Human Impact Project

Claudia Rodriguez Caglianone, a 28-year-old Venezuelan immigrant and former collegiate soccer captain, was detained by ICE at Fort Lauderdale Airport on July 31, 2026, while attempting to board a domestic flight. Rodriguez arrived in the U.S. in 2017 with a tourist visa, applied for asylum less than six months later, and was granted Temporary Protected Status in 2023—protection that ended last October. She graduated from St. Thomas University in Miami with bachelor's and master's degrees and served as captain of the university's soccer team. According to her family, Rodriguez was held in the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Field Office in Miramar for eight days without changing clothes, showering, or proper sleeping accommodations, losing 15 pounds during detention. She was later transferred to the Broward Transitional Center. Her former coach praised her leadership and character. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz visited the facility and called for her release, stating that ICE agents were "invading airports to catch law-abiding residents like Claudia."

Diana Rodríguez Pardo and Jairo Alzate Elejalde, a Colombian couple with Spanish citizenship, were detained by ICE agents immediately after landing at Las Vegas International Airport, where they had traveled from California to celebrate a birthday. The couple had entered the U.S. legally about two years earlier under a visa waiver program and later filed for asylum before their 90-day authorization expired. They were separated and sent to different detention facilities—Jairo remained in Nevada while Diana was transferred first to Arizona and then to Denver, Colorado. Their two children, ages 8 and 16, are now being cared for by relatives, with the younger child reportedly asking when his parents will return.

Arístides Fernández García, a 37-year-old Cuban trucking company owner who fled Cuba in 2021 after being kidnapped and robbed in Mexico, was living in South Florida under an I-220A release order when ICE arrested him following a Miami immigration court hearing on January 6, 2026. He spent about seven months in detention at facilities including Krome, 'Alligator Alcatraz,' and centers in Louisiana and Texas. On July 30, he was shackled and flown roughly 22 hours with about 80 other detainees, including Cubans, an Ecuadorian, and a Honduran, to Bangui, Central African Republic — a country under the U.S. State Department's highest 'Do Not Travel' advisory due to risks including unrest, crime, kidnapping and terrorism. He said he was not told the destination until mid-flight and was stripped of his identification, money, and phone upon arrival, now confined to a guarded building without legal status, a passport, or embassy support. "I paid taxes, I never got a traffic ticket. I did everything right," he said, and described feeling "kidnapped," saying "we are prisoners here, they won't let us leave or go anywhere... they have violated all the rights that exist in life, because we are human beings." He said he still wants to pursue his asylum claim, while immigration attorney Morella Aguado said there is no legal basis for sending migrants to a country not designated by an immigration judge.

Paula Sofia Ramirez Clavijo, a 33-year-old Colombian asylum seeker and survivor of sexual assault, was detained by ICE on July 24, 2025, immediately after appearing at San Francisco Immigration Court for a scheduled removal hearing. She had entered the U.S. without inspection in December 2023 and been released on her own recognizance. ICE arrested her outside the courtroom pursuant to a Warrant of Arrest. Attorney Erin Meyer filed a habeas corpus petition on her behalf. A U.S. District Court judge issued an order for her release while she was already on a United Airlines flight to Honolulu with ICE officers. The court granted her petition, ruling that she has a protected liberty interest and cannot be re-detained without a pre-deprivation bond hearing where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that she is a flight risk or danger to the community.

Jaciel Cirrus Rojas, a Mexican national and Chatino-language speaker from rural Oaxaca, came to Racine in 2018 to reunite with his brother. In June 2025, ICE agents arrived at his home searching for a prior tenant and detained him as "collateral" despite no prior criminal convictions or civil citations. Held at Dodge County jail for nine months and separated from his partner and child, Rojas filed for asylum citing fear of torture if returned to Mexico. His attorney Jennifer Bizzotto challenged his detention through a federal habeas petition. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in his favor on July 31, 2026, rejecting the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy and allowing detainees like Rojas to seek bond hearings in immigration court.

Emely Charloth Suaza Chambo, a 16-year-old student at Churchill High School in San Antonio, was detained by ICE while on her way to church. ICE agents told her father, Fernando Suaza Ortiz, who was employed at the Hilton Garden Inn, to pick her up or she would be sent out of state. When he arrived at the location to collect his daughter, he was also taken into ICE custody. Both have pending asylum cases and are being held at the Dilley detention facility in Texas. Congressman Joaquin Castro shared their story on social media.

The petitioner is a citizen of India who arrived in the United States around May 18, 2023, and was briefly detained by immigration officials before being released on his own recognizance. He has a pending asylum petition. On or about July 30, 2026, he was re-detained by immigration authorities and has remained in ICE custody since, held at the California City Immigration Processing Center. He filed a habeas corpus petition and a motion for a temporary restraining order challenging his detention, which is governed by 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). The court found that his detention without a pre-deprivation hearing following his prior release violated his due process rights, citing its reasoning in Cajina v. Wofford and Perez v. Albarran. The court granted his habeas petition, ordering his immediate release and enjoining respondents from re-detaining him without written notice and a hearing before an immigration judge, absent exigent circumstances. His motion for a TRO was denied as moot.

