Human Impact Project

Carlos Hugo Betancur, a 52-year-old Colombian national, was detained by ICE on July 8, 2026, while pumping gas at a Marathon station in Doral on his way to work. An immigration officer approached him from behind, asked for identification, and detained him after he provided his Florida driver's license. Betancur had filed a political asylum application in January 2023 and possessed both an employment authorization card and a Florida driver's license. He spent 8 days at the Miramar Processing Center and 8 days at Krome Detention Center before being released on electronic monitoring. At Miramar, he described severe overcrowding, with 93 to 104 detainees held in a single room with insufficient space for everyone to sit or sleep simultaneously. His daughter, Maria Alejandra Betancur, disputed the detention, noting he had valid asylum and work authorization documents. He is now required to wear an ankle monitor while his immigration case proceeds before an immigration judge.

Ulises Peña López, a 30-year-old Mexican carpenter living in Sunnyvale, California, with severe pre-existing medical conditions including a mini-stroke, blood clot in his neck, heart condition, spinal disorder, and knee injuries, was arrested by ICE agents on February 21, 2025. According to a federal lawsuit filed by Disability Law United and Pangea Legal Services, ICE agents smashed his car window and physically assaulted him during the arrest, beating him in an alleyway until he lost consciousness and requiring CPR, with his wife Aby and young daughter witnessing the assault. He was hospitalized and allegedly shackled to his bed. His wife told Telemundo: "He can't feel half of his face, it's numb, as well as his right hand and arm, and right now he feels tingling in his right leg and foot." During eight months in ICE detention at facilities operated by GeoGroup and CoreCivic, he allegedly received inadequate medical care, was denied disability accommodations and necessary medication, and was mocked by staff. He was deported to Mexico in October 2025. His wife Aby and daughter, both U.S. citizens, have joined him in filing the lawsuit against DHS, ICE, GEO Group, and CoreCivic, raising claims of civil rights violations, Fifth Amendment due process violations, disability rights violations, and state law accountability claims under California's Accountability in Detention Act. His wife Aby was subsequently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Three coworkers and the brother of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who witnessed the fatal shooting, were detained by ICE and are being pressured to sign paperwork for self-deportation, according to Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens. Proaño stated that the men "hold the key to what actually happened" and that ICE is "trying to get rid of them as witnesses." The tactic of removing potential crime witnesses from the country has disrupted criminal prosecutions across the country, according to a House Judiciary Committee report, and LULAC has called for the release of body-worn camera footage, surveillance, radio communications, and witness statements to independently verify ICE's account of the incident.

ICE arrested at least five immigrants at 26 Federal Plaza immigration courthouse in New York after a federal judge ordered a halt to the practice in May. The Justice Department is fighting to conceal details about the arrests, while an ICE supervisor defended the courthouse arrests as safer than street arrests due to community intervention efforts. Of the five arrested in late June, three were immediately released without explanation, while two remain detained awaiting habeas corpus petitions. One arrestee was from the Dominican Republic and another from Ecuador.

Erianny Rodriguez Balza, a Venezuelan woman with active Temporary Protected Status (TPS), was detained by ICE at Eloy Detention Center in Arizona for approximately 9 months. Court filings show that a federal government attorney acknowledged her legal status, yet she remained in detention despite this acknowledgment. She was eventually released after the wrongful detention.

Resham Singh, an Indian citizen who entered the U.S. on July 15, 2023, was detained on July 3, 2026, when he appeared at a local ICE office for a routine check-in appointment. Singh had been released on his own recognizance in an Alternatives to Detention program and had a pending asylum application with valid employment authorization. The court found his detention violated due process and ordered his immediate release, prohibiting future detention without seven days' notice and a bond hearing before a neutral arbiter.

Yeni Mota Aparicio is an immigration detainee held at California City Detention Center who filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus challenging her detention. Respondents argued she was subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(c)(1)(A) due to a 2014 petty theft conviction under California Penal Code § 484(a), claiming this made her inadmissible as having committed a crime involving moral turpitude (CIMT). However, the court found that Aparicio qualifies for the petty offense exception because she has only one CIMT conviction, the petty theft offense carries a maximum penalty of less than one year (6 months), and she was sentenced to 180 days or less. The court rejected respondents' argument that a separate simple battery conviction disqualified her from the exception, noting that simple battery is not categorically a CIMT. The court granted the petition for writ of habeas corpus and ordered respondents to provide Aparicio with a bond hearing before a neutral arbiter pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) within seven days, or release her if they fail to do so.

