Human Impact Project

Maria Rosales, a 32-year-old DACA recipient who came to the U.S. from Colombia as a young child and has lived in Florida for nearly three decades, was detained without warrant by ICE agents at Logan Airport on July 10, 2026, while returning home after a trip to Boston. She works as a dermatologist's assistant treating skin cancer patients and founded a nonprofit color guard organization that provides performing arts opportunities to young people in the Orlando area, with friends and colleagues describing her as a dedicated community leader. ICE cited a 2017 removal order from a New Mexico immigration checkpoint stop that Rosales says she was never properly informed of, and her attorney contends the warrant used to justify her detention may have been fabricated after she was already in custody. She was held for 10 days at ICE's Burlington, Massachusetts facility, where she reported inconsistent access to showers, food, water, and medication, and rooms holding as many as eight women at a time. A federal judge ordered her release after finding ICE failed to comply with statutory detention procedures, and she subsequently filed a lawsuit against the agency, which a judge refused to dismiss in September.

ChongLy 'Scott' Thao, a 56-year-old naturalized Hmong American U.S. citizen with no criminal record, was forcibly removed from his St. Paul home by ICE agents on January 18, 2026. Agents broke down his front door at gunpoint without a warrant and led him outside in sub-freezing conditions wearing only underwear and a blanket. Thao, who has severe psoriasis worsened by cold and stress, was held for over two hours, driven to an undisclosed location where he was photographed in the cold, then returned home after agents realized he was a U.S. citizen. ICE claimed agents were executing a warrant seeking two convicted sex offenders with ties to the property, but Thao stated he had never seen those men and they did not live with him; the Minnesota Department of Corrections later confirmed one of the wanted men was still imprisoned. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher announced in April 2026 they are investigating the incident as potential kidnapping, burglary, and false imprisonment. Thao's family is working with the ACLU of Minnesota and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's office to pursue legal action.

Samantha Weber Alarcón, a Laguna Vista resident, was driving with her son to a movie theater when she became caught in the middle of an ICE high-speed chase through residential streets. As she drove down Mesquite Drive, an unmarked Ford Escape sped past her without sirens, hitting a speed bump so hard that she had to swerve right to avoid collision. She witnessed ICE agents pull a gun on a young man in the backseat of the Ford and place him in handcuffs. Weber Alarcón called 911 and confronted the agents about their dangerous driving, photographing the scene. The man in the backseat was later identified as a U.S. citizen and released. ICE disputed her account of a high-speed chase, claiming they were conducting targeted enforcement and the vehicle was "abandoned." The man disputed ICE's claims about his age and alleged weapon, describing it as a shingle cutter in his tool bag.

Darwin Alberto Gomez Corrales, an Uber and Lyft driver with Temporary Protected Status and a valid state driver's license, was arrested by ICE agents who shattered his vehicle window in the parking lot of a WOW Supermarket on South Boulevard in Charlotte. According to his wife, agents refused to explain the reason for his arrest or show a warrant, and he was denied the ability to speak with someone in Spanish or ask questions during the encounter. His wife reported that when detained, agents told him to "shut up" and used profanity when he requested a Spanish-speaking officer. Gomez Corrales is currently held at an ICE facility in South Georgia. He and his wife have two children.

A Chinese national admitted to the U.S. on a valid B-1/B-2 visa on April 4, 2024, was re-detained by ICE on July 13, 2026, at Los Angeles International Airport without notice, warrant, or hearing. During her two+ years in the country, she had been granted employment authorization, worked lawfully, established community ties, and maintained a clean criminal record while her asylum application was pending. The court ordered her release on her prior conditions within 24 hours, finding her re-detention without pre-deprivation process violated Fifth Amendment due process rights.

A 20-year-old lawful permanent resident was detained for hours on July 11 during an ICE operation at an apartment complex in Olathe. He was arrested alongside his cousin, Alan Marquez, after ICE agents claimed both men rammed or attempted to ram into federal agents—a claim the men deny. Police transported both men to county jail and held them for several hours before they were released without criminal charges. The legal permanent resident fears that pursuing legal action could jeopardize his immigration status and has decided not to pursue the matter.

