained by ICE. She described facing financial hardship including inability to pay rent, buy food, and afford diapers and formula, while also needing to pay thousands in legal fees. The case is one of hundreds of habeas corpus petitions moving through Pittsburgh's federal courthouse, driven by the presence of the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County.