Human Impact Project

Attorney Vanessa Valdez, identifying herself as a legal observer, was shot six times with rubber bullets and exposed to tear gas during an ICE raid on Glass House Farms cannabis company. The injuries caused severe pain, rib damage, and sleep disruption lasting weeks, leading to hospital visits and ongoing mental health treatment costs included in her tort claim.

A 60-year-old Afghan migrant, Baqir Rezaei, died in an Iranian detention camp in Zabol after being intercepted despite holding an official exit permit. He was held without food or water and forced to work under extreme heat conditions. According to his family, at least eight migrants died in the camp out of 35 who lost consciousness from heat and thirst.

Paul John Bojerski, 79, a Polish-born refugee who legally immigrated to the U.S. in 1952 and lived there for over 70 years, was detained by ICE in late October 2025 based on a decades-old deportation order from 1968. Despite having no passport and no country to return to, Bojerski was taken into custody after attending a routine ICE check-in and transferred to Alligator Alcatraz detention facility. His family reports his health has deteriorated significantly during detention, and he now awaits resolution of his case.

Jackie Merlos, an undocumented immigrant mother from Honduras with a pending U-visa, was detained by CBP agents on June 28, 2025, at Peace Arch Park near the U.S.-Canada border during a family picnic. Merlos, a well-regarded local business owner who had lived in Portland, Oregon for decades, was held in a CBP facility for 12 days. An ICE agent then called Merlos' friend Mimi Lettunich, demanding she immediately pick up Merlos' four U.S. citizen children—9-year-old triplets and a 7-year-old—or they would be placed in foster care. Lettunich, who had not cared for young children in years and had a full-time job, took the children into her home. Federal authorities attempted to deport Merlos without proper documentation or due process, but a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the children's removal. As of July 2025, Merlos remained in ICE custody at a facility in Tacoma, Washington, separated from her children and facing formal removal proceedings.

Fernando Diaz, 23, was arrested in Huntington Park after police found a loaded firearm, official-looking Homeland Security and CBP documents, and other law enforcement paraphernalia in his vehicle. Diaz denies claims that he told officers he was a former Border Patrol agent, though police continue investigating whether he was impersonating a federal officer.

ICE agents detained Selena Vanessa Hernández Ramírez, a 25-year-old taco vendor from El Salvador, on June 23 while she was working in front of a Home Depot in Ladera Heights, Los Angeles. According to witnesses and video footage, the agents had covered faces and did not display visible identification or arrest warrants. Hernández Ramírez resisted by holding onto a tree before being forcibly taken to an unmarked vehicle, and agents used tear gas to disperse witnesses who intervened and demanded identification.

Miguel Silvestre, born in Stockton, California, claims he has been deported four times since 1999, despite possessing a valid birth certificate proving his U.S. citizenship. ICE issued an expedited removal order against him in 2025, the same year a prior removal order from 2004 had already confirmed his citizenship status. DHS stated Silvestre has no active immigration case, though the San Francisco Chronicle reported his account of the recent deportation notice and his emotional distress upon learning of it.

Miguel Silvestre, a U.S. citizen born in Stockton, California, claims he has been deported four times since 1999, most recently facing an expedited removal order in 2025 despite a 2004 court order confirming his citizenship. After the San Francisco Chronicle published his account, the Department of Homeland Security stated Silvestre has no active immigration case and is not subject to ICE enforcement action, though the agency maintains that in 1999 he had claimed to be a Mexican citizen with no legal status.

Johnny Noviello, a 49-year-old Canadian lawful permanent resident who had lived in Florida for nearly four decades, died on June 23, 2025, while in ICE custody at the Federal Detention Center Miami. Noviello was arrested by ICE on May 15, 2025, following drug trafficking and related criminal convictions, and was awaiting removal proceedings. During his approximately five-week detention, Noviello—who had epilepsy, hypertension, and mental health concerns—reported health issues and symptoms of illness but did not receive adequate medical monitoring or treatment. He was found unresponsive in the afternoon and pronounced dead after CPR and emergency response efforts failed. An autopsy determined the cause of death was acute kidney failure caused by calcium oxalate crystal deposits, which experts concluded was preventable with appropriate medical care. A complaint alleges that Bureau of Prisons health staff failed to properly evaluate, document, or create a treatment plan for Noviello despite observable symptoms. The FBI is investigating his death.

