Human Impact Project

Eduardo Aguirre Esparza, a 53-year-old Mexican national and small business owner who has lived in the United States for over 20 years, was arrested by ICE on July 23, 2026, while working on a home remodeling project in West Seattle. Approximately 20 ICE agents in unmarked vehicles surrounded him, allegedly physically pushing him and threatening him when he refused to sign a voluntary departure form; he requested his lawyer instead. Without appearing before a judge or having contact with his attorney, Aguirre Esparza was transferred between multiple ICE facilities over three days and flown to El Paso, Texas, where he is detained at ERO El Paso Camp East Montana. His wife, Stacey Fitzpatrick, a U.S. citizen attorney, disputes ICE's claim that he has a 2005 DUI arrest from Kansas, noting he has never lived in Kansas and background checks show only a resolved 2015 traffic citation. Aguirre Esparza has a pending green card application and is married to a U.S. citizen with deep community ties. Community members organized rallies and fundraisers in West Seattle to raise awareness and support for his family, and Senator Patty Murray called the arrest "fundamentally wrong and un-American."

Brayan Omar Sánchez, a 26-year-old Honduran truck driver and owner of a pressure-washing and painting business who had lived in South Florida for nearly a decade after fleeing gang violence that killed his father and other family members, was detained by ICE agents on May 13 while heading to a job site. He was transferred through detention centers in Colorado, Arizona, California and Texas before being flown roughly 21 hours to Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, on July 30 along with five other men — Cuban nationals Omar Rodríguez, Arístides Fernández, Yasmany Moreno and Daniel Lázaro Fuente, and Ecuadorian Mauricio Alvarado. Sánchez said he never signed deportation paperwork, believed he had asylum protection and a court order preventing removal, and said an ICE officer threatened the group with violence the night before if they refused to board the plane. He described arriving with only $20, which was confiscated by customs, and said he and the others are being held at a hotel in Bangui fearing for their safety. Sánchez is asking the Honduran government and members of Congress to help secure his return to the United States.

A Guatemalan man who has lived in the United States since 2018 and works as a waiter in Baltimore, Maryland, was detained by ICE officials in Maryland on August 5, 2026. He was subsequently transferred to the Caroline Detention Center in Virginia, where he remained held for about three weeks. DHS classified him as an 'applicant for admission' under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(a), subjecting him to mandatory detention without bond under § 1225(b)(2). He filed a habeas corpus petition arguing this classification violated the Immigration and Nationality Act, his due process rights, and the Administrative Procedure Act, and sought release and a bond hearing. The federal court found that because he was already present in the U.S. rather than arriving at the border, his detention was governed by the discretionary detention provisions of § 1226(a). The court granted his petition, ordering his prompt release and a bond hearing before an Immigration Judge within 14 days, and enjoined the government from re-detaining him absent specified circumstances.

The Guardian's investigation reveals at least 10 cases since January 2025 in which ICE subjected detained immigrants to involuntary force-feeding through nasogastric tubes. Three cases are detailed: an Afghan man force-fed daily for nearly six months at Port Isabel in Texas starting September 2025; Andriy Shepitsen, a Ukrainian man with severe bipolar disorder, whose attorney intervened to stop his force-feeding at Krome Service processing center in Miami after 44 days on hunger strike; and a Saudi Arabian woman who went on hunger strike in Louisiana in June 2025 and was transferred to Texas, where ICE sought permission to force-feed her before she broke her strike. Medical experts and human rights organizations have condemned force-feeding as torture. In six of the 10 cases reviewed, detained immigrants lacked legal representation during court proceedings, and most records remain sealed.

Amy Lucia López Belloza, a 19-year-old Babson College freshman, was detained by ICE at Boston Logan Airport on November 20, 2025, while trying to board a flight to Texas for a family Thanksgiving reunion. A federal judge issued an emergency order the next day blocking her removal and barring her transfer outside Massachusetts for 72 hours, but ICE transferred her to Texas that evening and deported her to Honduras on November 22, a country she had not visited since childhood. The Trump administration later apologized in court for violating the judicial order but argued the violation should not affect her deportation case. In February 2026, the government offered her a return flight to the United States, which she declined out of fear of being detained again, and her habeas corpus lawsuit was dismissed in March 2026. Her case is part of a broader pattern of detentions and deportations of international scholars and students at U.S. airports.

José Padilla, a 41-year-old car wash worker who had lived in the U.S. for over 20 years, was detained by ICE on January 27, 2026 while working in Los Angeles, one of over 1,400 people detained in the LA area that month. He was held in a downtown LA facility before being transferred to Adelanto and then to the California City Detention Facility in Kern County, three hours from his Watts home. His wife, Alma Ramirez, and their children — 17-year-old Alex, who has autism and relied on his father for daily care including bathing, homework help and school meetings, seven-year-old José Jr., and two-year-old Joaquin — struggled emotionally and financially in his absence, with two children starting therapy. Padilla took a job in the detention center kitchen to send money home and avoid burdening his family. On August 4, 2026, after six months in custody, Padilla was released with help from the Immigrant Defenders Law Center and reunited with his family at Union Station in Los Angeles; he continues to fight his immigration case, and the family has kept a GoFundMe open to cover legal fees.

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.

