Human Impact Project

A group of detainees at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center filed a federal lawsuit alleging cruel and inhumane conditions, including denial of medical care, adequate nutrition, outdoor access, and excessive solitary confinement. Four named plaintiffs remain detained at the facility, and the lawsuit was filed by Public Counsel, CHIRLA, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.

A congresswoman faced criminal charges for visiting ICE detainees at a detention facility. The incident involved Congress members demanding the release of detainees, including Newark mayor Ras Baraka. The article examines the criminalization of congressional oversight of immigration detention practices.

ICE agents detained Mayra Vaca Latacunga, 25, a single mother from Ecuador, after stopping her car while she was getting groceries in Biddeford, Maine on Friday, January 24, 2026. The detention left her five-year-old daughter Keyli Camila Espin Vaca without a caretaker. Vaca Latacunga, who entered the U.S. two years ago fleeing domestic violence and works in Maine's seafood industry, has no criminal record. She was transferred to Massachusetts and held for several days before being released on Tuesday with an ankle monitor and reunited with her daughter.

A 22-year-old man's father was detained by Border Patrol on January 26th. The son is fundraising to cover his father's legal costs and living expenses.

Heidy Sánchez was separated from her one-year-old daughter during an immigration appointment when ICE agents took the child away while she was breastfeeding. Sánchez was subsequently deported to Cuba and remains separated from her daughter and American husband eight months later.

A Democratic state representative is demanding a public hearing regarding the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez by a federal ICE agent in South Padre Island, Texas. Authorities claim Martinez intentionally ran over an agent before being shot. There was an 11-month delay in revealing federal involvement. Rep. Ray Lopez invoked a House rule to demand transparency about the incident.

The Howard County Police Department confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers removed a person from a vehicle near Route 175 and Tamar Drive in Columbia on Saturday morning. Police responded after receiving a 911 call and spoke with witnesses, but stated they had no additional information about the driver or the reason for the detention.

Federal immigration agents conducted a raid at a Home Depot in Downey, California on a Saturday, with video showing agents leaving as people ran through the area. Local authorities did not specify whether anyone was detained or why the store was targeted.

Mirian, a legally present resident of the United States who recently graduated from college, was followed by ICE from Westbrook to Scarborough, Maine. She was ordered to pull over during a traffic stop and was subsequently detained by ICE. Her family is seeking community support for her release.

ICE agents detained a father driving his two-year-old son to daycare in Shoreline, Washington. The child was left alone in the vehicle surrounded by armed agents for approximately 30 minutes while waiting for a family member to pick him up. Community volunteers arrived at the scene and documented the incident while supporting the child until a family friend arrived to take him to the father's workplace.

An Instagram post by california4vanessaguillen highlights the case of Deiver, a child in detention at the Dilley Center in Texas. The post calls for community members to contact their representatives and Congress to advocate for his release so he can return to school and participate in a spelling bee.

A protester was arrested outside an Orlando ICE facility during a rally against mass deportation after placing their hand on a vehicle at the facility's entrance. Witnesses reported law enforcement tackled and arrested the protester. The demonstration was related to concerns over ICE's authority to enter homes without judicial warrants.

Francoise Makuiza, a 32-year-old asylum seeker, was arrested by ICE on Friday morning while leaving for work at an assisted living facility in Portland. According to her attorney, Makuiza has no criminal history in Maine, has lived there for over 12 years, is the mother of a U.S. citizen, and was previously granted refugee status by Colombia after fleeing genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her detention is part of an ICE enforcement surge that has resulted in more than 200 arrests in Maine, including asylum seekers complying with immigration officials and immigrants married to U.S. citizens.

Texas Monthly taco editor José R. Ralat was pulled over three times while on assignment in West Texas, including once by ICE agents near Presidio. Ralat noted that he and his driver are both Hispanic and that all the officers who stopped them were also Hispanic.

A former ICE detention officer named David Courvelle pleaded guilty in federal court to sexually abusing a woman while she was in federal custody at an ICE facility in Louisiana over several months. Courvelle faces up to 15 years in prison and fines up to $250,000.

