Human Impact Project

Thousands of Minneapolis residents have organized into rapid response groups called ICE Watch to monitor and document Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in their neighborhoods. The groups, coordinated through organizations like Defend the 612, witness arrests, record incidents on video, and document community member interactions with ICE. Federal agents have conducted vehicle box-ins, window breaking, and surveillance of observers' homes during these operations.

On January 14, 2026, an ICE agent shot and wounded Julio Sosa-Celis during an incident in north Minneapolis following a traffic stop pursuit. The Department of Homeland Security initially claimed Sosa-Celis attacked an agent with a shovel and broomstick, but video footage released by the City of Minneapolis contradicted this account, showing only a brief struggle lasting seconds before Sosa-Celis ran into a home. Federal authorities subsequently dropped charges against two Venezuelan men initially accused of assaulting the ICE agent. Two federal officers were placed on administrative leave after DHS determined their testimony was untrue and they could face termination or criminal charges. State investigators continued reviewing evidence from the incident.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe reported that four tribal members were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers during a federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota. One person was released, but three tribal members remain in custody. The Tribe is demanding immediate federal action and refusing to sign an immigration agreement with DHS and ICE, asserting their sovereignty and treaty rights.

Tenth grader Arnoldo Bazan, a 16-year-old U.S. citizen, and his father were stopped by immigration agents while getting McDonald's before school. During the encounter, agents slammed the father to the ground and put Arnoldo in a chokehold, causing him to struggle for breath. ProPublica found over 40 cases of immigration agents using banned chokeholds and other moves that restrict breathing.

ICE agents visited El Tapatio, a Mexican restaurant in Willmar, Minnesota for lunch on January 14, 2026, then returned and detained the restaurant's owners and a dishwasher. According to DHS, agents were conducting surveillance of an undocumented immigrants from Mexico and apprehended three individuals total, including one with a final order of removal from an immigration judge. The restaurant closed early following the incident.

Volunteer searchers with Battalion Search and Rescue have documented dozens of sites containing migrant skeletal remains in the New Mexico desert west of El Paso, with some sites remaining unrecovered for over 18 months after being reported to authorities. The group reported finding human remains or personal effects at 15 locations that were marked on government maps as cleaned-up sites, and disputes official figures showing a sharp drop in migrant remains recovered, claiming several sites they reported in late 2024 were actually recovered but not counted in official statistics.

Border agents conducted an operation at a Target store in Richfield, Minnesota, resulting in the arrest of workers at the location. Video footage captured agents descending on the store during what appeared to be a drive-up operation.

ICE arrested a protester wearing a giraffe costume in Minneapolis. The incident involved law enforcement action against a demonstrator. Limited details are available from the provided article text.

A New York City Council employee was detained by ICE during a routine immigration court appointment in Bethpage, Long Island on Monday. DHS identified the employee as Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez from Venezuela, alleging he entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2017 that expired and has a criminal history. City officials and Democratic leaders called the detention egregious government overreach, noting the employee had work authorization and passed background checks for his position as a data analyst.

ICE agents arrested a woman in Minneapolis who was attempting to drive through a street where the agency was conducting a raid to reach her doctor's appointment. When the woman refused to move her car, agents broke her car window, cut her seatbelt, and dragged her out before arresting her. The incident occurred amid a broader ICE enforcement operation in the city.

Ryan Ecklund, a U.S. citizen and Twin Cities realtor, was detained by ICE agents for approximately 10 hours on Monday after following and recording their movements from his vehicle in Woodbury. According to Ecklund, agents removed him from his car and threw him to the ground, with one agent placing him in a chokehold. Ecklund was released without charges at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling.

Nasra Ahmed, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested and detained by ICE for two days. According to the post, ICE agents handcuffed her, used racial slurs, and knocked her to the ground so forcefully that she sustained a concussion.

A ProPublica investigation identified over 40 cases in which immigration agents used chokeholds and other neck restraints on civilians, citizens, and protesters during deportation enforcement operations. Former police officers and law enforcement experts reviewed the footage and stated the tactics resulted in apparent seizures, loss of consciousness, and serious injuries. The Department of Homeland Security has not publicly reported any disciplinary action against agents despite a federal ban on such tactics since 2023.

