Human Impact Project

A woman who arrived in the U.S. at age 9 was detained by ICE and is facing deportation for overstaying her visa. She is married to a military veteran and has built her life in the country. Her family is raising funds to cover legal expenses.

Abel Ramirez, a man with schizophrenia who had two strokes, was detained by ICE and deported to Mexico without his family being allowed contact. He moved to the U.S. as a child and is now alone in Mexico. His family is seeking help locating him after he was last seen boarding a bus to Mexico City.

Enrique, brought to the U.S. at age three and raised there for 24 years, was stopped by a state trooper for a license plate light issue and taken into custody based on his Mexican passport despite lacking a driver's license. He spent three months in ICE processing with multiple court appearances before being granted voluntary departure. He is now in Mexico documenting his experience and attempting to maintain his business remotely while seeking residency.

Two sisters in Big Bear Lake are caring for their mother in hospice with stage 4 brain cancer after their father, Armando Gonzalez Procopio, was detained by ICE on March 31. ICE stated he was arrested for public order crimes and illegal entry, though the sisters dispute the characterization of his record, noting only traffic violations. Their father is scheduled to appear before a judge on April 10 for removal proceedings. The family is seeking his release so they can spend their mother's final days together.

José Ignacio 'Nacho' De La Cruz, a 30-year-old Migrant Justice organizer and Mexican national without a visa, was detained by federal agents on March 26, 2026, and charged with nine federal felony counts including human smuggling and document fraud. According to the indictment, between November 2022 and June 2025, De La Cruz smuggled people across the U.S.-Canada border without authorization and fraudulently obtained Vermont driver's privilege cards for individuals, receiving $500 per fraudulent ID. He was held at Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans. On April 2, 2026, Judge Kevin Doyle ordered his release on bond, rejecting prosecutors' argument that he posed a flight risk after noting De La Cruz remained in Vermont despite knowing of the investigation. Migrant Justice attributed the arrest timing to retaliation following an ICE raid in South Burlington on March 11. He pleaded not guilty and faces up to 15 years imprisonment with a mandatory minimum of 3 years if convicted.

Luis Rene Chavaloc Tzaj, a noncitizen who had lived in the United States for an extended period without having been admitted, was detained by U.S. immigration authorities during removal proceedings at the California City Detention Facility. A federal court found he was entitled to a pre-deprivation bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) and ordered his immediate release. The court ruled that if the government seeks to re-detain him, they must provide a proper bond hearing where he can contest flight risk and community safety concerns.

Jaqueline Del Socorro Jarquin Gutierrez, a 51-year-old Nicaraguan asylum seeker, was re-detained by ICE on April 1, 2026, during a routine check-in appointment after living in the community for nearly three and a half years in full compliance with release conditions. She had no criminal history and was lawfully employed while her asylum application remained pending. The court ordered her immediate release, finding her detention without notice or hearing violated due process rights.

Douglas Dixon, a 61-year-old Canadian green card holder, was arrested by ICE on February 10, 2026, while checking in with his probation officer in Florida. Dixon had pleaded no contest to tax evasion in 2022 and owed approximately $12,000 in back taxes. He was detained for 65 days, initially at the Dade-Collier facility in the Florida Everglades and later transferred to Glades County Detention Center. An immigration judge ordered his deportation to Canada with a lifetime ban from returning to the United States, separating him from his wife, children, and grandchildren after more than two decades in the country.

Dr. Ezequiel Veliz, a Venezuelan physician working as a resident at UT Health Rio Grande Valley/Knapp Medical Center in Texas, was detained by Border Patrol at the Sarita checkpoint in April 2025 after his Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was revoked in October 2024. Veliz is married to a U.S. citizen, had a pending green card application, and was carrying required immigration documents at the time of detention. Following outcry from the medical community and intervention by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a judge granted him bond during his immigration hearing, allowing his release from custody. Another Venezuelan colleague was also detained within the same week.

