Human Impact Project

On October 3, 2025, federal agents conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood deployed tear gas near Funston Elementary School, traumatizing hundreds of children and families in the area. Children playing on school grounds, eating at a nearby café, and walking home from school were exposed to the gas. Teachers, including Liza Oliva-Perez, were also tear-gassed while attempting to protect students. The incident left children experiencing anxiety, nightmares, and fear of separation from family members, with some now asking teachers and dolls whether ICE will come for them. The operation, dubbed "Operation Midway Blitz," has involved masked armed agents in unmarked vehicles patrolling neighborhoods, with residents reporting multiple incidents including helicopter raids, detention of U.S. citizens, and deployment of pepper munitions against protesters.

Saúl Zermeño, a 45-year-old single father with deferred action status, was deported to Mexico after attending a routine ICE check-in appointment on October 3. His 15-year-old U.S. citizen son Damian, who has ADHD, autism, and other health conditions, was left without his sole caregiver. Damian subsequently experienced severe emotional distress including depression, anxiety, inability to focus in school, and withdrawal from activities.

Saúl Zermeño, a 45-year-old with deferred action status, was deported to Mexico on October 3 after attending a routine ICE check-in appointment. He had lived in the U.S. for 36 years and was the sole caregiver for his 15-year-old U.S. citizen son Damian, who has autism, ADHD, neurofibromatosis Type 1, epilepsy, and was born with one kidney. ICE officers did not ask about his son or check on Damian's well-being before deporting him. Damian experienced severe emotional distress, depression, and academic decline after his father's deportation.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted multiple enforcement operations in Chicago, deploying tear gas and smoke bombs during raids. In one incident at Funston Elementary School, tear gas released in a nearby parking lot during a grocery store raid spread into the school building, exposing students including first-graders to the chemical agent. A separate operation at 51st and Damen on October 3rd resulted in video footage showing federal agents threatening a community member and throwing a smoke bomb onto a vehicle, with one person detained. ICE has conducted multiple enforcement operations in Chicago during this period, including residential raids and the detention of individuals.

Federal agents conducted an immigration raid at a home in Humboldt Park at approximately 6 a.m. Thursday, breaking down the front door. The woman of the house, a migrant from Venezuela, reported that her husband and two other men in the home were detained by ICE. The family has been in the United States for three years and is in the process of seeking asylum.

An asylum seeker and U-Visa applicant was arrested as she and her family loaded into their car in Cicero, Illinois, for the daily drive to see her days-old premature newborn in the NICU.

In Bowie, Maryland, federal agents arrested a father after he had just left home to drive his children to school in the family minivan. His three children — ages 6, 7, and 8 — were in the backseat as masked agents smashed his window, pulled him from the car, pinned him to the ground, pressed a hand on his neck, and pointed a Taser at him while he was pinned. The children later told their mother they saw agents point a gun at their father. He was detained one day after his wife said he had checked in for immigration supervision.

LT, a 30-year-old Haitian asylum seeker, was detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, 1,500 miles from her 13-month-old daughter in Florida. Her baby, who is allergic to formula and has food sensitivities, vomited constantly and needed breastmilk. The government denied her petition to pump and mail breastmilk, denied bringing the child into detention, and refused bond. LT fled political violence in Haiti where supporters of an opposing party burned her house, kidnapped and raped her. She fears her daughter will end up in foster care.

Oscar Polanco was detained at a green card appointment in October and deported to Guatemala, a country he had not lived in for 20 years. His wife Geraldine, a Peruvian citizen, witnessed his arrest. The couple were separated for nearly three months before reuniting at an airport in Peru, where they are now rebuilding their lives.