Adrian Martinez, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen and Walmart employee, was detained by federal agents on June 18, 2025, during an immigration enforcement operation at a Pico Rivera Walmart parking lot. When agents began detaining an elderly maintenance worker, Martinez intervened by blocking the agents' vehicle with the worker's cart in an attempt to help. Agents shoved him to the ground twice. Federal officials initially claimed Martinez punched agents, but security camera footage from the store showed no punches were thrown and that agents initiated the physical contact. Martinez was charged with conspiracy to impede or injure an officer, a felony, rather than assault. He spent three nights in jail following his arrest. A federal judge ordered his release on a $5,000 bond.

Narciso Barranco, a 5'7", 150-pound landscaper who has lived in the United States since the 1990s, was detained by ICE and Border Patrol agents on June 21, 2025, during a workplace enforcement action at an IHOP in Santa Ana, Orange County, California. Video footage of the arrest shows multiple masked federal agents repeatedly punching Barranco in the head and neck and tackling him to the ground in a busy intersection as he was pinned by three officers. His oldest son, Alejandro, a 25-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran with two active-duty Marine brothers, said his father was scared when plainclothes armed agents approached him and expressed concern about the excessive force used by multiple larger officers. After speaking with his father by phone the following day, Alejandro reported that Barranco was injured, had not received medical attention, was very thirsty, and had not eaten. Barranco is being held by ICE at a detention center in Los Angeles. The Department of Homeland Security claimed Barranco swung a weed whacker at an agent and refused to comply with commands, though videos show him running with the tool and attempting to open a car door before being tackled.

An Iranian national and his U.S. citizen wife pleaded guilty following a June 21, 2025 confrontation with ICE agents at their Tempe home. Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand pleaded guilty to being an immigrants in possession of firearms and ammunition, while his wife Linet Vartanniavartanians pleaded guilty to threats against federal law enforcement officers. ICE had arrived to administratively arrest Eidivand for failing to comply with a 2013 removal order, but the wife refused to open the door and threatened to shoot the officers. A search warrant executed the following day found two loaded firearms in the home. Both face potential prison sentences at their November sentencing hearing.

A plainclothes federal law enforcement officer drew a weapon on a man attempting to photograph his vehicle's license plate at a stoplight in Pasadena. The incident occurred Wednesday morning around the same time federal immigration agents conducted enforcement operations at a nearby bus stop, detaining multiple day laborers. Masked plainclothes agents arrested at least two men and several other day laborers, transporting them in an unmarked minivan.

Pedro Vasquez Perdomo, a 54-year-old Latino man, has lived in Pasadena, California for decades and works as a day laborer in construction while managing diabetes. On June 18, 2025, at 5:30 a.m., he was waiting at a Metro stop near Orange Grove Boulevard and Los Robles Avenue with coworkers to be picked up for a construction job when four large black vehicles with tinted windows arrived. Armed men wearing masks but no visible badges or identification emerged with guns and surrounded him and his coworkers. Perdomo was handcuffed without being informed of any warrant and stated his right to remain silent in English. He was taken to a CVS parking lot where officers searched his pockets, found his expired foreign consular ID, and placed him in a car. He was transported to a detention center in Los Angeles where he was held in a crowded room with 52 others, given minimal food and water, and provided no medical attention for six days despite his diabetes requiring daily medication management. He was then transferred to Adelanto detention facility where he remains shackled and continues to experience health deterioration and psychological distress. Vasquez Perdomo is challenging his detention and the conditions thereof through this litigation.