Y.R., a 37-year-old undocumented Honduran immigrant, was arrested by ICE in April 2026 while in the process of obtaining custody of her niece and nephew, who had been held in a federal shelter for over a year after crossing the Texas-Mexico border in April 2025. Y.R. had completed nearly a year of government vetting, including background checks and DNA tests, to become their sponsor. According to ICE documents, agents located her with assistance from the Office of Refugee Resettlement after the Trump administration dropped rules prohibiting that office from sharing sponsor information with ICE. She was released on bond by an immigration judge in May 2026 and reunited with her 11-year-old niece and 14-year-old nephew, but remains in deportation proceedings. Her lawyer says the policy of arresting potential sponsors has a chilling effect on families seeking to care for unaccompanied children.

Daniela, originally from Colombia, came to the United States on a work permit and is married to a U.S. citizen with a pending green card application. For months, she cooperated with a detective from the Florida Department of Financial Services, answering dozens of questions and providing documentation about insurance fraud committed by her former employer. When the detective asked her to meet in April to discuss the case, Daniela was instead detained, handcuffed, and arrested. She has no criminal record. She was taken to the Palm Beach County jail and then transferred in chains to ICE facilities in two different states before being released on bond in May. Her arrest reflects the expansion of the 287(g) Task Force program, which deputizes local law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration laws.

Jose Enrique Ojeda Duarte, a 31-year-old Venezuelan asylum-seeker who legally entered the U.S. in 2024, was arrested in September 2025 during Operation Midway Blitz and spent seven months in detention centers, including Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, where he reported inhumane conditions including frozen food, lack of medical care during COVID, and minimal daylight. He was deported to Venezuela in April 2026 despite having pending legal cases, but the Department of Homeland Security admitted the deportation was an error caused by a data systems failure. After intervention by his attorneys and his partner Leydimar Castillo, Ojeda Duarte was returned to the U.S. in June and released by a federal judge. Now reunited with his family in Chicago, he struggles with anxiety, insomnia, and trauma, afraid to leave his house or play with his children, fearing another mistake will lead to his arrest and deportation again.

Melona fled Eritrea and sought asylum in the United States but was deported to Panama under a formal U.S. government agreement, a country where she has no ties and speaks no language. She was held in a hotel with hundreds of other migrants and asylum seekers without explanation or information about her future. The U.S. government is conducting deportation flights to Panama and Costa Rica as part of formal policy agreements. Melona's case represents a systemic pattern rather than an isolated incident.

Subramanyam "Subu" Vedam, 64, spent over 40 years in prison after a 1983 first-degree murder conviction that was vacated in August 2025 when prosecutors were found to have withheld ballistics evidence. Upon his conviction being overturned, ICE detained him based on a longstanding deportation order tied to a prior drug-related conviction. On April 1, 2026, an immigration judge ruled that Vedam could remain in the United States, citing his personal transformation and strong family ties. DHS has until May 4 to appeal the decision, and Vedam must still file a bond request for release from custody.

Hemerson David Sanchez Lemus, a Honduran citizen who entered the U.S. as a minor in 2016 and lived freely for nearly 10 years, was re-detained by ICE on April 1, 2026 while fishing. The government detained him under a new interpretation of immigration law without finding he was a flight risk or danger to the community. The federal court ordered his immediate release, ruling his detention unlawful.

A 53-year-old professional mariner identified as F was deported from San Diego port after CBP agents accused him of accessing a website containing child sexual exploitation material during 2017-2018. F denied the allegations and was never charged with any crime. His visa was revoked within 24 hours and he was deported to the Philippines.

Davit Igityan, an Armenian citizen with a pending asylum application, was detained by ICE officers on April 1, 2026, when he appeared at a courthouse in Burbank, California for a criminal hearing. He had been in the U.S. since July 2021 and had complied with all immigration proceedings while operating a lawful business and maintaining community ties. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring ICE to provide him with an individualized bond hearing within 3 days or release him within 4 days.

In December 2025, Axel Sanchez Toledo called 911 in Palm Beach County, Florida requesting a welfare check on his daughter. A sheriff's deputy who was part of the county's 287(g) Task Force with ICE accused Toledo of being undocumented, detained him, and used physical force when he attempted to flee. Toledo, who had a pending asylum case, was arrested and held in jail for four months on resisting arrest charges before being transferred to ICE custody facing deportation.