Alan Marquez, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained for hours on July 11 after an encounter with ICE agents at an apartment complex in Olathe. Marquez stopped to watch an immigration enforcement operation when ICE agent Jack Ravencamp approached his red truck and pepper-sprayed his vehicle before reversing into it, causing damage to the door and side mirror. Video evidence reviewed by the Post shows the agent reversing into Marquez's truck. Marquez was handcuffed and transported to county jail by Olathe police and held for several hours before being released without criminal charges. Marquez, a U.S. citizen, says he intends to challenge what happened and pursue a damages claim for the vehicle.

Raul Moreno Meza, a middle-aged man living in Salt Lake City's Rose Park neighborhood, was restrained by ICE agents inside his home on July 7 after agents followed him from a gas station into his garage without announcing themselves as immigration officers, according to his daughter Elizabeth Garcia. Garcia, a U.S. citizen, filmed the incident in which agents also restrained her teenage brother while their family dog escaped. Garcia said her father has not left the U.S. in 22 years and that their grandfather, a U.S. citizen, petitioned for his legal residency before his death; the family hopes to complete that process. ICE stated Moreno Meza was granted voluntary return to Mexico for illegal entries, but Garcia disputes this account and says she is unaware of multiple entries. An attorney representing Moreno Meza argues that law enforcement cannot enter a home without a warrant except in special circumstances involving exigent danger, and that agents should have waited for him to exit or obtained a warrant.

A Mexican national who re-entered the U.S. without inspection in 2021 and was living in Redwood City with his partner and three children was detained by ICE officers in his driveway on July 9, 2026, while taking his two-year-old child to daycare. Officers claimed to have an arrest warrant but only showed a zoomed phone screen and did not allow inspection. The warrant later produced was signed in June 2025 with handwritten markings added after arrest. The court found the warrant invalid because no basis for probable cause was checked, and the officers made no individualized determination that he was a flight risk as required by law. The court granted a temporary restraining order, ordering his immediate release and prohibiting re-detention pending an evidentiary hearing.

Javier Cortez Sanchez, a hardworking father and husband with a valid work permit, was detained by ICE in Joliet after being mistaken for another person. He is the primary financial provider for his family and has left behind a young son who asks daily when his father will return. His family is struggling with his absence and seeking legal support to bring him home, as Javier experiences depression and despair in detention.

Two Lane County residents identified by initials H-F-M-J and A-V-L were detained by ICE officers during a vehicle stop near Eugene on July 3, 2026. According to legal petitions filed by Catholic Community Services of Lane County, the officers boxed in the vehicle without displaying arrest warrants, explaining the reason for the stop, or identifying themselves as immigration officials. The petitions allege the arrests were based solely on the detainees' perceived race and ethnicity rather than individualized assessment of flight risk or immigration status, and claim officers failed to inquire about family, employment, or community ties. ICE stated the detainees were arrested during a targeted enforcement action and that warrants had been issued for both men.

A 37-year-old Venezuelan national fleeing political persecution was re-detained on June 20, 2026 when he arrived for a routine check-in at the ICE Los Angeles Field Office. He had been previously released on conditional parole under the Alternatives to Detention program, had complied with all check-in requirements, maintained employment as a payroll manager, and had no criminal history. ICE agents allegedly used excessive force, tackling him during arrest without notice or opportunity to be heard. The court granted his temporary restraining order, ordering his immediate release under the original conditions of supervision and enjoining re-detention without a custody hearing before a neutral arbiter.

Galo Suárez, 25, and his fiancée Reyna Elizabeth Garcia were arrested by ICE agents during the three-day surge. Suárez, who has a valid work permit, and Garcia were followed from a food market and arrested by masked agents in unmarked vehicles who broke out their windows, refused to answer questions, and repeatedly called them "dogs" in Spanish. Suárez was released and told to "run and not look back" or else he'd regret it; the agents retained Garcia and her brother. Suárez later joined concerned residents and local activists marching through Milwaukee's South Side to call for his fiancée's release.

A driver was pulled over by police on Interstate 10 in Arizona for a suspended license. After being directed to a secluded area off an exit, border patrol agents swarmed the vehicle within minutes with guns drawn. A border patrol agent broke the vehicle's window and removed the passenger, who is dark-skinned. The driver reported that a border patrol agent yelled "GUN" despite no weapon being present. The passenger was taken to a detention center. The incident was documented and reported to stopice.net.