Caroline Dias Goncalves, a 19-year-old University of Utah nursing student from Brazil, was detained by ICE on June 5, 2025, following a traffic stop by a Mesa County Sheriff's deputy on Interstate 70 near Fruita, Colorado. The deputy shared information about her in a group chat used for drug interdiction efforts, which ICE agents then used to target her for immigration enforcement. Goncalves, who immigrated to the U.S. at age 7 and has a pending asylum application, was held at an ICE facility in Aurora, Colorado for 15 days, where she reported receiving poor quality food and confusing schedules, and observed differential treatment based on English proficiency. She was released on bond on June 20, 2025, and became a named plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against ICE leadership.

During an immigration sweep on June 19 outside a Lowe's store in Pacoima, Border Patrol agents arrested a 54-year-old woman selling tamales. She suffered a heart attack during the detention after agents bear-hugged her to the point she struggled to breathe. A U.S. citizen recording the incident was also arrested and detained. A federal judge later ruled the sweeps violated the 4th Amendment due to racial profiling.

Job Garcia, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and PhD student, was arrested and detained for over 24 hours on June 19, 2025, while filming an ICE immigration raid at a Home Depot in Hollywood, Los Angeles. CBP agents tackled Garcia without warning, smashed his phone, and restrained him as he attempted to document the arrest of day laborers and inform them of their rights. Garcia was released without arraignment or court date notification. MALDEF and Garcia are seeking $1 million in damages from the Department of Homeland Security through a Federal Tort Claims Act notice, citing wrongful arrest, detention based on race, assault, battery, false imprisonment, and interference with his right to document government actions.

Two individuals were arrested in Fontana on June 20, 2025, at approximately 9:24 AM by Fontana Police Department officers who were misidentified as ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents during the operation.

An ICE agent drew a gun on a man who was photographing a vehicle's license plate during an enforcement operation at a bus stop near Orange Grove Boulevard and Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena on Wednesday morning. Video footage posted by immigration advocacy account Stop ICE Mobile Alerts shows the agent jumping out of an unmarked car and pointing the gun directly at the individual before returning to the vehicle without making an arrest or explanation. Multiple people were reportedly taken away from nearby Dena's Burgers by masked agents in unmarked vehicles during the same operation.

Pedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo, a 28-year-old Venezuelan migrant with no criminal record, was accused by Texas DPS of being a Tren de Aragua gang member based on a photo showing him with a tattooed man. He was deported to a maximum security prison in El Salvador in March 2025. A Texas judge ordered the state to request his return to face trespassing charges in August.

Juan Ramirez Diaz, a U.S. citizen from Oxnard, was detained by ICE agents on June 17, 2025, while filming video of federal immigration agents arresting his father during an ICE operation. According to his family and attorney, Ramirez Diaz was tased, maced, punched, and beaten before being transported to a hospital and then the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. He was released on June 18 before 3 p.m. and returned to his family.

Rakesh Rakesh, an Indian national detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, was granted voluntary departure to India. On May 31, 2025, ICE officers escorted him to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and mistakenly placed him on an Alaska Airlines flight to Sitka, Alaska instead of his intended connecting flight through New York to India. Flight attendants alerted ICE officers to the error, but officers directed his boarding anyway. Upon landing in Sitka, the Alaska Airlines captain assisted Rakesh and arranged his return to Seattle. However, ICE re-detained him upon arrival rather than allowing him to continue to India. He remained in the Tacoma detention center for 16 additional days, during which he undertook a hunger strike, before being released and facilitated to depart for India on June 17, 2025.

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking ICE from detaining a severely disabled man with an IQ of 47 upon his return to the United States after he was deported to Mexico. The man was taken by ICE agents in an unmarked vehicle on June 17, 2025, and removed to Mexico on June 24 under voluntary departure, despite appearing unable to meaningfully consent to removal due to his cognitive impairments and lack of understanding of English-language documents.