Legal observers in Minneapolis are following federal ICE agents and documenting their enforcement activities. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara confirmed that observing and recording federal agents is a protected legal right, though certain driving behaviors remain illegal. The observers say they will continue documenting ICE operations as federal agents increase their presence in the city.

According to the Oglala Sioux Tribe, three Oglala Lakota men are currently being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Fort Snelling. Federal officials conditioned the release of information about the detainees on the Tribe entering into an immigration enforcement agreement with ICE and DHS, which the Tribe has publicly rejected. Tribal President Frank Star Comes Out stated the Tribe will not compromise tribal sovereignty or authorize ICE operations on tribal land in exchange for information about their citizens.

A same-sex female couple in Pennsylvania had one woman detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a regularly scheduled immigration check-in. The detainee was transferred to a detention center in California.

Shovgi Huseynov, a UB medical researcher from Azerbaijan, was detained by ICE after making a wrong turn onto the Peace Bridge on January 7 and crossing into Canada. Upon his return to the United States, border agents arrested him. ICE claims he was in the country illegally on an expired visa, but his attorney states he applied for permanent legal status while his visa was active, which provides authorized stay, and he has valid work authorization through 2029. Multiple state and local officials, including Rep. Tim Kennedy, have condemned his detention and called for his immediate release.

ICE agents surrounded a family's home with weapons drawn and pointed guns at an unarmed mother and her children. Agents briefly detained a U.S. citizen teenager without a warrant before releasing him after realizing they lacked authority to arrest him. The incident involved armed agents at an unarmed family inside their own home.

Two additional people were charged in March after an ICE raid at a Hardin Valley construction site on January 13. Four men total were accused of conspiring to help conceal and harbor undocumented people for financial gain, and three were accused of conspiring to prevent federal officers from performing their duties, including using a pickup truck to block the site entrance and allegedly striking agents' vehicle.

21-year-old Kaden Rummler, an anti-ICE protester, was permanently blinded after an ICE agent shot him with a nonlethal weapon at close range during a demonstration in Santa Ana. His family has spoken out about the incident.

A U.S. citizen was arrested during an immigration enforcement crackdown. The family disputes the arrest and claims their relative should not have been taken into custody.

Hani Duglof, a 32-year-old with a rare genetic disorder (RDEB) that causes skin blistering, was detained by ICE after agents ran his license plate while he was driving. He was transferred to M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital after requesting medical attention, where he remains in ICE custody. His family and attorney are seeking his release, citing his severe medical condition and his pending asylum application that has been ongoing for over 10 years.

Two Minneapolis residents who monitor immigration officers' activities were detained by ICE for several hours without being charged. During their detention, they were held without access to phone calls and were pressured to provide information about protest organizers and undocumented immigrants.

J.I.B.C., a 19-year-old man from Ecuador applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile status and asylum, was detained by Border Patrol agents outside a T-Mobile store in Minneapolis on January 13, 2026. He was transported to Texas and held for seven days without access to legal counsel. After attorney Kira Kelley filed a habeas petition, a court ordered his return to Minnesota and release from custody on January 20, 2026.

Kong Vang, a St. Paul resident, recorded federal immigration agents knocking on his door in the Frogtown neighborhood. Vang refused to open the door after agents did not explain the purpose of their visit, and they left after about 90 seconds. The video was posted to Facebook and received over 400,000 views.

A high school graduate was detained during an ICE raid while working.

ICE agents rammed into Christian Molina's car in south Minneapolis on January 12, 2026, then questioned him about his immigration status. Molina, a U.S. citizen, refused to comply and was not detained. The incident occurred two blocks from where an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good on January 7.

