Human Impact Project

A citizen of El Salvador who has lived in the United States for approximately 20 years, having entered on November 26, 2005, has a United States citizen child and has worked in the country with no prior removal order. On March 4, 2026, ICE officers apprehended him in Simi Valley, California during a field operation as he exited his vehicle. Officers did not provide him a warrant until after arrest and did not provide a pre-deprivation opportunity to contest his detention. He has been held at Desert View Annex in Adelanto, California since his detention and has never received a bond hearing before an immigration judge, with no neutral decisionmaker reviewing whether his continued detention was warranted. He sought immediate release under reasonable conditions of supervision through an emergency motion for temporary restraining order. On August 4, 2026, the federal court granted his motion and ordered his immediate release, finding he demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of his due process claim under the Mathews v. Eldridge test and that he would suffer irreparable harm from continued unlawful detention.

Irvin Cruz Nape, a father of four, died on March 4, 2026, days after being released from the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. Cruz Nape reported heart attack-like symptoms while in custody but allegedly did not receive proper medical treatment. He had been detained by ICE agents in the fall after being mistaken for another target, and was granted bond and released in late February. His death is one of at least four linked to the Adelanto facility since last year amid growing allegations of medical negligence at California ICE detention centers.

Luis Muñoz Pinto, a 27-year-old Venezuelan man, was deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador's Cecot prison in March 2025. He was accused of gang membership based on rose tattoos he obtained to honor his twin sisters. U.S. immigration officials identified the tattoos as Tren de Aragua gang symbols. A federal court later ruled that Muñoz Pinto and over 100 other deported Venezuelans must be allowed to return to the U.S. for due process.

Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old Haitian asylum seeker who arrived at the southern border in 2022, died from hypothermia on March 2, 2026, after being released by ICE on February 27 or 28, 2026, under the Alternatives to Detention Program with an electronic ankle monitor. Michel had spent six months in Washington County Correctional Facility awaiting a preliminary hearing on misdemeanor charges stemming from an arrest for yelling due to untreated severe mental health issues. After her release, she was taken approximately 25 miles away to Pittsburgh and left at a bus shelter in sub-freezing temperatures (20–30°F) while wearing summer clothes, where she spent 24 to 30 hours alone before being found unresponsive. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide. Her family plans to sue the U.S. government and other entities, alleging ICE failed to account for her severe vulnerability, including untreated mental health conditions and significant language barriers.

San Juanita Guerra, a lawful permanent resident, was detained by ICE on March 2 at the Progreso International Bridge over a 1994 conviction involving an unloaded firearm. She was held at El Valle Detention Center for over three weeks before being released on a $15,000 bond and now wears an ankle monitor while her legal case continues. Guerra reported difficult detention conditions including inadequate access to water, medications, and medical care despite her heart and kidney conditions. She says she had completed probation and community service for the 1994 incident decades ago.

A U.S. District Judge in West Virginia issued a final notice to the federal government regarding continued unlawful detention of immigrants without individualized custody determinations. Judge Joseph R. Goodwin ruled that the government has repeatedly violated the Fifth Amendment by detaining immigrants without proper legal procedures. The judge warned of legal consequences for state and federal officials if the unlawful detention practices continue.

Emmanuel Damas, a 56-year-old Haitian who arrived in the U.S. under the Biden Administration's Humanitarian Parole program with a pending Temporary Protected Status application, died on March 2, 2026, from sepsis caused by an untreated dental infection. Damas was detained at Florence Correctional Center in Arizona and repeatedly reported tooth pain to facility staff starting in mid-February, requesting dental care multiple times but receiving only ibuprofen. After two weeks of complaints and developing difficulty breathing, he was taken to a Scottsdale hospital on February 19, but the infection had already progressed to septic shock and pneumonia. Damas died at the hospital. Representatives Ansari, Grijalva, and Stanton demanded a full investigation, noting he was the tenth person to die in ICE custody in the first two months of 2026.