ICE fabricated its authority for over a year to arrest individuals attending legally mandated immigration court hearings at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. A May 2025 ICE guidance memo that agents used to justify the arrests did not actually apply to immigration courts, according to a letter filed by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in March 2026. The agency conducted mass arrests and separated families under false legal pretenses, with agents stalking immigrants in courthouse hallways and transferring detainees across the country to prevent them from meeting with lawyers. The revelation prompted civil rights organizations to request the federal court reconsider its prior denial of a stay on the arrests.

A Spanish-language journalist known for documenting immigration raids was detained by ICE after being arrested by police during a weekend protest outside Atlanta. The journalist faces charges of obstructing officers and unlawful assembly while covering the protest and could face deportation proceedings.

Juan Carlos Ramirez, a U.S. citizen, was pepper-sprayed, slammed onto vehicle hoods, punched and kneed by armed immigration agents who raided his father's auto body shop in Oxnard on June 16, 2025. Ramirez and dozens of other U.S. citizens and immigrants are seeking financial compensation through tort claims against the federal government for injuries, trauma, and deaths sustained during recent immigration enforcement operations, with claimants seeking at least $260 million collectively.

Juan Carlos Ramirez, a U.S. citizen, was pepper-sprayed, slammed onto vehicle hoods, punched in the face, and kneed by armed immigration agents during a raid on an auto body shop where his father was arrested. Ramirez filmed the incident and subsequently filed a legal claim against the federal government seeking damages for injuries and trauma.

Brian Gavidia, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained and interrogated by armed Border Patrol agents at a tow yard in Montebello during a roving patrol. Agents pushed him against a metal gate and demanded to know where he was born, asking specific questions about his birthplace despite his repeated assertions that he was American and attempts to show his Real ID. Agents took his identification and detained him for investigation of interference in an enforcement operation before releasing him after confirming his U.S. citizenship. The incident occurred during broader Border Patrol sweeps across Southern California targeting largely Latino neighborhoods and raising concerns about racial profiling.

Four detainees escaped from Delaney Hall, a privately-owned immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on June 12-13, 2025, by breaking through inadequately constructed interior and exterior walls. The escape occurred amid reports of disorder at the facility, including complaints about delayed meals, poor conditions, overcrowding, and unhygienic facilities. Two of the escapees—Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez from Honduras and Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada from Colombia—were recaptured by federal authorities by June 12-13. Two others—Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes and Andres Felipe Pineda-Mogollon, a Colombian national—remained at large as of mid-June, with the FBI offering up to $10,000 for information leading to their arrests. All four face federal charges of escape from custody. DHS stated the escapees have criminal histories, and facility management announced plans to move detainees out over the following 24 hours.

On Saturday, June 14, ICE agents conducted a raid on a popular swap meet in Santa Fe Springs featuring vendors, food, and entertainment. Dozens of heavily armed, masked officers carried out the operation before a scheduled 5:30 p.m. concert, which was subsequently canceled. Witnesses reported that agents appeared to be targeting people based on appearance, with one attendee describing being photographed by agents after stating he was from the United States. DHS confirmed that two people were arrested at the swap meet and are facing deportation. The raid was part of sustained ICE activity across southern California targeting day laborers, car washers, warehouse workers, and residents in public spaces.

Border Patrol agents questioned Brian Gavidia, a U.S. citizen born in East Los Angeles, at his workplace on West Olympic Boulevard. Despite Gavidia showing his Real ID and repeatedly asserting his citizenship, agents held him against a fence, twisted his arm, and confiscated his ID and phone. The incident was captured on video.

Gregory Sanabria Tarazona, a Venezuelan seeking asylum, was detained by ICE during a routine check-in in Houston. He was taken to an ICE processing center weeks before his preliminary hearing.