Three members of an Albany Park family detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents Sunday in Millennium Park are now being held at O’Hare Airport, according to neighbors. Federal agents stopped Noemi Chavez; her husband, Jaime Ramirez; their 8-year-old daughter, Dasha Ramirez; and their 3-year-old son and took them away in a white van during a family outing Sunday at the park. Witnesses saw Dasha Ramirez crying and clutching a doll during the arrests. The incident was caught on video and shared widely on social media. Chavez told the Tribune the family made the outing because Dasha “really wanted to visit Millennium Park.” Dasha and her little brother were playing in the water at the Crown Fountain when federal agents approached their parents, according to the Tribune. Albany Park resident Lauren Rappold said she saw the photos and videos of the family being detained and recognized them immediately. Her son attends Grover Cleveland Elementary School and is in the same third-grade class as Dasha. Rappold shared the information in a Cleveland Elementary moms group and spoke with a neighbor who had been able to get in contact with Chavez via WhatsApp. The neighbor, who asked not to be identified, told Rappold that Chavez and her two children had been taken to O’Hare’s immigration customs enforcement area at Terminal 5. Chavez told the Tribune that federal officers declined to show her a warrant during the arrest. Border Protection did not respond to a request for comment. Rappold brought a bag with fresh clothes, diapers and medicine to O’Hare on Monday morning. Chavez confirmed she got the bag over WhatsApp and said she was told she will be kept at O’Hare until there are enough people to fill a plane to send to a detention center in Texas, Rappold said. ✍️ Full story by @Writtenbymollyd in our link in bio.📸 Provided

Fanny Jakelinne Núñez, 38, is caring for her eight-year-old son, Néstor Josias, alone after her husband, Néstor Luis Rivera Chavez, was detained by ICE in October 2025 while running errands in New Brunswick. Her son is medically fragile, requiring constant monitoring of oxygen levels, feeding through a gastric tube, medication administration, and seizure management. Since her husband's detention at Delaney Hall in Newark, Núñez has lost the family's sole income and the only person physically able to help transport and care for her son. The family fled Honduras, where adequate medical care for their son's condition was unavailable, and came to the United States where the boy gained weight and began receiving necessary treatment. With her husband detained, Núñez struggles to afford rent, food, transportation, and medical visits, and fears that deportation would force them to return to Honduras and endanger her son's life.

A father from Guatemala, separated from his daughter at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2017, was returned to Guatemala under the first Trump administration but came back to Florida in 2021 to reunite with his children under the Ms. L settlement agreement. He was re-separated from his children in October 2025 after being stopped in West Palm Beach while performing landscaping work near Mar-a-Lago. He was detained first at Alligator Alcatraz in the Florida Everglades, then transferred to Camp East Montana in Texas, where he reported being fed moldy food with worms and berated by guards; he also learned that a fellow detainee died from mistreatment. The ACLU filed a motion on behalf of detained Ms. L parents, and he was released in April 2026. Though reunited with his children, he continues to feel tracked through ankle monitoring and required bi-weekly ICE check-ins, and his children worry he will not be present when they leave school.

Carlton Junior Burke, a 25-year-old Jamaican national, was arrested by ICE at his home in Madison, Wisconsin on October 1, 2025, after overstaying a B2 tourist visa he entered on in 2021. Burke says his passport and driver's licenses were taken during detention and not returned to him, disputing DHS's claim that ICE does not confiscate documents. He had built a life in the U.S., married, and was attempting to adjust his immigration status when arrested. Burke was transferred through multiple detention facilities over several months, including county jails and a correctional facility in Indiana, where he raised concerns about food quality, limited medical assistance, and inadequate family communication. He was granted voluntary departure on January 7, 2026, and ultimately left the country on January 28, 2026, leaving his wife and young child behind in the United States.

Garcia's husband was arrested by a Manatee County sheriff's deputy on a DUI charge last October and transferred to ICE custody. He is being held at a detention center in California. Garcia, a mother of three, works as a cleaner and party venue staff member while applying for a T visa (trafficking victim relief) for both herself and her husband at a cost of approximately $15,000. She disclosed that at age sixteen, smugglers brought her into the U.S. and held her against her will for years in what she describes as kidnapping; her husband faced labor abuse as an H-2A visa migrant farmworker before overstaying. Since his arrest, Garcia has taken only one day off for an immigration appointment. Most of her earnings go toward legal fees and her husband's detention account so he can purchase food and make phone calls home. With limited funds remaining, she struggles to feed her children and has had to forgo celebrating family birthdays and holidays.