A Navajo man named Peter Yazzie was detained by ICE agents at a gas station in Peoria on January 12th despite presenting multiple forms of identification including a Certificate of Indian Blood, driver's license, and birth certificate. Yazzie, a U.S. citizen under the Citizenship Act of 1924, was detained for four hours. Tribal leaders stated that federally recognized tribal IDs are needed and questioned whether ICE operated within its legal jurisdiction regarding Native Americans.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted enforcement operations across multiple Los Angeles neighborhoods over the weekend, resulting in the detention of at least a dozen people. Arrests occurred in Echo Park, Silver Lake, Downey, Eagle Rock, and Highland Park, with DHS confirming that 11 detainees were from Mexico and El Salvador. Community members witnessed and documented the incidents as federal immigration agents took people into custody. Some of those detained reportedly had valid documentation or long-term residence in the U.S., according to witnesses and local organizations including the Los Angeles Tenants Union.

Immigration enforcement agencies conducted large-scale operations in Minneapolis that resulted in multiple detentions of individuals, including Native Americans, Latino residents, and a 17-year-old Target worker. A minor identified as Jonathan Aguilar Garcia was detained by CBP agents who later determined he was a U.S. citizen, then abandoned him at a Walmart parking lot. The sweeps employed aggressive tactics including vehicle ramming and battering rams. Legal challenges were filed via habeas petition. Community leaders reported profiling and increased fear among Minneapolis' Native American population of approximately 50,000 people, with service disruptions resulting from the operations.

A Vietnamese immigrant and father was detained by ICE during what he believed was a routine check-in on January 12, 2026, and held in the Anchorage Correctional Complex for 65 days. ICE cited a denied green card application based on an old teenage criminal case from the 1990s, though an immigration attorney argued he was eligible for permanent residency under the Indochinese Parole Adjustment Act and was wrongfully targeted. He was released on March 18, 2026, after a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order and ICE canceled a final administrative removal order; he is now on an ankle monitor and must report to ICE weekly.

A Vietnamese immigrant who came to the U.S. as a refugee in 1992 was detained by ICE on January 12 during what he believed was a routine check-in appointment. He was held in the Anchorage Correctional Complex for 65 days after ICE claimed his green card application was denied due to an old teenage criminal case. His attorney and an immigration lawyer disputed the detention, noting he was eligible for permanent residency under the Indochinous Parole Adjustment Act and that the criminal conviction on his DHS record was inaccurate. He was released on March 18 after federal officials canceled his removal order.

When ICE increased immigration enforcement operations in Lewiston starting January 12, 2026, immigrant residents, including naturalized citizens, expressed concern about detention and separation from their children. Community members organized a volunteer network called "neighbors helping neighbors" to provide transportation, groceries, medications, and support to immigrants who sheltered at home. The effort included coordinating rides to school and appointments and monitoring for ICE agents. Community members wore black at a student-led protest.

Brenda Beatriz Organiz-Perez De Lorenzo, a Guatemalan woman and her two minor children, petitioned for review after being denied asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture. She fled Guatemala in February 2019 after receiving threatening phone calls demanding money. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals denied her petition, finding she failed to establish eligibility for relief on multiple grounds including lack of nexus between the threats and her claimed protected social group.

Four immigrants detained by ICE in West Virginia were ordered released by federal judges who ruled their detentions were unconstitutional. Danny Briceno-Solano, picked up on I-77 on January 11, was among those released after judges found the government violated due process rights by detaining them without explanation, hearing, or notice.

Randall Gamboa Esquivel, a Costa Rican man, was detained by ICE after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in December 2024. During nearly 10 months in detention at facilities in south Texas, his health deteriorated significantly, and he was deported to Costa Rica in September 2025 in a vegetative state. He died five weeks later without regaining consciousness, while his family and authorities remain unclear about what caused his severe health decline while in ICE custody.

ICE agents detained Jose Roberto Ramirez, a Native American citizen born in Minneapolis with family from the Red Lake Reservation, outside a Hy-Vee grocery store in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. The incident was documented on video and shared on social media. Ramirez was subsequently released from custody.

Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz died in ICE custody. He was held at Delaney Hall before being transferred to California. Jean Wilson Brutus also died in ICE custody, having died after one day in custody at Delaney Hall.

According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Online Detainee Locator System, an individual named Yee has been detained as a public safety or flight risk. However, no court hearing dates are available for Yee on the portal, and no deportation information is listed on the U.S. Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review.

