Human Impact Project

Elvis Tipan-Echeverria and his 2-year-old daughter, both Ecuadorian citizens, were detained by ICE agents on January 23, 2026, after agents pursued their vehicle in a targeted enforcement operation near their Minneapolis home. Agents entered the family's driveway without a warrant, broke the vehicle window while the child was inside, and transported both father and daughter to a federal facility. Despite a court order issued at 8:11 p.m. on January 23 requiring the child's immediate release, ICE placed them on a commercial flight to Texas by 8:30 p.m. The child was returned to her mother in Minnesota on January 24, but her father remains in custody. A federal court order has barred ICE from removing the father from Minnesota during ongoing proceedings.

ICE agents confronted Ecuadorian immigrant Cristian Vaca at his home in Maine, with an agent threatening on camera to 'come back for your whole family.' Vaca arrived from Ecuador in September 2023 and reported having a work permit and a scheduled immigration hearing. The incident occurred during ICE's 'Operation Catch of the Day' enforcement operation in Maine.

Colleen Fagan, a social worker, was observing an immigration enforcement operation at an apartment complex in Portland, Maine when federal agents scanned her face with a smartphone and recorded her car license plate. When she asked why they were taking her information, an agent told her, "Cause we have a nice little database. And now you're considered a domestic terrorist." Her video of the exchange went viral. Fagan is now a plaintiff in a federal class action lawsuit arguing that DHS unconstitutionally retaliates against people who lawfully observe and record immigration enforcement by gathering their personal information and labeling them domestic terrorists. She is concerned about being placed on a "no-fly" list and worries her employment could be affected.

Federal prosecutors filed charges against two American citizens, including an 18-year-old, stemming from an ICE raid at a Hardin Valley construction site. The workers are accused of preventing federal agents from enforcing immigration law, with allegations that one used his truck to strike an ICE vehicle. Witnesses dispute the account, stating an ICE agent struck the teen's truck first before agents aimed guns and forcibly removed him from the vehicle.

Juan Sebastian Carvajal-Munoz, a Colombian civil engineer employed by an engineering consulting firm and holding a valid work visa, was detained by ICE agents on Pearl Street in downtown Portland on January 23, 2026. Masked agents in police vests used a crowbar to smash his car window and forcibly removed him from his vehicle in less than two minutes, leaving the car running in the street. Carvajal-Munoz, who earned a master's degree from the University of Maine, has no criminal record, despite the operation being described as targeting immigrants with criminal records.

ICE agents detained five-year-old Liam Ramos and his father at their home in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, using the child as bait to gain entry despite the family having an active asylum case and no deportation order. Federal agents have detained children as young as four years old in ICE custody.

A Cumberland County corrections officer was detained by ICE agents Wednesday night in Portland despite having documentation showing he was authorized to work until April 2029. The officer had a clean background check when hired in February 2024 and was actively pursuing legal immigration status. Sheriff Kevin Joyce commented on the arrest, noting the officer's background and immigration status pursuit.

Evaristo Kalonji, an asylum seeker from Angola with no criminal record, was detained by ICE agents on January 22, 2026 in South Portland. His pastor, Carlos Nzolameso, found Kalonji's car abandoned with keys on the floor. Kalonji was moved between detention centers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island while his pending asylum case awaits a court date scheduled for May 2028.

Former Customs and Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino is under criminal investigation for throwing a gas canister at protesters and observers in Minneapolis' Mueller Park on January 21, 2026. Video footage documents Bovino deploying the canister, which released green gas potentially containing carcinogenic substances. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced the investigation as part of 17 criminal cases involving potentially unlawful conduct by federal agents during Operation Metro Surge.