On June 27, 2026, four immigrant construction workers employed at the QTS data center in Cedar Rapids were detained by ICE agents without being informed of the reason for their arrest. The workers—Dailyn Zambrano Morales, Lenin Primera Esis, Job Guerra Finol, and Wilman Gorutt Muchacho—were intercepted by agents in unmarked vehicles while heading to work. Gorutt Muchacho stated: "They arrested me without telling me the reason or why they were doing it." The agents transported all four to the ICE office in Cedar Rapids and then to Linn County Jail. According to advocacy group Escucha Mi Voz Iowa, none of the detained workers have criminal records.

Three Mexican citizens without lawful immigration status were arrested by ICE agents on June 26, 2026, in San Francisco after leaving a residence during an operation targeting another individual. The agents conducted warrantless arrests without making any individualized assessment that the petitioners were likely to escape before a warrant could be obtained, violating 8 U.S.C. § 1357(a)(2). The court found the arrests unlawful and issued a temporary restraining order directing their immediate release from custody.

Gavilan Sanchez, a Mexican national without legal immigration status and mother of U.S. citizen children, was arrested by ICE agents during the same operation that resulted in the detention of her husband, Jesus Acevedo Sanchez, outside a Baltimore school in June. According to her attorney, when agents told her to cooperate, they threatened to do to her "what we did to your husband or worse." ICE arrested her for assault, claiming she punched agents during the incident. In early July, a federal judge ordered her release. Since the arrest, her daughters have been staying with relatives.

On June 24, immigration agents entered El Oaxaqueño, a family-owned Oaxacan restaurant, bakery and supermarket in downtown Lakewood, New Jersey, through the back door and detained 18 people within about an hour, including six of the business's own workers. Among those detained was Bernarda Hernandez, along with 17 others without legal status, and worker Fermin Velez, who was arrested without a deportation order or arrest warrant and later released with help from a lawyer. The restaurant's owners, including Vicky Santiago, helped secure the release of most of their detained workers and said they would continue to stand up for their employees. DHS said ICE had gone to the parking lot based on a tip about a person charged with theft and forgery, and that some of those detained had prior charges for trespassing, obstruction and traffic offenses.

Eduardo Jose Alves, an Angolan asylum seeker living in Lewiston, Maine, who entered the U.S. on a valid tourist visa and filed an affirmative asylum application, was detained by ICE agents at his home on June 20, 2026. That same day, a court issued an emergency order staying his transfer out of Maine for 72 hours, but ICE moved him to Plymouth County Correctional Center in Massachusetts within two hours of the order. Attorneys raised questions about whether agents had a valid warrant and whether they improperly pressured his 15-year-old daughter to allow entry into the home. U.S. District Judge Stacey Neumann later found the detention violated the existing court order and that his out-of-state transfer impaired his right to counsel ahead of an imminent bond hearing, and ordered his immediate release from ICE custody. The dispute became a flashpoint between immigration authorities and attorneys challenging the administration's enforcement tactics.

Following the September 11 attacks, over 1,000 South Asian and Arab men were arrested in sweeps across New York City and nationwide, primarily for visa overstays. Most were held in detention for months with limited contact with families and faced physical and verbal abuse, particularly at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. A Justice Department Inspector General review found the "hold until cleared" policy meant detainees stayed for months despite no evidence of terrorist connections, with officials questioning the legality of prolonged detentions.

A U.S. citizen was detained by ICE agents on Father's Day in Santa Barbara after going outside to witness enforcement activity in his neighborhood. According to activists, he was racially profiled and detained when an agent ran after him as he approached the area. He was taken to the Camarillo ICE Field Office and subsequently released at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard after his citizenship was confirmed. He was treated for unspecified injuries sustained during the operation.