Rey, a Cuban in his mid-fifties who arrived in the U.S. in 1994 and had been authorized to remain in the country due to Cuba's non-cooperation with deportation, was arrested at an ISAP (Intensive Supervision Appearance Program) check-in in El Paso in October 2025. Rey had built a life in El Paso as a truck driver and small business owner, opening a Cuban pizzeria, nightclub, and trash-collection and furniture-restoration businesses. He was married to Sara, a U.S. citizen and Texas state employee, and was a father figure to her son. After his arrest at the ISAP office, he was transferred to Camp East Montana, where he spent six weeks in the facility's deteriorating conditions.

Giovanni, a 48-year-old car wash worker in the San Fernando Valley, was detained in October 2025 along with three coworkers during a federal immigration raid. Unlike his coworkers who were deported to Mexico within 24 hours, Giovanni refused to sign voluntary departure documents and was held at Adelanto ICE Processing Center for six months rather than return to El Salvador. His detention left his wife Maria and school-age children without his primary income.

Erick Pena, a 29-year-old from Honduras who came to the U.S. as a child, was detained by ICE in October while on his way to work. He had an approved petition for permanent residency through his U.S. citizen wife. After three months in ICE custody, he was released on bond while his deportation case is pending. His wife Synthea, a U.S. citizen, started a GoFundMe to cover legal fees and government costs as they pursue a hardship waiver.

Amanda Ungaro, a 41-year-old Brazilian former model who lived in the U.S. for over 20 years, was arrested in June 2025 on fraud charges related to unlicensed cosmetic procedures at a wellness center in Florida. She was detained for approximately three and a half months at ICE facilities in Miami and Louisiana before being deported to Brazil in October 2025. Ungaro alleges that her ex-partner Paolo Zampolli, a Trump special envoy and father of their teenage son, contacted senior ICE officials to ensure her detention and deportation amid an ongoing child custody dispute. Zampolli and the Department of Homeland Security denied the allegations, with DHS stating the removal was based on visa overstay and fraud charges. The case remains open with an arrest warrant issued should she return to the United States.

Stanley Minjale, who immigrated to the United States from Malawi in 2021 on a student visa, was detained in October 2025 after his visa status was terminated for failing to enroll in a university as required. At the time of detention, he held a valid work permit and was employed full-time as a nursing assistant. He has a nearly two-year-old U.S. citizen son whom he has not seen during his nine-month detention at North Lake Processing Center. Minjale has received a deportation order but continues to appeal.

Kamal Tijani, who arrived in the U.S. from Nigeria in 2017 on a valid student visa, was arrested by ICE in October 2025 for overstaying his visa. He has been detained at North Lake Processing Center for nine months. His wife, a U.S. resident from Georgia, lost their apartment without his income and cannot visit him. Tijani has received a deportation order but continues to appeal his case while remaining in indefinite detention.

Alberto, a 59-year-old surgical technician who worked as a confidential informant for federal immigration agents in the 1990s in exchange for promised legal status, was arrested in October 2025 during a scheduled green card interview at a USCIS field office in Fresno when ICE agents entered the room. Released after four days following a successful habeas petition, he was re-arrested at a subsequent ICE check-in appointment in November and detained for nearly four months at Golden State Annex detention center near Bakersfield before being released on bond in February with an ankle monitor.

a 24-year-old Colombian migrant, Angie Rodriguez, suffered a miscarriage in the facility. Upon discovering her pregnancy while in detention, she was provided no medical care or prenatal vitamins. Her diet was also inadequate, forcing her to supplement provided meals with instant ramen, chips, and candy, often purchased at a high cost from the commissary.

A father from an unnamed country who was separated from his daughter at the US-Mexico border in 2017 and reunited with his children in Florida in 2021 was detained by ICE in October 2025 at Alligator Alcatraz in the Florida Everglades and transferred to Camp East Montana in Texas. While detained, he experienced poor conditions including mouldy food with worms and witnessed a fellow detainee's death from asphyxia due to neck and torso compression. The ACLU filed a motion and he was released in April 2026, but remains subject to ankle monitoring and bi-weekly ICE check-ins.

