Human Impact Project

U.S. Army veteran Zahid Chaudhry, a green card holder and disabled veteran, was released from ICE detention at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma after being held for approximately four months. A federal judge ordered his release following a habeas hearing on December 22, 2025. Chaudhry had been detained since August 2025 when he was taken into custody at a citizenship interview. DHS made allegations of criminal history misrepresentation, which were disputed by his family.

Donna Hughes-Brown, a 59-year-old Irish green card holder, was detained by ICE for nearly five months after arriving in Chicago from Dublin in July. She was arrested on moral turpitude charges related to two bounced checks totaling less than $80 from over a decade prior, cited under President Trump's amendments to immigration law. Hughes-Brown was initially held at the airport before being transferred to Campbell County Detention Centre in Kentucky, where she reported poor conditions. She was eventually released and reunited with her family in Missouri, avoiding deportation. Hughes-Brown stated she would not return to Ireland until becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Jose Gonzalez, a 53-year-old Mexican national who worked as a maitre d' at an upscale Palm Beach restaurant for 20 years, was detained on December 10 during a traffic stop and held at Alligator Alcatraz detention facility. Gonzalez was transferred to Krome Detention Center on December 22. He had a pending asylum application and valid work permit at the time of his detention.

Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, a Maryland father, was shot by ICE on Christmas Eve. He is currently detained and ICE is allegedly denying him proper medical attention for his injuries.

ICE agents deployed pepper spray into a vehicle containing a Columbus mother and three U.S. citizen children near Easton Mall in late December. The mother claims the agents sprayed into her open car window without warning, causing burns to her and her children's eyes. ICE claimed the agents used spray to clear a path, but video evidence obtained by NBC 4 shows the agents had not activated police lights before deploying the spray. A woman reported that a federal agent sprayed into her car, causing distress to her three children in the back seat. She published the suspected agent's photo on social media and requested public help identifying him. DHS was contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of reporting.

Karla, an activist who publicly exposed medical neglect of a lesbian woman with cancer detained in Eloy, has herself been detained at the same facility. Activists are demanding her immediate release, protection from retaliation, and access to her hormones while in detention.

Miguel Garcia Pazaran and his wife Dulce Maria Trejo Segura were pulled over by immigration agents while driving to work in Hillsboro, Oregon and detained without proper clothing. The couple was taken to a detention center in Tacoma and deported to Mexico within eight days, leaving behind their 2-year-old daughter Sofía, who is a U.S. citizen.

As ICE enforcement increased in the Twin Cities, thousands of trained "legal observers" organized to document federal immigration enforcement actions. Protesters and observers film arrests and gather information about agents. ICE claims protesters are interfering with law enforcement and assaulting agents. The confrontations have involved force by both sides. Civil rights advocates have filed lawsuits alleging ICE violations.

ICE agents arrested a Honduran mother and her two children, including a 4-year-old U.S. citizen, at a check-in appointment on December 20, 2025. The family was detained in hotel rooms for 18 days across multiple locations, including near LaGuardia Airport and Alexandria, Louisiana, during which they had minimal contact with the outside world. They were briefly placed on a plane to Honduras before being taken off due to a federal judge's temporary restraining order blocking their deportation, and were eventually released on January 7, 2026.

A family is calling for the release of an Arlington man detained by ICE, citing the health condition of his son.

Nenko Gantchev, 56, a Bulgarian national who lived in Chicago for 30 years, died on December 16, 2025, while in ICE custody at North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin, Michigan, which is operated by GEO Group. He was arrested in September 2025 during an immigration enforcement operation. His family reported he had deteriorating health conditions including type 2 diabetes. His death prompted calls from family and a congresswoman for an immediate investigation.

The Miccosukee Tribe is pursuing legal challenges against the "Alligator Alcatraz" immigrant detention facility in the Everglades, arguing that Florida's acceptance of $608 million in federal funds for the facility strengthens their case. The Tribe contends the facility was constructed unlawfully on public lands without required environmental review and poses risks to their 11 villages and the fragile ecosystem. Multiple lawsuits have been filed opposing the detention center, including claims regarding inadequate legal access for detainees and lack of federal authority for state operation.