ICE agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. was charged by Hennepin County prosecutors with felony first- and second-degree assault after allegedly pointing a gun at people in another vehicle on Highway 62 in Minneapolis in February 2026 during Operation Metro Surge. Morgan turned himself in, posted bond, and made his first court appearance on May 24, 2026. His attorney argued Morgan feared for his safety when the other vehicle swerved near him.

Jose A.M.L., who entered the U.S. in May 2021 and was granted humanitarian parole, was arrested and detained by ICE during a routine check-in in April 2026 despite complying with all immigration conditions. The petitioner challenged his detention arguing it violated due process rights without a pre-deprivation hearing. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release with permanent injunction against re-detention without constitutional protections.

Marie-Thérèse Ross, an 85-year-old French citizen and widow of a U.S. military veteran, was arrested on April 1, 2026, in Anniston, Alabama by ICE officers for allegedly overstaying her 90-day visa. She was handcuffed at her home and transferred to an immigration detention facility in Basile, Louisiana, where she was held for 16 days in dormitory conditions with 58 other women. An Alabama judge noted that her stepson, a former state trooper and federal employee, may have used his position to prompt her detention following a dispute over her late husband's estate. Following intervention by the French foreign minister, she was released and returned to France, where she reported experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms and described detention conditions including strict rules and condescending treatment from guards.

K, a 23-year-old man, fled Belarus after being stalked and threatened for participating in political rallies opposing the government. After the CBP One system was shut down and being extorted in Mexico, he crossed onto U.S. soil and walked toward a port of entry in South Texas, where Border Patrol arrested him and ignored his asylum request. His phone containing persecution evidence was confiscated and never returned. He was shackled and secretly flown to Costa Rica without being told the destination.

Marcus, a 52-year-old former archivist from Cameroon, and his 14-year-old daughter Élodie were detained during an ICE enforcement action at their apartment in Minneapolis on April 1, 2026. ICE cited a typographical error in Marcus's A-number in his temporary work authorization as justification for the detention. During the enforcement action, ICE mistakenly seized Élodie's architectural drawings, classifying them as "surveillance imagery." Both remain in detention and have been unable to contact a journalist documenting crimes related to art trafficking, which is central to their asylum case. A GoFundMe campaign was initiated to support their case.

Genaro Gonzalez-Uribe, a 72-year-old undocumented man, was detained by ICE on March 30, 2026, while driving to work in Lodi, California. He was pulled over by unmarked vehicles and transferred to a detention facility in Kern County. His family reports he has no criminal history, prior deportations, or removal orders. They also expressed concerns about his health and access to medication while in custody and are seeking legal assistance as he faces removal proceedings.

Ali and Adel, an Iranian gay couple in their late 30s and early 40s, fled Iran in 2021 after being arrested by Iran's morality police for their relationship. They entered the United States at the El Paso, Texas border in early 2025 seeking asylum, but their claims were denied. The men are now separated in ICE detention facilities—Ali in Arizona and Adel near El Paso—facing deportation under a Trump administration policy reversing decades of allowing Iranians fleeing persecution to remain in the country. Adel has suffered severe organ damage and medical deterioration in detention, including significant weight loss and fainting episodes. Court orders have so far prevented their deportation, though both men have been moved to deportation staging facilities multiple times, and the Trump administration has not clarified whether deportation flights to Iran will resume.

Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old nearly blind Rohingya refugee from Myanmar, was released from Erie County jail on February 19, 2026, after U.S. Border Patrol agents determined he was ineligible for deportation. Border Patrol agents dropped him at a Tim Hortons coffee shop north of Buffalo without notifying his family or attorney. Surveillance footage contradicted DHS claims that the location was safe and open; the store was closed except for the drive-thru. Alam, who spoke little English and required a cane to walk, went missing for several days. His body was found on February 24 near KeyBank Center, approximately four miles from the coffee shop. Local officials later ruled his death a homicide, caused by complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration.

Since January 2025, ICE has detained at least 500 babies and toddlers, with an average of 25 children aged 3 or younger held in custody daily between January and March 2026—a tenfold increase compared to fewer than three young children detained daily during the previous 12 months under Biden. At least 175 infants and toddlers were held beyond the court-mandated 20-day limit established in the Flores v. Reno settlement. Children at facilities including the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas experienced developmental delays, malnutrition, untreated illnesses, and behavioral regression. Medical professionals reported that large numbers of children in detention settings are vulnerable to fevers, vomiting, diarrhea, and coughing, with inadequate medical care provided.