Anthony Paredes, an 18-year-old deaf high school senior at Ramon Cortines School for Visual and Performing Arts, was detained by Department of Homeland Security immigration officers on January 24, 2026, during a protest outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles. Officers chased and tackled Paredes after he did not respond to verbal commands; bystanders informed officers he was deaf, but he was taken into custody without a sign language interpreter provided. Paredes was held for several hours before being released and ordered to appear in court on April 1st. He alleged the officers used excessive force and took advantage of his disability.

A protest broke out at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley when detainees, many of them children, chanted "Libertad" after guards ordered attorneys to leave. The demonstration was triggered by concerns over the treatment of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, who was taken into custody with his father in Minnesota and transferred to the facility. An immigration attorney present described the facility as operating with harsh conditions, including contaminated drinking water and meals containing debris.

On January 24, 2026, detainees at the South Texas Family Residential Centre in Dilley, Texas staged a coordinated protest, with women and children in color-coded jackets chanting "Let us go" and "Libertad." The facility, operated by ICE, holds approximately 1,200 people, roughly one-third of them children. The protest was reportedly triggered by the arrival of a five-year-old who was allegedly used as bait during a federal arrest in Minnesota.

A protest occurred Saturday at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley when detainees, including many children, demonstrated in solidarity with 5-year-old Liam Ramos who was taken into custody in Minnesota. Attorneys were ordered to leave the facility as approximately 80 percent of detainees poured into open areas chanting "Libertad" (Freedom). Detainees expressed concerns over the child's treatment and the circumstances of his apprehension from a car in his family's driveway.

ICE agents have been leaving cards on the vehicles of undocumented immigrants as an intimidation tactic, often containing messages implying threats of imminent deportation. These cards create severe anxiety and distress within immigrant communities, potentially violating legal protections. The article discusses the psychological impact, legal implications, and recommendations for those receiving such cards.

Two brothers, ages 17 and 16, from West Chicago traveled to Minneapolis to document U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. The brothers have been recording Border Patrol activities, including the use of tear gas and pepper spray, and uploading footage to a public Google Drive folder. They witnessed the aftermath of Alex Pretti's death on January 24, when Border Patrol agents shot and killed the VA nurse while he was recording them. The brothers also witnessed the death of Renee Macklin Good at the hands of federal agents. They describe the enforcement actions in Minneapolis compared to what they had previously witnessed in Chicago.

Maher Tarabishi was detained by ICE on October 28, 2024, while serving as the primary caregiver for his disabled son Wael, a 30-year-old with Pompe disease. Following his father's detention, Wael's condition deteriorated rapidly. Wael died in January 2026 after being hospitalized twice since his father's arrest. The family attributed Wael's death to the loss of his father's specialized care, which Maher had provided for 30 years. The family requested Maher's release to attend his son's funeral; ICE stated it had not received a formal request.

On January 24, 2026, ICE agents fired paintball-like projectiles at vehicles driven by citizen observers monitoring immigration enforcement activity in a Home Depot parking lot in South Portland, Maine. At least two to three vehicles were struck with sticky orange paint on windshields, bumpers, and car doors. The observers were filming the agents as they conducted enforcement operations. ICE agents warned the observers that they were impeding federal law enforcement and could face arrest. The incident occurred during a broader surge in ICE enforcement operations in Maine that began the week of January 20, 2026.

Federal immigration enforcement agencies conducted multiple operations in Minnesota in January 2026 that resulted in the detention of at least four minors. ICE detained a 2-year-old girl and her father in Minneapolis on January 23, subsequently transferring them to Texas despite a court order for the child's release, and also detained a 5-year-old student from Columbia Heights School District and transferred him to a federal facility in Texas. CBP officers separately detained two teenagers in south Minneapolis in what witnesses described as a vehicle incident that resulted in the deployment of tear gas and pepper spray, with at least two bystanders arrested.

Cong Yin, a Chinese citizen who entered the U.S. without inspection in July 2023, was re-detained by ICE on January 23, 2026, when he appeared for a routine check-in. He had been living freely in Los Angeles under an Order of Release on Recognizance since 2023 and filed an asylum application based on fear of political persecution in China. The court ordered his immediate release, finding his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated his due process rights.

Victor Manuel Diaz, a 34-year-old from Nicaragua, died at Camp East Montana detention center in El Paso, Texas, eight days after being detained by ICE in Minneapolis in January. ICE initially classified his death as a presumed suicide, though the official cause remains under investigation. His death is the third at the facility since it opened in August. Multiple Minnesota detainees have reported poor treatment, inadequate medical care, and overcrowding at the camp.