Yasmany Moreno de Armas, a 32-year-old Cuban national who arrived in the U.S. by raft in 2016 and spent nearly a decade in the Miami and Tampa area working, including running a trucking business and at a meatpacking plant, was detained by immigration authorities after his asylum claim and green card application were denied. He was held in ICE custody for roughly a year, moved among multiple detention facilities, and eventually placed on a deportation flight with 35 others that he was told was merely a transfer. Shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles, he only learned hours into the roughly 21-hour flight that he was being sent to the Central African Republic rather than Cuba, a country he said he had never heard of. He manages asthma and diabetes, was previously imprisoned in Cuba for attempting to flee, and fears persecution if returned there. Now in Bangui without a passport or identification documents, separated from his family in Florida, he says he may be forced to leave his hotel within 90 days with nowhere else to go. "Now, I feel like I'm in prison," he said.

Debora Kapisha, a MaineHealth nurse originally from Zambia, was taken into ICE custody at Portland International Jetport on July 30 as two ICE officers conducting targeted surveillance near the security checkpoint identified her with assistance from TSA personnel. Kapisha had overstayed a visa but has a pending asylum claim and was pursuing immigration relief when she was arrested, according to her attorney Kerry Doyle. She was transported to Massachusetts and later released from ICE custody, though federal officials continued pursuing her removal case. Her arrest generated protests from nurses and immigration activists, and was among at least five ICE arrests reported at the Portland Jetport in recent weeks.

Mabel, an Oakland resident from Ecuador, was detained by ICE agents at Phoenix airport while waiting for a connecting flight. She had a pending asylum claim and held a valid work permit issued by U.S. immigration authorities. According to her husband Abraham Sanchez, an ICE officer approached the couple with a photo of Mabel on his phone, asked her to confirm her name, and took her away. She spent her first night detained near the airport before being transported to Eloy Detention Center. Her case is part of a broader ICE airport crackdown targeting individuals with expired visas and pending immigration applications.

Iryna Gorb, a 38-year-old Ukrainian photographer and barista, was arrested by plainclothes ICE agents at San Francisco International Airport on July 22-23, 2026, as she returned from Portland. Gorb had lawfully entered the United States on a visa on July 6, 2010, which expired on May 31, 2011, and had lived in San Francisco for over 15 years working at Better Half Cafe in the Polk Gulch neighborhood while also selling repurposed vintage clothing and doing photography work. Video recorded by Richmond City Councilmember Doria Robinson shows plainclothes agents pinning Gorb to the ground while she screamed "You're choking me!" and pleaded for help. Witnesses reported the agents did not display clear identification. After her arrest, Gorb was transferred to California City Detention Facility in the Mojave Desert, where she remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. Her family home in Kharkiv was destroyed in Russian attacks, and she had been using nearly all her earnings to support family members who fled to Europe. Friend Andy Eblin described her as "fiercely loyal, always willing to help friends." State Sen. Scott Wiener condemned the arrest and noted that deporting Gorb to Ukraine would send her to a war zone. Gorb is working with attorneys on a petition for her release, and a GoFundMe campaign has raised over $47,000 to support her legal defense.

Galina Bobreneva, a 40-year-old Russian national who entered the U.S. legally on a tourist visa in 2021, extended her stay after the war in Ukraine began, and applied for asylum in 2022, was detained by a plainclothes ICE agent at Burbank airport on July 13 while traveling with her husband, Brent Jindra, a technology salesman who says he voted for Trump three times. The couple married in December 2025, and Jindra had filed a marriage-based green card petition for her in April, with fingerprinting already completed; her lawyer maintains she was never out of lawful status, while DHS says she overstayed her visa and calls her 'an illegal alien.' She spent 16 days in detention, including a night on the floor of a basement holding cell in downtown Los Angeles and about two weeks at the Adelanto ICE Processing Facility, where she said she was treated 'like a piece of meat, not like a human,' citing sleep deprivation, only four working showers for about 120 women, scarce drinking water, and denied healthcare. She was released on July 29 on a $35,000 bond and fitted with an electronic monitor, with an ICE check-in scheduled for September 7 and a court appearance set for October 22. 'A US citizen just watched his wife get dragged away and had no idea where she's going,' Jindra said. 'We are living in fear in my own country.'

