Human Impact Project

Elías Pérez-Zuazo, a Panamanian national, was detained by ICE on December 10, 2024, during a scheduled appointment at an ICE office in Chantilly, Virginia, where he had checked in without incident in prior years. Pérez-Zuazo entered the U.S. in November 2021 and married his U.S. citizen spouse, Jonathan Blanco Gallegos, in February 2024; the couple had an approved I-130 family petition pending for his green card. ICE claimed a prior deportation order existed from November 2021, but his attorney contested this, stating case records do not reflect such an order and questioning the legality of the detention. Pérez-Zuazo was held at Farmville Detention Center in Virginia. A federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia issued an order barring ICE from removing him from the judicial district and ordered ICE to respond to a habeas corpus petition while the court reviews whether his detention is lawful.

A 32-year-old Turkish man was detained and transferred to ICE custody while working as a driver, before he could receive follow-up medical care despite blood tests indicating he needed prompt treatment. He has rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease causing intense pain in his neck and ankles. His family attempted to deliver medication to Otay Mesa but was turned away. His sister, brother-in-law, cousin, uncle and a family friend submitted court declarations supporting his release and attesting to his community standing. A judge granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered a bond hearing within seven days, considering his documented medical conditions.

Mubashir Khalif Hussen, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen, was stopped and arrested by multiple masked ICE agents in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis while walking to lunch in December 2025. Despite repeatedly telling agents "I'm a citizen" and attempting to show his driver's license and passport card—which his employer also tried to show through the vehicle's windshield—agents refused to examine his identification. He was held for several hours and shackled in a detention center before being released after showing a photo of his passport. Federal Judge Eric Tostrud found in March 2026 that Hussen was detained based solely on his race or ethnicity in violation of the Fourth Amendment, in a case brought by the ACLU of Minnesota against ICE and Border Patrol during Operation Metro Surge.

Kevin Isaac Montoya Palacios, a citizen of El Salvador with withholding of removal protection granted in September 2023, was arrested by ICE agents in December 2025 during a routine check-in appointment after meeting with ICE officials for over two years. He filed a habeas petition challenging the legality of his detention, which was granted by U.S. District Judge George Russell. However, the judge denied his request for attorneys' fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act, citing the 4th Circuit's position that habeas claims related to immigration detention are not civil actions. The case has been appealed to the Supreme Court.

Diana Sanchez, a Stockton-area resident with pending asylum and U-visa applications, was detained by ICE officers at a check-in appointment in mid-December 2025 at Otay Mesa Detention Center. During her nearly four-month detention, she witnessed multiple medical emergencies including strokes and fainting, reported inadequate medical response and poor food quality, and experienced retaliation from guards after filing grievances about treatment. A federal judge ruled in her favor in April 2026, finding ICE lacked authority to detain her, and she was released.

A man held in federal immigration custody has been detained since November 29, 2025, a period of six months. He is detained at the Otero County Processing Center and is assumed to be subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b). He filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus on May 7, 2026, challenging the legality of his prolonged detention. The federal respondents filed a response on May 26, 2026. The court determined that his indefinite, prolonged detention may violate his substantive due process rights under the Fifth Amendment, citing precedent from Mardanpour v. Warden. The court ordered him to file a supplemental reply by June 3, 2026, addressing whether he is entitled to habeas relief based on the six-month detention threshold established in Zadvydas v. Davis.

Federal immigration enforcement officer Bovino was found by U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis to have lied about a rock-throwing incident used to justify deploying tear gas against protesters in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood during Operation Midway Blitz. Video evidence contradicted his claim that he was hit by a rock before throwing tear gas, and the judge issued a preliminary injunction against federal immigration agents for violating her temporary restraining order by using force without warning.

Fernando Vazquez, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen and landscaper born in Raleigh, North Carolina, was detained by immigration enforcement agents at a construction site in Cary during large-scale enforcement operations in the Triangle area. Despite showing his North Carolina Real ID and telling agents he was an American citizen, Vazquez was handcuffed and placed in an SUV. After agents confirmed his citizenship, Vazquez alleges they threw away his wallet and abandoned him injured in the woods, dropping him off a half mile away from the site. He subsequently filed a legal challenge with ACLU representation, alleging racial profiling and seeking damages for the wrongful arrest and mistreatment.

