Human Impact Project

Ezequiel Vélez Cáceres, 32, resigned from his job after his TPS (Temporary Protected Status) was cancelled. His U.S. citizen spouse states he was in the process of obtaining a work visa.

Federal officials have detained or deported at least 25 people whose families were granted temporary legal status under a 2023 court settlement stemming from the Trump administration's 2017 family separation policy. The government has violated key terms of the settlement by imposing a $1,000 per-person fee, stopping payments to contractors assisting with family reunification, and detaining and deporting individuals who were supposed to be protected under the court order.

Olivia has been detained at the Dilley immigration detention facility since November while her family members have been released. She has lost approximately 20 pounds since her arrival and struggles with appetite and food quality. She had planned to start work as a nurse's assistant in Maine and aspired to become a nurse working with children.

Malunda Destino has been detained by ICE in New Hampshire since August 2025 while his asylum case is pending. A federal court ordered him to receive an individualized bond hearing due to due process concerns. Destino has been separated from his newborn son and family, and ICE attempted to deport him but a stay was obtained after community fundraising paid for appellate representation. Destino has also reported degrading treatment by ICE agents while in detention.

Neysis, a woman who was six months pregnant with twins, experienced painful contractions and a miscarriage while in ICE custody. According to reporting, officers shackled her to a hospital bed during the medical emergency instead of providing compassionate care. The incident highlights conditions in ICE detention facilities for pregnant detainees.

A 50-year-old Mexican man named Jesús died in late February after avoiding hospital care out of fear of ICE detention and deportation. His wife attributes his death to harsh U.S. immigration policies. He remained bedridden at home despite declining health and was only taken to a hospital when it was too late. He left behind four children, including one minor.

A University of Washington PhD student and his 13-year-old son were deported from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after the student's visa was suddenly revoked without explanation provided.

A person named Abad was detained by immigration authorities in Corona in a warrantless stop. An advocacy account is requesting support for Abad and his family as they work to bring him home.

The Trump administration is detaining DACA recipients at increasing rates, treating them as deportable despite their protected status. The article documents cases of multiple DACA holders detained for months, including some with no criminal records, and highlights how long renewal processing times and mandatory detention policies are creating uncertainty for the roughly 600,000 DACA recipients in the U.S.

Dayerlin Serrano Ordonez, a Venezuelan citizen who entered the U.S. in 2023 and was granted withholding of removal to Venezuela in February 2025, was detained by ICE on April 9, 2026 during a routine check-in. His wife was informed that authorities intended to remove him to Africa. The court required respondents to show cause why his habeas petition should not be granted and ordered advance notice of any removal.

Brandon, a U.S. citizen, was detained for eight hours at the Whipple building during Operation Metro Surge and reported appalling detention conditions including unresponsive guards, unsanitary facilities, and interrogations. After his release, he was hit with pepper balls and exposed to tear gas and flash bangs as ICE agents confronted a protest outside the facility.

Mahadin Hussein Nour is currently in custody of ICE at the Joe Corley Processing Center in Conroe, Texas. He filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus challenging his continued confinement and a motion for a temporary restraining order seeking immediate release. The court ordered the respondent to file an answer by April 17, 2026, and established procedures for the case.

Haiyang Wang, a petitioner detained at Desert View Annex Detention Facility following a routine immigration check, filed for immediate release from custody through a habeas corpus petition. She argued her ongoing detention constitutes constitutional deprivation and feared potential transfer to another facility would impair her access to counsel. The court denied her emergency application for temporary restraining order but ordered the government to show cause why habeas relief should not be granted under an expedited briefing schedule.

Mouhamed Nasim Asmi Toloza is being detained by ICE at the Dodge County Detention Facility in Juneau, Wisconsin. He filed a habeas corpus petition arguing he should be categorized under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) rather than § 1225(b)(2), which would require an individualized assessment before continued detention. The court denied his motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent transfer to another detention facility.

Azael Torres Berruecos, a native of Mexico, filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his immigration detention that has lasted nearly two years. The court found his petition unclear about whether he is detained under pre-removal or post-removal statutes. The court denied his motions for emergency relief and appointed counsel but ordered the government to respond and clarify the legal basis for his continued detention.

Jose Ivar Pineda Campos, an asylum seeker from Nicaragua, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without a prior hearing before a neutral decisionmaker. The court granted a temporary restraining order for his release and issued a preliminary injunction barring further detention without a pre-detention hearing. The court also prohibited transferring Pineda Campos out of the district without prior approval.

