Human Impact Project

Miguel Lopez, a Livermore father of three, was detained during a routine ICE check-in in May 2025 and deported to Mexico in June 2025 despite a judge's order to allow him to stay. On March 17, 2026, supporters gathered outside federal court as Lopez awaited a judge's decision on whether his permanent resident status was wrongfully stripped in 2014. Lopez's attorney argues the government never provided valid reason for revoking his residency.

Miguel Angel Lopez Luvian was deported to Mexico on June 7, 2025, after being detained by ICE in San Francisco during a routine immigration check-in. His wife, Rosa Lopez, contends the deportation was wrongful despite his nearly 30-year legal battle and previous green card grant. The family is now separated, with Rosa struggling financially as the sole provider while fighting through the U.S. District Court to bring her husband back.

Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old permanent resident and Columbia University undergraduate, was pursued by ICE in March 2025 following her arrest for trespassing at a pro-Palestine demonstration on Barnard College campus in early 2025, for which she paid a fine. ICE searched her dorm room and her parents' home but did not locate her. She filed suit against the Trump Administration alleging violation of her First Amendment rights. On June 5, 2025, U.S. District Judge Naomi Buchwald issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting ICE from arresting or detaining Chung and rejected the government's motion to dismiss, noting that ICE failed to issue her a notice to appear in immigration court. Chung subsequently returned to court on May 29, 2025, seeking to consolidate the protective order while her constitutional case proceeds.

Sergio Cerdio Gomez, a 42-year-old Pasco food truck owner and father of three, was detained by ICE agents on April 24, 2025, during a scheduled immigration interview in Yakima. Gomez was attending the interview with his U.S. citizen wife, Gabrielle Cerdio, regarding his pending green card and citizenship application, which they had filed in 2022. He was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant. Gomez co-owns the Kennewick food truck Hibachi Explosion with his wife. He was subsequently deported to Chiapas, Mexico in June 2025.

Maximo Londonio, 42, a green card holder who immigrated from the Philippines to the United States at age 12 and is the father of three living in Olympia, Washington, was detained by CBP agents on May 15 as he returned from a family vacation to the Philippines with his wife Crystal, a U.S. citizen, and their 12-year-old daughter. He was celebrating his 20th wedding anniversary during the trip. Londonio was pulled aside at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport upon landing and transferred to an ICE detention facility in Tacoma after receiving a notice to appear before an immigration judge. His wife and community organizers with Tanggol Migrante Network WA believe the detention may be connected to a 2002 guilty plea to grand theft when he was 19 years old, for which he completed his sentence and probation without issue. Crystal described him as hard-working, family-oriented, devoted, and the primary provider for their family. Londonio works as a lead union member at Crown Cork and Seal manufacturing company in Lacey, Washington, and his union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, called for his immediate release. The Port of Seattle Commission expressed being "deeply concerned" about the prolonged detention, noting that CBP's own standards generally limit detention to 72 hours. The Philippine Consulate was notified and has been coordinating with U.S. immigration authorities. Community members gathered outside the airport demanding his release.

Gonzalo Ladron de Guevara, a lawful permanent resident since 2003, was detained by ICE in May 2025 after returning to Chicago from Mexico where he had scattered his mother's ashes. He was held for seven days by CBP for secondary screening before being transferred to ICE custody and charged federally. The detention is linked to a dismissed felony fraud charge from approximately 13 years prior related to prescription fraud.

Dr. Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national and postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University on a valid research visa, was arrested by federal agents on March 17, 2025, outside his home in Arlington, Virginia. Plainclothes ICE agents detained him and transported him over 1,300 miles to detention facilities in Texas, where he remained for nearly two months in poor conditions. The Trump administration cited his social media posts supporting Palestinian rights and his wife's family connection to Gaza as grounds for visa revocation. On May 14, 2025, Federal Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ordered his release on bond, ruling that his statements constituted constitutionally protected political speech, that the First Amendment applies to noncitizens, and that his detention violated due process protections with no evidence of wrongdoing.

Carlos De La Garza, a 55-year-old Berkeley resident and green card holder, was arrested in December at the end of a routine appointment related to his green card application by ICE officer Nolan De Long, who had been on the job for less than a month. De La Garza was wrongfully detained due to paperwork errors made by De Long. After De La Garza challenged his detention in federal court, government attorneys dropped their opposition to his release upon discovering the case relied on the officer's misrepresentations. De Long apologized for the errors.

Viktoriia Bulavina, a Ukrainian immigrant married to a U.S. citizen, was handcuffed and detained by federal immigration agents immediately after a marriage-based green card interview at the USCIS office in downtown San Diego. She was held for five days in poor conditions, including an open toilet in view of guards, expired food, and denial of medication, before being released following media coverage and attorney intervention. She now faces removal proceedings.