Francisco Gaspar Andrés, a 48-year-old Guatemalan immigrant, died on December 3, 2025, at The Hospitals of Providence East in El Paso after 93 days in ICE custody at Camp East Montana detention facility. He was arrested in Florida on September 1 and transferred to the facility on September 19, marking the first confirmed death there. His health deteriorated in mid-November with complications from alcoholic hepatic cirrhosis, low sodium levels, and kidney failure. He was hospitalized on November 16 and placed on dialysis and a liver transplant list before being pronounced dead on December 3. His daughter said during weekly phone calls he reported suffering from lack of food, lack of medical care, and terrible conditions, and stated: 'My dad was taken to the hospital when he was already dying, and it was too late.' Another detainee confirmed he had asked for help but did not receive it. His wife, Lucía Pedro Juan, was deported to Guatemala on November 28 before learning of his death. An immigration judge had ordered his removal on November 14, two days before his hospitalization. The El Paso County Medical Examiner attributed his death to natural causes stemming from advanced alcoholic liver cirrhosis with renal failure and internal bleeding, though conflicting reports indicate authorities also ruled it a homicide.

A 16-year-old Ecuadorian asylum seeker named Sebastian was detained by ICE agents in North Minneapolis in mid-January while on a food run. He was moved between multiple holding facilities, including a guarded hotel, before being flown to a youth shelter in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During his detention, his family and ICE's own attorneys reported having no record of him in custody. Lawyers located him after a week-long period.

On August 23, 2025, about 40 people gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center to protest ICE raids. Jessica Ramirez Vasquez, a social worker and community volunteer, was detained after using a bullhorn during the protest. Officers fired pepper balls and rubber bullets at the crowd. Jessica was arrested and charged with felony assault on a federal officer. Livestream video documented the incident.

Andranik Grigoryan, a New York resident detained at Miami Correctional Facility in Indiana, suffered a severe seizure on January 22 after correctional medical staff failed to provide his prescribed anti-seizure medication (Keppra), which he had relied on for years to control epilepsy. He hit his head during the seizure and was left lying in a pool of blood before being taken to a local hospital for treatment. Upon returning to the facility the same day, officers pepper-sprayed him through a cell port while he was still recovering from the seizure and had difficulty standing, causing intense burning and respiratory distress. Grigoryan was then moved to another cell without being allowed to wash the pepper spray from his face and body. He has filed lawsuits against Centurion Health of Indiana and unidentified correctional officers, alleging violations of his rights under the 14th Amendment.

Juan Sebastián Carvajal-Muñoz, a Colombian civil engineer lawfully working in the U.S. on an H-1B visa after earning a master's degree from the University of Maine, was violently arrested by ICE agents on January 22, 2026, while driving to work in Maine. Agents in unmarked vehicles surrounded his car, smashed his driver's side window with a crowbar, and dragged him out at Taser point despite his attempts to show proof of his lawful status. He was placed in full-body shackles, transported around for hours, and held in a windowless cell at an ICE facility in Massachusetts for approximately 15 hours before being released in Burlington, MA, 105 miles from his home. Carvajal-Muñoz filed a federal lawsuit against ICE agent Jack Cory Ravencamp of Lenexa, Kansas, and two unidentified agents, alleging excessive force, warrantless arrest without probable cause, unlawful detention, racial discrimination, and violations of his Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights.

An Ecuadoran woman seeking asylum was detained at Cumberland County Jail in Portland for five months. In January, ICE transferred her to Massachusetts without court authorization and then to Louisiana via air transport, removing her epilepsy medication despite knowing of her condition. During transfer she was shackled without food or bathroom access, and suffered multiple seizures in Louisiana while receiving no medication for days. U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin found ICE made false and misleading statements to the court, unlawfully detained her without a bond hearing, and deliberately disregarded her medical needs. The judge ordered her released, barred re-arrest, and ordered the government to pay her legal fees of approximately $15,000.

ICE agents detained Juan Sebastián Carvajal-Muñoz, a civil engineer from Colombia employed by an engineering consulting firm and in the country on a work visa, in downtown Portland on January 22, 2026. Agents in an unmarked vehicle cut off his car, smashed his window with a crowbar, and forcibly removed him while he was compliant. The agents left his car running on the street with a smashed window, his belongings inside, and his phone discarded on the road.

A 21-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant and in medical distress was deported to Colombia by ICE on January 22, 2026, despite a temporary restraining order issued too late to prevent her deportation. The woman, Zharick Daniela Buitrago Ortiz, had crossed the border seeking asylum in November 2025 and was reportedly denied adequate medical care while in custody. A federal judge issued the order enjoining ICE from deporting her, but she had already been boarded on a plane by that time.