Seyo Cecunjanin, a West Hartford restaurant and laundry business owner from Montenegro, was arrested by ICE on June 20, 2026, in a Dunkin' Donuts parking lot surrounded by five unmarked vehicles while with two of his sons. He was detained at Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island for approximately 12 days. Cecunjanin entered the U.S. in 1997 using a fraudulent passport and had an outstanding removal order, but had been permitted to reenter in 2024 and maintained valid work authorization at the time of his arrest. He owns two restaurants and a laundry business employing 15 people and has a pending permanent resident application filed in September 2023. U.S. Rep. John Larson and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, along with other members of Connecticut's congressional delegation, held a press conference and sent letters to ICE demanding his release, citing his valid work authorization and pending immigration case. Cecunjanin was released on June 26, 2026 (or July 2, 2026 according to another account).

During a surge in ICE enforcement in late June 2026, three men were arrested at federal courthouses in Lower Manhattan in apparent violation of a federal judge's order issued the previous week restricting courthouse arrests. An Ecuadorian man was arrested at an immigration court inside 26 Federal Plaza, a Guatemalan man at 290 Broadway, and a man from the Dominican Republic was also arrested at 290 Broadway. The arrests occurred during a broader ICE enforcement operation in which the agency detained over 10,000 people in five days after being instructed to make 2,000 arrests per day. Legal advocates with Make the Road New York filed challenges claiming the arrests violated due process rights and court orders prohibiting immigration enforcement in courthouses.

Two federal judges in Iowa held ICE Supervisory Detention and Deportation Officer Quintin Erdman in civil contempt for knowingly and willfully transferring detainee Pardeep Saini from Iowa to Nebraska in direct violation of a court order blocking such transfers. In a separate case, detainee Osmar Jose Arraiz Montilla was transferred between federal judicial districts while his case was pending. The judges sharply criticized ICE officials for a pattern of repeatedly violating court orders in immigration cases, with one judge warning that noncitizens are not 'bargaining chips' to be moved based on litigation strategy.

S, a Nigerian Christian, came to the United States in 2001 and applied for asylum based on her fear of religious persecution. A U.S. immigration judge found she would be persecuted if returned to Nigeria and granted her withholding of removal. She is the primary breadwinner for her four U.S. citizen children and her husband, who is disabled. At a routine ICE check-in in Los Angeles in July 2026, she was arrested, detained, and summarily deported to Ghana, separating her from her family and the country she called home for 25 years. Within 24 hours of her arrival, Ghanaian authorities refouled her to Nigeria, where she fears the persecution she fled.

Joel Anderson Sandoval Espinoza, a citizen of Peru, entered the United States on June 9, 2023, and has lived and worked in the country since then, employed in the A/C mechanics and warehouse industry while paying taxes and contributing to his community. He has two toddlers who are United States citizens. After presenting himself at a port of entry and expressing fear of returning to Peru, he passed a credible fear interview and was paroled into the country to pursue asylum, with his asylum application still pending in ongoing removal proceedings. On July 1, 2026, DHS detained him after he left his local DMV office, and he argued his parole and liberty had been unlawfully revoked without notice or justification. He was held at the Denver Contract Detention Facility and filed a habeas petition seeking immediate release or, alternatively, a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). The court found he was improperly subject to mandatory detention under § 1225(b)(2), citing prior rulings and a Tenth Circuit decision limiting that provision's application to noncitizens detained at the border. The court granted the habeas petition, ordered his immediate release without conditions such as GPS monitoring, enjoined his re-arrest absent a clear-and-convincing-evidence bond hearing, and denied his TRO/preliminary injunction motion as moot.

Juana Antonia Guzman-Gomez, a Honduran citizen, entered the United States without inspection near Presidio, Texas on May 6, 2019, and was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol. She was released from custody at that time with no Notice to Appear. She was subsequently placed in removal proceedings and issued an Order of Release on Recognizance in 2019. As of July 2026, she is detained at Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana. The court denied her motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent her transfer or deportation, finding that such relief would circumvent the habeas corpus process and that she failed to meet the legal requirements for emergency injunctive relief.

