Human Impact Project

A Mexican national who entered the U.S. as a child in 1989 was arrested by ICE on April 9, 2026, after reporting to the Santa Ana Enforcement and Removal Operations office. He is married with six U.S. citizen children and has a pending application for adjustment of status. The court granted his request for an individualized bond hearing while denying his request for immediate release.

Hilda Sucely R.M.D.E., mother of two U.S. citizen children who lived in the U.S. for nearly 25 years, was arrested by immigration authorities on April 9, 2026, when she appeared for a fingerprinting appointment in connection with seeking relief under the Violence Against Women Act. She had been released on bond after entering without inspection in 2003 and had an in absentia removal order from September 2003 that she never received notice of. The court ordered her immediate release from immigration detention, finding violations of federal regulations requiring pre-deprivation process.

A man detained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is currently held at the Joe Corley Processing Center in Conroe, Texas. Represented by counsel, he filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 challenging his continued confinement and a motion for a temporary restraining order and/or preliminary injunction seeking his immediate release pending judgment on the merits of his petition. On April 3, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued an Order to Answer requiring the respondent (the Warden) to file an answer or appropriate responsive pleading and response to the motion by April 17, 2026. The petitioner was given ten days to respond to any answer or dispositive motion and to the respondent's response to the motion for temporary restraining order.

A Chinese woman, a petitioner detained at Desert View Annex Detention Facility following a routine immigration check, filed for immediate release from custody through a habeas corpus petition. She argued her ongoing detention constitutes constitutional deprivation and feared potential transfer to another facility would impair her access to counsel. The court denied her emergency application for temporary restraining order but ordered the government to show cause why habeas relief should not be granted under an expedited briefing schedule.

A detainee is being held at the Dodge County Detention Facility in Juneau, Wisconsin by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention, arguing he is properly categorized under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) rather than § 1225(b)(2), and that his continued detention without an individualized assessment of flight risk or danger to the community violates the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause, and the Fourth Amendment's Search and Seizure Clause. Along with his petition, he filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent his transfer to another detention facility during the litigation. On April 9, 2026, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin denied the motion for temporary restraining order, finding that he failed to make a specific showing of immediate and irreparable harm before the respondent could be heard in opposition, beyond the harm inherent in being detained unlawfully. The denial was issued without prejudice, allowing him to renew the request if warranted.

A Mexican national filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his immigration detention that has lasted nearly two years. The court found his petition unclear about whether he is detained under pre-removal or post-removal statutes. The court denied his motions for emergency relief and appointed counsel but ordered the government to respond and clarify the legal basis for his continued detention.

A Nicaraguan asylum seeker was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without a prior hearing before a neutral decisionmaker. The court granted a temporary restraining order for his release and issued a preliminary injunction barring further detention without a pre-detention hearing. The court also prohibited transferring him out of the district without prior approval.

A Guatemalan national was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and held at Mesa Verde Detention Center. Government alleged he ran upon seeing officers and resisted arrest, and had no pending applications for relief with immigration authorities. The Eastern District of California granted his motion for preliminary injunction and ordered respondents to provide him with a bond hearing before a neutral arbiter within seven days.

A Chinese national, detained at Imperial Regional Detention Facility, filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his prolonged immigration detention without a bond hearing as a due process violation. The government conceded and the court ordered a bond hearing within seven days where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that he poses a danger or flight risk. The court declined to order immediate release.

An immigration detainee held in ICE custody at the Adelanto Detention Facility in California filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 on April 1, 2026, challenging the lawfulness of his detention. He argued that his continued detention violated his Fifth Amendment right to due process. On April 3, 2026, the respondents (represented by Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche) filed a response expressly stating they did not oppose his motion for a temporary restraining order. United States Magistrate Judge Alka Sagar found the requested restraining order was warranted based on the motion and record. The court granted his motion and ordered his immediate release from immigration detention.

Octavio Andrade-Aguilera, a Mexican national, was transferred to ICE custody at the Etowah County Detention Center in Alabama on April 5, 2026, after a federal judge in Chattanooga had ordered his release to avoid harming his wife and disabled American citizen daughter. Andrade-Aguilera is the sole financial support for his family and faces federal charges for reentering the country without authorization.

Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez, a 25-year-old Venezuelan national and wife of a U.S. Army Reserve Black Hawk pilot, was detained by ICE in Houston on December 5, 2025, during a routine check-in despite having been released in 2021 pending her asylum claim and consistently complying with all required appointments and hearings. She was held at the Houston Contract Detention Facility for approximately four months. A federal judge found due-process violations and ordered her release within 48 hours, permitting her to continue her immigration case outside of detention. Kenny-Velasquez reported poor conditions including overcrowding (60 women), lack of privacy, inadequate food, anxiety attacks, and limited access to medical care.

A Chinese national filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus challenging his prolonged immigration detention without a bond hearing, arguing it violated due process rights. The government conceded that he was entitled to a bond hearing and agreed to bear the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that he poses a danger to the community or risk of flight. On March 26, 2026, the federal court granted his petition and ordered respondents to arrange a bond hearing before an immigration court within seven days. The court declined to order his immediate release or issue further declaratory or injunctive relief. He must pursue any request for attorneys' fees through a separate noticed motion.

Efrain C.G., a Mexican citizen who entered the U.S. in 1993 and has been working since arrival, was arrested by ICE on April 7, 2026, at the Fresno County Superior Courthouse while inquiring about charges from a December 2025 domestic violence incident. He had no prior criminal history except traffic violations and no prior immigration history. The court ordered he receive a bond hearing within 14 days or be immediately released.

Lydia Rabara Swinburne, a 39-year-old Filipino national, was detained by ICE on April 7, 2026, during a green card interview after local authorities arrested her on domestic violence charges that were later dropped. On May 2, while in custody at the California City ICE facility, she suffered a medical emergency after being given unrecognized medication; her husband alleges a medication error occurred. A federal judge ordered her release on May 18 after her family filed a habeas corpus petition challenging her detention.

Salah Sarsour, 53, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and a lawful permanent resident for over 32 years, was detained by ICE on March 30, 2026, after being pulled over while driving in the Milwaukee area. DHS alleged he provided false information on his 1998 green card application, citing convictions from an Israeli military court when he was a minor for throwing Molotov cocktails and weapons possession. Despite having no U.S. criminal record, being married to a U.S. citizen, and having six U.S. citizen children, he was transferred to detention facilities in Chicago and Clay County jail in Indiana. Within 24 hours, the Muslim Legal Fund of America filed in federal court seeking immediate relief. His attorneys disputed the allegations and claimed he was being targeted for his Palestinian background and pro-Palestinian advocacy, noting that U.S. authorities had long known about the prior convictions.

Arpine Misakyan, a Southern California resident with a pending asylum case, was taken into custody after a domestic altercation with her husband at The Buffet at Wynn in Las Vegas. Although the Clark County District Attorney's office declined to pursue a domestic battery charge against her, ICE arrested her while she was being held at the Clark County Detention Center. She was transferred to the Henderson Detention Center and then to the Adelanto ICE Processing Facility, where she filed a lawsuit challenging her detention before ultimately withdrawing it and agreeing to voluntary departure to Armenia three months after her arrest.

A Russian citizen arrived in the United States on April 6, 2023, at San Luis, Arizona, without inspection. He was released into the interior and served with a Notice to Appear charging him as inadmissible. He filed for asylum with the Immigration Court, and his application remains pending. On April 4, 2026, he was detained by police for driving with a suspended driver's license. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers assumed custody and transferred him to the West Tennessee Detention Facility. He filed a habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 challenging his detention without an individualized bond hearing and sought a temporary restraining order to stay his removal from the United States. The federal court denied both the petition and the motion, finding that he remains an "applicant for admission" subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2), that he failed to exhaust administrative remedies, and that neither statute nor the Constitution provides him a right to a bond hearing.

A man who had lived in the United States for 25 years was detained by ICE at the Aurora ICE Processing Center. He has five siblings and one daughter who are U.S. citizens and worked as the primary breadwinner for his family in construction. The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding he was improperly subjected to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2).

A Guatemalan citizen married to a lawful permanent resident was taken into custody by ICE while her appeal was pending before the Board of Immigration Appeals. She had missed her March 2020 immigration hearing due to attorney error, resulting in a removal order in absentia. The court denied her request for emergency relief to delay removal and release from detention.