Human Impact Project

A resident in Brownsville, Texas recorded federal Homeland Security Investigations (HSI/ICE) agents restraining a man on the ground inside a commercial plaza. In the video, a bystander can be heard questioning the agents' presence on what he calls "private property," while an officer orders him to back away under threat of arrest. Brownsville Mayor John Cowen criticized the increased aggressiveness of federal immigration operations in the area, saying it "sends the wrong message" and that "it makes no sense to go after people who follow the rules."

A group of construction workers was detained by ICE agents at a job site in the Texas Heights residential development in Weslaco, Texas. A video recorded by a bystander shows workers telling agents they were on private property while officers restrained and detained several of their coworkers. "We couldn't do anything for our coworkers," one worker said.

Emilio, a Deaf Venezuelan man who had lived in Texas for nearly four years and worked at Amazon, was detained by ICE in December 2025 during what he expected to be a routine asylum check-in. He spent about nine weeks in immigration detention without ever receiving a sign language interpreter despite requesting one. He was later placed on a bus in southern Texas and only realized he was being deported to Mexico, rather than his home country of Venezuela, when he saw the Mexican flag; he arrived in Villahermosa with no passport and had never lived in Mexico before. He did not know Mexican Sign Language, which differs from Venezuelan Sign Language, and traveled to Mexico City with financial help from fellow Deaf community members, remaining stuck with no connections in the country. A second Deaf immigrant, Edgar, reported similar experiences of being denied interpreter access during his deportation proceedings. According to data from the nonprofit Mobile Pathways verified by Mother Jones, more than 100 Deaf people who use sign language as their primary language have received deportation or removal orders since the beginning of 2026.

The petitioner is currently held at the T. Don Hutto Detention Center and filed a federal habeas corpus petition challenging his ongoing detention without an individualized determination of whether that detention is necessary. His case implicates a broader legal dispute over whether certain applicants for admission may only be mandatorily detained for 90 days under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A) without a bond hearing. The court found that, on the face of the petition, he may be entitled to relief and ordered the government to show cause in writing by August 25, 2026, as to why the writ should not be granted. The petitioner may file a reply by August 28, 2026, and either party may request a hearing. The court also ordered that he not be removed from the United States or transferred outside the Austin Division pending further order, preserving its ability to hear the case.

A detained immigrant filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, challenging his immigration detention. He is currently held at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas. The document does not specify the date or circumstances of his apprehension. The court ordered Respondents to file a response within 7 days addressing the date Petitioner entered the United States, whether he was previously apprehended and released by immigration authorities, and the status of his immigration and/or removal proceedings. The court also permitted electronic notice of filing to constitute proper service on the government respondents. Petitioner was granted 7 days to file a reply after the response is filed.

A man detained at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas filed a habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. The court ordered the respondents, including named official Miguel Vergara, to respond within 7 days, addressing the date he entered the United States, whether he was previously apprehended and released by immigration authorities, and the status of his immigration or removal proceedings. The document does not specify his nationality, family ties, employment, or the circumstances of his apprehension. He is seeking relief through this habeas petition, though the specific relief requested is not detailed in this order. The court has permitted electronic notice of filing to constitute service on the Federal Respondents. He will have the opportunity to file a reply within 7 days after the response is filed.

Ana Kikabidze and her children, ages 11 and 14, were detained for months at the Dilley immigration detention facility in South Texas before an immigration judge ordered their deportation to Georgia, warning that an appeal could take months longer in detention. More than 66,000 parents and children have been detained and deported since the Trump administration began requiring immigrants to remain locked up while their cases are decided, according to an analysis by Relevant Research. U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee found the administration had repeatedly violated the Flores Settlement, citing prolonged detention and inadequate medical care at Dilley, and appointed an independent monitor to oversee conditions for detained children there and at other facilities.

