Human Impact Project

A 15-year-old boy named Kevin Martinez died of cancer two days after his mother, Arlit Maria Martinez, was arrested by ICE agents outside her workplace in Maryland. Martinez, who had no criminal record or prior deportation history, was detained and transferred to a holding facility in Baltimore. The family's repeated requests for her release to be with her son during his final days were denied by federal officers, preventing her from saying goodbye before he passed away.

Everyone had their case dismissed that afternoon which meant ICE could now take them at anytime. With only one way out of the building and ICE sitting in cars throughout the parking lot I knew what was going to happen. The mother’s friend-who had been sitting in the car next to mine-stepped out and met them by the front entrance, just a few feet from where I stood with the Priests. For a second, I couldn’t tell if the mother realized what was about to happen. But it only took that second. Suddenly, the ICE agents-every one of them a masked man-began walking toward us. Toward her. And that’s when it started. The little girl saw them first. “Mommy! Mommy!” she screamed, and burst into tears. Then her brother realized what was happening and started crying too. ICE doesn’t like to take children when the Priests are present and watching. ICE -asked whoever is with the kids to follow them to a different location, so they can take the children too. Because the kids are also in removal proceedings. Please donate so The Sidewalk School can continue to document and record these “disappearances” To donate: SidewalkSchool.org ***Video recorded by The Sidewalk School

ICE agents in Maryland used the state's driver's license database to conduct license plate checks in January without a traffic violation or warrant, leading to the detention of Santos Alvarenga-Rodriguez, 47, a Salvadoran citizen. Alvarenga-Rodriguez was stopped based on license restrictions that indicate potential immigration issues. During the encounter, he resisted and physically altercated with agents, resulting in federal charges for assaulting and resisting officers.

Maria Loya Medina, a 44-year-old mother of two, was detained by federal agents on January 10 in a parking lot in Albany, Oregon, as part of Operation Black Rose. She has been held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Washington for over two months. Lawyers with Innovation Law Lab filed a habeas corpus petition on March 6 seeking her release.

Jorge Elieser González Ochoa was released after being held in federal immigration detention for several months following his arrest at a local grocery store in September 2025. His detention sparked months of protests and organizing efforts by community groups including the Iowa City Catholic Worker and Escucha Mi Voz Iowa, who credited public pressure and community mobilization for his release.

Maria Loya Medina, a 44-year-old mother of two U.S. citizens, was detained by ICE agents on January 10, 2026, in an Albany, Oregon parking lot during Operation Black Rose. She has been held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Washington for over two months after being denied bond at a February 4 hearing. On March 6, 2026, her attorneys filed a second habeas corpus petition arguing violations of her Fifth Amendment due process rights and the Immigration and Nationality Act. The petition emphasizes her strong community ties, employment history, family responsibilities including caring for her stroke-afflicted husband, and lack of flight risk or danger to the community. Medina has resided in the United States since 2005.

Tah Lah, a Burmese refugee mother of four who was lawfully admitted to the U.S. in November 2024, was arrested by ICE agents at her St. Paul apartment on January 10, 2026, one day after USCIS announced Operation PARRIS to re-examine refugee cases. She was immediately transferred to Texas despite having a pending adjustment of status application. A federal magistrate judge recommended granting her habeas petition and ordering her release, finding her detention was not authorized under federal law. Ta Eh Doh Lah, a Burmese refugee mother who was legally admitted to the U.S. in November 2024, was arrested by ICE agents at her apartment while breastfeeding her five-month-old baby. She had properly filed for status adjustment and has no criminal history, but was detained as part of Operation PARRIS. The court ordered her immediate transfer back to Minnesota and release, noting she has congenital heart disease requiring expert medical care.

Dozens gathered in Springdale on Friday night for a vigil honoring Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday, and more than 30 others who have died in ICE custody. The event was organized by Alliance for Immigrant Respect and Education. Over 450 people were arrested at the Benton County Jail in 2025 under 287(g) agreements.

Jose Manuel De Paz Cruz, a 31-year-old father with no criminal record, was arrested by ICE agents in Sunset Park on January 10, 2026, while walking home from work to attend his step-son's birthday party. After being detained in Brooklyn, Cruz was transferred to multiple locations including Manhattan, New Jersey, Arizona, and California.

ICE enforcement operations in Minnesota from late 2025 through early 2026 resulted in documented abuses and legal violations. A U.S. citizen Ojibwe man, Jose Roberto Ramirez, was forcibly detained for over six hours despite presenting identification, allegedly beaten by agents, and released without charges or explanation. During broader Minneapolis enforcement operations, ICE agents killed a 37-year-old woman, assaulted a pregnant woman, and violated federal court orders in at least 97 cases involving 66 detainees, unlawfully holding individuals with valid legal status, pending asylum applications, and recognized refugees.

Jose Pablo Trejo Guzman, a 42-year-old Salvadoran national, was arrested by ICE agents on January 9, 2026, when he and his wife appeared at the Santa Ana Field Office for a scheduled interview regarding their pending I-130 petition. Guzman had been living in the U.S. since 2004 and was previously released on his own recognizance in 2011 after removal proceedings were initiated. He is the primary financial provider for four U.S. citizen children. The court granted his application for a temporary restraining order and ordered his immediate release from custody.

Bryam Escobar Martinez was detained by ICE while on his way to work in Minnesota on the same day federal officials announced ramped up enforcement operations in the Twin Cities. His wife Estefany Escobar and their family are affected by his detention.

On January 8, 2026, ICE agents fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good during an encounter in Minneapolis. Federal authorities claimed the officer fired in self-defense after being run over, but video analysis from multiple angles showed the SUV was turning away from the agent when he fired three shots at close range. Protesters gathered Thursday at the ICE Field Office (Whipple Building) in St. Paul, where federal agents deployed pepper balls, mace, and tear gas.

At least five Native American men were detained by ICE agents during a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, with community members reporting racial profiling and mistaken identity incidents. The raids occurred amid a broader federal operation involving 2,000 ICE agents, and included the fatal shooting of Native American woman Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent. Community advocates and tribal leaders stated that Native Americans were being targeted due to racial profiling, with some detainees unable to provide documentation of their citizenship and tribal status.

A fundraiser has been organized for a local artist and DJ who were apprehended by ICE. The specific details regarding their legal status, charges, or circumstances of apprehension are not provided in the available text.

A father in Minnesota was separated from his child by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The incident was documented on social media. Community organizers in Minneapolis erected makeshift barricades in neighborhoods to monitor and slow ICE vehicle movements by tracking license plates. Minneapolis police dismantled at least five of these barricades, citing concerns about emergency response times and traffic obstruction. Residents repeatedly rebuilt the barricades.

Mauricio Martínez was detained by ICE agents during a traffic stop on January 9 and transferred to a detention facility in El Paso, Texas. His wife Nancy Parra and their three children have remained largely confined to their home. Parra reported that her husband is held in conditions including overcrowding, spoiled food, and poor sanitation. The family experiences financial hardship without his income.

Parady La, a 46-year-old Cambodian immigrant and lawful permanent resident, died on January 9, 2026, while in ICE custody at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia after being arrested on January 6. La was detained for three days. The family states that La requested medical help during withdrawal symptoms during his detention and was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Two U.S. citizen teenagers, Jonathan Aguilar Garcia and Christian Miranda Romano, were detained by federal agents and Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino at a Target store in Richfield, Minnesota. According to the post, Christian's family has been in contact with ICE but agents refuse to release him despite him being a minor with no criminal history and a U.S. citizen.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent kneed a man identified as Juan Carlos at least five times in the face while other agents held him on the pavement in Minneapolis on January 9, 2026. Video evidence showed the incident occurring on Chicago Avenue near 24th Street. The man was taken to the Whipple Federal Building and then to a hospital due to difficulty breathing.

Britain Rodriguez, 31, was shot in the face with a less-lethal round by Homeland Security officers during an anti-ICE protest in Santa Ana on January 9, 2026, causing severe eye damage and vision loss. He was the second person shot in the face that night; the first was 21-year-old Kaden Rummler. The officers opened fire on protesters who were demonstrating against ICE deportations and police brutality. DHS claimed rocks and fireworks were thrown. Local police and video evidence indicate only orange traffic cones were used.

Ahmed Bin Hassan, a Somali American Uber driver and U.S. citizen, was accosted by over a dozen Border Patrol and ICE agents at Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. The agents approached him citing his accent, which Bin Hassan later characterized as evidence of racial profiling. During the viral confrontation, Bin Hassan remained defiant, refusing to provide identification and questioning the agents' authority, before they ultimately walked away.

Federal officers drove through a crowd of protesters outside Hartford's federal building on January 8, 2026, striking at least one person with their vehicles. The protest was held as a vigil for Renee Macklin Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Hartford police are investigating potential hit-and-run and assault charges against the federal officers involved.

ICE agents arrested Alberto Castañeda Mondragón near a St. Paul shopping center on January 8, 2026, and claimed he suffered severe skull fractures and brain hemorrhages by running headfirst into a wall while handcuffed. Medical staff at Hennepin County Medical Center, including doctors and nurses, stated his injuries were inconsistent with that account and suggested he was mistreated by federal agents. Disagreement exists between ICE and hospital staff regarding custody practices and restraint policies.