A 14-year-old Brazilian girl with an expired visitor visa was detained by ICE agents on March 11 in a parking lot outside Bethel Presbyterian Church in Marlboro, Massachusetts, after a car was pulled over. Her attorney stated she was with her U.S. citizen brothers, though DHS disputed this account, claiming she was with two Brazilian men suspected of gang ties with no familial relationship to her. ICE said the men's vehicle was connected to an alleged attempted home invasion in Walpole. The girl was taken to the JFK federal building in Boston for 10 hours, then transported overnight to a children's detention facility in New York. At a hearing, Federal Judge Leo T. Sorokin expressed concern about the detention and overnight transfer, stating it was the first time in his 22 years on the bench that he had seen agents detain a juvenile solely because no appropriate person was available to release her to. He ordered her immediate return to Massachusetts, and she was reunited with her maternal aunt, a U.S. citizen, at the JFK building in Boston.

A 30-year-old Colombian citizen who has lived in the United States since March 2023, when she was admitted on a B-2 visitor visa. She filed an asylum application in June 2023 that remained pending for over one year. She has been employed since April 2024 as a Distribution Analyst with Cordiasla USA in Texas and has a partner residing in California. She has no criminal history and has been treated for depression and anxiety with bupropion medication since 2024. On July 28, 2026, while traveling for work from Houston to Ontario, California, ICE agents detained her upon her arrival at Ontario International Airport without advance notice or a pre-deprivation hearing, and confiscated her documents. She was transferred to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center where she has been held for over one week without receiving her required psychiatric medication, which her physician warned could result in serious health risks if interrupted. She filed an ex parte application for a temporary restraining order seeking immediate release from detention. On August 10, 2026, the federal court granted her application, ordering her immediate release under the same terms as before her detention, requiring return of seized property, and prohibiting re-detention without notice and a pre-deprivation hearing before a neutral adjudicator.

Fatima Ameaka, a public health researcher at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health and a native of Cameroon who previously held a Fulbright scholarship, was detained by ICE agents at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport while attempting to board a domestic flight. Officials cited an alleged overstay of a visa she entered on in June 2023, which had permitted her to stay until mid-2024, with her arrest reportedly facilitated by a data-sharing agreement between the TSA and ICE. She had a pending asylum application and was rapidly transferred through multiple facilities, from Maryland to Virginia, then to Louisiana, and finally to Texas, all within days. She was released shortly after and returned to Maryland, where she awaits her next court hearing. Johns Hopkins University described her as 'a respected member of our community,' said it was troubled by her arrest and the anxiety it caused, and stated it is providing her legal representation and support.

ICE agents, working with the U.S. Forest Service and Caldwell County Sheriff's Office, set up a checkpoint on the only road into Wilson Creek, a popular swimming spot in Pisgah National Forest, on July 26, 2026, detaining 13 people. Among them was Argenis Eduardo Torres Rosales, a 32-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker with a work permit and no criminal record, according to his aunt Wuendy Rosales; he is now held at a detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, 433 miles from his wife and stepson. ICE said many of those detained had criminal histories including DUI and illegal reentry charges. Witnesses described the operation as "terrifying," with families separated during the stops, including one whose wife and children were left stranded roadside without cell signal. Sandra Salazar, co-founder of Hands of Hope y Adventurous Latinos, said her cousin's partner was among those detained and that families with pending asylum cases were caught up in the action. Sheriff Kevin Bean denied reports that children were separated from families, while advocates said the raid, following North Carolina's new law mandating state-ICE cooperation, has discouraged Latino families from visiting the forest.

A Nicaraguan citizen entered the United States without inspection on November 8, 2022, and was briefly detained before being released on parole with routine ICE check-ins. He filed an asylum application on August 1, 2024, which remains pending, holds a valid work authorization card, and has no criminal history. For over 43 months, he complied with all supervision conditions and DHS repeatedly determined his physical detention was unnecessary. On July 27, 2026, ICE detained him during a scheduled immigration check-in in Los Angeles, alleging no violations, no changed circumstances, and no individualized basis for custody, and providing no pre-deprivation hearing. He filed a habeas petition and TRO application arguing his re-detention violated Fifth Amendment due process rights. The Government did not oppose the TRO. The court found he demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits, irreparable harm, and that the balance of equities favored release, ordering Respondents to immediately release him subject to narrowly tailored conditions and to file a status report within five days confirming release.