Martha Alicia Hernandez Arroyo, a 52-year-old asylum seeker from Mexico, was detained on July 1, 2026, at an ICE check-in in San Francisco after ICE revoked her Order of Supervision without a hearing. She had been released under supervision after her 1999 removal order was reinstated on March 23, 2026, following a USCIS adjustment of status interview. The court granted her preliminary injunction, prohibiting re-detention without notice and a pre-deprivation hearing before a neutral decisionmaker, finding she had a constitutionally protected liberty interest based on the government's affirmative decision to release her.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained 15 people during raids in Bloomington-Normal from July 1-3, 2026, according to the Immigration Project. The detainees had entered the United States legally from Venezuela, Mexico, Ecuador, and Guatemala. Most were apprehended at their workplaces throughout the community. About half were described as long-term residents, while others had recently arrived. Many had been granted humanitarian parole under the Biden administration or had applied for asylum; a few had pending family petitions. One detainee was unaware of a missed immigration court date and was ordered deported in absentia. The raids separated families and caused significant emotional and financial hardship, particularly for families whose primary breadwinner was detained. One detainee was denied a breathing machine while in confinement. The detentions are part of a nationwide ICE enforcement effort that reportedly captured more than 10,000 people during a five-day period.

David Cortes-Torres, a 20-year-old man and primary caregiver for his grandmother who is undergoing cancer treatment, was detained by ICE agents in Bozeman on Monday. According to a federal habeas corpus petition filed by Upper Seven Law, agents held him for more than 24 hours at Helena Airport in a small holding room with over 15 other people, pressured him to voluntarily leave the country, and limited his attorney contact to a single three-minute phone call. His lawyers allege the arrest was part of an operation targeting Latinos in the area, and a federal judge ordered him to remain in Montana pending a hearing set for the following Tuesday.

Rigoberto Santillan-Quiroz, a long-term U.S. resident married to a legal permanent resident and stepfather to a U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE following a traffic stop in late 2025. He was held for eight months without a bond hearing under a Trump administration policy that categorically denied bond hearings to noncitizens who entered without authorization. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled the detention policy unlawful, finding it violated due process rights by denying individualized review. The court ordered Santillan-Quiroz's release and reinstatement of bond hearing eligibility, reversing a district court decision and reaffirming that noncitizens have had bond hearing rights for nearly 30 years.

A man from the Dominican Republic was arrested by ICE agents at an immigration court at 290 Broadway in Lower Manhattan on Thursday, June 26, 2026. The man had fled persecution in his home country, entered the U.S., and was released from detention while his immigration case proceeded. He appeared at court as legally required for his scheduled hearing. ICE cited a conviction for trespassing as justification, but advocates with Make the Road New York argue the arrest violates a federal court order issued May 18, 2026, that barred ICE from making arrests at Manhattan immigration courts except in narrow circumstances. The man has since been transferred to ICE's Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey.

Pedro Antonio Ardila Cortes filed a second habeas corpus petition after being re-arrested by ICE on June 30, 2026, during a scheduled supervision check-in at the ICE ISAP office. He states he was not arrested on any criminal charge and did not violate any condition of his supervision. This follows an earlier habeas petition in which the same court ordered his release on May 21, 2026, and enjoined the government from detaining him under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A). Despite that injunction, he was taken back into custody about six weeks later and is now held at the West Tennessee Detention Facility. He is challenging his renewed detention without a bond hearing. The court ordered Respondent to either immediately release him or explain within three business days how his circumstances have changed since the prior order, and barred his transfer out of the facility while the case is pending.

Bernard Kabore, a Burkina Faso citizen who fled violence and religious persecution and was lawfully admitted on a B-2 visa in November 2021, filed an asylum application within one year of arrival and maintained compliance with all USCIS requirements. ICE arrested him at his Portland home on June 30, 2026, and transported him to the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island. The court issued a temporary restraining order enjoining ICE from removing Kabore from the District of Rhode Island pending resolution of his habeas corpus petition, with exceptions only for medical emergencies or bond hearings before an Immigration Judge.