Ryan Amilkar Perez Bello entered the United States on December 5, 2022, and was released on his own recognizance on March 2, 2023, after being issued a Notice to Appear for removal proceedings. He was re-detained on March 31, 2026, when he reported for a routine ICE appointment. The court ordered his immediate release, finding that his prior release created a liberty interest and that his continued detention violated due process.

Armando Gonzalez Procopio, a Mexican citizen who lived and worked in Big Bear, California for over 20 years, was arrested by immigration officers on March 31, 2026. He was charged with being present in the United States without having been admitted or paroled and placed in removal proceedings at the ICE Desert View Annex Detention Facility in Adelanto. The court granted his temporary restraining order and ordered his immediate release from immigration custody.

Jose Augusto Grajedo Donis, a Guatemalan national who entered the United States in 2008 at age 15, was taken into immigration custody on March 31, 2026. An immigration judge entered an Order of Removal on May 18, 2026, which Donis appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his continued detention as unlawful and unconstitutional, alleging inadequate medical care for cervical and lumbar spinal injuries, due process violations, and that less restrictive alternatives exist. The court denied his emergency motion for a temporary restraining order prohibiting removal but ordered respondents to file a sealed medical status report within 14 days.

Maria, a 38-year-old thyroid cancer survivor from Brazil, was detained at Delaney Hall ICE detention center for roughly two weeks where medical staff did not provide her prescribed daily hormone supplements and also provided incorrect medication, leaving her unable to urinate for at least four days. Her attorney filed an emergency letter to a federal judge on March 31, 2026, raising concerns about the possibility of irreparable harm including organ failure or sepsis. The judge ordered her release the next day, in part due to these medical concerns. Her case is among over 70 lawsuits filed by Delaney Hall detainees alleging medical neglect.

Najibullah Qasemi, a federal immigration detainee, was re-detained on March 31, 2026, after previously being released from immigration detention on parole. The court found that his re-detention without notice and hearing violated due process. The court ordered his immediate release on the same conditions as before and enjoined future re-detention without proper notice and hearing procedures.

Isnel Mayea Borges, a Cuban national who entered the U.S. through CBP's One Program in August 2023 and was released on two-year parole, was arrested by ICE on March 31, 2026 while on his way to work. Borges has a pending Application for Adjustment of Status under the Cuban Adjustment Act, possesses valid Employment Authorization, and has no criminal history. The court ordered his immediate release, finding his detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process.

Lester Pérez Sánchez and Ismaray Paz Torres, a Cuban pastor couple who arrived in the U.S. in 2021 seeking asylum and hold I-220A status, were detained by ICE on March 31, 2026, during what they believed was a routine supervision appointment in Harlingen, Texas. Both hold work permits and operate a tire repair workshop in Ingleside. They have been held at El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville since their arrest. The Ingleside community, including the mayor, has rallied for their release.

A group of Venezuelan migrants, including children and babies, are stranded in Miami after attempting to voluntarily leave the United States. Their travel documents were rejected by airlines at the airport, preventing them from boarding flights home. The situation stems from Venezuela having no operational consulates in the U.S., making it impossible for Venezuelan citizens to obtain or renew required travel documents like passports and safe-conducts from U.S. soil.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained the father of Chicana painter Criselda Vasquez on March 31, 2026, after he was pulled over while on his way home from work and arrested outside a neighbor's home. Vasquez stated her father had been in the United States for over 40 years and that he was racially profiled. The family launched a fundraiser to cover lost wages and legal fees related to his detention.

Rafael Concepcion, a Syracuse University professor, developed DEICER, a crowdsourced mapping app that alerts users to ICE activity and agent locations. After the app gained 30,000 users, the Department of Justice pressured Apple to remove it from the App Store in October 2025. Concepcion lost his university job and received death threats but continued developing modified versions of the tool.