Wilmer Solano, a 59-year-old Venezuelan journalist with over 20 years of professional experience, was detained by CBP/ICE agents on July 26-27, 2026, during a traffic stop while working as a private transport driver at Haulover Beach in Miami Beach. Solano entered the United States legally in January 2015 on a journalist visa and filed for asylum in December 2015 after being persecuted in Venezuela for his journalism covering opposition political campaigns and figures including Henrique Capriles and Julio Borges. In August 2011, he and his cameraman were beaten by municipal officials while covering news. He previously worked for Globovisión from 2002 to 2008 and founded and directed the news agency Zorro Comunicaciones. At the time of his detention, Solano held a valid Florida work permit and driver's license. He had been granted Temporary Protected Status beginning in 2021, which expired in September 2025. According to his wife María Moreno and the Venezuelan Journalists Abroad Association (Apevex), officers detained him without a judicial warrant and without criminal charges, telling him his asylum case could take another decade and that he was in irregular immigration status. DHS confirmed the arrest and stated Solano has no immigration status allowing him to remain in the U.S. He was transported to CBP headquarters in Dania Beach with removal proceedings and an immigration court hearing scheduled for August 26, 2026.

Alexander Jarquin-Jarquin, a Nicaraguan asylum seeker with a valid work permit and driver's license, was arrested on July 26, 2026, while on his way to work with no stated reason. He entered the U.S. in 2021 through the southern border, was released by ICE under parole, and has since obtained legal work authorization and worked 12-hour days supporting his elderly father in Nicaragua and his wife in the U.S. He has no criminal history. He is now in immigration custody with his case before an immigration judge, and his family is raising funds for legal fees and bond to secure his release and demonstrate community ties.

Five individuals were detained during check-ins at ICE's Malta field office on July 26, 2026. An emergency habeas petition was filed the same day to prevent their transfer outside the Northern District of New York. They were initially taken to Montgomery County jail, and a court ruling on Thursday allowed their transfer to the Batavia detention center with restrictions on further transport. At least one of the five was undergoing asylum case proceedings and had been detained a second time since arriving in the United States. The detentions occurred as the Trump administration issued new asylum policy guidance and as record-high ICE detentions were reported in July, including increased check-in operations.

Boanerges Flores and his wife, Alba Matamoro, came to Missouri from Nicaragua three years ago to seek asylum, saying it was unsafe to return because Flores had worked for the Nicaraguan government. The couple attended every scheduled check-in with ICE. During a routine appointment last week, agents detained Flores and placed Matamoro on an ankle monitor. Flores is now in deportation proceedings. The couple works in the Maplewood-Richmond Heights school district, where staff described them as model employees. Their 8-year-old daughter attends school in the same district. Matamoro said their daughter has struggled with the separation, and that explaining the family's potential move has been difficult. Court records show no criminal history for either of them.

An Ecuadorian asylum seeker who has resided in the United States since 2023 entered the country without inspection and filed a timely asylum application shortly thereafter. On November 19, 2025, he was served with a Notice to Appear charging him as removable for being present without admission or parole. On July 25, 2026, ICE took him into custody and transferred him to the Clinton County Correctional Facility in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, where he was held without a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b). His immigration records show no criminal history and no final order of removal. Petitioner filed a pro se habeas corpus petition arguing he should instead be detained under the discretionary provisions of 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), which entitles detainees to a bond hearing, and that his detention without such a hearing violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights. Respondents did not dispute the facts but argued his detention was lawful under § 1225(b). The Court, following the majority view among federal courts and several circuit courts of appeals, agreed with Petitioner, ruling that § 1225(b)(2)(A) applies only to noncitizens affirmatively seeking admission, not those like Petitioner who have resided in the country for years. The Court granted the habeas petition, ordered Petitioner's immediate release, permanently enjoined Respondents from detaining him under § 1225(b), and required a bond hearing before an immigration judge if he is later detained under § 1226(a).

Luis Vasquez Alvarado fled Guatemala in 2023 after being threatened by a gang and applied for asylum with his family, settling in the Las Vegas area. On May 30, 2026, he was arrested by Metropolitan Police Department; upon his June 1 release, ICE detained him without providing a bond hearing. Vasquez Alvarado filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention, but federal authorities failed to substantively respond and made misrepresentations about their communication with his attorneys. U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware ruled on Friday that Vasquez Alvarado was subject to mandatory detention, found his detention was erroneous and prolonged, and determined that federal authorities failed to identify any lawful authority permitting continued detention. The judge ordered his immediate release.

Yasmin Suarez Reyes, a 45-year-old Venezuelan citizen with dual Spanish citizenship, was arrested by ICE agents at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport on July 24, 2026, while preparing to travel with her fiancé, Texas businessman John Gannon. Suarez Reyes entered the U.S. legally in October 2023 under the Visa Waiver Program and filed for asylum in January 2024 before her initial 90-day stay expired. While her asylum case remained pending, she obtained a work permit and Texas driver's license and had no criminal record. According to Gannon, ICE officers "swarmed" Suarez Reyes without explanation and "wrestled her off into a car." DHS said she was detained for illegal overstay after her lawful admission expired on January 19, 2024, noting that pending asylum applications do not confer legal status. Suarez Reyes was being held at Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas for deportation processing. Gannon told media he regretted voting for Trump, saying agents are "picking up law-abiding citizens" and "destroying families."

