Human Impact Project

Godfrey Wade, a 65-year-old lawful permanent resident and Army veteran, was deported to Jamaica on February 5, 2026, after a removal order issued in 2014 based on two misdemeanor convictions from 2006 and 2007. Wade says he was unaware of the 2012 removal hearing because notices were sent to an incorrect address and returned by the Postal Service. He was arrested during a traffic stop in Georgia in September 2025 for driving without a license—which he could not renew due to green card renewal delays—triggering immigration enforcement that resulted in his deportation after 52 years in the United States.

Luis, a 53-year-old Mexican immigrant handyman, was detained by ICE for over three months at a Conroe-area detention center after being arrested in October 2025. He was granted bond and released on February 5, 2026, following a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Lee Rosenthal. While released, Luis faces an ongoing court case with possible deportation, as he has lived in the U.S. without legal status for 25 years while raising five children and establishing himself as a homeowner and community member.

Hundreds of high school students organized a peaceful march from City Hall to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center on February 5, 2026 to protest ICE raids. LAPD in riot gear formed skirmish lines and charged at the students multiple times throughout the afternoon, resulting in at least two arrests. Officers were documented using force against minors, including throwing students to the ground and striking a protester with a baton, while ICE agents were observed coordinating with LAPD at the detention center.

A joint investigation by +972 Magazine and The Guardian revealed that ICE chartered a private Gulfstream IV jet owned by Florida property developer Gil Dezer, a Trump associate and donor, to deport Palestinian men from the United States to the West Bank. At least two flights occurred on January 20-21 and February 1-2, 2026, transporting eight or more deportees from an Arizona detention facility through New Jersey, Ireland, and Bulgaria before reaching Tel Aviv and ultimately the West Bank. Among the deportees was 24-year-old Maher Awad, a long-term green card holder who had lived in the U.S. for nearly a decade and had a newborn son in Michigan. The men were shackled throughout the multi-country journey and reported being abandoned at checkpoints with minimal resources. Former U.S. officials and immigration lawyers characterized the flights as marking a shift in Trump administration deportation policy toward more aggressive mass deportation tactics.

Beth Jackson, a Twin Cities resident, was detained by federal officers and faced subsequent action after documenting ICE agents. The detention occurred while she was recording immigration enforcement activities.

Two Afghan brothers with pending asylum claims were detained by ICE during a routine check-in with the Alternatives to Detention unit on Tuesday morning. Mohammad Emran Kohistani and Mohammad Sajad Kohistani, who presented themselves at the U.S. border in 2023 and were released on their own recognizance, were told they were not "appropriately vetted" at the border. Their attorney filed an emergency habeas petition and temporary restraining order, with a federal court hearing scheduled for Thursday.

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.

A Houston-area high school student was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Students at the school held a rally in response to the student's detention. ICE subsequently released a statement regarding the incident.

Godfrey Wade, a Jamaican-born lawful permanent resident and U.S. Army veteran who had lived in the United States for over 50 years, was arrested in September 2025 for driving without a license and subsequently detained by ICE. Wade was subject to a 2014 removal order stemming from charges from 2006-2007, though his attorney claimed he was never notified of the 2014 hearing that resulted in the order. Despite appeals and his attorney's request to reopen the case, Wade was deported to Jamaica on February 4, 2026, after nearly five months in ICE custody.

Julien Pereira, a 26-year-old French tennis coach, was detained by U.S. Border Patrol and ICE after being denied entry to Canada while awaiting work visa paperwork. He spent a month in an ICE facility in Batavia, New York, where he experienced shackling, inadequate food and water, and harsh conditions before being released on bail and ordered to leave the U.S. within 15 days.

Ivan Garcia, a father and North Venice Little League community member, was detained by ICE while attending a scheduled immigration appointment related to his citizenship case. He was subsequently transferred to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County. His family has launched a fundraiser to cover legal fees and living expenses, with community support from the local youth sports league.

Immigration officers with guns drawn arrested activists who were following their vehicles in south Minneapolis on Tuesday. At least one person wearing anti-ICE clothing was handcuffed face-down on the ground.

Elizabeth Zuna Caisaguano, a 10-year-old fourth-grade student, and her mother were released from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas after nearly a month in ICE detention. The child and her mother were taken by immigration agents in early January. School officials and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called for their release at a news conference on February 3, 2026.

A Natalia high school junior attended what was supposed to be a routine U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-in appointment in San Antonio to update his photograph. The appointment resulted in his arrest and detainment, leaving a toddler and stepfather behind for months.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 206 people in Maine during a multiday operation last month. Maine Public is tracking several of these cases using interviews, court records, and reporting from other media outlets to provide information about those detained.

Rodney Taylor, a 46-year-old double amputee from Liberia who arrived in the U.S. at age two on a medical visa, has been detained by ICE for over a year. He was taken into custody 10 days after proposing to his fiancée, despite being pardoned in 2010 for a crime committed at age 19. His health and prosthetics are deteriorating during detention, and he was preparing community health services before his arrest.