A man named Julio, an ImmDef Law Center client and father of a U.S. military servicemember, died on February 25 after his health rapidly declined following ICE detention. Despite having a lawful pathway to permanent residency and being medically vulnerable, ICE refused to release him and he was handcuffed to a hospital bed during his final days. His attorney secured his release but the damage to his health was irreversible.

Ricky Chandee, 52, was detained by federal immigration agents on January 24. His lawyer filed a motion in federal court in Texas to block his deportation, which was rejected on Friday.

Dulce Consuelo Díaz Morales, a 22-year-old Maryland mother, was detained by ICE on December 14, 2025, and held for 25 days across facilities in Louisiana, Texas, and New Jersey. She presented a U.S. birth certificate and other documentation to support her citizenship claim, but DHS maintains she is not a citizen and crossed the border without authorization in 2023. Following legal intervention, a federal court judge issued an order preventing her immediate deportation, resulting in her release with an ankle monitor requirement and reunification with her 5-year-old son. She remains subject to ongoing deportation proceedings with a hearing scheduled for July 2026.

Border Patrol agents entered a Target store in Richfield, Minnesota on January 8, 2026, and detained two U.S. citizen teenagers employed at the store, Jonathan Aguilar Garcia and Christian Miranda Romano. Despite the detainees' assertions of citizenship and presentation of a U.S. passport, agents proceeded with detention. Both were later verified as U.S. citizens and released without charges. The incident sparked protests demanding accountability and restrictions on agent access without warrants.

Thi Dua Vang, who legally came to the U.S. in December 2023 and is awaiting green card approval, was detained by ICE agents on January 8, 2026 at her St. Paul home. She was transferred to detention facilities in Texas for nearly two weeks before an immigration judge ordered her release on bond. Since her release and required check-in with ICE, agents have reportedly returned to her home three additional times attempting to make contact.

ICE agents arrested Mexican immigrant Alberto Castañeda Mondragón on January 8, 2026, and claimed he suffered eight skull fractures and brain hemorrhages by running headfirst into a wall while handcuffed. Medical staff at Hennepin County Medical Center disputed this account, stating the injuries were inconsistent with such an accident. A federal judge ordered his release from ICE custody, though he faces significant memory loss and ongoing recovery.

Alberto C.M., a Mexican citizen with a valid H2B visa, was arrested by ICE agents during Operation Metro Surge and suffered severe head injuries including skull fractures and brain hemorrhages. The court found his detention unlawful because he was arrested without a warrant and ordered his immediate release after 15 days of hospitalization under ICE custody. ICE agents had refused to explain the cause of his injuries, telling hospital staff only that 'he got his shit rocked.'

Jonathan Aguilar Garcia, a 17-year-old U.S. citizen and Target store employee in Richfield, Minnesota, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on January 8, 2026, along with coworker Christian Miranda Romano. Despite repeatedly asserting their U.S. citizenship and presenting identification including a passport, both teenagers were physically apprehended and removed from the store. Garcia was later released at a Walmart parking lot with injuries after his citizenship was verified.

Sithy Yi, a Cambodian Genocide survivor who came to the U.S. in 1981, was detained by ICE at a routine immigration check-in in Santa Ana on January 8 and held at Adelanto Detention Facility for almost two months. A federal judge ordered her immediate release following a lawsuit arguing she was held unconstitutionally and that ICE failed to follow required procedural steps. Yi's attorney alleged she experienced retaliation, verbal abuse, and poor detention conditions while in custody.

Hongbo Zhao, a Chinese citizen with a pending asylum application, was detained by ICE on January 7, 2026, during a routine check-in at an ICE field office. He had been released on his own recognizance since April 2024 and had complied with all reporting requirements. The federal court ordered his immediate release, finding that ICE violated his due process rights by detaining him without notice or a pre-deprivation hearing.

ICE agents were reportedly present outside Roosevelt High School, leading to conflicting accounts from union and DHS officials about the nature and purpose of the operation. Law enforcement and workers' representatives provided different accounts of what occurred.

An investigation identified Border Patrol agents Michael Sveum (EZ-2) and Edgar Vazquez (EZ-17) from an El Paso BORTAC unit as key participants in violent federal enforcement operations across the Midwest. The agents were documented using chemical munitions, pepper spray, and tear gas against crowds in Chicago and Minneapolis, including at the scene where ICE agent Jonathan Ross killed Renée Good on January 7, 2026. The investigation analyzed body camera footage, CBP reports, and incident videos to identify the agents and their role in multiple violent escalations.