Aurelio Ixcox Chum, a Guatemalan national, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and held at Mesa Verde Detention Center. Government alleged he ran upon seeing officers and resisted arrest, and had no pending applications for relief with immigration authorities. The Eastern District of California granted his motion for preliminary injunction and ordered respondents to provide him with a bond hearing before a neutral arbiter within seven days.

Ren Xun Lin, detained at Imperial Regional Detention Facility, filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his prolonged immigration detention without a bond hearing as a due process violation. The government conceded and the court ordered a bond hearing within seven days where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that Lin poses a danger or flight risk. The court declined to order immediate release.

Mikayel Mikoyan, an immigration detainee held at the Adelanto Detention Facility by ICE, filed a habeas corpus petition claiming his detention violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights. The government did not oppose his motion for temporary restraining order. The court granted the motion and ordered his immediate release from immigration detention.

U.S. Rep. André Carson visited Miami Correctional Facility, which houses immigration detainees, and reported that detainees described systemic issues including lack of functioning intercom systems, delayed medical care, and inconsistent access to basic necessities. Carson stated that detainees believed at least one recent death may have been preventable had emergency reporting systems been in place, and called for a full investigation into two deaths that occurred at the facility in less than two months.

Three Democratic House members conducted an unannounced inspection of an ICE detention facility in Mesa, Arizona and found approximately 250 people detained in conditions designed for 157. Detainees were held in severely overcrowded rooms without adequate beds, blankets, showers, or medical attention, with some rooms holding over 40 people when designed for 21. Representatives reported detainees were sick with fevers and facility staff appeared unresponsive to requests for medical care.

A tattoo artist organized a fundraiser flash day on April 10th at a tattoo shop in Fort Lauderdale to raise money for attorney fees and living expenses after her 65-year-old father was detained by ICE. The father is the primary provider for the family, including her mother who requires full-time care and two disabled sisters.

Nairoby Cabrera posted on Instagram requesting financial assistance for her son, Daniel Zamora, who is currently detained by ICE. The family is seeking funds to cover legal fees and immigration bond costs to provide him with adequate legal representation.

Brian Morales, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen born in Denver, Colorado, was deported to Mexico on April 9, 2026, following a traffic stop while riding in a vehicle on his way to work in Texas. Morales possessed his birth certificate and Social Security card but had not yet obtained a state ID. He alleges that immigration agents threatened him with imprisonment if he did not sign removal papers. His family has questioned the legality of the deportation process.

Miguel Rosas Ruiz, a Mexican-born business owner and father of four from Ypsilanti, was detained by ICE on March 10, 2026, while driving to work on Carpenter Road. He is being held at the North Lake Detention Center in Baldwin. His daughter, Morelia Rosas Martinez, spoke publicly about the emotional impact of his detention on their family and others affected by immigration enforcement. The Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor City Councils passed resolutions advocating for his release and a bond hearing.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national with withholding of removal status and U.S. citizen family members, was deported to El Salvador on March 15, 2025, despite a 2019 federal court ruling prohibiting his removal. The Trump administration characterized the deportation as an administrative error, though it was based on unsubstantiated MS-13 gang membership allegations contradicted by his immigration judge's 2019 credibility finding. After Garcia's wife filed suit, a federal judge ordered his return, and the Supreme Court unanimously ruled on April 10, 2025, that the government must facilitate his return. He was returned to the U.S. on June 6 but subsequently faced criminal charges for human smuggling in Tennessee and multiple deportation attempts to African countries, blocked by federal court injunctions. As of February 2026, a Maryland federal judge ruled ICE could not re-detain him.

Octavio Andrade-Aguilera, a Mexican national, was transferred to ICE custody at the Etowah County Detention Center in Alabama on April 5, 2026, after a federal judge in Chattanooga had ordered his release to avoid harming his wife and disabled American citizen daughter. Andrade-Aguilera is the sole financial support for his family and faces federal charges for reentering the country without authorization.

José Yugar-Cruz, a Bolivian asylum seeker who was previously released by a federal judge in January, was re-detained by ICE on Wednesday. ICE is attempting to deport him to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a third-party country, despite Yugar-Cruz having withholding-of-removal relief that protects him from deportation to countries where his life or freedoms would be threatened. Advocates argue the Congo deportation violates his legal protections and poses risks of jail, torture, or death.