A volunteer legal observer was detained by ICE agents for eight hours on January 11th while legally observing ICE enforcement activities at the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis. During the detention, the observer was pepper-sprayed and roughly handcuffed, then held without charges. The observer was released around 6:45pm and subsequently shared her experience with a crowd gathered at the federal building.

More than 560 students missed school in Willmar Public Schools on Monday due to rumors of an ICE enforcement operation. School officials quickly reassured families that schools were safe spaces and would not be entered by immigration agents. The rumors were based on federal authorities later identified as Homeland Security Investigations agents, not ICE, who had detained five or six people in the area over the weekend.

Occupy ICE LA documents cases of protesters arrested during demonstrations at ICE facilities in Los Angeles. Kathy was acquitted after being charged with assaulting a federal officer, with the post alleging the officer actually assaulted her. Johnny Rosales remains detained since August 2, 2025, facing similar charges. Three others—Akalei Brown, Cynthia Saragoza, and Sandra Semane—face trial on conspiracy charges related to doxxing a federal agent, with the post claiming video evidence proves their innocence.

Spencer Gair Harrington, a Canadian citizen residing in the U.S. since 2019, was arrested on December 18, 2025 during a USCIS interview for his green card application based on marriage to a U.S. citizen. He remained detained until February 3, 2026 when an immigration judge released him on bond, finding he posed no flight risk or danger. Despite the judge's determination, ICE placed Harrington on an ankle monitor and in intensive supervision, prompting his habeas petition challenging the conditions as violating his due process rights.

Habel Russbel Hinostroza Alarcon was re-detained on December 18, 2025, after being previously released on bond or conditional parole under immigration law. The federal court found that his re-detention without a pre-deprivation bond hearing violated due process rights. The court ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention and required the government to provide seven days' notice and a bond hearing before any future re-detention.

Families of immigrants arrested in a federal ICE surge in Maine are struggling to find basic information about their detained relatives as the government rapidly transfers them to detention facilities across multiple states. Erik Orellana-Mejia was arrested at his worksite on January 20 and has since been transferred to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Louisiana, and Missouri. ICE has been building out detention and deportation infrastructure in New England and across the country to support intensified enforcement operations.

Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was convicted of obstructing federal agents from arresting an undocumented immigrant. Dugan allegedly helped an undocumented immigrant leave her courtroom in April to avoid arrest by ICE agents waiting in the hallway. She was acquitted of a misdemeanor charge.

Babblejit Kaur, an Indian-origin woman who has lived in the United States since 1994, was detained by ICE agents while attending a biometric interview for her green card application at a USCIS office. She had no criminal record, was sponsored by her daughter who is a green card holder, and worked for decades as a restaurant businesswoman and store employee. The detention occurred amid increased scrutiny of Indian nationals under new H-1B visa vetting policies announced in 2025.

Walter Francisco Cerrato Cabrera, a 48-year-old Honduran deckhand who had worked on oyster boats for 20 years, drowned on December 18 while jumping into Bayou La Loutre to avoid U.S. Coast Guard agents who had stopped at the docks. Cerrato and a younger coworker jumped from their boat when agents approached, but Cerrato, who could not swim, drowned in the bayou. The incident occurred amid increased immigration enforcement operations in lower St. Bernard Parish.

Seven people detained by ICE at a California immigration detention center filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on November 12, describing severe medical neglect and inhumane conditions. One detainee, Fernando Viera Reyes, reports being denied medication and urgent treatment for likely prostate cancer while in custody.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 24-year-old Vanessa Parrazal on December 17 outside Pinehurst Elementary School in Salisbury, Maryland, moments after she dropped off her child. The arrest occurred in the 400 block of Pinehurst Avenue, near but not on school property. A witness reported the arrest involved physical force.

The ACLU of Minnesota and three law firms sued ICE, alleging agents routinely violated the constitutional rights of people observing and protesting ICE raids. Six named plaintiffs, including Susan Tincher who was arrested during a December 9 raid in north Minneapolis, reported being detained, threatened at gunpoint, pepper sprayed, and having their personal information tracked through law enforcement databases.

ICE agents detained a pregnant woman at Karmel Mall in Minneapolis, holding her face-down on the ground while handcuffed. Witnesses reported that she was pregnant and unable to breathe, with some bystanders throwing snowballs at the agents.