A woman reported that ICE agents attempted to kidnap her twin brother, a Black American man, in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. According to the account, agents rammed into his pickup truck and chased him without apparent reason. The family is seeking public awareness of the incident.

In February 2026, in anticipation of ICE raids on the Haitian community in Springfield, OH, local Haitian leaders describe how their community is living in fear and taking precautions including keeping children home from school, avoiding being out on the street at night, and carrying several forms of ID.

An attorney stated that ICE arrested a mother. The attorney noted that ICE enforcement priorities differ from focusing on individuals with criminal records.

Igor Babkin, a 33-year-old Russian asylum seeker who entered the U.S. legally on parole to pursue his asylum claim, was arrested by ICE on February 3, 2026, during a routine check-in appointment near San Antonio International Airport. Babkin has been detained at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall. Reports indicate inadequate medical care and harsh conditions at the facility.

Steven Saari, a Marine Corps veteran, was detained by federal immigration agents at the scene of Alex Pretti's killing in Minneapolis on February 3, 2026. During his six-hour detention at a federal building, agents collected his biometric data, forced a DNA sample, and copied his cell phone without a warrant or authorization. Saari was denied access to an attorney despite repeated requests and was released without charges.

Federal immigration agents arrested Carlos Chavez, a community member and father of three, during a food distribution event at North Hills United Methodist Church in the San Fernando Valley. Church leaders say Chavez was helping with children's ministries and was chased across the parking lot by armed agents in masks. Following the incident, the church moved its food ministry and after-school programs online.

Oscar Isidro, a U.S. citizen from North Texas, was found dead last month after being missing for two weeks. His death came amid family trauma, including his father's deportation to Peru the previous year and his sister's detention by ICE.

Federal immigration agents detained an employee at NATIFS, an Indigenous-focused nonprofit restaurant in Minneapolis owned by chef Sean Sherman, outside the restaurant on February 2, 2026. Agents blocked a vehicle carrying staff members, pulled the employee from the car at gunpoint, and stated they were checking paperwork. The employee was transferred to Texas overnight without access to needed medication and without the family being notified in advance. Chef Sherman stated the employee had legal documentation and characterized the armed enforcement as inappropriate.

ICE agents smashed the windows of a car and arrested a man without a warrant while his wife held their crying baby and pleaded with the agents. During the arrest, the man briefly escaped from the ICE van while still wearing handcuffs.

An Instagram post announces a protest planned for the following day at 1930 Beach Street at noon in response to Gonzales v Noem allegations. The post states that federal authorities are charging people for protesting.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained several residents in Hudson County, New Jersey on Sunday using unmarked vehicles. An ICE agent told a city councilman that warrants are not needed to conduct their operations. Local officials reported that ICE arrested at least three people, including two workers at local businesses, without advance notification to local police.

Federal ICE agents were present outside the Ventura County Sheriff's Office on Monday, February 2, 2026, where protesters and observers had gathered. During the encounter, an ICE agent threw a woman to the ground and subsequently used pepper spray on the crowd. Witnesses stated they were documenting the ICE operation and posed no physical threat to officers. At least one person was detained during the incident. The woman who was thrown to the ground declined to speak about what happened.

ICE agents conducted enforcement operations at Hudson Bergen Light Rail Station in Jersey City Heights and Hoboken on Sunday morning, detaining several people. An ICE officer was recorded telling a city councilman he did not need a warrant to make arrests. The incident prompted community meetings and responses from local leaders.

Jose Lozano, a 28-year-old Worthington resident with a valid temporary permit allowing him to remain in the U.S. for five years, was detained by ICE agents on February 1, 2026, while attempting to jumpstart his minivan. Lozano, who arrived from El Salvador as an asylum seeker ten years ago, was working as a mechanic and attending college when detained. He was being held in a Minneapolis detention center with a hearing scheduled for February 28, 2026, though an earlier bond hearing was possible.

Federal ICE agents made arrests near the Jersey City-Hoboken border on Sunday morning without advance warning to local police. Multiple detentions occurred at the 9th Street Light Rail Station in a predominantly Latino neighborhood, with at least two people seen being taken into unmarked vehicles. Local officials stated that residents have rights, including the right to refuse entry without a judge-signed warrant.

Johanny Lacruz, a Venezuelan asylum seeker and fiancée of Juan Rodriguez, was detained by ICE at a Border Patrol checkpoint in February 2026 despite having valid work authorization and no criminal record. Rodriguez observed that U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz secured the release of Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar, a teenager in the same detention facility with similar legal status, but was unable to obtain similar assistance for his fiancée. Both Lacruz and Gámez-Cuéllar were detained during the Trump administration's deportation operations.