Matthew Marrero and his husband Allan Dabrio Marrero attended a green card interview at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan on November 24, 2025. Allan was detained by ICE after it was discovered he had missed an immigration court hearing in December 2022 and had a deportation order against him, which neither he nor Matthew knew about. Matthew says they were told Allan could leave the facility but were then handed over to ICE agents, and he had only 30 seconds to say goodbye before they were separated. Allan has since been transferred to Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Edwin Josue Padilla Molina, who entered the U.S. in 2013 as a 14-year-old and has lived continuously in Central Islip for twelve years, was detained by ICE on November 23, 2025 while driving his pregnant partner and mother-in-law. A federal judge granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding that his detention without an individualized custody determination violated federal law and constitutional due process rights. The court rejected the government's argument that he was subject to mandatory detention, ruling instead that he was entitled to a bond hearing.

A federal judge is determining if ICE agents had probable cause to charge Miguel Angel Garcia Martinez, a U.S. citizen, with assault. Martinez fled from officers who began chasing him while he was documenting Border Patrol operations in Charlotte. Court video showed ICE agents planned to 'smash' into Martinez's vehicle during the chase.

Alejandro Orrego Agudelo, a 27-year-old Colombian asylum seeker, was arrested by Boston police on November 21 after a dispute over a parking space on Falcon Street in East Boston. He was charged with assault and battery on a police officer and released by a judge that same day at East Boston District Court. However, ICE agents arrested him in the courthouse lockup and detained him for four months at Plymouth County jail under the Laken Riley Act. After legal challenges including a habeas corpus petition and dismissal of criminal charges, an immigration judge granted him bond, and he was released.

ICE agents detained a 16-year-old high school intern at the Licht Judicial Complex in Providence on November 20, 2025, after misidentifying the teenager as their target. Superior Court Judge Joseph J. McBurney intervened, and agents verified their information and released the intern. Governor Dan McKee and Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos issued statements regarding the incident.

Emmanuel Gonzalez-Garcia, a 16-year-old with autism, was separated from his mother Maria Garcia on October 4-5, 2025, while they were selling fruit as street vendors in Houston. After going missing, he was located by firefighters during a welfare check and told police he was homeless, providing a different name. Houston police turned him over to ICE, and he was placed in federal custody with the Office of Refugee Resettlement as an unaccompanied immigrant minor. After approximately 48-50 days in detention, a federal judge ruled that authorities lacked legal authority to detain him since he was not truly unaccompanied. He was reunited with his mother, though their immigration court cases remain pending.

ICE states that video footage from Broadview Detention Center was lost in a system crash on October 31, one day after the facility was sued on October 30 for allegedly abusing detainees. Two weeks of surveillance footage was reportedly destroyed. Government lawyers stated they lack resources to preserve surveillance footage.

Melissa Tran, a Maryland mother who came to the U.S. from Vietnam in the 1990s as a refugee with a Green Card, was deported to Vietnam after being detained by ICE in May. Though a judge ordered her release in October, she still faced deportation due to a 2003 removal order stemming from a 2001 conviction for stealing checks as a teenager. Vietnam had previously refused to accept her, allowing her to remain in the U.S. for over 20 years while completing regular immigration check-ins, until her detention during a check-in in Baltimore.

On November 18, a 23-year-old asylum seeker named Fatima Issela Velasquez-Antonio was detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents at a construction site in Cary, North Carolina, and held at Stewart Detention Center in Georgia for over a month. A federal immigration judge ordered her release in late December, ruling that her detention violated a juvenile-arrival settlement agreement since she had entered the United States unaccompanied as a minor nine years prior and held a valid work permit. The detention was part of Operation Charlotte's Web, a federal enforcement operation that resulted in at least 370 arrests in North Carolina.

A native of India who entered the U.S. without inspection in 2004 was re-detained by ICE at a New York office during a scheduled check-in on November 18, 2025. He had been previously detained, placed in removal proceedings, and released, with an asylum application pending since 2024. The court ordered respondents to provide him with a bond hearing within seven days or release him.