The Trump administration invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport more than 230-260 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador's CECOT supermax prison in March 2025, alleging ties to Tren de Aragua and MS-13. A federal judge ordered a halt to the deportations and verbally directed the flights to turn back, but the administration proceeded, saying the planes had already left US territory. Neither government publicly identified the detainees or provided evidence of gang affiliations; internal DHS data later showed only 32 had US criminal convictions, most for nonviolent offenses, and roughly 75% had no US criminal record, with at least 27 never having been ordered removed. Detainees were held incommunicado, with reports of torture, beatings, sexual violence, and prolonged solitary confinement, while the US paid $6 million to house 300 migrants at the facility. After about four months, the Venezuelans were transferred to Venezuela in a prisoner exchange, though the administration reported losing track of 137 of them. In 2026, a federal judge ordered the administration to facilitate the return of more than 130 of these men to the US for their immigration proceedings.

Hugo Leonel Ardon Osorio, a Guatemalan immigrant who worked as a truck driver and construction worker at Marcello Masonry on Shelter Island for over 20 years, was detained by ICE agents on February 4, 2026, at approximately 6:30 a.m. while commuting to work at the North Ferry terminal in Greenport. He had no criminal background and was the primary breadwinner for his wife and newborn daughter. During his 23-day detention, Ardon Osorio was held first at a facility in New Jersey for three days, then transferred to a holding facility at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan, where he was chained by wrists and ankles in an extremely overcrowded room and described the conditions as "really bad." His employer, Bobby Marcello, hired an attorney and described him as "a stand-up guy in every respect" who was deeply integrated in the community, even caring for his boss's children when needed. Community members and OLA of Eastern Long Island organized fundraising efforts to support his family during detention. Ardon Osorio was released in March and returned to work at Marcello Masonry.

Alisa Ramdial Shahib, a 46-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago who immigrated to the U.S. at age 19, has been detained by ICE at Chase County Detention Center since March 2026. Despite being granted a withholding of removal under the Convention Against Torture by a federal judge—a legal protection that bars her deportation to Trinidad and Tobago due to fears of persecution—DHS continues to detain her while searching for a third country willing to accept her. Shahib is separated from her U.S. citizen husband Secah, a PGA golf instructor, and her two children, one of whom is attending college. Over her decades in the U.S., she worked in modeling and commercial cleaning. Prior drug trafficking convictions prevent her from pursuing legal status. She communicates with her family through drawings mailed from detention while dealing with undisclosed medical issues, and her family remains uncertain about her final destination.

Haruna, a 39-year-old Ghanaian man with hepatitis B, was detained at Delaney Hall ICE detention center and taken to the hospital twice—last year and in March 2026—requiring a blood transfusion and surgery after his requests for medical help were answered late or not at all. A doctor who reviewed his medical records found that Delaney Hall staff failed to provide him with needed outpatient medical care and identified a pattern of insufficient ongoing care leading to health deterioration followed by emergency treatment only when his life was in danger. His case is among over 70 lawsuits filed by Delaney Hall detainees alleging medical neglect and deficiencies.

Jonathan, Joani, and their 2.5-year-old son Kaleth, asylum seekers from Peru, were detained by ICE officers in March 2026 after arriving at a scheduled immigration appointment in Thousand Oaks. The family was separated across state lines: Joani and Kaleth were sent to Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas for two weeks, while Jonathan was sent to Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California for over a month. During detention, Jonathan reported delays in medical care, mistreatment including food being thrown at detainees, and being placed in a cold room as alleged punishment for calling his lawyer. Joani reported the facility conditions were poor, with inedible food, non-drinkable water, constant lighting preventing sleep, and her young son becoming ill and refusing to eat. The family was eventually released through legal intervention and community support.

An Armenian man in removal proceedings since 2022 was arrested by ICE agents at his home in March 2026 following a DUI citation. He had been living at liberty for over four years while his immigration case was pending. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release and mandating pre-detention hearings for any future arrests.

Maykel and his five cousins were detained in shelter facilities for four months after trekking hundreds of miles to reunite with their mother Maria. Under Trump administration rules, the children remained in detention despite their parent being available to care for them. Families across New York and the country are using habeas corpus petitions as a legal tool to challenge prolonged detentions of unaccompanied minors.