A Guinean woman is a national of Guinea currently detained by U.S. immigration authorities at the Port Isabel Service Processing Center in Cameron County, Texas. She has protection from removal to Guinea. Respondents intend to remove her imminently to Ghana, a third country, without providing her a reasonable fear interview regarding removal to that country. She filed a verified petition challenging her removal as violating her constitutional rights and seeking a temporary restraining order. The court found that her removal would cause immediate and irreparable injury, as she would be unable to seek habeas relief if removed. On August 5, 2026, the court issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting removal to a designated third country less than seven days after providing notice, requiring compliance with March 2025 Guidance procedures regardless of diplomatic assurances, and prohibiting transfer outside the Southern District of Texas except to a third country subject to the order's conditions. The court ordered her to file a response to the motion to dismiss by August 14, 2026, clarifying jurisdictional bases for her claims.

Sarafinah Bukirwa, a 31-year-old Ugandan immigrant and founder of Sarafinah Sickle Cell Society, a nonprofit treating sickle cell anemia, was detained by ICE on July 22, 2026, at Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville while traveling to a sickle cell anemia conference in California. Bukirwa entered the U.S. legally on a visa to expand her nonprofit work and has a pending asylum claim with valid work authorization. After being held at Grayson County Detention Center in Leitchfield, Kentucky, her family reported she was denied her required sickle cell medication for nearly a week despite having the medication with her, with prescriptions reportedly diluted in water and withheld. She experienced a medical crisis requiring hospitalization at a Louisville hospital the day before her detention. Her brother Isaac Kabunga stated at a press conference that ICE agents claimed she was arrested for overstaying her visa, though U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey confirmed she is following proper legal procedures and called for her immediate release, stating her condition could become life-threatening without proper treatment.

A community member was detained by ICE agents at a Denver DMV office while applying for a driver's license. The person had a pending asylum case, valid work authorization, and no criminal record, according to the post. Their family and church are requesting prayers and calling for justice and respect for the person's dignity while awaiting their release.

Min Khant Zaw, a Rohingya man who fled genocide in Myanmar, was detained by ICE on July 21 when he landed at a U.S. airport. According to the post, Zaw had been residing legally in the U.S. and is described as an activist and environmentalist. He remains in custody without having committed any crime, according to the account.

F.S., a 32-year-old asylum seeker from Guatemala, was arrested by ICE after beginning the vetting process to gain custody of her 13-year-old son, who has been in a federal shelter for over eight months as of July 2026. F.S. fled Guatemala in 2023 due to violence and had been living in the U.S. while her asylum case was pending, making four-hour drives to visit her son weekly at the shelter. When she came forward to sponsor him, ICE arrested her as part of the Trump administration's operation targeting undocumented sponsors. Her son's mental health has severely deteriorated during his prolonged shelter stay; he has been prescribed anxiety medications and was recently admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Both mother and son have agreed to accept deportation to reunite sooner. F.S. fears retaliation for speaking publicly about her case.

Chantal Alejandra Morales Rojas, a 27-year-old Ecuadorian au pair and software developer, was detained by plainclothes ICE agents at Denver International Airport while boarding a Southwest Airlines flight to Oakland. She had entered the U.S. lawfully on a J-1 exchange visitor visa in early 2023 and, before that visa expired, filed an immigration application allowing her to remain with federal authorization while her case was pending, according to her attorney Laura Lichter. ICE alleged she had overstayed her visa, but Lichter said Rojas "followed the rules of her program" and worked legally under federal employment authorization as a software developer for a recycling app company in Oakland. Agents in civilian clothing removed her from the jetway and placed her in a Homeland Security van as friends and fellow passengers watched, and the arrest was captured on video that circulated widely amid a broader increase in ICE enforcement at U.S. airports. She was transferred to the Aurora ICE Processing Center, where a federal immigration judge later ordered her release on a $3,000 bond. The family she worked for said, "She is a part of my family. She has never hurt anyone and just lives a quiet life. She came here legally and tried to do everything right."

Josue Isai Pire-Hidalgo, a 31-year-old custodian at Farnsworth Elementary School in Chicago Public Schools, was detained by ICE on July 17 during what he believed was a routine immigration appointment tied to his family's asylum case. Pire-Hidalgo, a Venezuelan national with Temporary Protected Status and a pending asylum application, has no criminal record. His wife, Yulexis Padilla Julio, and their two children, ages 13 and 6, were detained alongside him but released; his wife was fitted with an ankle monitor and continued advocating for his release. Their 6-year-old daughter has asthma requiring daily medication, and Pire-Hidalgo has hearing loss in both ears and relies on hearing aids. He was held at a jail in Clay County, Indiana, describing the conditions as difficult, while the school community and SEIU Local 73 organized support including a GoFundMe that raised nearly $15,000 and meal trains for the family. After 42 days in ICE custody, he was released and reunited with his family.