Britania Uriostegui Rios, a Mexican transgender woman who entered the U.S. in 2003, was deported to Mexico on November 11, 2024, despite a federal judge's March order blocking her removal based on findings that she faced a substantial risk of torture. Uriostegui Rios is a trauma survivor who was sexually trafficked by cartels as a young person and faces significant threats in Mexico due to her transgender identity. She was deported without medications, identification, money, or a cell phone and went into hiding in Tijuana. ICE and Department of Justice officials acknowledged the deportation violated the immigration judge's order and was improper. The Trump administration offered to allow her to voluntarily return to the U.S., where she would be placed back in ICE custody while the government seeks an alternative country for deportation. Her legal team filed suit to prevent her return to federal custody and to secure her release under supervision, arguing the government cannot be trusted to follow court orders.

Joel Camas, a 16-year-old with approved Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, was detained by ICE on October 23 during a routine immigration check-in at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, despite having legal protections and a pending pathway to permanent residency. After nearly a month in federal custody, U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel ordered his immediate release on November 17. His attorneys argue ICE violated federal law and the Constitution by arresting a child with legal status at a routine appointment.

A man who had resided in the United States since 2001 with no criminal history and U.S. citizen family members was detained by immigration authorities in November 2025. He was charged with entering without inspection and denied a bond hearing under Section 1225(b)(2). The federal court granted his habeas petition, finding his detention violated due process, and ordered either immediate release or an individualized bond hearing within 7 days.

An immigrant previously released on bond or parole was re-detained by immigration authorities on November 14, 2026, after previously being released on bond or parole. The court found that the government violated his due process rights by failing to provide a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter. 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 proper hearing before any future re-detention.

A man detained by ICE filed an ex parte motion for a temporary restraining order in federal court seeking his immediate release from ICE detention and prohibiting ICE from re-arresting him without a pre-detention bond hearing. The defendants named in the case are Sergio Albarran (acting field office director of the San Francisco ICE office), Todd M. Lyons (acting director of ICE), Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and Attorney General Pamela Bondi. On November 15, 2025, United States District Judge P. Casey Pitts issued an order requiring defendants to respond to the motion by 5:00pm on November 17, 2025. The court noted that he does not appear to be subject to expedited removal or deportation prior to completion of full removal proceedings.

A man who had been living in the US for 25 years with three US citizen children was arrested by ICE agents immediately after a criminal court hearing in November 2025. He had been released without conditions since 2019 following his initial NTA but was re-detained based on a misdemeanor assault plea. The court ordered his immediate release, finding his detention without a pre-detention hearing violated his procedural due process rights.

A noncitizen previously released on bond or conditional parole was re-detained by immigration authorities on November 13, 2025. The court found that the government violated due process by failing to provide a pre-deprivation bond hearing before re-detaining him. The court ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention.

A Venezuelan asylum seeker, an undocumented immigrant with pending asylum applications, was detained by ICE officers on November 13, 2025, during a routine check-in at the ICE field office in San Francisco. She had been released on an Order of Recognizance after arriving at the border in June 2024 and had complied with all release requirements and court hearings. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring her immediate release from custody and prohibiting re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing.

Sokhean Keo, detained at California City Detention Facility, witnessed a fellow detainee's suicide attempt by hanging. The facility did not offer mental health services to Keo and others who witnessed the incident; instead, staff disciplined anyone who had not immediately returned to their cells afterward. Keo joined a class-action lawsuit filed November 12, 2025, against the Trump administration alleging severe medical neglect and inhumane conditions at the CoreCivic-operated facility.

Yuri Alexander Roque Campos, a 30-year-old detainee with a life-threatening heart condition, was transferred from Mesa Verde to California City ICE Detention Facility on September 5th, 2025. He was denied his heart medications before even seeing an intake nurse and did not receive aspirin for five days. As a result, he suffered a "pre-heart attack" and was rushed to the emergency room twice during his first two days with extreme chest pain and paralysis, losing consciousness during the first trip. When he returned to the facility, his medical records and the ER doctor's letter were confiscated. He was placed in an isolated observation cell for eight days with sporadic medication and did not see a doctor for over a month. Medical expert review concluded his treatment put him "at significant risk for sudden cardiac death."

A Georgian citizen who entered the U.S. in 2022 and filed an asylum application was detained by ICE in November 2025 during a routine check-in. He had originally been released on his own recognizance after being apprehended by Border Patrol. The federal court ruled his detention unlawful and ordered his immediate release, finding he did not meet the criteria for mandatory detention under immigration law.

A Haitian citizen who entered the U.S. in 2023 and was paroled was arrested in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida on April 16, 2025 for battery. After conviction on November 4, 2025, he was detained by immigration agents on November 10, 2025 and transferred to Central Valley Annex in California. The court granted his habeas petition, finding he was not subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2) and ordering a bond hearing within 14 days.