Javier Diaz Santana, a 32-year-old deaf DACA recipient with no criminal history, was arrested by ICE agents during a raid at a car wash in Temple City, California on June 12, 2025. Despite being deaf and unable to communicate, agents confiscated his phone and wallet, handcuffed him, and transported him to an El Paso detention center without explaining his detention or accommodating his disability. He was released on July 8 after his attorney provided proof of his DACA status to authorities.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attended an ICE raid at a Huntington Park home targeting a man with a criminal history. The raid occurred at the residence of Sabrina Medina, a 28-year-old pregnant U.S. citizen mother of four, though the intended target was her husband. Agents conducted a room-by-room search while Medina and her children were removed from the home, though agents left empty-handed.

Jason Brian Gavidia, a 29-year-old US citizen born in Montebello, was detained by armed border patrol agents in an unmarked car near his auto body shop. Video footage shows agents pressing him against a fence, twisting his arm, and interrogating him about his birthplace despite his repeated statements that he was born in the United States and offered to show his ID. Witnesses described the encounter as racial profiling based on appearance. Gavidia was eventually released, but the incident occurred amid a series of ICE raids across southern California targeting people based on their appearance.

Democratic US Senator Padilla was forced to the ground and handcuffed by federal agents. He was released shortly after the incident. The FBI defended the agents' actions in response to questions about the Department of Homeland Security's response.

Brian Gavidia, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen born and raised in East Los Angeles, was detained by Border Patrol agents on June 12 at his workplace on West Olympic Boulevard in Montebello during an immigration enforcement operation in the San Gabriel Valley. An agent pushed Gavidia against a metal fence and demanded proof of citizenship, asking repeatedly where he was born despite his repeated statements that he was American. Video footage shows two agents holding Gavidia against the fence while he stated "I'm American, bro!" Agents confiscated his Real ID and did not return it; they also took his phone for approximately 20 minutes before returning it. Gavidia, whose mother is Colombian and his father is Salvadoran, believes he was targeted because of his Latino heritage and appearance. He described the encounter as traumatic, saying he feared for his life when an agent racked a chamber in an AR-15. A friend who was filming the encounter was injured and bleeding from the forehead after being pushed by another agent. Gavidia has since joined an ACLU lawsuit with other plaintiffs challenging immigration enforcement tactics and racial profiling, and has renounced his earlier support for President Trump, stating he was "manipulated" and "brainwashed." He now carries a copy of the U.S. Constitution and helps with know-your-rights workshops.

Brian Gavidia, a U.S. citizen born and raised in East Los Angeles, was pinned against a gate at his car lot by armed federal agents who refused to accept that he was a citizen. He was forced to close his used-car business after agents kept returning to the neighborhood. He joined an ACLU class-action lawsuit challenging ICE's racial profiling. He also had to tell his nine-year-old daughter she couldn't visit from Portland because it wasn't safe.

Elzon Lemus, a 23-year-old Hispanic U.S. citizen from Brentwood, Long Island, was stopped and detained by ICE agents without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. Agents stopped the vehicle he was a passenger in, claiming he "looks like somebody we are looking for." When Lemus refused to provide identification without explanation, an agent forcibly opened the car door, handcuffed him, and confiscated his phone. His attorneys argue the incident violated his civil rights and constitutes racial profiling, calling for a federal investigation.

A 23-year-old electrician from Brentwood was pulled over by ICE agents while driving a work van in Westbury and was handcuffed and detained for approximately 25 minutes. The agents claimed he looked like someone they were searching for but provided no specific basis for the stop. After finding his ID confirming his U.S. citizenship, the agents released him without explanation or apology.

Javier Ramirez, a U.S. citizen and father of four, was tackled and detained by masked federal immigration agents at a tow yard in Montebello on June 12, 2025. According to security camera footage, an agent allegedly told another agent to arrest Ramirez because he was Mexican. When Ramirez called 911 while handcuffed in a van, police said they could not assist because federal agents were involved. He was held in a downtown Los Angeles facility for more than four days and charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal officer. The federal case against him was dismissed without prejudice. His attorney believes the charge was fabricated to cover up racial profiling.