A 66-year-old legal permanent resident since 1967 and longtime legal assistant was detained by ICE at San Francisco International Airport on May 7, 2025, after returning from visiting his son, an active-duty U.S. Air Force member, in Japan. The detention stemmed from a 2009 misdemeanor DUI and drug possession conviction, though a CBP spokesperson later referenced additional arrests, including petty theft. After an immigration judge granted him relief and the government declined to appeal, he was released in early 2026 following nearly nine months in detention, including time at a facility near Bakersfield, California, and has returned home to San Diego. A GoFundMe campaign had raised tens of thousands of dollars to support his legal defense.

Mohsen Mahdawi, a lawful permanent resident and Columbia University student, was detained by ICE on April 14, 2025, immediately after his naturalization interview at a USCIS field office in Vermont. Federal Judge Crawford ordered his release on April 30, 2025, after finding that the government arrested him in retaliation for his pro-Palestinian speech and activism, violating his First Amendment and due process rights. The Trump administration had targeted him for lawful political speech deemed contrary to U.S. foreign policy. Mahdawi was released on bail pending resolution of his habeas petition, though he may still face deportation proceedings.

Terez Metry was detained by immigration agents during a routine meeting at the Department of Homeland Security office on Brick Church Pike in Nashville. She had submitted Form I-130 as the first step toward obtaining a Green Card to become a U.S. citizen like her husband of three years. Her husband believes she is being taken to Louisiana for removal proceedings despite following immigration procedures carefully.

Rosmery Alvarado, 42, a Kansas resident born in Guatemala, was arrested by ICE agents immediately after completing a spousal green card interview at the USCIS office in Kansas City on April 23, 2025. She is now facing deportation to Guatemala and is being held in detention, despite her family believing her petition had been approved. The arrest occurred after ICE agents waited for her husband to step out of the interview room before detaining and handcuffing her.

Cliona Ward, a 54-year-old Irish national who has legally resided in the United States for approximately 40 years, was detained by ICE after returning from a trip to Ireland where she visited her ill father. Ward, a green card holder, was questioned about criminal convictions from 2003-2008 related to drug possession charges. She claims these convictions were expunged. Ward is being held in an ICE facility in Tacoma, Washington, and is scheduled to appear before an immigration judge in Seattle to argue her case.

ICE conducted a raid on a paint business in El Cajon on March 27, 2025, arresting Jorge Lopez Leon and approximately 14 other workers. Lopez Leon, a father of four whose wife is a U.S. citizen and who was in the process of obtaining a green card, was detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center. The operation involved dozens of agents with weapons and resulted in the deportation of at least three workers who chose not to contest their cases in immigration court.

ICE transferred 20-year-old Cristofer Ortega from New Jersey to a detention center in Louisiana despite having an approved legal pathway to citizenship through Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Ortega, who arrived in the U.S. at age 9 and has no criminal record, was detained after an encounter while completing his HVAC certification. ICE is planning to deport him to Honduras before he can apply for his green card.

Fabian Schmidt, a German-born electrical engineer and green card holder who was detained by CBP officers at Boston Logan Airport on March 7, 2025, and interrogated for days before being transferred to ICE custody at the Donald W. Wyatt detention facility in Rhode Island, was held for a total of two months before his release. He now lives in Nashua, New Hampshire, where he has married his partner, Bhavani Hodgkins, with whom he has an 8-year-old daughter. Schmidt is paying roughly $60,000 in legal fees and related costs stemming from his detention, and says he is pursuing U.S. citizenship and writing a book about his experience. The German embassy had previously confirmed it was in close contact with U.S. authorities and the family during his detention.

Boun Morisath, a Bremerton father and longtime lawful permanent resident, was detained on March 11, 2025, during a routine check-in at the Department of Homeland Security office in Tukwila after 30 years of regular compliance with immigration officials. He remains in custody at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. His family says he poses no flight risk or danger to society and questions why ICE has suddenly detained him during a visit he had completed without issue for three decades.

M.K., a lawful permanent resident and student at Columbia University, was arrested by ICE on March 8, 2025, at his student housing with no prior notice. According to his habeas corpus petition, DHS agents initially claimed his student visa had been revoked, but M.K. presented documents proving he is a green card holder. The agents arrested him anyway, claiming his green card had been revoked without providing any basis for the revocation. M.K. is married to a U.S. citizen who is 8 months pregnant. His petition alleges the arrest and detention violate his First Amendment and Due Process rights and claims the government is using immigration enforcement to suppress student activism and political speech.

Issa Salma Baouna, a 49-year-old green-card holder from Niger, was denied reentry to the United States at John F. Kennedy International Airport on March 6 after CBP determined he was inadmissible due to a prior removal order from 2022. Baouna had been ordered removed following an arrest for assault and visa overstay, and was paroled back into the country multiple times in 2023. After voluntarily returning to Niger, he contracted malaria that led to kidney failure. His wife left the U.S. with their two children to reunite with him.