A woman who entered the U.S. on December 10, 2021, on a B-2 visitor visa was detained by ICE on November 9, 2025, while in custody at Utah County Jail after her visa expired in June 2022. After six months in ICE detention without a bond hearing, the federal court found a due process violation and ordered her immediate release.

A long-time U.S. resident who arrived in the country at age 3 in 1991 was detained by ICE on November 7, 2025 during a scheduled check-in at the San Francisco ICE Field Office. ICE alleged he violated his GPS monitoring terms by visiting Stinson Beach on Labor Day, though he claims he had permission from his ISAP officer. The court ordered his immediate release and prohibited re-detention without a hearing before an immigration judge.

Juliana Milena Ojeda Montoya, 24, an Ecuadorian national with a pending asylum claim and valid work authorization, was detained by ICE on November 6, 2025, during a traffic stop on Kimball Street in Fitchburg. The detention occurred while her husband, Carlos Sebastian Zapata, 24, a Fitchburg resident, appeared to suffer a seizure while holding their 1½-year-old daughter. According to Zapata's account, an ICE agent pushed him, hit his ribs, and pressed on his neck, causing him to lose consciousness. Video of the incident captured bystanders expressing concern for his safety and went viral. The Department of Homeland Security claimed Zapata was faking a medical emergency to help his wife evade arrest, though medical examination findings are disputed. A federal judge ordered Ojeda Montoya's release on November 10, finding that her detention without a hearing violated her due process rights and citing her young daughter whom she breastfeeds and her husband's acute medical episode. Ojeda Montoya had been released on bond in March 2024.

A detainee identified as K.U. in court filings alleged he was not receiving proper medical care for numerous life-threatening health conditions while detained at Batavia. An independent physician reviewed his case and expressed extreme concern that he was not receiving the standard of appropriate medical care. A judge ordered his release in August 2025. ICE officials have not yet addressed his medical claims in court.

Sean Charles Dunn, a 37-year-old former Justice Department paralegal, was acquitted of misdemeanor assault charges for throwing a sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent on August 10 during a protest outside a club hosting Latin Night in Washington, D.C. Dunn shouted "fascists" and "racists" at the agents and threw the sandwich as what he characterized as a "harmless gesture" of political protest. The Justice Department initially sought a felony assault indictment, but a grand jury declined to sign off on the felony charge, leading prosecutors to file a misdemeanor charge instead. The two-day trial centered on whether throwing a soft object could constitute forcible assault. Dunn was dismissed from his position after the incident.

On November 5, 2025, ICE agents detained Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, a teacher at Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center in Chicago's North Center neighborhood, during morning drop-off hours. According to DHS, officers conducted a traffic stop that led to a vehicle pursuit ending at the daycare facility. Agents entered and forcibly removed Galeano in front of children and parents, searching the facility. Galeano claimed to have work authorization and a pending asylum case, while DHS identified her as undocumented from Colombia. A federal judge subsequently ruled her mandatory detention illegal and ordered a bond hearing before an immigration judge. The incident prompted a rally of hundreds of community members and local officials demanding ICE stay out of schools and daycares.

ICE agents arrested Juanita Avila, a 47-year-old legal permanent resident carrying her green card, during a traffic stop in November 2025 without showing a warrant or probable cause. Video evidence of the arrest captured by her daughter became part of a lawsuit challenging ICE's arrest practices. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking ICE from continuing warrantless arrests in Oregon, citing the agency's conduct and systematic violation of constitutional rights.

Nine employees at Allston Car Wash in Boston—Hector Valladares, Felicita Valladares, Vanessa Vasquez Valladares, Clarisa Aguilon, Heidy Aguilon, Yuli Magali Mendez Luarca, Pablo Oseas Lopez, Dairo Preciado, and Jose P. Enriquez Sagastume—were detained by more than 22 ICE agents on November 4, 2025. All nine workers held valid work permits at the time of their arrest. According to business manager Jose Barrera, agents arrived with subpoenas and detained the workers before allowing them to retrieve their work permits from their lockers. Attorney Todd Pomerleau reported that detainees held at ICE's Boston field office in Burlington experienced mistreatment, including being denied food and shower access for several days, and that one detainee was allegedly transferred to Texas in violation of a court order. Seven of the detained workers subsequently filed a federal tort claim through Boston Lawyers for Civil Rights alleging unlawful arrest, racial profiling based on their Latino and Spanish-speaking status, and mistreatment in custody including shackling, transport to multiple detention facilities, and denial of access to phones, legal counsel, and medications. The complaint seeks $1 million in compensation per worker plus legal fees.