José Mejía, a 45-year-old Mexican migrant, said he was detained by ICE agents on August 11 while on his way to work in Arlington, Texas. He said agents shocked him with a stun gun when he tried to flee and then physically assaulted him, leaving him with visible facial injuries. Mejía said he later woke up in a hospital in Washington, where he was admitted for three days due to the severity of his injuries. Days later, he said he still needed medical attention for his injuries but was denied permission to remove his ankle monitor so he could see a doctor.

A man was detained by ICE on a Wednesday morning while on his way to work. His wife described him as a hardworking man who has been the family's main support since her father passed away seven months earlier, leaving her mother to care for two young children alone. The family started a fundraiser to help cover expenses following his detention.

A construction worker was detained by ICE agents while on the job at a construction site near Esperanza Homes in the Texas Heights area of Weslaco, Texas. A coworker told the agents he was from the area, but agents ignored him, entered the property without a warrant, and took the worker away. As the coworker filmed the encounter, agents reportedly threatened to accuse him of 'impeding' for documenting the incident.

A legal permanent resident is currently detained by U.S. immigration authorities at the El Valle Detention Center in Willacy County, Texas. She filed a habeas petition along with a Verified Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction, arguing that Respondents have no legal basis to detain her and seeking her immediate release. The court ordered Respondents to file a response to the motion by August 21, 2026. A hearing on the Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction was set for August 24, 2026, to be conducted by videoconference. The document does not provide details on the circumstances of her apprehension, her family ties, or employment.

Juan Francisco Monroy Turuy, a 54-year-old Guatemalan immigrant who has worked as a restaurant remodeler in the U.S. for more than two decades, called 911 after witnessing a man fire a gun into the air in a Home Depot parking lot on West Sam Houston Parkway South. He stayed at the scene to help identify the suspect, but before Houston police finished interviewing him, ICE agents arrived and detained him over his immigration status. Houston Police Department said it had not contacted or coordinated with ICE, and Home Depot denied cooperating with the agency. He has been held for more than three weeks at the Montgomery ICE Processing Center in Conroe, and his attorney says no one has contacted him about pursuing a U-visa. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said the detention could discourage witnesses from cooperating with police, and advocacy groups including FIEL, PSL, and CRECEN questioned how ICE located him so quickly. Monroy has long sent money home to support his wife, who suffered a stroke, and his three children; his son Wilmer said his father 'risked his own safety to help stop a criminal.'

The petitioner entered the United States in 2012 as an unaccompanied minor and was detained by immigration authorities at that time before being released on his own recognizance. His immigration case was administratively closed in 2014, and he has no final order of removal. On August 12, 2026, while driving to work, he was detained again by immigration authorities and has since been held at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas. He alleges he has not received a pre-deprivation individualized assessment of flight risk or dangerousness. He filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus arguing his detention violates due process, seeking release or, alternatively, a bond hearing, and also sought a temporary restraining order to prevent his transfer out of the district or removal from the country. The court denied the TRO motion but ordered that he not be removed or transferred outside the El Paso Division pending further proceedings, and ordered Respondents to show cause by September 2, 2026, why the habeas petition should not be granted.

Luis Alfredo Morales Pérez, 50, a Venezuelan pastor who leads four Seventh-day Adventist congregations in the Houston area, primarily in Pasadena, and has served the Texas Conference since January 2023, was detained by ICE agents on Aug. 6, 2026, at George Bush Intercontinental Airport as he and his wife, Karina, prepared to fly to New York to see their daughters. His wife said two agents approached the couple by name and arrested him before they passed through security. Morales entered the U.S. in 2020 and was granted Temporary Protected Status in December 2023, which ICE says was terminated in November 2025 after the Supreme Court allowed DHS's termination of TPS for Venezuelans to take effect; his wife and attorney say he has a pending asylum case and no criminal record. The Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists said he holds valid employment authorization and described his 'commitment to our mission and the families he serves' as 'unwavering,' asking congregants to pray for him and his family. He is being held at an ICE detention center in Livingston, Texas, where he has been able to speak with his family by phone while his legal team gathers documents to request bond; his case is reported to be at least the third involving a Texas pastor detained at an airport in the past month.