A pregnant Venezuelan woman was arrested by ICE while traveling to a medical center in Seattle. Her 10-month-old baby was also taken into ICE custody during the operation. According to local police, the arrest was executed by the Department of Homeland Security based on a criminal court order allegedly related to human trafficking allegations, not immigration violations.

Aliya Rahman, a Minneapolis resident and U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE agents in January 2025 during "Operation Metro Surge" while traveling to a doctor's appointment. Officers blocked her route with vehicles, smashed her car window, and forcibly removed her from the vehicle despite her stating she is disabled and autistic. While in ICE custody, Rahman was denied medical care, lost consciousness, and was transferred to a hospital. In April 2026, Rahman testified before lawmakers in Washington about her experience, describing the dehumanizing treatment and difficulties accessing medical care during her detention. She filed a federal tort claim against the Department of Homeland Security alleging excessive force and rights violations.

ICE agents arrested a U.S. citizen in Chicago after alleging she made a threat. The woman and onlookers disputed the allegation. Agents forced her to the ground and zip-tied her hands. The arrest followed a failed ICE attempt to access a nearby laundromat, where protesters had gathered.

ICE detained a mother of a newly enlisted U.S. military member without warning or explanation. The woman had lived in the United States for over 35 years, paid taxes since 1992, and worked in the courts.

Qu Feng, a Chinese national, was held in prolonged immigration detention without a bond hearing, which he challenged as a violation of due process. The government conceded that Feng should receive a bond hearing where they would bear the burden of proving he poses a danger or flight risk. The court granted the habeas petition and ordered a bond hearing within seven days.

Two elementary school students, Genesis (11) and Denis (6), along with their parents, were detained by ICE during a scheduled immigration check-in appointment in Charlotte on Monday and deported to Honduras within 48 hours. The family had applied for asylum in 2022 after arriving from Honduras and had complied with all immigration requirements for four years with no criminal record. DHS stated the family had been issued a final removal order after missing an immigration hearing, though advocates and relatives disputed the circumstances of their detention.

A student group at University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School held a letter-writing event on April 7, 2026, in support of immigrants detained at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. Nearly 20 law faculty and students participated, writing letters of encouragement to detainees at the facility.

Dr. Ezequiel Veliz, a Venezuelan-born physician working in McAllen, Texas, was detained by Border Patrol agents at a highway checkpoint while waiting for his work visa to be processed. Veliz had entered the U.S. legally and was named resident of the year in 2025 at UT Health, Rio Grande Valley, but lost his work permit when his immigration status ended. His detention follows a Trump administration policy that froze visa extensions and work permits for citizens of 39 countries.

Tuan Van Bui, a 55-year-old Vietnamese immigrant, died on April 1, 2026, at Miami Correctional Center in Indiana while in ICE custody. Staff discovered him unresponsive and initiated CPR and emergency services, but he could not be revived. Bui had legally entered the U.S. in 1990 under the Amerasian Homecoming Act but never obtained citizenship or permanent residency. He had been ordered removed from the country by an immigration judge in 2005 and had multiple convictions at the time of his death. His death marked the 46th detainee death in federal custody during the current Trump administration.

Annie Yaritza Ramos Alvarado, a 22-year-old Honduran national married to U.S. Army Sergeant Matthew Blank, was detained by ICE on April 2, 2026 after attempting to enter Fort Polk, Louisiana to register as a military spouse. She was held for nearly a week before being released on April 7 on order of supervision with GPS monitoring while removal proceedings continue. DHS claims she entered the country unlawfully as a toddler in 2005 and has no legal status.

An activist post calls for support for Otofu Ayaku, who was arrested and detained. The post characterizes the arrest as abuse and states it resulted from state actions against trans and immigrant people, citing local police collaboration with ICE. A legal fund is mentioned.

A father of two disabled children was deported to Mexico after being pulled over by ICE while driving to his drywall installation job. The deportation occurred despite his family obligations and care responsibilities for his disabled children.

Salah Sarsour, 53, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and a Palestinian-born lawful permanent resident, was detained by ICE agents on March 30-31, 2026, after being pulled over while driving in the Franklin/Milwaukee area. DHS alleged he provided false information on his 1998 green card application, citing convictions from an Israeli military court when he was a minor for throwing Molotov cocktails and weapons possession. Despite having no U.S. criminal record, being married to a U.S. citizen, and having six U.S. citizen children, he was transferred to detention facilities in Chicago and Clay County jail in Indiana. His attorneys disputed the allegations and claimed he was being targeted for his Palestinian background and pro-Palestinian advocacy, noting that U.S. authorities had long known about the prior convictions.