Cole Sheridan, a protester accused of attacking Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, had his charges dismissed on November 3, 2025, after new video evidence emerged that contradicted the government's account of events.

Nazario Radilla Valdovinos, a Mexican citizen, was taken into ICE custody on November 3, 2025 and detained at Adelanto ICE Detention Center pending removal proceedings. ICE issued a custody determination continuing his detention without providing an opportunity for bond or release. The court granted his habeas petition in part, ordering that he receive a bond hearing within seven days under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a).

Kenia Jackeline Merlos, a Honduran mother of four U.S. citizen children, was arrested by ICE agents in June at the U.S.-Canada border during a family outing. She had been granted deferred status to reside in the U.S. after being threatened at gunpoint by a man. Merlos was detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma for nearly four months. An immigration judge terminated the government's deportation case on October 14, and Merlos was released on October 28. Her husband was deported to Honduras, and her mother also resides there.

A man detained at the California City Processing Center filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus challenging his detention there. He is seeking release from custody through habeas corpus proceedings and a temporary restraining order. On May 7, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California issued an order consolidating the habeas petition with the temporary restraining order motion, requiring respondents to file a response within three calendar days and prohibiting deportation or removal from the district while the petition is pending.

A man who had lived in the United States for more than 24 years and is the husband and father of U.S. citizens was detained by ICE on November 1, 2025, and taken to Adelanto Detention Facility. He had previously been released on bond in 2013 after an earlier detention, received work authorization, and had been checking in with ICE regularly without missing appointments. The court granted a temporary restraining order ordering his immediate release, finding his re-detention violated due process since he was not informed of changed circumstances that would justify revoking his bond.

A Mexican father caring for his 7-year-old son with kidney disease, hypothyroidism, and chronic respiratory failure requiring a feeding tube and ventilator was detained by ICE for 22 days. While he was detained, his son's medical care fell entirely to his mother. A federal judge ordered his release in November.

Hanne Daguman, a Norwegian national who arrived on an F-1 student visa in 2022, was detained by ICE in November 2025 during a green card interview after her visa lapsed. She was held for nine days at Otay Mesa Detention Center, where she alleges she was denied proper medical care for her Type 1 diabetes, experiencing dangerously high blood sugar levels and developing untreated infections. A judge terminated her removal case in January 2026, but she remains subject to an ankle monitor that ICE has not yet authorized for removal despite a court order.

A Mexican citizen who has resided in the United States since 1995 has been detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center since November 2025. She is the mother of three U.S. citizen children and has no criminal history. She was denied bond during immigration proceedings based on alleged flight risk, and the court denied her motion for temporary restraining order seeking release.

Beatriz Pastrana Candela, who was pregnant when arrested by ICE agents in November 2025, was held at Eloy Detention Center in Arizona where medical and corrections staff repeatedly dismissed her claims of pregnancy. She subsequently miscarried while in detention. Her case is part of a documented pattern of inadequate medical care for pregnant individuals in ICE detention facilities.

A Guatemalan immigrant who lived in Providence for 20 years was detained by ICE in November 2025 and transferred without warning to a New Hampshire facility ten days later, separated from his lawyer and family. During the overnight transfer in a cramped van, he was handcuffed tightly enough to draw blood and exposed to winter cold. He was ultimately released on bond in late December. Immigration lawyers report that rapid transfers between facilities increasingly deny detainees access to legal counsel, with 12% of detainees experiencing at least four transfers in 2025.

Armando Garcia Picazo, detained by ICE in August without legal status, was ordered released by federal judge Leonard Strand after being denied bond approved by an immigration judge. Garcia Picazo was held at Woodbury County jail for over two months before filing a habeas corpus lawsuit. He was required to post $6,000 bond and will continue his immigration case on a non-detained docket.

A Mexican mother of a 10-month-old was arrested by ICE agents while driving her taxi near O'Hare International Airport and detained at the Broadview facility. She lacked access to a lactation room to pump breast milk for her daughter. A federal judge ordered her release on October 31, the day after her habeas case was filed.