A confrontation occurred in south Minneapolis when dozens of residents gathered as ICE agents operated near Lake Street and Pillsbury Avenue. During the incident, federal agents used pepper spray and at least one Taser on observers as the crowd attempted to prevent the arrest of a woman reported to be pregnant. Local law enforcement responded to assist ICE agents in leaving the scene.

An ICE agent followed and detained a 50-year-old Indian immigrant woman while she was going to work in her neighborhood. The woman was handcuffed and placed in a squad car without explanation or indication of any crime committed. An ICE agent pointed a gun at her adult child who arrived with paperwork to assist the mother.

Six foreign nationals were arrested between November 2025 and January 2026 and charged with being inadmissible as persons present without admission in the United States. They were detained at the Adelanto Detention Center and Desert View Annex without individualized bond hearings. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring bond hearings within 7 days or immediate release.

Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales, a 22-year-old U.S. citizen born in Maryland, was arrested by ICE on December 14, 2025, and transferred to Louisiana despite having valid birth certificates and other documentation proving her citizenship. ICE has disputed the authenticity of her documents and maintains she is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, while her attorneys have filed a habeas corpus petition and obtained a court order preventing her removal from the country pending adjudication.

Jesus Gutiérrez recounted to Reveal News an encounter where federal immigration agents used facial recognition technology called Mobile Fortify to scan his face, which brought up his name, date of birth, and immigration status. The agents detained him for about an hour before releasing him. Federal authorities have acknowledged using this facial recognition app across the country to verify citizenship and check for deportation orders.

A 20-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen was detained by ICE agents for approximately two hours in Minneapolis after being approached based on his Somali appearance. The agents apprehended him on a street near Cedar Avenue, placed him in a chokehold, and transported him to the Whipple Federal Building despite his repeated attempts to show his passport and ID. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O'Hara stated the incident constituted racial profiling and was unconstitutional, while ICE stated their actions were based on reasonable suspicion.

David Cardenas, 54, a Raleigh resident who fled Nicaragua and sought asylum in 2022, was detained by ICE during a routine yearly check-in appointment with USCIS in Charlotte. He suffered a medical emergency shortly after detention and was hospitalized at Atrium Health in Pineville, where ICE and the hospital initially blocked visits from his wife and children for a week. Following advocacy efforts and a press conference by immigrant rights groups and local leaders, ICE announced it would release Cardenas due to his severe health condition, potentially using alternative detention such as an ankle monitor.

Martina Martin Garcia, a Guatemalan asylum seeker who fled to the U.S. in April 2024, was arrested on December 11, 2025, while attending a scheduled ICE check-in at 630 Sansome Street in San Francisco. Garcia had been released on her own recognizance, complied with all supervision conditions, and had no criminal history. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring her immediate release, finding her detention likely violated her constitutional due process rights.

Mohan Karki, a 30-year-old refugee born in a Nepal refugee camp whose family fled persecution in Bhutan in the 1990s, faces deportation to Bhutan by the U.S. government despite having no passport or birth certificate from that country. He has been detained for over eight months pending removal proceedings stemming from a teenage burglary conviction. His attorneys have stated that deportation could result in statelessness, as Bhutanese authorities have previously denied entry to other deportees.

A man who had lived in the U.S. for 27 years and worked with a company for 17 years was deported after his wife was pulled over for a broken headlight. He had paid taxes, owned a home, and raised American-born children. The deportation occurred despite his lack of criminal conduct.

Jose Gomez and his 13-year-old son left their Eden Prairie apartment on a Thursday morning to move their car after a snowstorm. An unmarked SUV pulled up alongside them with police lights, and the father told his son to run as a second SUV arrived. The incident was reported by WCCO news.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained a man after a judge had already granted him asylum. Sources characterize the detention as a violation of judicial authority and due process.

Viktoriia Bulavina, a Ukrainian woman with Temporary Protected Status, was detained for five days after being arrested during a green card interview at the USCIS San Diego Field Office on December 4, 2025. She spent three days in the downtown San Diego ICE facility where she reported harsh conditions including lack of sleep, inability to change clothes or shower, cold temperatures, expired food, and inadequate privacy. Her attorney stated she had complied with all immigration procedures and was renewing her TPS when detained; her TPS extension was approved the day she was released.