A Chicago couple was arrested during Operation Midway Blitz just eight days after getting married. The wife was deported to Mexico while the husband remained in detention in Michigan. Despite being named in a federal lawsuit alleging unlawful arrests, a judge ordered the husband's removal to El Salvador.

Catalina 'Xóchitl' Santiago, a 28-year-old DACA recipient and community organizer from El Paso, was detained by Border Patrol agents on August 3, 2025, at El Paso International Airport while traveling for work with her wife, Desiree Miller, a U.S. citizen whom Santiago married earlier in 2025. Despite holding valid DACA status since 2012—renewed seven times with her current renewal expiring in April 2026—Santiago was subjected to deportation proceedings. Originally from Mexico, Santiago has lived in the U.S. since age 8. On October 1, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone ruled that Santiago's arrest and detention violated her Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights and ordered her release from the ICE El Paso Service Processing Center. Judge Cardone found that the government presented no evidence that Santiago endangered anyone during her twenty years at liberty, including her thirteen years under DACA, and failed to articulate any individualized reason for her detention. Santiago's brother Jose said the family was deeply affected by her detention and expressed relief at her release.

Miguel Angel Garcia-Hernandez, a 32-year-old Mexican immigrant and father of four with another child on the way, was shot on September 24, 2025, when a gunman opened fire at a Dallas ICE facility's controlled entrance. Garcia-Hernandez, who had lived in the U.S. since age 13 and worked as a painter, was in ICE custody after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on August 8. He died from his injuries on September 30. His widow, Stephany Gauffeny, stated that he was the sole provider for their family and that they had just purchased their first home together.

Davona Williams, a 42-year-old Manchester resident originally from Jamaica, was detained by ICE on August 25, 2025, while bringing her child home to Torrey Knoll in Manchester Center. Williams, who worked as a health aide in Vermont, was held under a prior removal order from 2013. She was initially held at Chittenden County Regional Correctional Facility before being transferred to ICE's North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan on September 1. Williams has no criminal record, three children ranging from 18 months to 15 years old, and had been living in Vermont for nearly two decades while pursuing legal status. On September 30, 2025, Detroit Immigration Court Judge Mark J. Jebson granted her a $7,500 bond, finding her neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk, citing her strong community ties. Her attorney, Christopher Worth, plans to file a motion to move the case to Chelmsford Immigration Court in Massachusetts and continue seeking legal relief. Community members, including the Rutland Area NAACP and local officials, organized support efforts; a GoFundMe campaign raised $25,265 to cover bond costs, transportation, and family expenses during her detention. A judge also approved a stay of deportation, and a motion to reopen her prior removal order is pending before the Boston Immigration Court.

On September 30, 2025, ICE and FBI agents conducted an operation at an apartment building at 7500 S. South Shore Drive in Chicago as part of Operation Midway Blitz, detaining approximately 37 people including Venezuelan migrants and at least one U.S. citizen. The operation involved helicopters, snipers, flash-bangs, and agents breaking down doors and zip-tying residents. The federal government has provided no public accounting of how many remain in custody, what happened to children present in the building, or whether any criminal charges were filed related to the raid.

An ICE officer who was relieved of duties after being captured on video pushing an Ecuadoran woman to the ground outside an immigration court in Manhattan was returned to duty following a preliminary review. The incident occurred when federal agents were attempting to detain the woman's husband, and the officer pushed her to the floor in front of her children and journalists.

Miguel García-Hernández, an undocumented immigrant awaiting intake at an ICE facility in Dallas, was shot on September 24, 2025, when a gunman opened fire outside the facility. He died from his injuries on September 29, leaving behind his wife Stephany Gauffeny and three children. García-Hernández had been in ICE custody following a DUI arrest and was working toward legal status through a Biden administration initiative when the shooting occurred.

Jaime Ramirez was detained by ICE agents in Millennium Park on September 28 along with his wife and two children during a family outing. He was taken to the Broadview processing facility before being flown to a Texas immigration facility. While his wife and children were released on October 2 after a federal judge ordered their protection from deportation, Ramirez remains detained in Texas. The family, originally from Guatemala, has an asylum appointment scheduled for October 2027.