José Gregorio González, a 43-year-old Venezuelan immigrant, traveled to the United States to donate a kidney to his brother José Alfredo Pacheco, who has end-stage renal disease. González was arrested in March 2025 after accompanying his brother to a dialysis appointment, despite having no criminal record and a deportation order on file. ICE temporarily released him in April 2025 to proceed with the kidney donation. The transplant occurred in August 2025. González's one-year humanitarian parole expired in March 2026, and his attorney was seeking an extension to allow him to remain in the country through March 2027 for post-transplant medical monitoring. On July 21, 2026, González was detained by ICE during a routine immigration check-in while the parole extension was being pursued. Pacheco has experienced complications since the transplant and relies on González for care.

Joseph Andrey Londono Rodriguez, a six-year-old Deaf student at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, was detained by ICE on March 3, 2026, along with his mother, Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez, and younger sibling during what the family believed was a routine check-in appointment in the San Francisco Bay Area. Rodriguez Gutierrez, an asylum seeker who fled domestic violence in Colombia and had lived in Hayward for four years working as a cleaner and child care worker with no criminal record, was under a supervision order at the time. Her attorney said she repeatedly asked agents to let a relative bring Joseph's hearing aids and cochlear implants, but the family was deported within days without the devices, legal representation, or accurate information about their whereabouts. State officials alleged ICE misrepresented the family's location to obstruct legal intervention. California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and members of Congress have called for an investigation and humanitarian parole to return the family. Joseph's case is one of more than 650 children detained by ICE in California during Trump's second term, 61% of whom were ultimately deported.

A national from Sierra Leone was placed under a final removal order but had her removal statutorily withheld after an immigration judge found her life and freedom would be threatened if removed. She was released from immigration detention on an Order of Supervision approximately one year ago. Three weeks ago, the government revoked her Order of Supervision and re-detained her. The government announced plans to remove her to Ghana, a country to which she has no connection. She filed a habeas corpus petition challenging her detention and a motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent removal. The court granted her motion, finding she demonstrated sufficient likelihood of success on the merits and that the balance of equities strongly favored her. The court expressed concerns about the government's actions, particularly the plan to remove her to a third country despite diplomatic assurances that Ghana might return her to Sierra Leone where her safety is threatened.

A Salvadoran national entered the United States near the southern border on November 23, 2022, presented himself to immigration authorities, and was released on humanitarian parole. While released, he complied with all reporting requirements, filed a pending asylum application, obtained employment authorization valid through January 2029, and was issued a Social Security number. He has been steadily employed at a printing company in Los Angeles since March 2024, filed federal and state taxes, and has been married to a U.S. citizen since March 2026, serving as the principal financial provider for his household. On July 20, 2026, ICE re-detained him at his scheduled check-in appointment at the ICE Los Angeles Field Office without notice or a pre-deprivation hearing, despite his full compliance with parole conditions and lack of criminal history. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted his habeas corpus petition, finding that re-detention without a hearing violated procedural due process under the Mathews v. Eldridge test, and ordered his release on his prior conditions within 24 hours.

Alevtina Soboleva, a 59-year-old Russian asylum seeker from Sunnyvale, California, was detained by ICE agents at Buffalo Niagara International Airport on July 20 while returning from a vacation to Niagara Falls with her adult daughter, Daria. Soboleva had entered the U.S. legally on a visitor visa in 2021 and applied for asylum before it expired, citing fears of persecution in Russia over her opposition to the war in Ukraine. Her attorney said she held valid asylum documentation and work authorization. Daria said her mother, who has a progressive neurological disorder and gum disease requiring special hygiene care, was restrained with handcuffs and chains that caused her pain, developed an untreated fever, and was held in a cage without adequate water or bathroom access. She was transferred through multiple facilities, including Mahoning County Jail in Ohio and a South Louisiana ICE processing center. A federal judge later set her bond at $10,000, and she was released after nearly a month in custody and reunited with her daughter in the Bay Area.

Vlad, a 23-year-old Russian asylum seeker, was deported to Moscow on July 20, 2026, after missing his May asylum hearing in Tucson. Vlad fled Russia in 2022 and presented himself at the San Ysidro port of entry in December 2022 requesting asylum protection. He had been living in Tucson with his partner Andrea Landavazo. Vlad expressed deep fear of being conscripted into the Russian military or imprisoned upon return due to his political beliefs and opposition to the Russia-Ukraine war. He was detained by ICE in June 2026 and held at ICE's Florence Service Processing Center during a measles lockdown. An order of deportation was issued in absentia, and Vlad did not receive the standard $2,600 in departure funds typically provided for voluntary departure, as ICE stated he did not leave voluntarily.