Rihan, an 18-year-old Afghan high school senior in Connecticut, was detained by ICE on April 6, 2026, during a traffic stop while returning home from spring break. His family legally entered the U.S. on humanitarian parole in October 2024 after his father served as an interpreter for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. According to court filings, his humanitarian parole was valid until October 2026, but ICE officers claimed his parole had expired and detained him. A federal judge confirmed the detention was based on an ICE paperwork error. Despite the court order, ICE revoked his parole and transferred him to Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts, where he faces removal proceedings.

Argam Nazarian, a 27-year-old Iranian Christian of Armenian descent, has been detained by ICE since June 2025 despite multiple court orders for his release. Nazarian entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2021 and lived in Los Angeles for four years before his arrest. Two immigration judges determined he poses neither a flight risk nor danger to the community and ordered his release on bond. However, the government has refused to release him, citing federal law requirements for mandatory detention of those who entered without inspection during removal proceedings. With his asylum case pending and deportation flights to Iran halted due to escalating conflict, Nazarian remains in custody while his attorneys pursue habeas corpus petitions in federal court.

Annie Ramos, 22, a Honduran immigrant brought to the U.S. as a toddler, was detained by ICE on April 2, 2026, at Fort Polk military base in Louisiana. Ramos was arrested while attempting to register as a military spouse and file immigration paperwork following her recent marriage to Army Staff Sergeant Matthew Blank. She had been subject to a removal order issued in 2005 after her family missed an immigration court hearing. A college student with no criminal record who had applied for DACA in 2020 (which was never processed), Ramos was initially transported to an ICE detention facility in Basile, Louisiana, but was later released and ordered to wear a GPS monitor while removal proceedings continue.

Cristina Mejia, a 21-year-old from Waco, Texas, became responsible for her household after her mother was detained by ICE in January 2026. She now manages bills and cares for her two younger brothers, ages 18 and 5, while her mother remains in custody. Mejia reports limited contact with her mother—three phone calls daily—and started a GoFundMe to help cover family expenses during the separation.

Juan Chavez Velasco, a DACA recipient and medical lab specialist, was detained by ICE agents outside his home in Weslaco while delivering breastmilk to his 6-week-old premature daughter in the NICU. Despite holding DACA protections since 2012 and having no criminal history, Velasco was detained based on a 2005 removal order. His attorney argues he is being targeted due to shifting political priorities regarding DACA's scope and meaning. The detention separated Velasco from his newborn infant and family.

Video evidence from Minneapolis contradicts ICE's account of a January shooting involving federal agents and two Venezuelan immigrants. The Justice Department dropped charges against Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and Alfredo A. Aljorna after the video showed a 12-second struggle, not the three minutes claimed by the agent. ICE acknowledged that agents made false statements under oath and placed them on administrative leave, with potential termination or criminal prosecution pending.

Godfrey Wade, a Jamaican-born U.S. Army veteran and lawful permanent resident who lived in the United States for over 50 years, was deported to Jamaica in early February 2026 while his appeal was pending before the Board of Immigration Appeals. Wade's deportation was based on a 2014 removal order stemming from 2006 misdemeanor convictions for simple assault and reckless conduct, as well as a bad check charge. Wade's legal team argued the case involved serious due process defects, claiming he never received proper notification of the original removal hearing because court documents were sent to an incorrect address. Wade was detained by ICE for nearly five months after being pulled over in September 2025 for a traffic violation without a valid driver's license. Congressional offices from both parties contacted the Department of Homeland Security seeking intervention before the deportation was carried out.

Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian Conejo Arias were detained by ICE on January 20, 2026, at their home in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, during enforcement operations in the Twin Cities. Liam was taken from a car as he returned from preschool; his father was the target of the operation. The family, originally from Ecuador with an active asylum case and no deportation order, was held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered their release on January 31, citing concerns about the government's treatment of the child and deportation quotas. They were released and returned to Minneapolis on February 1, with U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and Rep. Jasmine Crockett involved in their case.

Michel Proenza Martínez, an undocumented Cuban citizen with a final deportation order, was apprehended by ICE in Newark immediately after his release from federal prison. Proenza Martínez has a criminal record including burglary, vehicle theft, drug-related offenses, and federal robbery under the Hobbs Act. He is currently being processed for removal from the United States. The arrest is part of increased ICE enforcement actions targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds.