Human Impact Project

Jonathan Paredes Rodriguez, a Venezuelan asylum seeker with a valid work permit, was detained by ICE after he approached an Ogden police officer for help because he believed an unmarked vehicle was following him while he worked as a DoorDash driver. Video of the encounter showed the Ogden officer conversing with an ICE agent before the agent approached Paredes Rodriguez's stopped vehicle and detained him, even though he believed his pending immigration proceedings allowed him to remain in the country. He spent about six weeks in ICE custody, during which he lost roughly 18 to 19 pounds and developed a lingering cough, and was released last week. Since returning home to his family, he has struggled with sleep and said he hopes sharing his story will help others understand the fear immigrants face in the system.

A Venezuelan man detained by an ICE agent on an Ogden street on Aug. 25 has been released after a federal judge in California ruled his detention unconstitutional, according to his attorney Sergio Garcia. The man, who came to the U.S. in 2022 and had applied for asylum and received a work permit, was held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California before the judge granted his habeas petition. His arrest drew scrutiny after an Ogden police officer, who was responding to an unrelated call, became caught between the ICE agent and the man, and after a city councilman filmed part of the encounter. Garcia said the man still faces deportation and will now have to pursue his asylum case in immigration court rather than through USCIS.

Catherine came to the United States as an international student ten years ago, building a life and education in Utah. Her family says she was taken into custody on false charges and has been held for six months in a Louisiana ICE detention facility without receiving a trial or hearing. Family members describe her as a daughter, sister, friend, and student, and say she has been separated from her education and community throughout her detention. They are raising money to cover attorney fees, legal filings, transportation, and other costs as they pursue her case.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested four people during a targeted enforcement operation in the Moab, Utah area. ICE said two were Mexican nationals with final removal orders or prior voluntary departures who had re-entered the country, while the other two were Turkish nationals described as being in the country without authorization, with no further details provided on their cases. Grand County Sheriff Jamison Wiggins said the operation was not relayed to his office in advance and called it an "unprecedented lack of information and communication," adding that administrative warrants were being served and that his office and Moab Police would not assist; ICE countered that it had notified local officials of the plans the prior Saturday and said it aims to be a good partner with local law enforcement. The Moab Valley Multicultural Center activated its emergency protocol, offering free rides and information to residents concerned about the ICE presence, and said agents were in the area from about 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., though it could not independently verify how many people were taken.

Gustavo Parraga Durán, a Venezuelan journalist who has been seeking asylum in the U.S. for nearly a decade, remains in ICE custody in Washington state after being detained during a traffic stop in Utah. His wife says he has no criminal charges or even traffic tickets, and the family has lost income and risks losing their home. Relatives and the Association of Venezuelan Journalists Abroad have launched a fundraising campaign to cover legal representation and a possible bond, while expressing fear that he could be deported to Venezuela given his past political activity with Voluntad Popular and his work as a journalist. Parraga Durán, a graduate of the Universidad Bicentenaria de Aragua, is married and the father of two young daughters.

Fabián Guarín, a Hispanic immigrant and asylum applicant with valid work authorization and a current driver's license, was detained by ICE during a traffic stop in Provo, Utah. His wife Natalia says he is the sole economic provider for their family of five, including three young children, and that he has no criminal record and proper documentation. The family is seeking financial support and assistance to secure his release.

Carrera Macias, a Venezuelan national who entered the United States at age 17 and applied for asylum, was arrested by police in Salt Lake City, Utah in July 2026 and subsequently transferred to the ICE Processing Center in Adelanto, California. He filed a habeas corpus petition, Carrera Macias v. Warden, Adelanto ICE Processing Center, challenging his detention as unlawful under the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause and immigration statutes, and sought a temporary restraining order for his immediate release. The court denied the temporary restraining order application, finding that his alleged harms could be addressed through the court's expedited habeas corpus process.

Maikol, a 22-year-old Venezuelan national, was detained in Utah and held in immigration custody for five months. He was transferred through multiple detention centers across the country and housed at Desert View Annex in Adelanto, California, where he says conditions were inhumane. He was recently released with conditions requiring him to return to Utah by a specific deadline to maintain his release status.

Giovanni Henriquez-Osorio, a native of El Salvador, was arrested in Provo, Utah and held at Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump. Federal authorities asserted he was a member of MS-13 gang, but U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware found no evidence supporting the claim. Boulware noted Henriquez-Osorio feared torture and persecution if deported and that his detention caused financial harm to his family — a partner and infant son facing eviction. After initially denying him a bond hearing, the judge in March ordered he be released or receive a constitutionally adequate hearing. When an immigration judge again ruled him dangerous based on prior DUI and domestic violence convictions, Boulware found the decision misstated the record and misconstrued facts. The judge ordered his release on July 17, 2026, threatening contempt sanctions against ICE and DHS if they did not comply.

Raul Moreno Meza, a middle-aged man living in Salt Lake City's Rose Park neighborhood, was restrained by ICE agents inside his home on July 7 after agents followed him from a gas station into his garage without announcing themselves as immigration officers, according to his daughter Elizabeth Garcia. Garcia, a U.S. citizen, filmed the incident in which agents also restrained her teenage brother while their family dog escaped. Garcia said her father has not left the U.S. in 22 years and that their grandfather, a U.S. citizen, petitioned for his legal residency before his death; the family hopes to complete that process. ICE stated Moreno Meza was granted voluntary return to Mexico for illegal entries, but Garcia disputes this account and says she is unaware of multiple entries. An attorney representing Moreno Meza argues that law enforcement cannot enter a home without a warrant except in special circumstances involving exigent danger, and that agents should have waited for him to exit or obtained a warrant.