A mass protest occurred at Spokane's ICE facility after former City Council President Ben Stuckart called for people to prevent two asylum-seeking immigrants from being transported to a Tacoma detention center. Federal Homeland Security Investigations agents used physical force against protesters, while Spokane police later arrived and employed dialogue-based tactics. Three protesters—Bajun Mavalwalla II, Justice Forral, and Jac Archer—were charged with conspiring against ICE agents, and their trial examined the differing enforcement approaches.

Christian Cerna, a 28-year-old US citizen and carpenter, was arrested by ICE on June 11, 2025, after participating in an anti-ICE protest days earlier. Officers used aggressive tactics including ramming his vehicle, detonating flash-bang grenades, and pointing assault rifles at his car while his two young children were inside. Cerna was charged with felony assault for an alleged altercation with a border patrol agent, though he and his lawyers contested the circumstances. In December 2025, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault and was sentenced in March 2026; a federal judge later criticized the case as a "vindictive effort" to impose extrajudicial punishment, and the ICE filming and social media posting of arrest footage became a subject of controversy.

On June 11, 2025, masked ICE officials detained a man in the parking lot of Downey Memorial Christian Church. Reverend Tanya Lopez witnessed the man on the ground surrounded by three armed, masked officers who refused to identify themselves or produce a warrant. The officers identified themselves only as police and prevented Lopez from questioning them or assisting the man. The church subsequently offered multiple worship options including in-person, Facebook Live, and Zoom services for concerned parishioners.

ICE agents detained approximately 10 men outside an immigration court in Sterling, Virginia. Video recorded by activists shows an ICE agent grabbing one activist and knocking a phone out of another's hand while they were filming the detention operation.

Douglas Menjivar, a 50-year-old Salvadoran immigrant and activist who exposed sexual assault in immigration detention, was arrested by ICE in June 2025 during a routine check-in despite being married to a U.S. citizen and having a reopened legal case. After being detained at Montgomery County ICE facility and struggling with mental health issues, Menjivar and his wife decided he would voluntarily depart to Spain rather than face deportation, leaving behind his wife who had lived in the U.S. her entire life.

ICE conducted raids at the Ambiance Apparel warehouse in Los Angeles's Fashion District, detaining approximately two dozen workers on alleged administrative immigration violations. Families of the detained individuals report difficulty making contact with their loved ones and locating where they are being held, with some detainees reportedly already deported. About a dozen of those taken were from Veracruz, Mexico, and attorneys working with the families say access to detainees has been extremely limited.

Cary López Alvarado, a 28-year-old U.S. citizen nine months pregnant, was detained by immigration agents in Hawthorne, California on Sunday. López Alvarado said agents shoved her during the arrest, causing her to lose her balance as she tried to protect her stomach. After her release, she experienced sharp stomach pains and was hospitalized for one day for monitoring. López Alvarado and her cousin Alberto Sandoval, also a U.S. citizen, were doing maintenance work when agents in Border Patrol uniforms arrived in marked CBP vehicles following a white pickup truck carrying two undocumented workers, including her partner Brian Nájera.

Freelance photojournalist Ted Soqui was shot in the back with three rubber bullets in rapid succession by federal officers while covering anti-deportation protests at LA's Federal Building on June 9, 2025. Soqui, who had covered protests throughout his decades-long career, took precautions after being struck with crowd-control munitions the previous day, wearing personal protective equipment and positioning himself 50 to 100 feet from officers and protesters while using a long lens to photograph from afar. The federal officers who shot him were identified as ICE or DHS agents based on department patches visible on their uniforms. The Los Angeles Press Club filed a lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem characterizing the shooting as a "misuse of militarized weapons" that could cause significant and serious harm.

Angel Piña, a U.S. citizen, was arrested by ICE and Border Patrol agents in June or July and filed a federal tort claim on August 20 alleging racial profiling and wrongful arrest. Charges against him have been dismissed. He is one of six claimants represented by the Carrillo Law Firm alleging racial profiling by ICE and Border Patrol in Southern California.