Luisa Rodriguez, a Mexican national who immigrated to the U.S. over 30 years ago and worked in courts, was detained by ICE agents on September 28, 2025, at Camp Pendleton's gate while visiting her pregnant daughter, a newly enlisted U.S. Marine. Rodriguez and her husband Esteban Rios were initially released with ankle monitors but were taken back into custody at a subsequent ICE check-in appointment. Rodriguez was held at Otay Mesa Detention Center for nearly three weeks before being released on October 30. Her husband was deported to Tijuana on October 31. The family has pending green card applications and no criminal history.

Watchdog groups alleged in a court filing that children and families held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas face prolonged detention beyond legal limits, along with shortages of clean drinking water, chronic sleep deprivation, inadequate medical care, and lack of hygiene products. Legal experts filed accounts describing the facility environment and conditions for detainees.

Noemi Chavez and her two children, ages 8 and 3, were detained by ICE agents in Millennium Park on September 28 while on a family outing. Video showed the 8-year-old clinging to a doll and crying as heavily armed federal agents in camouflage detained the family. The mother reported agents targeted them based on appearance. Chavez and the children were released on October 2 after a federal judge ordered they be protected from deportation while a habeas corpus petition is reviewed. The family, originally from Guatemala, has an asylum appointment scheduled for October 2027.

Noemi Chavez, her husband Jaime Ramirez, and their two children (ages 8 and 3) were detained by federal agents at Millennium Park on September 28, 2025, without a warrant while the children played at the Crown Fountain. When Chavez asked to see a warrant, agents ignored her request. The family originally came from Guatemala in 2023 seeking protection and have an asylum hearing scheduled for October 2027. Chavez and the children were released after detention, but Jaime Ramirez was transferred to detention facilities in Texas and Indiana. A federal judge characterized the stop as "unconstitutional" based on the family's appearance, and attorneys filed a habeas corpus petition alleging the family was stopped because of their skin color. The case is part of broader litigation challenging ICE's warrantless arrest practices in violation of a 2022 consent decree.

Esteban Rios, a Mexican national who immigrated to the U.S. over 30 years ago, was detained by ICE agents on September 28, 2025, at Camp Pendleton while attempting to visit his pregnant daughter with his wife Luisa Rodriguez. Initially released with an ankle monitor, he was detained again when he checked in with ICE days later and was deported on Friday, October 10, 2025. The family has pending green card applications sponsored by his son, U.S. Marine Steve Rios, and says they have no criminal history.

Monica, an Ecuadorian child care worker seeking asylum, was pushed to the ground and shoved into a wall by an ICE agent outside an immigration court in New York City on September 25, 2025, during her husband Ruben's arrest. The incident was captured on video and spread on social media. Monica feared Ruben's deportation would be a death sentence. The ICE officer was temporarily removed from duty following the video evidence, but was reinstated days later despite DHS condemnation of the conduct as unacceptable and political calls for felony charges. The officer has a history of aggressive behavior at the same location. In late October, a federal court ordered Ruben's release, finding he had been detained without explanation while his partner and two young children were present. The family of four has since been reunited, though their asylum cases remain pending.

Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez was fatally shot by an ICE officer following a traffic stop in Franklin Park, Chicago in September 2025. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Villegas-Gonzalez struck an officer with his vehicle and dragged him while attempting to flee, prompting the officer to use lethal force. DHS initially characterized the officer's injuries as serious. However, video evidence obtained after the shooting showed the officer sustained injuries he described as "nothing major," contradicting the agency's account of the incident's severity. Community members and state lawmakers called for the release of video footage and transparency regarding the shooting.

A 25-year-old paraprofessional at a special education school in Inver Grove Heights was taken into custody early Monday after an apparent collision with a federal vehicle in the parking lot of Concord Education Center. She was held at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility at Fort Snelling for nearly 12 hours before being released pending an investigation. Her mother reported a lack of communication during the detention. U.S. Rep. Angie Craig's office commented on the detention.