Florencio, a Guatemalan immigrant who had lived in the U.S. for nearly 13 years, was tackled and arrested by ICE agents in Corona, Queens while walking home from work. Agents had been searching for an Ecuadorian man but arrested Florencio anyway, claiming he resembled their intended target. According to court records, Florencio disputed ICE's account that he admitted to illegal border crossing, saying he was already handcuffed when agents questioned him. His case is among hundreds of street arrests in New York and New Jersey between October 2025 and March 2026, with over 93% of detainees who filed legal challenges being from Latin American countries.

Friedrich Castillo-Ormeno self-deported to Peru in March 2026 after receiving a final deportation order and was approved for CBP Home incentive payments ($2,600) in April verifying his departure. In June 2026, ICE mistakenly identified him as a suspect in a violent incident in Stafford Township, New Jersey, where an officer was struck by a vehicle during an enforcement operation on Route 72. Federal prosecutors later charged a different man, Eduardo Cruz Garcia, with the assault. Castillo-Ormeno expressed concern that the misidentification could harm his reputation and affect his ability to legally return to the United States, as well as his U.S.-born daughter's documentation.

On June 17, 2026, ICE agents detained three people—a man, a woman, and a child—at the Bridgeview Courthouse in Illinois. The man had run through courthouse security before deputies stopped him; ICE then handcuffed and removed him, claiming to possess an arrest warrant that was never presented for inspection. The woman and child were detained earlier that morning as they attempted to enter the courthouse. State and local officials, including State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid and multiple elected representatives, characterized the detentions as violations of Illinois state law and a Cook County court order prohibiting civil immigration arrests at courthouses without judicial warrants.

José Pineda, originally from El Salvador with Temporary Protected Status and over 30 years in the U.S., was detained by ICE agents while working his construction job despite having no criminal record and a valid work permit. He was held in Burlington's ICE office for two days and slept on the floor of a cell with at least 50 other people. ICE agents told him that only people born in the U.S. have rights and that his work permit did not matter. After two days of public pressure and advocacy by Centro Presente, Pineda was released, but his family remains fearful of going out in public.

A Guatemalan man was arrested in a Bonita Springs park after a Florida Fish and Wildlife officer falsely claimed the man's dog had bitten him, though the officer never exited his vehicle. The man was held for approximately 40 minutes before ICE officers arrived and took him into custody. His wife, who witnessed the incident, said both are pending asylum cases and spoke anonymously to avoid jeopardizing their immigration status.

Sami Hamdi, a 35-year-old British political journalist and commentator, was detained by ICE at San Francisco International Airport on October 27, 2025, after his visitor visa was revoked on October 24 without prior notice. U.S. officials cited comments he made about the Middle East, Gaza, and Israel during a speaking tour—including an address at a CAIR gala in Sacramento on October 26—as the reason for the visa revocation and detention. Held in an ICE facility with approximately 90 other detainees, Hamdi received minimal contact with his family and was initially denied medical care when he became ill. After approximately two weeks in custody, federal judges found serious breaches of freedom of speech and ordered his release without charge. His wife subsequently warned British citizens, particularly those planning to attend the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., about the risks of traveling to the country under expanded ICE enforcement operations.

Gerardo Reyes Gonzalez, a 44-year-old father, was arrested on March 14, 2026, during a traffic stop in San Marcos while sitting as a passenger in his 17-year-old son's truck. Police initiated the stop based on an emergency call about a vehicle matching the truck's description, though the reported incident never occurred. He was charged with Interference with Public Duties after allegedly trying to prevent his son from being removed from the vehicle. Reyes Gonzalez was transferred to ICE custody and detained for over two months. The Hays County District Attorney dropped the criminal charge on May 11, and a federal judge granted his habeas corpus petition on June 1, ordering his release. The San Marcos Police Department was found to have committed multiple policy violations, including making inaccurate statements in court documents and failing to verify facts before arrest. His daughter Lupe Sarinana credited community activism and a petition with over 200 signatures for his release.

Samuel Guzmán, a 24-year-old U.S. citizen born in Maryland who lives in Anne Arundel County, was surrounded and handcuffed by masked ICE agents outside a 7-Eleven in Annapolis and held for more than an hour alongside other Latino individuals. He says he repeatedly told officers he was born in the country, and that one officer asked him, 'If you are an American citizen, why don't you speak better English?' Guzmán is now the lead plaintiff in a proposed federal class-action lawsuit, Guzmán v. DHS, filed September 9, 2026 in U.S. District Court in Maryland by immigrant rights group CASA. He is joined by three other Maryland residents from Prince George's, Montgomery and Wicomico counties who say they were similarly arrested without warrants. The lawsuit alleges ICE has adopted an 'arrest first, ask questions later' policy of detaining people perceived to be Brown or Black immigrants without individualized assessments, and asks a federal judge to declare such warrantless arrests unconstitutional.