Adrian Mendoza, an Ecuadoran man who fled persecution in 2023, was detained during an ICE raid at a food manufacturing plant in the Kansas City area. His wife, Aylin Castro, was not notified by ICE and learned of his detention through social media when agents detained eight people at the facility. Castro told KCUR 893 that the last message she received from Mendoza came as he said goodbye, telling her he loved her and thanking her for breakfast she had packed in his lunchbox.

A Ukrainian refugee is a Ukrainian citizen who fled Russia's invasion in early 2024 after his home in Luhansk was destroyed by a Russian missile. He arrived in the United States on February 28, 2024 with DHS travel authorization and was granted parole under the Uniting for Ukraine program. Over more than two years in the US, he obtained employment as a commercial truck driver, paid taxes, developed strong community ties, and committed no criminal offense. On July 19, 2026, local law enforcement in Cheyenne, Wyoming detained him during a routine traffic stop after learning he lacked lawful immigration status, and transferred him to ICE custody without any criminal charge, warrant, prior notice, or individualized assessment of flight risk or dangerousness. DHS initiated removal proceedings on July 21, 2026. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the lawfulness of his detention and seeking either immediate release or a prompt bond hearing before an Immigration Judge. On August 7, 2026, the federal district court granted the petition, finding the detention violated both the Immigration and Nationality Act and Fifth Amendment due process rights, and ordered his immediate release by August 9, 2026 on his own recognizance with no additional conditions beyond his original parole.

A professional drummer who entered the U.S. on a B-1 visa in July 2023 and filed for asylum a month later was arrested by ICE at Los Angeles International Airport on July 18, 2026, while returning home to Florida with his wife after a work trip teaching marimba to younger musicians. His visa expired in May 2024, but he was never detained; instead, he was granted employment authorization valid through February 2029 and continued performing for arts organizations. In 2024 he began dating a U.S. citizen, whom he married in August 2025, and shortly after marrying he filed an alien relative petition; both his asylum and relative petitions remain pending. He has no criminal history and was held at the Desert View Annex detention facility in Adelanto, California. He filed a habeas corpus petition seeking a bond hearing or immediate release, arguing the government's years of tolerance created a liberty interest requiring due process before detention. The court agreed, finding his detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Fifth Amendment, and ordered his release within 24 hours under the same conditions that existed before his detention.

Alim Garipov, an 18-year-old Russian senior at Bellaire High School in Houston, was detained by ICE at Hobby Airport on July 17, 2026, while traveling with family to visit colleges. Garipov arrived in the United States on May 7, 2022, at age 14 with authorization to remain until November 6, 2022, but stayed in the country after his authorized period expired. He has a pending asylum application from Russia. Teachers and former classmates described Garipov as hardworking, kind, and a standout swimmer who served as team captain. Educator Elizabeth Chapman stated he "has done everything right" and described him as "the kindest, most sensitive boy." Garipov founded the school's Russian Culture Club and worked to learn English. He was held in ICE detention in Conroe for more than 72 hours. U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher's office worked with the family on the case.

Shaoping Wu, a 48-year-old Chinese human rights lawyer, was detained by ICE in mid-July 2026 while working as an Amazon delivery driver in Pennsylvania. Wu fled China in 2019 after the government cracked down on lawyers challenging authorities in civil rights cases. He arrived in the U.S. on a tourist visa, filed for asylum in 2020, and received work authorization. He had been working full-time as a delivery driver since April 2025 while continuing his advocacy work criticizing the Chinese Communist Party. Wu was living in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with his wife Li Caoliu and their 17-year-old daughter, a Hempfield High School student. During his arrest, he informed police about his pending asylum application, but they notified immigration officials who detained him at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County. His wife expressed concern about lost income and mounting bills while helping with his defense. Human rights organizations have warned that Wu could face serious retaliation if deported to China.

The petitioner, a native of Venezuela, was released under an order of supervision in the United States in August 2011 after applying for withholding of removal, though her exhibits do not confirm the withholding was actually granted. She was detained by ICE during a scheduled check-in appointment on July 17, 2026, and was told her order of supervision had been revoked. She is currently held at Richwood Correctional Center. She filed a habeas corpus petition arguing that revocation of her supervision order violated her due process rights and that authorities were unlikely to deport her to a third country within a reasonable timeframe. She later filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order after being informed she was scheduled for removal to either Venezuela or Mexico, seeking immediate release or an order blocking her removal pending review of her habeas claims. The court denied the TRO motion, finding no threat of imminent harm beyond her impending removal and ruling that federal courts lack jurisdiction over claims tied directly to execution of removal orders.