A 15-year-old was detained during an ICE raid at a clandestine club off San Pedro Avenue in San Antonio in November 2025, along with approximately 140 other people. Four months later, the teen remained in federal custody at a migrant children's shelter on San Antonio's South Side despite paperwork for his release being completed. The release process stalled after his father, who was handling the case, was detained while driving back from a job in Corpus Christi, creating additional complications as the family feared further detention if a parent came forward to secure his release.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Jasper County Sheriff's deputies, and Ridgeland police executed a coordinated operation Saturday involving approximately 250 officers across multiple locations in Jasper County, South Carolina, resulting in dozens of arrests. The year-long investigation targeted what Sheriff Chris Malphrus described as a criminal enterprise centered on an illegal cockfighting operation, which also uncovered connections to other criminal activity. Federal authorities are continuing the investigation and have not released specific details about the total number of detainees or their current locations.

On March 31, 2026, a traffic stop on Interstate 20 near Leeds, Alabama resulted in the arrest of four individuals. The driver presented a Mexican identification card instead of an Alabama driver license, prompting an Alabama State Police trooper to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. When the driver and two passengers fled on foot into nearby woods, law enforcement apprehended all three without incident. All four individuals were arrested by the Leeds Police Department. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and ICE are investigating the incident.

Omar Salazar, an SMU graduate and Dallas community leader, was ordered deported to Mexico after losing his immigration case on April 2, 2026, following seven months of detention at ICE's Bluebonnet Detention Facility. He was detained after a traffic stop in August 2025 when he presented a Mexican ID and lacked a valid U.S. driver's license. Salazar, who was brought to the U.S. as a minor and did not qualify for DACA, has 60 days to depart voluntarily. His legal team said that while an appeal is possible, it could extend his detention another 8-12 months, and he would likely face a 3-6 year wait before reentry despite being married to a U.S. citizen.

Isaias, an asylee, was detained by ICE during a routine immigration check-in meeting earlier this year. He was the primary source of financial support for his elderly mother Rosa, who is now unable to work and needs assistance with rent and phone bills.

A Venezuelan pediatrician working as a medical assistant in the Raleigh neighborhood is currently in ICE custody.

Yaser Masroor, an asylum seeker from Iran, was re-detained on March 30, 2026, during a routine ICE check-in appointment after being previously released on recognizance in December 2023. ICE detained him solely because he had not been granted lawful status to remain in the U.S., despite having no criminal record and complying with all release conditions. The court found his detention violated due process and ordered his immediate release.

Ivan De Jesus Perez Salgado, a Mexican citizen who entered the U.S. without inspection in 2009 and lived there for over 17 years, was stopped while driving in Florida for allegedly having over-tinted windows and subsequently taken into ICE custody. He was transferred to several detention facilities and is now held at Golden State Annex in California. The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered a bond hearing within seven days.

A Hispanic mother was detained by immigration agents while working as a delivery driver. The post appeals for help and offers to share a GoFundMe link for those commenting.

On March 30, 2026, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper conducted a traffic stop on I-15 in Weber County for speeding. The driver refused to cooperate and could not provide valid identification despite claiming to be a U.S. citizen. With assistance from Weber County Sheriff's Office and ICE agents, the driver was forcibly removed from the vehicle due to noncompliance. Both the driver and a passenger were found to have active ICE detainers and were arrested and booked into Weber County Jail on charges including speeding, resisting arrest, and driving without a license.

Juan Carlos Quevedo Ferrer, 46, was arrested by Wildwood police for allegedly conducting 10 self-checkout fraud incidents at Target between November and March, in which he scanned lower-priced items like taco seasoning instead of the actual merchandise he purchased, totaling $181 in losses. Following his arrest, he is to be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE lodged a detainer requesting that Charlotte authorities not release Angelvis Jesus Quintero Fernandez, a 22-year-old from Venezuela, who was arrested and faces felony charges including first-degree murder in two fatal shootings in Charlotte on January 24 and March 22, 2026. Quintero Fernandez allegedly entered the U.S. in July 2023 via the CBP One app.

Anton Smovzh was deported from the United States by ICE. Upon crossing the border into Ukraine following his deportation, he was immediately picked up by Ukrainian military draft officers and sent to a training center.