Brandy Rogers, a mental health therapist, was stopped by ICE agents in an unmarked vehicle in June after she volunteered to drive a neighbor home from district court. When ICE agents pounded on the car's doors and threatened to shatter the windows if she did not unlock the vehicle, Rogers initially refused but eventually complied. Her neighbor, whom Rogers identified as being in the country legally, was taken into custody and held for three weeks before being released. Rogers recounted: "I initially refused, shook my head no, but they weren't having any of it and just kept knocking on the door."

Paul Johnson and at least 17 other individuals were charged with assaulting federal officers during an ICE operation in Minneapolis in January 2026. Johnson reported that ICE and CBP agents boxed in his truck, swarmed him, and struck him repeatedly with punches and pepper spray. He was shackled to a hospital bed for five days following the incident. Federal prosecutors dismissed charges against all 18 defendants by June 2026 after a federal magistrate and judge raised concerns about the credibility of sworn affidavits submitted by federal agents, including one HSI agent whose statements lacked personal knowledge of events. The dismissals cited insufficient evidence and misconduct by federal agents.

A federal court in Manhattan ruled that local police officers' Fourth Amendment violations against a migrant were so egregious that ICE was required to release him from immigration detention. Public interest and Gibson Dunn attorneys secured the habeas corpus decision, which they believe marks the first time a federal court has forced ICE to release a detainee based on Fourth Amendment violations committed by local law enforcement.

On January 14, 2026, ICE agent Christian Castro shot Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg through a duplex door during an enforcement operation in north Minneapolis. Castro claimed Sosa-Celis and others attacked him with a shovel and broom, but video evidence showed only a brief 12-second struggle and contradicted his account. Sosa-Celis and his roommate Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna were both lawfully present, and federal charges against them were dismissed in February after the Justice Department acknowledged ICE agents made false statements under oath. On May 18, Hennepin County prosecutors charged Castro with four counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime. Castro was arrested on May 29 by Department of Homeland Security agents and Texas Rangers.

Luis Villalobos, a legal permanent resident who has lived in El Paso most of his life, was arrested by ICE agents on May 27 as he left his driveway for work. Agents claimed there was a warrant but refused to provide documentation. His family is struggling with legal fees and bills.

Marvin Godoy Calderon, a 45-year-old Peruvian immigrant with valid work authorization through 2030, was arrested outside his Sunnyside home on May 27, 2026, while sitting in his parked car waiting to go grocery shopping with his roommate. ICE agents removed him from the vehicle without showing a warrant and pressed him facedown on the asphalt, with multiple agents striking him across the back and head while pinning his arms and placing knees on his shoulders and neck. Calderon works two jobs as a janitor and dishwasher to support his four children in Peru. After being detained for approximately 13 hours in a cold metal cell at immigration court, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order mandating his immediate release, prompted by video footage of the arrest and legal advocacy. Medical evaluation at SF General Hospital revealed a head injury and fluid in his left knee from the arrest. Following his release, Calderon raised $900 through selling pollada (a Peruvian chicken dish) to make rent after losing his restaurant job shifts, and continues working and attending church while awaiting a June 10 hearing.

Luis Fernando Cabrera, an 18-year-old senior at Northeast Early College High School in Austin, was detained by ICE on May 1, 2026, after a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper pulled him over for expired vehicle registration. Body camera footage shows the trooper photographed Cabrera's school ID and used the encrypted messaging app Signal to contact federal immigration agents, receiving a message instructing him to "detain." Cabrera, who had an active pending asylum case dating to 2019 with no deportation order or criminal history, was transferred to Karnes County Immigration Processing Center over 100 miles away. His detention sparked protests from classmates and community members, with support from his school and St. James Episcopal Church. On May 20, a federal judge ordered ICE to release Cabrera, barring deportation and allowing him to graduate and take his final exams.