Nasra Ahmed, 23, a U.S. citizen born in Minnesota, was detained by ICE agents on January 15, 2026, after being caught in a parking lot during agents' pursuit of two other men. Ahmed sustained injuries including cuts, bruises, and a head injury during the arrest. While in custody at Sherburne County Jail, she experienced a seizure and was transported to a hospital in shackles for an MRI. She was released after two days without charges. Ahmed reported that ICE officers used forceful tactics and that an officer used a racial slur against her. Rep. Samakab Hussein held a press conference where Ahmed shared her account.

ICE enforcement operations, including Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago, have created widespread fear in immigrant communities, with documented impacts on children's mental health, school engagement, and family stability. Testimony before the Illinois Accountability Commission described children avoiding school activities, families considering guardianship transfers, and reduced use of healthcare and educational institutions due to enforcement actions.

A five-year-old U.S. citizen named Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellanos disappeared after being transferred to ICE custody following her mother's arrest on Monday morning. The child does not appear in ICE, ORR, CPS, or any Central Texas immigration detention facility databases. Family members are calling on the San Antonio ICE field office to locate the child so custody arrangements can be made while her mother remains detained.

Elinor Hilton, a Portland resident, was recording federal agents conducting an immigration enforcement operation at a Home Depot when agents captured her face and license plate with their phones. One agent told her, "I hope you know that if you keep coming to things like this, you are going to be on a domestic terrorist watchlist. Then we're going to come to your house later tonight." Fearful of the threat, Hilton did not stay at her home that night. She has since reduced how often she observes federal agents, now parking her car several blocks away from her home and family members' homes and leaving her personal phone at home when observing, fearing federal agents might recognize her car and detain her. She is a co-plaintiff in the federal class action lawsuit challenging DHS's surveillance and intimidation of observers.

A leaked ICE memorandum reveals that federal immigration agents are entering private residences without judicial warrants, using administrative orders to detain people with final deportation orders. The memo, signed by interim ICE director Todd Lyons on May 12, 2025, authorizes use of force to enter homes based only on administrative orders, which immigration advocates argue violates Fourth Amendment protections. The disclosure comes amid reports of ICE operations in Austin involving minors and allegations of abuse, as well as an incident in St. Paul, Minnesota where ICE agents forcibly entered a U.S. citizen's home without a warrant.

Department of Homeland Security agents were involved in a shooting during an immigration enforcement operation in Los Angeles County's Willowbrook area on Wednesday morning around 7:20 a.m. Agents were pursuing a vehicle that crashed, and shots were fired when agents approached to detain suspects. No one was struck by gunfire and all suspects were taken into custody.

Federal Border Patrol agents detained two men working as gardeners in Long Beach's University Park Estates neighborhood on January 20, 2026. One of the men claimed to be a U.S. dual citizen and stated he was born at a local medical center. A third gardener who produced documents was not arrested.

Federal immigration agents in Minnesota stopped an off-duty police officer, drew guns, and prevented her from recording the interaction, according to local police chiefs. The chiefs stated that immigration agents have been stopping American citizens without cause. The incidents occur as part of "Operation Metro Surge," which federal authorities describe as an immigration enforcement operation.

On January 18, 2026, ICE agents conducted a raid on the home of ChongLy Scott Thao, a U.S. citizen with no criminal record, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Agents pointed guns at family members and handcuffed Thao without presenting a warrant; after confirming his citizenship through fingerprinting, ICE released him without apology or explanation. The incident occurred in front of his 5-year-old grandson. The raid prompted a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, where one of the pastors worked for ICE. Subsequently, 30 protesters have been indicted on federal crimes, along with civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong and journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort for their roles in the demonstration.

Milo Miles, a Canadian adult-film model, was detained by U.S. Customs at Toronto's Pearson Airport for eight hours across two separate interrogations before being banned from the U.S. for 10 years. Border agents questioned him extensively about his sexuality, clothing, and PrEP medication, and discovered his adult film work and escort activities through his devices. Miles was pressured into confessing to prostitution despite agents finding no proof of money-for-sex exchanges or lined-up clients.