Alberto Jose Mendoza, a 37-year-old Venezuelan national fleeing political persecution, was re-detained on June 20, 2026 when he arrived for a routine check-in at the ICE Los Angeles Field Office. He had been previously released on conditional parole under the Alternatives to Detention program, had complied with all check-in requirements, maintained employment as a payroll manager, and had no criminal history. ICE agents allegedly used excessive force, tackling him during arrest without notice or opportunity to be heard. The court granted his temporary restraining order, ordering his immediate release under the original conditions of supervision and enjoining re-detention without a custody hearing before a neutral arbiter.

Luis Angel Velasquez-Montes, 27, was identified during a traffic stop in Chatham County between January and April 2026 and placed in ICE custody. He pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry after previous deportation and was sentenced to time served followed by immediate deportation. Miguel Aparicio-Ortiz, 40, was identified during a traffic stop in Chatham County between January and April 2026 and placed in ICE custody. He pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry after previous deportation and was sentenced to time served followed by immediate deportation.

The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that ICE's policy of mandatory detention without bond for noncitizens violates due process and federal law, ordering the release of Rigoberto Santillan-Quiroz. Santillan-Quiroz, who has lived in the U.S. for approximately twenty years and is married to a legal permanent resident with a U.S. citizen stepdaughter, was arrested during an interior traffic stop in November 2025 and held for eight months without a bond hearing under the Trump administration's July 2025 detention policy. The court found no justification for his detention, noting he posed no flight risk or danger to public safety and had never been charged with a crime. The court ordered the government to grant him a bond hearing within seven days or release him, and the ruling applies across the Tenth Circuit's six-state jurisdiction.

Milana, a Russian immigrant and trafficking survivor, was detained at ICE's Oklahoma City office during a routine immigration check-in in September 2025. She arrived in the U.S. on a fiancé visa in the early 2000s, escaped an abusive first marriage involving human trafficking, and received a removal order in 2003 that was later converted to an order of supervision requiring routine check-ins. For over 20 years, she complied with these check-ins while building a life in the U.S., raising her U.S. citizen daughter, working consistently, and marrying Roger Swope, a U.S. Army veteran. On the day of her detention, ICE suddenly acted on the dormant removal order. Her attorney, Elissa Stiles, filed multiple legal challenges including habeas corpus petitions and argued Milana qualifies for a trafficking victim visa, but all were denied. A federal judge ruled on June 29, 2026, that Milana had not cooperated with Russian consulate authorities. ICE initially attempted to deport her to Russia despite the active war and closed airspace, then considered third-country removal options. Roger has spent over $20,000 on legal efforts. Since detention, Milana has been moved multiple times between facilities in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas, shackled during transfers. Her attorney states the only remaining option is to appeal to ICE for humanitarian intervention, as Milana fears for her life if deported to Russia during the ongoing war.

Jeny Patricia Mazariegos Garcia is currently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the El Valle Detention Center in Willacy County, Texas. She filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the government's authority to detain her without a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A), arguing that mandatory detention without a hearing violates her constitutional rights under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. The court indicated it was inclined to deny her petition based on analogous cases but decided to postpone its final ruling pending the Fifth Circuit's decision in a similar case, Sosnava Rodriguez v. Ortega, Case No. 26-50183. The court denied her request for a preliminary injunction or other immediate injunctive relief, leaving her in detention while awaiting the appellate court's guidance on the due process question.

Dale Patel (also known as Dhavalkumar Kalidas Patel), owner of Wallace's Market in Friendship, Maine, was arrested by ICE agents on June 27 at his workplace. A native of India, Patel allegedly entered the U.S. without authorization on November 1, 2010, and failed to appear for an immigration hearing, resulting in a removal order issued in August 2011. He is being held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts while his wife Hanna manages the store and cares for their 2.5-year-old U.S.-born son. Attorney Audrey Richardson filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani issued an emergency order preventing Patel's transfer for at least 72 hours and ordering advance notice before any transfer out of Massachusetts. Over 200 community members signed a petition supporting his return, and a GoFundMe campaign raised more than $7,800 to assist the family.