A Chinese national lawfully admitted on a B-2 visa in 2015 who overstayed and subsequently applied for adjustment of status was arrested by ICE officers without prior notice or warrant on May 26, 2026, during her USCIS adjustment of status interview. ICE alleged she was being arrested for visa overstay. After a bond hearing on June 17, 2026, where an immigration judge denied her release, she filed a habeas corpus petition. The federal court granted her petition on July 1, 2026, finding she had a liberty interest in remaining free from detention and ordered her immediate release, enjoining future detention without notice and a pre-detention hearing.

Aliya Rahman, a Bangladeshi American U.S. citizen with autism and traumatic brain injury, was detained by ICE agents in Minneapolis on her way to a doctor's appointment during Operation Metro Surge. At the intersection of 34th Street and Park Avenue, agents smashed her passenger side window and violently pulled her from her car despite her calling out that she was disabled. Four agents carried her handcuffed in a hogtied position before placing her in an SUV and transporting her to the Whipple Federal Building. At the facility, her requests for medical care were denied for more than an hour until she lost consciousness and was transported to the emergency room. She was released without charge and never cited, and subsequently filed formal complaints alleging violations of her First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rights, as well as human rights breaches, and pursued a tort claim for damages from unlawful detention and detention conditions.

Marimar Martínez, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen and teaching assistant, was shot by Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum on October 4, 2025, in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood during Operation Midway Blitz, sustaining seven wounds from five shots. Federal prosecutors alleged she and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz followed agents' vehicles and that she rammed an agent's car, leading to felony assault charges and the government labeling her a 'domestic terrorist.' Martínez's attorney disputed the account, citing body camera footage of an agent telling her to 'do something' before shooting, and arguing agents themselves caused the collision. She and Ruiz were released pending trial, and prosecutors later dismissed all charges after text messages surfaced showing Exum bragging, 'I fired 5 shots and she had 7 holes.' A federal judge ruled that agents' use of force against citizens in the incident 'shocks the conscience.' Martínez has since filed a tort claim against the federal government seeking damages.

On October 1, 2025, federal agents from Border Patrol, FBI, and ATF conducted a predawn military-style raid on a five-story apartment building at 7500 S. South Shore Drive in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood around 1 a.m. as part of "Operation Midway Blitz." Agents rappelled from helicopters, kicked down doors, and threw flash bang grenades, resulting in 37 arrests and the detention of dozens of people, including children placed in zip-ties and without clothing. Four of the detained children are U.S. citizens with undocumented parents, and U.S. citizens were also detained for hours during the operation. Residents reported missing belongings and property damage throughout the building. By May 2026, seventeen of those detained filed tort claims collectively seeking approximately $85 million in damages for their treatment during the raid.

On May 18, 2026, ICE agents detained 31-year-old DACA recipient and community organizer Karla Toledo at her Tucson home without presenting a judicial warrant, despite her maintaining valid DACA status since age 1 and having no criminal record. ICE agents were reportedly searching for someone else when they arrested Toledo. DHS alleged Toledo assaulted a federal officer and illegally entered the U.S. in October 2024—claims she disputed using video footage showing her compliance and asserting she had legally used advance parole authorization available to DACA recipients. During the arrest, agents allegedly used force to prevent the door from closing and denied her attorney access. Her mother, Veronica Ortiz, held a press conference pleading for her release, and attorney Mo Goldman stated allegations of assault were fabricated, with surveillance footage supporting Toledo's account. Following community protests and statements by U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva, Mexican consulate representatives, and local nonprofits, Toledo was approved for a $1,500 bond and released from Eloy Detention Center. One day after dismissing an earlier deportation case, DHS filed a second notice to appear in immigration court against Toledo.

A U.S.-born mother of four was stopped at an ICE checkpoint in a residential area of Lafayette and detained despite presenting a valid Louisiana state ID and Social Security card. ICE agents accused her documents of being forged, handcuffed and shackled her at the ankles, and transported her to a USCIS field office for interrogation before moving her to South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile. An immigration attorney secured her release by submitting identification documents. ICE did not apologize and confiscated her Social Security card.