Tomas Orellana, a Great Neck resident, was detained by ICE in early January while attending a mandatory probation hearing at a courthouse for a DWI conviction. His wife Claudia says he was detained inside the courthouse without being shown a warrant, in potential violation of New York's Protect Our Courts Act. Community groups, churches, and residents have rallied to support the family of eight children, raising approximately $28,000 on GoFundMe to help cover legal fees.

ICE removed Jose Serrano-Maldonado, a Maryland father with no criminal record, to El Salvador on January 20, 2026, despite two court orders prohibiting his removal and a clear "do not remove" banner in his file. Federal authorities admitted the mistake during an emergency hearing but did not provide explanation for why the deportation occurred. The judge ordered daily status updates and the government is working to return him to the United States.

A lawsuit alleges that an ICE detainee was repeatedly denied his antipsychotic medication while in custody. The denial of medication allegedly resulted in cascading symptoms that caused the detainee to harm himself and lose vision in one eye.

Two Latino men were detained by Border Patrol agents on January 17, 2026, while painting the exterior of a Christian church in Compton, California. The men were working outside the church on Alondra Boulevard and Bradfield Avenue, covering graffiti and maintaining the building, when agents stopped them and halted the church service inside. Their wives told Telemundo52 they are uncertain what to do moving forward as mothers now left without their husbands and fathers of their children, expressing their distress over the arrests.

D.E., a 44-year-old Mexican national who has lived with a brain tumor for 12 years, was arrested by ICE without a warrant just blocks from his home in Long Branch, New Jersey, days before he was scheduled to begin chemotherapy. While detained at the California City Detention Center, a CoreCivic-run facility, he was repeatedly denied his twice-daily seizure medication, Keppra, and suffered several seizures, including one during which he wedged his arm against his bed frame to keep from falling into a nearby toilet during a convulsion. He filed medical grievances, including a request for a radiation and chemotherapy specialist, but received no written response. His case is cited in a broader investigation finding that the ICE detention grievance system has collapsed after the Trump administration cut oversight offices, including the Office of Detention Oversight, the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, and the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

On Sunday, January 18, ICE agents broke a driver's side truck window while detaining a man on Tucson's south side, first using a device to break the window and then using an elbow and fist to break the rest. According to a video witness, the man had work tools in the back of his truck and groceries in the front seat. ICE did not respond to inquiries about why the man was detained or why agents needed to break the window.

On January 18, 2026, ICE officers entered the home of Chongly "Scott" Thao, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen and Hmong American man, without a warrant and detained him for several hours. Agents removed Thao from his residence in minimal clothing during sub-freezing weather. ICE stated they were searching for two convicted sex offenders with ties to the property, but Thao denied knowing the men and one remained incarcerated. Ramsey County authorities launched an investigation into potential crimes including kidnapping, burglary, false imprisonment, and constitutional rights violations. Thao was released after ICE confirmed his U.S. citizenship and lack of criminal record.

An employee of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office was detained by ICE on Friday, according to an internal email from D.A. Nathan Hochman. The employee was released shortly after and Hochman called the detention "unacceptable." DHS disputed the claim, stating they had no record of the detention.

Sophie Watso, a 30-year-old Mdewakanton Dakota woman, was detained by ICE agents on January 14, 2026, after monitoring immigration enforcement activity in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. During her arrest, agents broke her truck windows and physically restrained her while she held her dog. She was charged under U.S. Code 18 Section 111 for allegedly obstructing a federal investigation, though no formal charges were filed. She was held for over 48 hours at Fort Snelling's Whipple Building and Sherbourne County Jail before being released on January 16, 2026, without charges being formally filed.

ICE agents detained a person outside a Costco store in Kyle, Texas on Thursday morning. According to Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra, the individual sustained injuries including facial bleeding. The person was transported to the hospital by emergency medical services accompanied by Homeland Security personnel.

A federal judge ordered the release of Garrison Gibson, a 37-year-old Liberian man, four days after heavily armed immigration agents broke into his Minneapolis home using a battering ram and arrested him. The judge ruled that the agents violated Gibson's Fourth Amendment rights by entering his home without his consent and without a judicial warrant. Gibson had been living legally in the U.S. under an order of supervision and had checked in with immigration authorities days before his arrest.

A 20-year-old West Virginia man named Cody Lee Smith was arrested in January 2026 after allegedly threatening to murder ICE agents in the Clarksburg area. Smith made incriminating social media posts and called the ICE Tip Line on January 16th, threatening to kill any ICE agents he saw. He is facing charges of making terroristic threats and is currently held on a $75,000 bond.

Photographer John Abernathy was detained by federal ICE agents outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis on January 15 while documenting protests. During the confrontation, Abernathy threw his camera to a fellow photojournalist. He sustained injuries including chemical burns, pepper bullet wounds, and abrasions, and received a citation but no court date.

The ACLU filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration on behalf of three Minnesotans in connection with stops and arrests by ICE and CBP. A 20-year-old U.S. citizen named Mubashir Khalif Hussen was arrested by masked ICE agents on December 10, 2025, while walking to lunch in Cedar-Riverside. Hussen repeatedly stated he was a citizen. The lawsuit challenges practices involving stops and arrests by ICE and CBP.

Ramon Menera, a naturalized US citizen born in Mexico, was detained by a US Border Patrol agent outside his home in a Minneapolis suburb on January 14, 2026, while walking with his five-year-old daughter. The agent cited Menera's accent as the reason for questioning. His citizenship was verified through federal records and he was released. The incident, part of Operation Metro Surge, has prompted legal challenges alleging racial profiling and civil rights violations, with lawsuits filed by the Minnesota Attorney General and the ACLU.

Danna, who had legal immigration status, was detained by ICE in mid-January 2026 after being racially profiled. She and her 6-year-old child were transported to Texas while her 2-year-old remained with a guardian. It took one month to secure their release and reunite the family. Her husband was deported during this period, leaving Danna as sole provider.

An employee at Pancho's Taqueria & Mexican Café in Circle Pines was detained by ICE agents on January 15 while possessing a valid work visa. He was transported to the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis and then to El Paso, Texas. The restaurant owner set up a GoFundMe that quickly raised $25,000 from customers and supporters to cover legal fees, and plans to sponsor the worker to help secure his release.

Gregory Bovino, a senior Border Patrol commander, appeared in Minneapolis in mid-January 2026 wearing a distinctive oversized green trench coat during ICE enforcement operations. Social media users posted comparisons of his attire to other uniforms, with videos showing crowds chanting. Bovino's presence coincided with federal enforcement following the January 7 shooting death of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer during immigration crackdown protests.

ICE agents conducted multiple enforcement activities in St. Paul, Minnesota involving immigrant communities. In one incident, agents knocked on a resident's door in the North End neighborhood and asked her to identify Hmong and Asian households, without clearly displaying badges. In a separate incident at a downtown bus stop on 6th Street and Jackson, ICE agents were photographed surrounding a man with his head covered by a black bag. These incidents occurred as part of broader ICE enforcement operations.

The Jackson family, including six children and an infant, was caught between protesters and federal immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis. An officer rolled a tear gas canister under their family's SUV, flooding the vehicle with toxic fumes. The family, including the infant, required hospital treatment for tear gas exposure.

ICE agent Christian Castro was arrested in Texas on May 29 and charged with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime for shooting Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg on January 14 during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis. Castro fired through a front door, with the bullet striking Sosa-Celis and traveling into a child's room. Federal assault charges against Sosa-Celis and another man were previously dropped after prosecutors determined the initial accusations against them were false.

Alfredo A. Aljorna was detained by ICE agents at a Minneapolis home on January 14, 2026, and initially charged after agents claimed he and his cousin attacked an officer with a shovel and broom. Video evidence contradicted ICE's account, leading the Justice Department to drop charges in February. U.S. authorities have opened a criminal investigation into whether two ICE officers lied under oath about the shooting; the officers have been placed on administrative leave and may face termination and criminal prosecution.

ICE officer Christian Castro was charged with four counts of assault in the second degree and one count of falsely reporting a crime after shooting Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg through the front door of a residence during an attempted immigration arrest on January 14, 2026. Prosecutors determined that both Sosa-Celis and another man in the home were in Minnesota lawfully, making the shooting a case of mistaken identity. Video evidence contradicted the agency's initial claim that the men had attacked officers with a shovel and broom. The Hennepin County attorney's office issued a nationwide arrest warrant for Castro.