A 32-year-old undocumented immigrant from El Salvador was arrested by ICE agents on Saturday outside Waukesha County Courthouse after appearing for a hearing in his ongoing immigration court case. He had not missed any court dates and had no prior criminal convictions in Wisconsin. His traffic citation—for driving without a license in May—is a common infraction for undocumented immigrants barred from obtaining licenses under Wisconsin law. He was transferred to Greene County, Missouri, and held in custody there as of Monday morning.

Five men were identified during separate traffic stops in Chatham and Atkinson counties between January and April 2026. Miguel Aparicio-Ortiz (40, Mexico), Aguelio Lemos Hernandez (35, Honduras), Henry Marin-Hernandez (41, Guatemala), Moises Valenzuela-Mendez (42, Mexico), and Luis Angel Velasquez-Montes (27, Mexico) were each placed in ICE custody following their stops. All five pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry after previous removal in federal court in Savannah and were sentenced to time served followed by immediate deportation.

An Ecuadorian man was arrested by ICE agents at an immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan on Thursday, June 26, 2026. The man had fled persecution in his home country, entered the U.S., and was released from detention while his immigration case proceeded. He appeared at court as legally required for his scheduled hearing. ICE cited a 2025 conviction for disorderly conduct as justification, but advocates with Make the Road New York argue the arrest violates a federal court order issued May 18, 2026, that barred ICE from making arrests at Manhattan immigration courts except in narrow circumstances. The man has since been transferred to the D. Ray James ICE Processing Center in Folkston, Georgia.

Three Mexican citizens without lawful immigration status were arrested by ICE agents on June 26, 2026, in San Francisco after leaving a residence during an operation targeting another individual. The agents conducted warrantless arrests without making any individualized assessment that the petitioners were likely to escape before a warrant could be obtained, violating 8 U.S.C. § 1357(a)(2). The court found the arrests unlawful and issued a temporary restraining order directing their immediate release from custody.

Antonia Escobar's father was detained by ICE on June 25, 2026, while returning home from work. According to his daughter, he came to the country through legal means and has no criminal record. He was initially held at an ICE detention center in Broward County, Florida, before being transferred to the Otero County Processing Center in New Mexico. His bond request was denied, and the family is appealing the decision. His daughter, who is turning 18, is fundraising to cover legal fees and other costs associated with his case, as her mother stopped working to manage family affairs and the legal proceedings.

Clemente Burgos Lopez, detained by ICE at California City Immigration Processing Center, filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention. Lopez received an initial bond hearing on March 17, 2026, where the immigration court determined he was a flight risk and danger to the community. At a second hearing on May 28, 2026, the immigration court denied his bond redetermination request by claiming lack of jurisdiction based on mandatory detention. The federal court ordered respondent to determine Lopez's eligibility for a bond hearing under 8 C.F.R. § 1003.19(e) within seven days and, if eligible, to conduct the hearing within fourteen days, or immediately release him.

Moises Domingo Rico Rosales, a Nicaraguan national, was arrested after allegedly exposing himself to one woman and attempting to abduct another at Wakefield Park in Annandale, Virginia. He was previously arrested in Fairfax County in 2024 on felony drug trafficking charges but was released after local officials declined to honor an ICE detainer. He is now charged with abduction with intent to defile and indecent exposure, and ICE has lodged a new detainer. Abdul Jalloh, a 32-year-old from Sierra Leone, was charged with second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 41-year-old Stephanie Minter at a Virginia bus stop. He had over 30 prior arrests and was released by Fairfax County officials despite ICE detainer concerns, drawing scrutiny to the county's sanctuary-style policies.

Daniel Alejandro Núñez Ramírez, 28, had lived in the U.S. for four years after leaving Venezuela at age 20 and was residing in Jacksonville, Florida. He was detained by ICE during a traffic stop on May 10, 2026, and pressured to sign voluntary deportation papers. He was deported on Flight 164, which landed in Venezuela on June 24, 2026, and he was subsequently placed by Venezuelan authorities in a hotel used to house deportees. Hours after his arrival, an earthquake collapsed the hotel, killing him along with dozens of other deportees. His mother, Oswadeliz Núñez Ramírez, a lawyer, said she was not notified of his deportation until after he had already been handed over to Venezuelan intelligence services (Sebin). She recovered his body five days later at an improvised morgue, had him cremated, and later received only a box of his ashes after being unable to retrieve his belongings. The U.S. government said it bore no further responsibility once he left ICE custody.