Federal officers are conducting immigration enforcement operations described by Trump administration officials as large-scale. Minneapolis American Indian community leaders report their people are being stopped and questioned about immigration status based on their appearance. Red Lake Nation Secretary Sam Strong stated that members of their community are being detained. Photographs document federal agents spraying chemical irritant into a protester's face during an arrest.

Garrison Gibson, a 38-year-old Minneapolis resident from Liberia, was arrested by ICE agents on January 11 after they broke down the door to his north Minneapolis home. Gibson alleges the agents took trophy photos and locked him in an overcrowded cell during his detention.

A migrant man died while attempting to cross the Rio Bravo into the United States and was found floating in the river in Piedras Negras, Coahuila. Rescue teams and Mexican and U.S. authorities coordinated to recover the body. Authorities are investigating whether the victim is José Antonio Sánchez Ríos, 35, from Guanajuato, who disappeared while crossing the river earlier in the week.

Immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis involved incidents concerning legal procedures and detainee treatment. Brandon Sigüenza was detained for eight hours while legally observing and recording ICE activities, and was pepper-sprayed and arrested despite later being released without charges. In a separate incident, Garrison Gibson, a 37-year-old Liberian national who had been regularly checking in with authorities, was arrested when ICE agents used a battering ram to enter his home with only an administrative warrant.

Adonay Mancia Rodríguez was detained by ICE agents near his home in Morristown, New Jersey on January 11, 2026, during an enforcement sweep while picking up a dinner delivery. His six-year-old daughter Annabella was found wandering the streets alone following his detention. According to DHS, ICE took 11 individuals into custody during the operation who were undocumented and facing deportation.

ICE agents conducted a raid on January 11, 2026 at a laundromat in Morristown, New Jersey, detaining several people. At least one father was taken into custody, leaving his 6-year-old daughter alone on the street. The laundromat is located in the Hispanic community.

Five-year-old Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellanos, a U.S. citizen, was deported to Honduras on January 11, 2026, alongside her mother Karen Guadalupe Gutiérrez Castellanos despite being born in the United States. ICE agents acted on an administrative deportation order against the mother issued in 2019, before the child was born. The two were detained for nearly a week in a hotel without access to legal representation or a judge hearing before being deported. The mother plans to send her daughter back to the U.S. with a relative, as the child is a U.S. citizen.

A 21-year-old protester named Kaden Rummler was struck in the face by a nonlethal round fired by a Department of Homeland Security agent during a protest outside a federal building in Santa Ana. The impact left shrapnel embedded in his eyes and face, resulting in permanent blindness in his left eye and a fractured skull. The incident occurred during demonstrations against the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a federal immigration agent in Minnesota.

Border Patrol detained Guatemalan father Arnoldo Tiul Caal and his 10-year-old daughter Karla on January 10 in Spokane, alleging he missed multiple required immigration check-ins while seeking asylum. The pair were transported to a detention facility in Texas but were released Friday by a federal judge. The father had been living in Spokane since 2019 with his daughter, who was a fourth-grader at Logan Elementary School.

Multiple enrolled members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a homeless encampment near the Little Earth housing complex in Minneapolis. The detainees were transferred to an ICE facility at Fort Snelling, and their names were not initially recorded by authorities. The Oglala Sioux Tribe president demanded their immediate release, asserting that enrolled tribal members are U.S. citizens by statute and fall outside immigration jurisdiction. The tribe contacted Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to locate the detainees, and reported that the Department of Homeland Security refused to provide information about the detained members unless the tribe agreed to an arrangement with ICE. The tribe has issued guidance to its members on asserting their citizenship rights.

Parady La, a 46-year-old Cambodian refugee and longtime Philadelphia-area resident, died in January 2026 after being detained by ICE. La was arrested by ICE on January 6 outside his home and held at the Federal Detention Center (FDC Philadelphia), where he was treated for severe drug withdrawal. On January 7, officers found him unresponsive in his cell, administered CPR and Narcan, and transported him to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was diagnosed with anoxic brain injury, shock, and multiple organ failures. He died on January 9. His family and organizations including the ACLU of Pennsylvania and CAIR-Philadelphia demanded accountability and transparency, with the ACLU filing a Freedom of Information Act request for records related to his detention, medical treatment, and death.