Hilda Ramirez Sanan, 50, a legal permanent resident, was violently arrested by ICE on September 26 while accompanying a family member to a court hearing in Chelsea with her 13-year-old son in the car. According to a federal complaint filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights, eight armed and masked officers surrounded her vehicle, smashed the car glass, and forcibly restrained her, kicking her and slamming her face on the ground while twisting her arms to handcuff her. Her son, who has autism, was also removed from the car and questioned by agents about his legal status while being held against a fence. When local police arrived and verified her valid green card, ICE released her. Ramirez Sanan and her children were taken to a hospital emergency room for medical evaluation. The complaint alleges violations of Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights and ICE protocol violations.

Rosa, 12 years old, screamed as ICE agents arrested her father outside a New York immigration court on September 25, 2025. The incident was documented by photographer Carol Guzy as part of her ongoing documentation of families affected by the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Miguel Angel Garcia-Hernandez, 32, died from injuries sustained in a sniper-style shooting at a Dallas ICE facility on September 24. He was shot at least eight times and had been in critical condition at Parkland Hospital before being removed from life support. Garcia-Hernandez was the second victim to die from the attack, leaving behind his wife and four children.

Norlan Guzman-Fuentes, a 37-year-old El Salvadoran national, was shot and killed on September 24, 2025, when a gunman opened fire at a Dallas ICE facility's controlled entrance. Guzman-Fuentes was in ICE custody at the time. He was the financial provider for his mother in El Salvador, who depended on his support.

A federal judge ordered the immediate release of Paulo Cesar Gamez Lira, a 27-year-old DACA recipient and father of four U.S. citizen children who was detained by ICE for 42 days. Gamez Lira was detained on August 13 when federal agents surrounded his vehicle in Horizon City, Texas, with two of his young children present. He was held at the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico, separated from his family including a three-month-old infant with serious medical conditions. The federal government declined to oppose his release.

ICE agents pointed guns at and smashed the window of a car carrying a couple and their 1-month-old baby in Alamosa on September 24, 2025. The agents arrested Jose Aguilera, 33, from Mexico, who was returning from a court hearing with his partner and infant son. The arrest violated a 2020 Colorado law prohibiting ICE arrests of people going to or coming from courthouses.

Victor Acurio Suárez, a 52-year-old Ecuadorian man with developmental disabilities living in Seaford, Delaware, has been detained at an ICE facility in Pennsylvania for three months following his arrest in a Lowe's parking lot. Governor Matt Meyer called for his immediate release and asylum. Suárez has no criminal history and has a credible fear of gang violence if deported to Ecuador.

Young children were left unattended on the side of the road after ICE agents detained their parents and an older sibling during an enforcement action in Cicero, Illinois.

Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old Sikh woman who had lived legally in the United States for 33-34 years with no criminal record, was detained by ICE on September 8, 2025, following a routine check-in. During her 15-day detention at facilities in Bakersfield and Georgia, Kaur reported being denied basic hygiene supplies, vegetarian meals consistent with her Sikh faith, and water to take with her medication, and was forced to sleep on detention cell floors. She had filed multiple unsuccessful asylum applications and appeals, including to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. On September 22, Kaur was deported to India without advance notice to her family and without being allowed to return home or say goodbye, despite her attorney's requests for release with monitoring or commercial flight accompaniment given her age and medical conditions.

A San Diego family's parents were ordered removed to Mexico on September 22, 2025, after an eight-year legal battle that began with their detention in May 2017. The parents worked as a paletero and had lived in the community for nearly thirty years. Their adult children have organized a fundraiser to support their parents' transition to Mexico.

Mi nombre es Ernesto y estoy recaudando fondos para ayudar a mi papá, Julio Ernesto Chavez Linares, quien fue detenido por inmigración mientras trabajaba el dia 11 de septiembre en un car wash que se llama 100 % hand Wash en Los Angeles California . Él es salvadoreño, nació el 13 de enero de 1983, y siempre ha sido el pilar de nuestra familia, especialmente para mi hermana menor de 12 años. La ausencia de mi papá ha sido muy difícil para nosotros, ya que él se encargaba de la vida diaria de mi hermana, su educación y el bienestar del hogar.