Seamus Culleton, an Irish national who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 20 years and is married to U.S. citizen Tiffany Smith, was arrested by ICE agents at a hardware store in Boston on September 9, 2025, during a random immigration sweep. Culleton entered the country in 2009 on a visa waiver and overstayed, but held a valid work permit tied to a pending green card application as the spouse of a citizen and has no criminal record. He was detained for roughly six months across facilities in Massachusetts, New York, and Texas, including El Paso Camp East Montana, where he and his attorney reported overcrowding, inadequate food, lack of outdoor time, unsanitary conditions, and significant weight loss. A judge approved his release on bond in November 2025, but ICE continued to detain him after claiming he had signed deportation documents, a claim Culleton and his lawyer dispute due to documentation irregularities. His prolonged detention caused him to miss a critical green card interview. In March 2026, a U.S. Court of Appeals judge paused his deportation pending resolution of his petition for review.

Rabbiatu Kuyateh, a 58-year-old woman from Sierra Leone working as a nurse, was detained during a routine ICE check-in in July 2025. Despite a U.S. court order prohibiting her return to Sierra Leone, ICE deported her to an undisclosed location. She was held in shackles during a 10-hour flight. Videos documented her being dragged by individuals after resisting deportation. Her son contacted CASA seeking her return to the United States.

A 21-year-old Moroccan woman with a U.S. immigration judge's ruling prohibiting her return to Morocco was deported to Cameroon in mid-January 2026 as part of a secret third-country removal program. Without due process or legal counsel, she was subsequently returned to Morocco, where she faced persecution for her sexual orientation. She is now in hiding.

Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres, a 42-year-old Honduran immigrant, died Jan. 5 at a Houston-area hospital after suffering three cardiac arrests while in ICE custody. ICE agents arrested him in Houston on Nov. 17 and held him at the Montgomery Processing Center before transferring him to the Joe Corley Processing Center in Conroe on Nov. 25, where he was treated for chronic conditions including heart failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and tuberculosis. He was hospitalized Dec. 23 for an exacerbation of his heart condition and placed in intensive care Dec. 31 after multiple medical emergencies; doctors revived him twice before a third resuscitation attempt failed. A Department of Homeland Security Mortality Review Committee report released Feb. 27 found that medical staff had delayed his diagnostic evaluations by ten days, failed to monitor his weight and medication use, and overlooked documentation discrepancies, including an X-ray later found abnormal for tuberculosis. Staff learned in December that he had been overdosing on a prescribed diuretic but did not test for related complications. A medical examiner ruled his cause of death an acute coronary artery dissection linked to heart disease and high blood pressure.

Alberto Gutiérrez Reyes, 48, a construction worker from Veracruz who had lived in the United States for nearly 25 years, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol on January 9, 2026, in Los Angeles for lacking authorization to reside in the country. He was transferred to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center on January 12, where he had pre-existing diabetes and high cholesterol. Throughout February, he experienced persistent fever, headache, sore throat, dizziness, body aches, high blood pressure, and elevated glucose levels. Despite repeatedly requesting medical attention and filling out medical request forms, he was denied proper care. His wife Patricia Martínez reported seeing yellowing of his skin, face, and eyes during visits. On February 25, he reported feeling faint and weak and was transferred to Victor Valley Global Medical Center with chest pain and shortness of breath. He became unresponsive and died on February 27 of cardiac arrest. His wife and 19-year-old son Erick, born in Los Angeles and the family's sole financial provider along with his father, were not immediately informed of his death. Mexico's Office of Foreign Affairs demanded an investigation into the conditions that led to his death. According to local officials, Gutiérrez Reyes was the ninth detainee to die in ICE custody since the beginning of 2026.

ICE officers pepper sprayed approximately two dozen detainees at a Mesa Gateway Airport holding facility on February 27, 2026. A 911 call made at 2:13 a.m. reported that one detainee appeared to be having a seizure following the incident, and one man was hospitalized with an asthma episode. The facility was significantly overcrowded, holding 332 people despite a maximum capacity of 203.