ICE agents arrested Mubashir, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen of Somali descent, in Minneapolis's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood during Operation Metro Surge. Video footage showed agents slamming him against a door, placing him in a chokehold, and detaining him despite him repeatedly stating he was a U.S. citizen with identification. He was released after approximately two hours when agents confirmed his citizenship status.

A 20-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen named Mubashir was detained by ICE agents in Minneapolis while on his lunch break. Agents forcibly removed him from a restaurant, handcuffed him, and initially refused to accept his U.S. passport and identification documents despite his attempts to present them. He was held for approximately two hours at a federal building before being released after presenting identification. Minneapolis city leaders, including Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O'Hara, characterized the detention as wrongful and unconstitutional racial profiling, while ICE stated their actions were based on reasonable suspicion.

A U.S. citizen was detained by immigration agents in Robbinsdale on January 8. A relative livestreamed the encounter on Facebook. The individual was released from custody hours later.

ICE agents arrested Mubashir, a 20-year-old Somali American U.S. citizen, in Minneapolis's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood on his lunch break. Video footage documented agents slamming him against a door, placing him in a chokehold, and handcuffing him before detaining him for approximately two hours. Despite offering identification and having his citizenship verified, Mubashir alleged he was denied water and medical assistance during detention. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O'Hara stated the arrest was racially motivated, while Governor Tim Walz requested a DHS review of ICE arrests of U.S. citizens in the city.

Santiago Zamora Perez, a 17-year-old Detroit student at Western International High School, was arrested by ICE on Sunday after Fraser police pulled him over for driving under the speed limit and called federal agents. Zamora and his mother were detained; he is a Venezuelan asylum seeker who entered the U.S. last year. At least four Detroit teens are currently held in ICE detention facilities.

A Homeland Security agent confronting a man about his visa status was briefly taken in an SUV against his will on Wednesday in Plymouth, Minnesota. Two people were charged in federal court with interfering with DHS agents: Oluwadamilola Bamigboye, 24, a Nigerian national who overstayed his student visa, and Rekeya Frazier, 26. The incident began when agents approached Bamigboye outside an apartment complex, leading him to jump into Frazier's SUV and demand she drive away, resulting in a brief pursuit that ended near a New Hope police station.

On December 9, 2025, ICE agents conducted enforcement operations in Minneapolis that resulted in the detention of multiple U.S. citizens, including Sue Tincher, a 55-year-old citizen observer who was arrested while monitoring the activity, and a 20-year-old Somali man named Mubashir who was tackled by agents and detained despite displaying his passport. Tincher was handcuffed and held for over five hours before release, while Mubashir was detained at Fort Snelling federal building after agents allegedly failed to identify themselves. Local officials, including Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacoby Frey, questioned whether agents possessed proper judicial warrants. DHS disputed accounts of the detentions, claiming officers were investigating criminal immigration violations and that Mubashir resisted arrest.

Vilma Cruz, a 38-year-old Honduran national, was arrested by ICE agents in Kenner, Louisiana during an operation called "Catahoula Crunch." Her 18-year-old son, Jonathan Escalante, a U.S. citizen, is now the sole caregiver for his 9-year-old sister and worries about being detained himself despite being a citizen.

Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents used chemical irritant to disperse a crowd in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis during identification checks. The incident occurred on Tuesday. Minneapolis City Council member Jamal Osman, a Somali American, was present during the confrontation.

An ICE vehicle struck a protester in Minneapolis on December 9 as demonstrators heckled immigration enforcement agents. The incident was recorded on video. ICE agents also used pepper spray against the protesters.

Nimco Omar, a Somali-American U.S. citizen, confronted ICE agents conducting what she characterized as an illegal "citizen check" in Minneapolis. She repeatedly demanded identification and questioned their authority to ask about her birthplace, arguing the encounter constituted unconstitutional racial profiling and illegal demands to show papers to unidentified agents.

Jair Celis, a 29-year-old Utah father and soccer coach, was detained by ICE during his final green card interview despite being married to a U.S. citizen. The Department of Homeland Security posted on social media claiming Celis had a history of child sexual abuse, referencing sealed juvenile court records from when he was a minor. His attorneys plan to sue DHS for libel, arguing that juvenile cases are civil proceedings that cannot be used as convictions and should not be publicly disclosed.