Eduardo Jose Alves, an asylum seeker living in Lewiston, Maine, who entered on a valid tourist visa and filed an affirmative asylum application, was detained by ICE agents at his home on June 20, 2026. The same day, a court issued an emergency order staying his transfer from Maine for 72 hours, but ICE transferred him to Plymouth County Correctional Center in Massachusetts within two hours of the order. Questions arose about whether ICE agents had a valid warrant for the arrest and search, and whether they improperly pressured his 15-year-old daughter to allow entry. U.S. District Judge Stacey Neumann granted his habeas petition on June 24, finding the detention violated the existing court order, that adequate detention facilities were unavailable in Maine, and that his out-of-state detention substantially impaired his right to counsel before an imminent bond hearing, and ordered his immediate release from ICE custody.

Juan M.Q. was detained at Crow Wing County Jail under immigration enforcement authority. The petitioner filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the lawfulness and duration of his detention. The federal court granted a preliminary injunction preventing his removal from Minnesota pending resolution of claims regarding detention authority and custody legality.

Lesly Yamely Milan Lugo is currently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the El Valle Detention Center in Willacy County, Texas. She is subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A). In her habeas corpus petition, Lugo contests the government's ability to detain her without a bond hearing, arguing that the application of the mandatory detention statute violates her constitutional rights under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. The court reviewed her petition and indicated it is inclined to deny her request for relief, citing analogous cases. However, the court noted that the Fifth Circuit is currently considering a similar due process challenge in Sosnava Rodriguez v. Ortega and decided to await that decision before ruling on Lugo's claims. The court denied her request for a preliminary injunction or other immediate injunctive relief.

A Haitian asylum seeker in her 40s was detained for over six months at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility after ICE arrested her following a domestic disturbance arrest in Massachusetts. She had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and severe anxiety in a prior psychiatric hospitalization but was not provided psychiatric medication during her Vermont detention. A federal judge ordered her released, finding her prolonged detention without an individualized hearing violated her Fifth Amendment due process rights, though the judge did not rule on claims of deliberate indifference to her mental health needs.

ICE agents detained 42-year-old Diana Socha Torres and her 8-year-old son at their home in Wisconsin Dells on June 23, 2026. Socha Torres was wearing an ankle monitor as part of her ongoing asylum case when agents arrived, claiming to conduct a monitoring system change but instead taking both into custody. A deportation order had been entered in April 2026 after Socha Torres missed an asylum hearing; she stated she never received notice of the hearing. An attorney had filed an appeal, but ICE reported having no record of it. Mother and son were taken to ICE offices in Milwaukee and subsequently transferred to Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas.

Aliaksei Shcharbachenia, a 35-year-old asylum-seeker from Belarus, has spent nearly a year at Farmville Detention Center in Virginia, where he says he is experiencing medical neglect as a tumor grows on his arm. He claims the U.S. government attempted to illegally deport him back to Belarus in a botched operation, and that despite requesting specialist care in December, he has not received a diagnosis or seen a specialist for the growth.

A federal judge ordered the immediate release of seven immigrants who were separated from family members during the Trump administration's 2018 border enforcement crackdown and were later detained again by immigration officials. Two of the seven had already been released without explanation; the remaining five were ordered freed by U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw after the ACLU argued their detention violated a 2023 court settlement.

Sebastian Mihai Caraba, a Hungarian-Romanian national, was arrested by ICE on June 10, 2026, in Washington, D.C. for overstaying his visa and alleged credit card fraud. Caraba entered the U.S. on August 11, 2018, under the Visa Waiver Program via San Juan, Puerto Rico, and had previously visited the U.S. twice under the same program, departing within the authorized period each time. He was wanted in Fairfax, Virginia for illegal use of credit cards and had been convicted abroad for similar credit card fraud, receiving a three-year prison sentence. An immigration judge issued a final removal order on June 22, 2026.