Reny Jesús Colina Torres, a 27-year-old Venezuelan mariachi musician and trumpet player who works as a dishwasher at a Cracker Barrel, was detained by ICE agents during a vehicle stop near Culebra Road and North Navidad Street in San Antonio's Woodlawn Lake area on Monday morning while returning home from driving his brother-in-law to work. His sister said he previously applied for asylum and has work authorization while his immigration court case proceeds, with his next hearing scheduled for January. DHS stated that Colina Torres was in the country illegally and would remain in custody during removal proceedings, though his family said they entered through an official port of entry two years ago to escape dire economic conditions in Venezuela. He was sent to the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, the same facility where his friend and fellow mariachi musician Hebert Kaleth Ibarra Castro was detained in late June before being released on bond.

Luis Morales, a Venezuelan-born Seventh-day Adventist pastor who has overseen four churches in the Houston area since January 2023, was detained by ICE agents at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on August 6, 2026, while traveling with his wife for vacation. According to ICE, Morales's Temporary Protected Status was revoked on November 20, 2025, and he remained in the country afterward. His wife, Karina, said the couple has a pending asylum claim. The Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists stated that Morales holds valid employment authorization and expressed concern for him and his family.

A member of the Delgado family was arrested by ICE in San Antonio, Texas. According to community members, the family has been part of the San Antonio community for a long time, with children attending local schools and parents involved in community activities including youth sports and advocacy for community rights.

Gabar Choli, a 40-year-old Kurdish filmmaker and activist, has described being shackled, wrestled to the floor, and force-fed twice daily through a 60-centimeter nasal tube while held in a solitary confinement medical cell at the Port Isabel detention center in Texas. He said the daily procedure involved five staff members restraining him and inserting the tube, causing pain and internal bleeding during his hunger strike protesting detention conditions after his asylum application was denied. Choli said the ordeal led to a mental and physical collapse so severe that he wrote what he called an apology letter to his own body. A Guardian investigation found ICE obtained court orders for involuntary medical treatment for 18 hunger strikers between January 2025 and August 2026; Choli was later deported and now lives in Canada.

Marco Uriel Rodriguez Hernandez, an immigration detainee, had won a finding that the government was unlawfully denying him a bond hearing. He was then transferred out of the privately run Aurora detention center to an unknown location and later found to be held in Texas. After his attorney, Skylar M. Larson, filed a new habeas petition, Colorado's Chief Federal Judge Daniel D. Domenico issued a temporary restraining order barring ICE from removing him, and the order was emailed to federal prosecutors. Despite this, ICE deported Rodriguez Hernandez to Mexico the following morning without allowing him to contact his attorney. Government attorneys said officials in Texas who carried out the removal were unaware of the court's order and said they 'greatly regret the error.' Domenico ordered the government to take all available steps to facilitate his return to the United States.

Daniel Palencia arrived in the United States in 2016 at age 11 with his mother, crossing the Mexico-U.S. border at El Paso, Texas, where they turned themselves in to immigration authorities and sought legal status. He was detained for three months in deplorable conditions, including cold rooms where temperatures dropped at night and blankets were confiscated, and overcrowded holding areas he described as "cages" designed for 4-5 people but sometimes holding 40 individuals where "we were sleeping on top of each other." After being transferred to JK Airport in New York for additional detention, his family hired a lawyer and obtained asylum status. Palencia moved to Southold to live with his grandparents, attended local schools, and has worked for Marcello Masonry for two years. Reflecting on his experience and that of detained coworker Hugo Leonel Ardon Osorio, he stated: "There are bad people out there. But you can't arrest everybody for the way they look or if they speak Spanish. You can't arrest hard-working people who are trying to support their families."