Human Impact Project

A federal judge in California had ordered the government to take a man showing signs of prostate cancer to a specialist for diagnosis and treatment. ICE lawyers told the judge that officials missed the appointment due to an "internal scheduling error," and CoreCivic, which operates the facility, declined to comment on the litigation. A court-appointed monitor has since found that the California City facility, the state's largest immigration detention center, failed to comply with the judge's orders to provide adequate healthcare to detainees.

A man who lost one eye and has severe glaucoma in the other, requiring twice-daily drops to maintain his remaining vision, was frequently denied his prescribed eye drops while in ICE detention. He wrote in a court declaration that his vision has deteriorated significantly, appearing "like seeing through gauze," and expressed fear that he will permanently lose his remaining sight. He is terrified he will not be able to watch his infant son grow up. His attorney characterized the denial of such obvious medical care as "brazen indifference to really obvious problems."

A Russian man saw a gastroenterologist while detained in Texas about his painful gallstones and scheduled a surgical appointment. However, he was moved to various detention centers before the appointment could occur, preventing him from receiving the necessary specialist care. His case illustrates how frequent transfers across the detention system interrupt medical treatment.

An El Salvadoran woman missed an entire week of HIV medication when she was transferred from a Colorado detention facility to a county jail in Wyoming without adequate coordination of her medical care. Detainees are frequently moved across the country without warning, interrupting critical treatment. Her case exemplifies the systemic failure to maintain continuity of medical care during transfers across ICE's sprawling detention system.

A Venezuelan man detained at a Vermont immigration facility developed a severe infection from flesh-eating bacteria on his leg after staff failed to bring him to a scheduled doctor's appointment. His leg became purple and swollen as a result of the missed care. His case is among hundreds documented across at least 33 states where detainees allege medical neglect in ICE facilities.

A Honduran mother of two was hospitalized for a heart problem after being denied blood pressure medications while detained in a Florida immigration facility. Her case is among hundreds documented across at least 33 states where detainees allege medical neglect in ICE custody.

An Albanian man held for months in a New Mexico immigration detention center experienced unbearable tooth pain that was left untreated, ultimately leading him to pull out his own tooth. His case is documented among hundreds of detainees across at least 33 states who allege severe medical neglect in ICE custody, including denied medications for chronic conditions and requests for help that go unanswered for weeks.

Vardan Gukasian, a political dissident and former paramedic from Armenia, was detained in Henderson, Nevada for over 13 months despite serious health problems including uncontrolled high blood pressure. In June 2025, while experiencing dizziness, a nosebleed, and severe headache, his cellmate and then an entire cell block banged on doors requesting medical help; assistance did not arrive until he was hospitalized that day. In a court declaration filed in March 2026, Gukasian, who spent years imprisoned in Armenia, wrote he had never witnessed such medical neglect anywhere. The city of Henderson stated medical care was always available and that no court orders for care changes had been issued.

Jose-Antonio Segismundo, 48, was detained for over seven months at the Alligator Alcatraz facility in Florida and the Folkston D Ray ICE Processing Center in Georgia with untreated abdominal cancer. He was arrested approximately five weeks before a scheduled appointment with a cancer specialist, and despite his wife providing medical records and explaining his condition to officials, he received no cancer treatment—only Tylenol for severe stomach pain. In spring 2026, he was deported to Mexico, a country he had left nearly 30 years prior. He must now restart his cancer care search in Oaxaca.

Avelino Lage was detained by ICE for five months at Alligator Alcatraz facility. While he was detained, his apartment was robbed and he lost all his belongings. He also lost access to his bank accounts during detention, resulting in his car being repossessed. He is now rebuilding his life from scratch.

A 48-year-old Guatemalan man detained at Stewart Detention Center suffered a severe E. coli infection in his leg after being injured while shackled in a transport vehicle and forced to sleep on a dirty concrete floor with leaking toilets. Medical staff did not adequately respond to his requests for help until he collapsed and required hospitalization; a doctor told him he narrowly escaped amputation. He was released in October 2025 as a legal permanent resident but struggles with lingering pain that prevents him from returning to construction work. The case is one of hundreds documented across at least 33 states where detainees allege medical neglect in ICE custody.

Andrea Pedro-Francisco, a 23-year-old Guatemalan asylum seeker who fled to the U.S. with her mother in 2019, was arrested on February 5, 2026, by federal agents during a traffic stop while driving to work in Minnesota. She was immediately transferred to Camp East Montana, a tent detention facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, where she was held for nearly four months in crowded conditions. Pedro-Francisco had a golf-ball-sized ovarian cyst that required surgery before her arrest; nine independent physicians concluded the procedure was medically necessary to prevent serious complications including infertility and potential death. ICE repeatedly denied approval for the surgery and provided only over-the-counter pain relief despite a doctor's opioid prescription. Her mother, who has two younger U.S. citizen children, was released at the scene. Following legal motions, advocacy by U.S. Representatives Angie Craig, Greg Casar, and Veronica Escobar, Senator Tina Smith's intervention with DHS, and sustained efforts by lawyers and organizers, Pedro-Francisco was released in early June 2026 with GPS monitoring and her case transferred back to Minnesota for a July hearing.