Edvin Obdulio Barnica-Esquivel was arrested by ICE agents at Danbury Superior Court on June 22, 2026, on a federal charge of illegally reentering the United States after prior deportations. According to federal records, Barnica-Esquivel had been deported to Guatemala twice previously (in 2012 and 2019) and had recent local arrests in Danbury for assault and arson-related charges. ICE executed a judicial warrant issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti on June 10, 2026.

Dimitri Albert Edouard Vorbe, a 52-year-old Haitian businessman who owned one of Haiti's largest electric power providers, entered the U.S. legally with a valid visa in January 2020. He was arrested by federal agents on September 23, 2025, at his South Miami home and detained at Krome Detention Center. Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked a rarely used foreign policy authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to target Vorbe for deportation, claiming he engaged in violence and gang support that destabilized Haiti—allegations Vorbe's lawyers deny. On May 12, 2026, U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles approved a negotiated agreement prohibiting Vorbe's deportation to Haiti and directing his transfer to the Dominican Republic within seven days, though Dominican authorities stated they would not allow his entry. On June 22, 2026, Vorbe was transferred to a detention facility in Mississippi as part of an emergency evacuation due to brush fires. His attorneys contend this transfer violated the federal court order prohibiting his removal from the Southern District of Florida, noting he was moved out of state without notice despite the judicial prohibition.

Pavel Snegir, a Russian asylum seeker, was detained at Otay Mesa ICE facility after refusing to self-deport at San Diego airport in May 2025. ICE separated him from his 11-year-old son Aleksandr during the incident, threatening deportation and stating he may never see his son again if he did not comply. Both Pavel and Aleksandr passed initial asylum screening. After 11 months in ICE custody, Pavel was released following asylum approval. However, Aleksandr remained in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody at a youth shelter over one year after separation. Pavel's sponsorship request to reunify with his son was denied due to lack of stable housing and employment documentation, citing Trump administration policies that create barriers to family reunification.

Approximately a dozen asylum seekers were deported by the U.S. to Sierra Leone in June 2026, marking the second deportation flight to the country. Despite prior U.S. court orders protecting them from deportation to their home countries due to credible fears of persecution, the deportees now face being returned to those countries where they risk harm. According to attorney Erica Reilly, who represents one of the migrants, this follows nine West African migrants who arrived in Sierra Leone the previous month. The Trump administration has struck third-country deportation deals with at least nine African nations as well as multiple Latin American and Caribbean countries. Legal advocates argue the policy creates a loophole that indirectly forces asylum seekers back to dangerous conditions with limited U.S. oversight or legal recourse.

Alexander Javier Mendoza-Daza, who entered the United States without inspection on November 17, 2023, was initially detained and released two days later. On June 20, 2026, he was re-detained by ICE during a routine check-in appointment without explanation. The federal court granted his habeas petition, finding that his prior release created a liberty interest in continued release and that re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process. The court ordered his immediate release and enjoined ICE from re-detaining him without notice and a hearing before an immigration judge.

A Venezuelan woman with active Temporary Protected Status was arrested and has remained detained at Eloy Detention Center for nearly nine months. Court filings show a federal government attorney acknowledged her legal status, yet she continues to be held in custody.

Cameron Kennedy, a Minneapolis resident and immigration enforcement monitor, was arrested by federal homeland security agents in tactical gear at his apartment. Kennedy had been tracking ICE activity in the city and displayed signage opposing ICE operations on his residence. He is being prosecuted as part of a broader federal investigation into alleged antifa activity, which he and other defendants argue is a Trump administration effort to criminalize dissent and protest.

Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, a data analyst employed by the New York City Council, was detained by ICE on January 12, 2026, when he appeared for a routine asylum appointment at the Bethpage Asylum Office on Long Island. Bohorquez, a Venezuelan national with Temporary Protected Status and no criminal record, was held at multiple detention facilities including Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Orange County, and Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey. An immigration judge initially denied him bond on February 2, but he was granted asylum in immigration court on May 2, 2026. He was released on a $5,000 bond on June 19 after 158 days in detention. City Council Speaker Julie Menin stated that Rubio "had done nothing wrong" and was "wrongfully in ICE detention for months on end." The Department of Homeland Security appealed the asylum ruling.