An advocacy post calls for the release of Diana Crespo-Gonzalez from immigration detention, urging people to contact DHS at 202-282-8485. The post references a previous case where 180,000 calls led to the release of someone named Liam, and directs followers to an OPB news article for more details about Diana's situation.

At least two confirmed cases of measles have been reported at the Dilley family detention center in Texas, which houses children and parents in immigration detention. A broader measles outbreak is occurring across the U.S. Democratic congressman Joaquin Castro called for the facility to be shut down immediately, citing detention centers as potential vectors for disease transmission.

According to Senator John Hickenlooper, ICE agents are reportedly leaving behind cards with a history of use by white supremacist groups at the vehicles of detained individuals.

The San Benito detention facility in Texas, operated by for-profit company Urban Strategies, houses pregnant minors as young as 13 without adequate specialized reproductive health care. Advocates and civil rights organizations report the facility lacks proper medical facilities, menstrual products, and birth control access, putting pregnant youth at risk despite no major complications reported so far.

Steve Gaines, an English teacher at Harmony School of Innovation in Waco, Texas, was fired weeks after he allowed students to use class time to make signs and flyers for an ICE protest walkout in February 2026. Gaines provided cardboard boxes and paint for the signs and stayed in the classroom to chaperone students who did not participate in the walkout. He was terminated mid-year despite having 11 years of teaching experience.

The League of United Latin American Citizens held a vigil and protest outside the South Texas Family Residential Center calling for the release of all children detained at immigration detention facilities. About 100 people gathered on February 1, 2026, following the recent release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from the facility. LULAC leadership called for reforms to immigration enforcement and spoke out against plans for 23 new detention centers.

Immigrant families released from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas are being transported to border town shelters like Laredo with minimal resources. Families report being released without medications, documents, or money. Families report experiencing job loss and financial hardship following their detention. Multiple cases document families who spent weeks or months detained and were subsequently released with their immigration cases unchanged.

Maria Santay, a U.S. citizen and community observer, livestreamed her detainment by federal immigration agents at an El Monte gas station on February 1, 2026. Agents surrounded her vehicle and broke her car window with a hammer while she recorded on Instagram. She was detained and released Friday evening with charges including resisting arrest.

Anti-ICE protesters held demonstrations across Southern California on January 30-31, 2026, including marches through Los Angeles, rallies at City Hall, and actions outside the Metropolitan Detention Center. Clashes erupted when protesters blocked access points and threw objects at federal agents. Authorities deployed chemical irritants and issued dispersal orders. Eight people were arrested Friday and dozens more on Saturday on charges including assault on officers, vandalism, and failure to disperse. The protests were part of a nationwide action following fatal shootings by federal officers in Minneapolis.

A three-year-old girl named Lily was separated from her family at the border and detained in an immigrant children's shelter in South Texas for over five months. Her father, a legal permanent resident, attempted to reunify with her during her detention. After her attorney at ProBAR filed a habeas petition in federal district court on February 18, she was released two days later and reunified with her father on February 21.

CNN correspondent Veronica Miracle was struck with pepper spray while reporting live on a protest at an ICE facility in Los Angeles. Protesters overtook the property and pushed Department of Homeland Security officers back inside the building. Miracle choked and coughed on camera due to the chemical irritant but continued reporting on 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.

A woman named Olga has a deportation hearing scheduled for Thursday. If the hearing results in a deportation order, she will be deported and separated from her children in Florida.

ICE agents conducted enforcement operations in Washington state that resulted in family separations and deportations. In one incident near Shoreline, agents detained Ivan Guzman during a traffic stop while he was driving his 2-year-old son to daycare, leaving the toddler alone in the vehicle before deporting Guzman to Mexico. In a separate case in Tacoma, ICE detained a husband and coerced him to sign self-deportation papers while threatening to apprehend his wife and children within four days, prompting the entire family to voluntarily return to Venezuela.

Detainees held at the Whipple Federal Building reported experiencing poor conditions with lack of basic humanitarian treatment. The article documents firsthand accounts from individuals in immigration detention describing their experiences.

ICE agents left customized ace of spades playing cards in vehicles after conducting traffic stops in Eagle County, Colorado that immigrant rights groups characterized as targeting Latino workers. The cards bear the ICE Denver Field Office address and phone number. Voices Unidas and other immigrant rights organizations stated the action referenced a Vietnam War-era practice. Federal officials noted the cards may reference the ace of spades as the trump card in the card game Spades.

Yoandry Rafael Garcia Gali was re-detained on January 30, 2026, after previously being released on bond or conditional parole. The court found that the government violated due process by failing to provide a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter when re-detaining someone who had been previously released. The court ordered Garcia Gali's immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention.

Jose Flores, 47, was arrested during an ICE operation in Oakmont. The arrest occurred while Flores was preparing for work with his wife Harriett and their 8-year-old daughter Lily. The operation disrupted the family's morning routine.