Laura Yinneth Molano Luque, a 33-year-old Colombian woman, has been detained at Delaney Hall ICE detention center in Newark and has become severely and violently ill. Despite making multiple requests for medical help over several days, her pleas went unanswered until she fainted and was transferred to the hospital; she fainted again the next day after returning to the facility. According to her attorney's emergency court filing, Molano Luque has since vomited blood, experienced severe and unrelenting pain, and has at times been unable to speak, yet has received no medical assistance beyond antibiotics and has largely been unable to eat. Her case is among over 70 detainees who have filed federal lawsuits alleging medical neglect and deficiencies at Delaney Hall, a 1,000-person facility operated by private prison contractor GEO Group.

Mamuka Artmeladze, a 43-year-old man from Georgia, died on June 4, 2026, after being found unresponsive in his cell at Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana. He was rushed to Winn Parish Medical Center, where staff were unable to resuscitate him and he was pronounced dead about an hour later. Artmeladze had been in ICE custody since February 2026, detained during an enforcement operation inspecting commercial vehicle drivers, and had not yet had a court date. His death followed that of Alejandro Cabrera Clemente at the same facility on April 11, and came after a Department of Homeland Security inspection documented insanitary conditions, inadequate medical care, and use-of-force violations at Winn, including an officer using a banned chokehold and another stabbing a detainee's thumb with a pen. He was reported to be the 50th person to die in ICE custody during the Trump administration's second term. An autopsy was pending to determine the official cause of death.

Ederson Galicia Alva, 11, was first separated from his mother in 2018 as a toddler under Trump's first-term family separation policy. After legal intervention and reunification, the family rebuilt their life in Florida. In June 2025, federal agents arrested his mother Mirsy Maricela Alva López during an immigration enforcement action, and she was deported to Guatemala while Ederson and his sister were separated again. After approximately 11 months, a federal judge ordered the family's return to Florida in late May 2026. An Associated Press investigation found that dozens of children covered by the Ms. L v. ICE settlement—a 2018 agreement meant to prevent family separations and protect over 11,800 family members—have been re-separated from their families during the second Trump administration despite legal protections.

Emanuel Rodrigues, a Brazilian man with a rare life-threatening condition restricting his mobility, was held in solitary confinement for five months at Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. During his detention, Rodrigues became seriously ill and unable to walk after a fall that he says occurred when a guard prevented him from using crutches. His wife was unable to visit the facility. He was released on June 4, 2026, following advocacy from Rep. Rob Menendez's office, with assistance from a journalist.

Luis, a roofer with no criminal record, was arrested during an ICE raid in Arkansas while working. He was transferred through multiple facilities—a local jail, a Texas prison, and ultimately the Torrance County Detention Facility in New Mexico—where he has been held for over a year without criminal charges and with limited legal assistance or clarity on his status.

Connor Michael Read, 29, a British national who came to the U.S. at age 9 and was a DACA recipient, was detained by ICE on June 3, 2026, during a green card interview in Tampa, Florida. Read, who runs a pressure-washing business called Refresh Florida and has lived in the country for over 20 years, was separated from his American wife Jaelin and their three-year-old twin sons Ryder and Ozzie during what agents described as a private interview. Read reported that agents bound his hands and tied his ankles during transport to a local jail, then to the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center. He described detention conditions as "horrible" and "dirty," and reported becoming ill with headaches, chills, and fever. His wife discovered their I-130 petition for permanent residency had been approved the same day he was detained. His wife told media they are considering relocating the family to the United Kingdom if he is deported. An ICE spokesperson cited a 2011 removal order and stated Read violated the terms of his F-2 dependent visa after his parent's F-1 student status ended.

A Salvadoran man who has lived in the United States since around July 2005 was arrested and detained on or around June 2, 2026, after ICE agents and a local police officer determined he was unlawfully present in the country. He is currently held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center. He filed a habeas corpus petition and a motion for a temporary restraining order, arguing he is subject to discretionary detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) rather than mandatory detention under § 1225(b)(2), entitling him to a bond hearing. He also alleged he had not received adequate medical care for serious medical conditions while detained, though the government stated he had attended at least seven medical appointments and had a general surgery appointment scheduled. The court agreed that his detention is governed by § 1226(a) and ordered that he receive an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge within 30 days. The court denied his request for a temporary restraining order without prejudice, finding he had not shown irreparable harm was more likely than not absent emergency relief. The case was closed on the docket without prejudice, with the court retaining jurisdiction over further proceedings.

A man living with HIV was held for about two weeks at the Florence Staging Facility and went without his HIV medication for the first two days even though ICE knew of his condition. Soon after arrival he developed a high fever and chest pain and was told by guards to submit a written request for care. He says he requested care every day for almost two weeks, reporting chest pain and trouble breathing, and medical was very slow to respond; when he was finally seen he was given only aspirin and water.