Arturo Ruvalcaba, a 38-year-old deaf man with a green card, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against ICE agents and federal officials after an encounter on September 29 outside Salt Lake Community College's Taylorsville campus. According to the lawsuit, three white Ford SUVs pulled up to a bus stop where Ruvalcaba was waiting, and agents in military-style uniforms approached him shouting commands without providing a sign language interpreter or accommodating his deafness. When Ruvalcaba attempted to communicate through gestures and sign language and retrieve his documentation, an agent pushed him down by his shoulders and another pulled forcefully on his arm, injuring his elbow. After presenting his legal status documents, he was released. Ruvalcaba subsequently experienced pain and swelling, required multiple medical treatments, and missed several weeks of work. His wife reported that the encounter affected the emotional well-being of their three adopted sons. On July 8, 2026, the parties filed a stipulated motion to dismiss the case without prejudice, and the court terminated the civil case on July 9, 2026.

Arturo, a 48-year-old Mexican man with no criminal record who paid taxes yearly, was arrested by ICE on Sunday, June 30, 2026, while driving to a soccer game in Salt Lake City. His wife Veronica said the family never expected to be caught in the enforcement sweep, and their 13-year-old son was left traumatized by the arrest. Immigration attorney Ysabel Lonazco said the detention occurred amid a broader ICE enforcement surge in late June. DHS stated that Arturo had illegally reentered the United States and would be held for deportation. The arrest was part of a nationwide surge in which ICE detained more than 10,000 people over five days following orders to increase arrest rates.

A man who lived in the United States for over 25 years was stopped by police in Utah on June 28 while dropping off his son at work. He was transferred to ICE custody and subsequently moved to Golden State Annex detention facility in California before his scheduled court date. He has no criminal record. His family of seven, including a child with autism, is seeking legal representation and has organized a fundraiser to cover legal costs for his case.

Julio Irungaray Sr., who lived in Utah for more than 35 years and worked two jobs at a Mexican restaurant and movie theater while supporting his household, was deported to Guadalajara within days of his June 24 detention by ICE. He has since relocated to Durango, where he grew up, reconnected with relatives, joined a local soccer league, and begun searching for work. Supporters raised more than $22,000 through a GoFundMe campaign to help his family, who are now exploring legal options that could allow his return to the United States.

Jose de Jesús Ortiz Ibañez was detained by ICE. He had entered the United States legally on a work visa and had spent years working and building a life in the country. His family is raising funds to cover legal representation costs.

A Mexican citizen was arrested by ICE on June 22, 2026 in Weber County, Utah while on his way to work. He had previously been removed from the United States in 2013 pursuant to a final removal order, but subsequently reentered illegally. He was detained in the Weber County and Tooele County detention centers. On June 23, 2026, he filed a habeas corpus petition seeking his release, but on July 2, 2026, the court denied his petition, finding his detention lawful under 8 U.S.C. § 1231, which mandates detention for previously removed noncitizens who reenter.

Two former Logan City Municipal Justice Court clerks, Jennifer Joma and Lauren Kelsey Morrow, were charged with federal felonies after an April 9, 2026 incident in which they allegedly used their access to court databases to identify noncitizens on the docket, including an ICE enforcement target. Upon learning an ICE officer was present to make an arrest, the women helped multiple people exit the courthouse through a back or maintenance door without being detected. Joma allegedly drove at least three of the individuals away in her personal vehicle. Both faced charges including conspiracy to transport and harbor noncitizens, harboring noncitizens, and obstruction of federal proceedings. In June 2026, they pleaded not guilty to the charges.

An immigration detainee who entered the United States without inspection in 2007 and established deep community ties in Utah over nineteen years was arrested by ICE on June 8, 2026, while on his way to work in Salt Lake City. He was transferred between immigration detention facilities in Utah, Wyoming, and California without receiving an individualized custody determination or bond hearing. The court granted his petition for writ of habeas corpus in part, ordering respondents to either conduct a bond hearing before a neutral decisionmaker within seven days or cease his detention.

Charles González, a 28-year-old Venezuelan father, was detained by ICE on June 1, 2024, after a traffic stop in Farmington, Utah, where state police discovered his driver's license had expired. González entered the U.S. on a tourist visa four years ago and has been working full-time at a restaurant while doing gig work in his spare time to support his family. He holds Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and has no criminal record. His wife, Elimar Romero said their 4-year-old son is asking for his father and the family is struggling emotionally and financially during the separation. González was transferred to Davis County Jail after the traffic stop, where ICE placed a hold on him, and he remains in ICE custody. His family is raising funds to cover legal defense costs and bail to allow him to continue his case while with his family.

A Mexican citizen who entered the United States via Arizona in 1998 without inspection and has lived in the U.S. for 28 years. On May 15, 2026, while in Utah, he was stopped by local law enforcement during a traffic stop for a broken taillight and was subsequently placed in immigration detention at Mesa Verde Detention Center. ICE argued he could be detained under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2), but the court rejected this argument, finding it inconsistent with prior precedent establishing that individuals who entered without inspection and were not apprehended upon arrival are not subject to mandatory detention. The court granted his petition for writ of habeas corpus on June 29, 2026, finding that his detention violated his procedural due process rights. The court ordered his immediate release and enjoined respondents from re-detaining him without providing notice and a pre-detention hearing before an immigration judge.