Marimar Martinez, a woman shot by Border Patrol in Chicago in October, commented on a fatal shooting of another U.S. citizen by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026. Martinez was shot during an immigration operation. Her attorney noted similarities between the two incidents. Both shootings involved motorists and federal agents. Government officials labeled the individuals as engaging in terrorism.

According to an Instagram post, two individuals (described as a father and son) were detained by ICE agents who arrived in unmarked cars without a warrant. The post alleges the agents blocked in the vehicle, broke a window, and used force during the detention, including choking one individual with a jacket.

ICE agents detained Jose Martinez, a U.S. citizen and Coast Guard veteran, while he was sleeping in his cruise ship cabin during a Carnival cruise in the Caribbean. Agents tackled his wife Tamara Verhas and confiscated her phone to prevent recording. The couple was eventually released but forced to delete all photos and video documentation of the incident.

Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales, a 22-year-old U.S. citizen born in Maryland, was detained by ICE for several days despite possessing a valid birth certificate and other documentation proving her citizenship. ICE claimed the documents were not authentic, according to her attorney Victoria Slatton. Morales had spent time in Mexico before returning to the United States.

Melisa, a Maryland resident with a valid work permit and pending asylum case, was detained on December 15, 2025 during a routine immigration check-in. She had no criminal record and was employed full-time while preparing to start classes at Carroll Community College and planning her wedding. Her community is raising funds to help her hire an immigration attorney.

Rafael Vela, a 64-year-old from El Salvador who had lived in the U.S. for over 40 years, was detained by federal agents outside his Silver Lake home on January 7, 2026. Video shows masked agents struggling to detain Vela as he reached his doorstep before being taken away in an unmarked car. According to his family, Vela believed he had permanent resident status, but a letter later confirmed he did not.

Two U.S. citizens were stopped by ICE agents in North Carolina. When the men began recording the encounter, agents attempted to stop the filming and escalated the stop to violence. Civil rights advocates stated the stop violated the Fourth Amendment's protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

ICE officers shot a woman in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026, during a federal enforcement operation. According to video evidence documented in the article, officers approached a Honda Pilot SUV blocking a road. When the driver reversed and began turning away from the officers, a third officer fired three shots into the vehicle, including two shots after the car had passed the officer. DHS provided a different account of the incident.

ICE officers shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026. DHS and President Trump claimed Good attempted to run over officers with her vehicle. Multiple videos reviewed by CNN show the incident occurred after officers approached her stationary SUV and told her to exit the vehicle. Video evidence shows the car made contact with an officer before he fired his weapon.

ICE agents detained Mubashir, a 20-year-old Somali-American U.S. citizen, during a raid in Minneapolis's Cedar Riverside neighborhood. He was tackled, handcuffed, and held at Fort Snelling for several hours despite showing his passport multiple times. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O'Hara condemned the operation, with Frey stating the detention violated law and the Constitution. ICE agents also checked IDs at East African restaurants but found only U.S. citizens and made no arrests.

Shovgi Huseynov, a neuroscience researcher at the University at Buffalo, was detained by ICE after making a wrong turn onto the Peace Bridge on January 7, 2026. Despite having a valid work visa allowing him to work in the U.S. through 2029 and no criminal record, he was turned over to ICE by Customs and Border Protection agents and has been held at the Batavia detention center. ICE is now seeking to deport him, claiming he lacks legal status, despite his approved work authorization from the Department of Homeland Security.

Former Ghanaian Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on January 6, 2026, and listed as an undocumented person on the ICE detainee list. As of April 8, 2026, his name no longer appears on the ICE detainee list. His legal team had confirmed his arrest and stated he was cooperating with ICE while pursuing a pending petition for adjustment of status.

Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz, a 68-year-old Honduran national, died on January 6, 2026, while in ICE custody at Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico, California. He had been detained in November 2025 and reported symptoms including vomiting, chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue to his family for weeks before being transferred to a hospital on January 4. He was one of six people who died in ICE custody in the first two weeks of 2026. His family stated concerns about the adequacy of medical care he received while detained.

Rebecca Pinyerd, a 70-year-old Filipina lawful permanent resident who has lived in the United States for over 40 years, was scheduled for deportation to the Philippines but the flight was cancelled after airline officials determined she was medically unfit to fly due to advanced kidney disease, thyroid complications, and uncontrolled hypertension. She remains in immigration detention at Clay County Jail in Indiana with no new deportation date announced. Her family has expressed concerns about her access to medical care while in custody and has called for an independent medical evaluation.