A 45-year-old farm worker identified as MJMA was detained along with six others when ICE agents stopped a van without a warrant on October 30, 2025. Officers smashed the van window, used facial recognition technology to attempt identification, and detained MJMA despite her assertion of her right to remain silent and request for legal representation. She had an ongoing asylum case at the time. Federal Judge Mustafa Kasubhai ruled in February 2026 that the arrests were unlawful, citing officer misconduct, inaccurate statements in reports, and improper use of facial recognition technology. The judge noted that MJMA had entered the U.S. with a valid temporary visa, contrary to officers' claims.

Rafie Ollah Shouhed, a 79-year-old U.S. citizen and owner of Valley Car Wash in Van Nuys, California, was physically assaulted by immigration agents during a September 9, 2025 raid on his business. When Shouhed questioned the operation and attempted to vouch for employees being arrested, masked agents forced him to the ground. Surveillance footage shows an agent striking him while three agents tackled him as he pleaded for an ambulance, stating he had recently undergone heart surgery and couldn't breathe. One agent pressed a knee on his neck while applying additional physical force. The incident resulted in broken ribs, an injured elbow, and post-concussive symptoms of a traumatic brain injury. Shouhed was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center and held for 12 hours without medical attention before being released without charges. He filed a $50 million civil rights lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

On May 14, 2026, ICE allegedly arrested at least five people in Geneva, New York, including a U.S. citizen at a Byrne Dairy gas station and four men stopped while driving to work. One person was later released after providing proof of citizenship. Community protests and rallies organized by local advocacy groups, including the Finger Lakes Rapid Response Network and Geneva Women's Assembly, continued into late May with marches to the arrest locations.

Federal agents stopped a man in Cathedral City, California and attempted to forcibly remove him from his vehicle despite his attempts to show valid driver's license identification. Agents dismissed his ID as fake and proceeded to pull him from the car. He was released only after his wife arrived with additional documentation. The man's hand was left bruised and bleeding during the encounter. The Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice reports this is part of a pattern of targeting individuals based on appearance.

José Contreras Díaz, a 30-year-old DACA recipient raised in Edinburg, Texas, was arrested by ICE agents during a routine check-in appointment in January 2026 and deported to Honduras despite holding valid DACA status. He missed the birth of his son, Mateo, while separated from his family. His attorney, Stacy Tolchin, argued the deportation was unlawful, citing a federal judge's ruling in a similar DACA case, and immigration officials agreed to facilitate his return. When he landed at Harlingen Airport on April 29, 2026, agents detained him again at the Port Isabel Detention Center rather than releasing him. He was released on May 7-8, 2026, after more than three months of separation from his family, and reunited with his wife and newborn son. Contreras said, "They detained me, sent me to a country I barely remember, and then gave me hope — the hope that I could come home, see my family, and hold my son again. Then that hope was taken away." DHS has stated it still intends to deport him, arguing DACA does not confer legal status, and he continues to face removal proceedings.

Axel Sánchez Toledo called 911 in December 2025 requesting a welfare check on his 4-year-old daughter in Palm Beach. When sheriff's deputies arrived, they accused him of being undocumented and detained him for ICE. Body camera footage shows deputies tasering, tackling, and striking Toledo with a baton while he was on the ground, despite his claims of having a pending asylum case and documentation. Toledo spent four months in jail on a resisting arrest charge before prosecutors dropped it in exchange for an apology letter. ICE took him into custody on May 1, 2026, and he now faces deportation proceedings.

The ACLU of Puerto Rico denounced ongoing ICE interventions in communities and streets, stating that masked agents are targeting immigrants and violating their rights while endangering public safety. The organization documented cases involving physical assaults, arbitrary interventions near minors, and due process violations. Of nine represented cases, eight resulted in stopping expedited transfers or obtaining court orders, though immigration judges denied bond in two cases despite no danger or flight risk.

Jeury Concepcion, 19, was chased down and taken to the ground by ICE agents near East Gun Hill Road and Hull Avenue in the Bronx in a case of mistaken identity. He was left bloodied and bruised, requiring several stitches. Concepcion was eventually released after producing his ID to prove he was not the suspect the agents were seeking.