ICE agents detained Marcos Da Silva, a 32-year-old Brazilian contractor, during a traffic stop in Maine on Tuesday. Da Silva has a pending green card petition filed by his U.S. citizen wife Alex in 2024 and entered the country as an asylum seeker. He is currently being held at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania with a court date scheduled for early February.

A 2-year-old girl and her father, both Ecuadorian nationals, were arrested by ICE in south Minneapolis and flown to Texas within hours, despite a federal judge's order to release the child. The judge issued an order at 8:11 p.m. Thursday to release the child by 9:30 p.m., but ICE placed them on a commercial flight to Texas at 8:30 p.m. The child was later returned to Minnesota and reunited with her mother on Friday.

Carlos Garcia Odón, a former mayor of Mérida, Venezuela who was removed from office in 2017 for opposing the Maduro government, was arrested by ICE on January 23 while living in Cincinnati since 2022. Odón has filed for asylum and his next immigration court date is scheduled for February 10.

A video from January 21, 2026 shows residents near Harbor and Orangethorpe in Fullerton confronting ICE agents and Fullerton Police during an immigration enforcement operation. The article also reports that ICE killed nurse Alex Pretti in Minnesota on January 23, 2026, with the family stating he was protecting a woman when attacked by ICE agents.

Alberto Castañeda Mondragón, a Mexican immigrant, was arrested by ICE agents outside a St. Paul shopping center on January 8, 2026, and suffered life-threatening head injuries. He was hospitalized at Hennepin County Medical Center with skull fractures in eight places. Castañeda alleges ICE agents pulled him from a car and beat him with a steel baton, and that he was further assaulted while in custody at the Whipple Federal Building. ICE officers provided a conflicting account to medical staff, claiming he ran headfirst into a brick wall. Castañeda filed a habeas corpus petition alleging federal agents interfered with his medical care and detained him based on his appearance.

Nine people were detained by ICE during traffic stops in Eagle County, Colorado on Wednesday. Ace of spades cards with ICE detention center contact information were found left behind in at least two abandoned vehicles by family members retrieving them. The cards have been historically used as racist symbols. DHS announced an investigation into the ICE agents' conduct.

ICE enforcement operations in Minnesota during January 2026 resulted in the detention of multiple minors, including a five-year-old boy taken from his home and at least four students from Columbia Heights Public Schools. The operations also included stops of individuals without confirmed identity verification and stops of off-duty police officers. St. Paul and Brooklyn Park police chiefs acknowledged the need for immigration enforcement while expressing concerns about racial profiling and potential civil rights violations. Community members reported being stopped without apparent cause and questioned about legal status, prompting local law enforcement leaders to call for federal accountability. Educators, families, and community advocates have expressed concern about effects on children.

William Vermie, an Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, was detained by ICE agents in Minneapolis on January 13, 2026, while standing on a public sidewalk observing an immigration enforcement operation involving two young men. He was held for eight hours at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building without being allowed to contact an attorney or his family, despite requesting legal representation. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Vermie was arrested for allegedly assaulting a law enforcement officer. Multiple attorneys have reported similar complaints from others arrested in recent ICE operations in Minneapolis.

Johny Merida Aguilara, an undocumented immigrant detained by ICE in September 2024, decided to accept deportation to Bolivia after nearly five months in immigration custody. His wife and three U.S. citizen children will depart with him. Their 5-year-old son has brain cancer and requires specialized treatment.

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.

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.