ICE agents in Lakewood, Washington detained 23-year-old Venezuelan citizen Moises Velasquez while searching for a Mexican national with a final deportation order who drove the same make and model car. Velasquez, who entered the U.S. legally through a CBP appointment in 2023, was paroled, obtained employment authorization, and was awaiting a December 2026 asylum hearing when agents broke his car window and arrested him outside the barber shop where he works. A federal magistrate judge called the arrest 'egregious,' finding officers failed to verify his identity or license plate before detaining him, and granted his habeas corpus petition; he was released from the Tacoma ICE detention facility. His attorney said Velasquez has no criminal convictions and had built a life in the community with his pregnant partner.

Celestin Dima, a gay asylum seeker from Burkina Faso, fled kidnapping, military persecution and police torture after being outed before crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in 2024. In August 2025, an Arizona immigration judge granted him withholding of removal, finding he would likely face persecution if deported home, but ICE continued holding him at the Eloy Detention Center for nearly two years while searching for a third country willing to accept him, considering Ghana, Cameroon and Uganda—all countries where homosexuality is criminalized. While detained, he stopped eating and was placed in solitary confinement for two weeks. A federal judge ordered his release in June 2025 after granting a joint habeas petition, but ICE redetained him on July 17 during a mandatory check-in at a field office in Lower Manhattan. He was then transferred through detention facilities in New Jersey and near Dallas, fitted with a GPS ankle monitor, and later scheduled for deportation to the Central African Republic without being told in advance where he would be sent.

Claudia Carolina Rodriguez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan who arrived in the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2017, was detained by ICE agents at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on July 17 after passing through TSA security while boarding a domestic flight to North Carolina to watch World Cup matches with friends. Rodriguez held Temporary Protected Status that had expired and had a pending asylum application at the time of her arrest. She was initially held at the Miramar processing facility for eight days, where she reported severe conditions including overcrowding (roughly 47 women in one room sleeping on bare floors), expired or moldy food, inadequate water access, lack of access to showers, and inability to change clothes or go outside. She lost approximately 15 pounds during detention. After transfer to the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, an immigration judge granted her bond on August 3, and she was released wearing an ankle monitor. Her family says she has no criminal record and intends to continue fighting her asylum case.

A non-citizen from El Salvador who entered the United States in 2021 was arrested and detained by ICE agents outside his apartment building in San Francisco on July 17, 2026. ICE agents arrested him without presenting a warrant at the time, claiming it was at their office. He has no criminal record, filed an asylum application, received work authorization, and is the sole provider for his pregnant wife and two young children. The court granted his temporary restraining order requiring immediate release and prohibiting re-detention without a pre-deprivation bond hearing where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that detention is necessary to prevent flight or protect the public.

ICE agents detained Matar Ndiaye at an immigration court in Manhattan while he attended a mandatory asylum hearing, despite a May 2026 federal court order prohibiting such arrests. This marks at least the sixth arrest at Manhattan immigration courts since U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel's ruling. Ndiaye, a Bronx resident with no criminal convictions who had complied with all immigration directives, was transferred to Delaney Hall detention facility in New Jersey.

David Ardila, a 33-year-old DJ from Venezuela, was detained by ICE at Logan Airport on July 10, 2026, after returning from attending a FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match in Boston. Ardila fled Venezuela and applied for asylum in 2017, entering the U.S. on a valid visa that year. He holds a Social Security number and work permits and has been following all legal processes required while waiting nearly a decade for an asylum interview. ICE detained him for allegedly overstaying his visa by over eight years, which his attorney Todd Pomerleau attributes to delays in the asylum application process. Ardila has no criminal record and is currently being held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts, approximately 3,000 miles from his family in Seattle, with legal challenges being filed seeking his release and permission to remain in Massachusetts during his immigration proceedings.

A 72-year-old citizen of Nigeria was admitted to the U.S. in B-2 visitor status in October 2020 and later overstayed her authorized stay; her asylum application has been pending with USCIS since June 2024 and she held a valid work permit through December 2026. She has no criminal history. She is insulin-dependent with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and a diagnosed psychotic disorder, requiring nightly insulin, twice-daily glucose testing, metformin, and aripiprazole. ICE arrested her on July 14, 2026 at Los Angeles International Airport as she boarded a domestic flight, and she has since been detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center for 27 days without any Notice to Appear being filed or produced. Her counsel made three attempts to obtain a custody/bond hearing from the Adelanto Immigration Court, all of which were rejected on shifting and contradictory administrative grounds, while EOIR's own systems disagreed about whether a removal case was even pending. Counsel also reported that she went several days without her metformin and aripiprazole medications, with no confirmation the interruption was resolved. She filed a habeas petition and TRO application seeking release, a custody hearing, medication continuity, and other relief. The court granted the petition in part, ordering an initial § 1226(a) bond hearing within seven days, denied outright release, dismissed her medical/conditions claims without prejudice to a civil action, ordered preservation of records and no transfer out of the district without notice, and required Respondents to file a status report on her medications within 48 hours.