Cecil Elvir-Quinonez, a 25-year-old Honduran national and mother of two American-born children, has been detained in a Louisiana ICE facility for over three weeks after being stopped for speeding on New Year's Eve. She discovered she was pregnant while in custody and has experienced heavy bleeding and cramps but has not seen a doctor outside of one emergency room visit. She is awaiting deportation to Honduras and has been separated from her two young children, one of whom is still breastfeeding. More than a dozen women have reported suffering medical neglect and mistreatment while pregnant in U.S. immigration custody, including being shackled, placed in solitary confinement, and denied prenatal care, according to a letter sent to ICE and Senate committees by a coalition of advocacy groups. Specific cases described include a woman who miscarried while shackled and another denied prenatal vitamins and placed in solitary confinement. The advocacy groups, including the ACLU and National Immigration Project, are urging ICE to release all pregnant detainees. Iris Dayana Monterroso-Lemus, a 38-year-old undocumented immigrant, was detained by ICE in mid-March after missing a court hearing and transferred to Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana in early April while pregnant. Despite repeated requests for medical attention and an ultrasound, she received inadequate prenatal care and was given only blood pressure and urine monitoring. On April 29, she was hospitalized at a labor and delivery hospital where she experienced intrauterine fetal death and underwent spontaneous vaginal delivery while under constant guard. She was subsequently deported to Guatemala. An ACLU letter documents systematic medical neglect and abuse of pregnant women held in ICE detention facilities, including cases of miscarriages while shackled, denial of prenatal care, and inadequate nutrition. The letter details accounts of multiple pregnant women detained at Basile facility in Louisiana who experienced severe complications, including one woman who miscarried while shackled and was deported despite ongoing medical issues, and another detained for over 20 weeks during a high-risk pregnancy who developed eclampsia after release. A migrant woman detained by ICE after crossing the Rio Grande had her C-section scar and umbilical hernia rip open one week into her detention. Despite reporting the injury, she was denied surgery for four months and given only pain management medication. She was separated from her 15-year-old son under the zero-tolerance policy. Only after obtaining legal representation did she receive surgery and eventually bond to be released.

ICE agents conducted traffic stops in Eagle County, Colorado on Wednesday, detaining nine people. A nonprofit characterized the stops as "fake traffic stops." After the vehicles were abandoned, family members retrieved them and found ace of spades cards printed with ICE detention center contact information. DHS stated that ICE is investigating the incident.

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.

Makengo Nzeza was detained by ICE on January 23, 2026, while returning to the hospital after his wife gave birth via C-section to their newborn daughter. Nzeza, a member of First Parish Congregational Church in Saco, was arrested as part of Operation Catch of the Day. He had been granted asylum. DHS stated that Nzeza entered the country on a tourist visa in 2017 that expired in 2018. His wife was left alone at the hospital with their newborn and three other children ages 3, 6, and 11. A fundraiser was created to support the family and cover legal fees and bond costs.

Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, one of seven people charged with stealing millions in jewelry, diamonds, emeralds, gold, rubies and designer watches in 2022, was allowed to self-deport to South America by federal immigration authorities before facing trial. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges prior to his deportation.

Osvaldo Damian Diaz Hernandez, a noncitizen who had been previously released on bond or conditional parole, was re-detained by immigration authorities on January 22, 2026 without being provided a pre-deprivation bond hearing. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his ongoing immigration detention. The federal court ruled that the Due Process Clause requires the government to provide a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter before re-detaining someone who was previously released, and ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention.

Fernando Paul Leon Pinto, a noncitizen who had been previously released on bond or conditional parole, was re-detained by immigration authorities on January 22, 2026. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his ongoing immigration detention, arguing that the government violated his due process rights by re-detaining him without providing a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter. The federal court granted his petition and ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he was subject to prior to his January 22 detention.

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.

ICE agents detained four students from a Columbia Heights, Minnesota school district on January 21, 2026, including 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father. The family had entered the country legally from Ecuador and had an active asylum case pending. School officials and witnesses stated that ICE refused offers from school staff and neighbors to take custody of the child. The children detained included ages 5, 10, and two 17-year-olds.

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.

Emily Despain, a 21-year-old U.S. citizen from Tempe, Arizona, was detained by ICE for approximately four hours during a protest outside the ICE Phoenix Field Office on January 22, 2026. She alleged that an ICE agent pushed her face-first into the ground during a confrontation between protesters and agents, though she stated she did not physically engage with any officers. She was released without explanation or apology around 1:30 a.m. on January 23.

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.

Bob Peck, a U.S. citizen from South Portland, Maine, was threatened with arrest by ICE agents for following and observing their enforcement vehicles on January 22, 2026. His attorney filed a Federal Tort Claims Act notice seeking $7.5 million in damages, alleging violations of his First Amendment right to observe law enforcement and Fourth Amendment protections against unlawful seizure. Multiple other observers reported similar intimidation tactics including agents driving to their homes, threatening to place them on watchlists, and one agent labeling a woman a "domestic terrorist."