Claudia Rodríguez, a 29-year-old Venezuelan immigrant who earned her master's degree in business administration from St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, was detained by ICE at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in July while attempting to board a flight to North Carolina. Rodríguez arrived in the U.S. legally in 2017 on a tourist visa, applied for asylum within six months, and was granted Temporary Protected Status in 2023 while her asylum case remains pending. She was transferred between two South Florida detention facilities, spending eight days at the ICE office in Miramar in severely overcrowded conditions—sleeping on floors in a cell with 75 people, unable to shower or change clothes, and losing 15 pounds. Her cousin Gabriel Domínguez described her as an exemplary athlete with no criminal record. U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz visited the Miramar facility to advocate for her release, calling the detention "unacceptable." Rodríguez was released on Monday evening.

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."

Luis Alberto Ramirez Zavala, a Chicago-area man who had spent most of his life working as a ranch hand in rural Illinois, was detained by ICE during a routine appointment with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Missouri on July 18, 2026, regarding his pending application for legal status. He had no criminal record and had been following the immigration process for years to adjust his status. Ramirez Zavala was detained based on a removal order issued more than 30 years ago. He was transferred from a county jail in Missouri to an ICE detention facility in Texas and deported to Mexico approximately two weeks after his arrest. His daughter, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Wendy Gbeve, was present at his USCIS appointment and has been advocating for his release. Ramirez Zavala was married for 30 years to a legal permanent resident. His family expressed being heartbroken by the separation and sought funds for legal defense and support.

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.

A man who was granted voluntary departure by an immigration judge in 2017 but never left the country, causing that order to automatically convert into a final removal order under federal law. In June 2025, he was detained after law enforcement executed a search warrant at his place of employment, and he was held for nearly a year at the Montgomery Municipal Jail under a material witness warrant. On May 22, 2026, a magistrate judge dismissed the material witness warrant and ordered his release, but he was not released and remained in custody for reasons unknown to the court. He filed a federal habeas corpus petition on July 31, 2026, seeking release or a bond hearing before an immigration judge. Respondents indicated that ICE had only lodged a detainer at the time the petition was filed and did not take physical custody of him until August 4, 2026, after which he was transferred to a facility within the Northern District of Alabama. The court dismissed the petition without prejudice, finding both that Petitioner failed to comply with a show-cause order and that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction because he was not in ICE custody at the time of filing, noting jurisdiction now lies only in the district of his current confinement.

A man was detained by ICE in Fairbanks, Alaska on July 31, 2026, despite being in the United States legally and actively working toward permanent resident status. His sister describes him as hardworking and honest, someone who pays taxes, works steadily, and helps support their mother and his grandchildren. Within 24 hours of his detention in Fairbanks, he was transferred to Anchorage; his family fears further transfers out of state will make it increasingly difficult for them to communicate with him, secure legal representation, and advocate for his rights. The family is raising funds to cover immigration attorney fees, legal filings, travel, and communication costs necessary to fight for his release.

A Honduran citizen who entered the United States through the southern border in 2021 and was briefly detained by ICE before being released. He subsequently settled in New Jersey. On July 31, 2026, ICE apprehended him in Pottsville, Pennsylvania and detained him at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia. On August 6, 2026, ICE transferred him to Moshannon Valley Processing Center and detained him under Section 1225 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which provides for mandatory detention. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention. The federal court granted his petition, holding that Section 1226(a)—not Section 1225(b)(2)—governs the detention of noncitizens who have entered without admission but have long resided in the interior. The court ordered his immediate release and a temporary seven-day enjoinder against re-detention. If the government seeks to re-detain him after that period, it must first provide him with a bond hearing before an immigration judge.

Jose Manuel Rivera-Rivera, 52, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Juneau and remanded to Lemon Creek Correctional Center before being transferred to the Anchorage Correctional Complex as a federal hold. Juneau Police Department assisted Border Patrol by transporting him away from the area to help de-escalate the situation before he was returned to Border Patrol custody. A friend, Kathleen Pollard, who has known him for more than a decade, said he has a family, goes to work, pays taxes, attends church weekly, and was seeking to become a legal citizen. The arrest occurred amid a Border Patrol operation that also prompted local refugee advocates to warn the community about possible ICE activity near a middle school.

Diana Avila's 20-year-old brother, who has autism since childhood and is described as intelligent, generous, and a good student, was arrested by ICE during an ongoing legal process and transferred between states. He is currently detained in Texas, where he reports being denied blankets, medicine, and adequate food. He developed a stomach infection and is experiencing high fevers but says staff insults and threatens him when he requests medical care, pressuring him to sign deportation papers. His family is unable to afford legal representation and fears for his safety.

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.

Hunger strikers at the Adelanto detention center in California faced retaliation from ICE officials after staging protests, according to attorneys with the Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef). Detainees were zip-tied, threatened with teargas, placed in solitary confinement, and transferred to other ICE facilities. ICE officials denied that detainees were forgoing food and denied that retaliation was occurring, instead claiming that one detainee who led the hunger strike faced disciplinary actions for vague facility violations.

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.

Four U.S. citizen siblings—Eliza, 21; Jessica, 18; Romeo Jr., 15; and Cynthia, 13—have been living on their own in Florida since last fall when both their parents, who are from Guatemala and undocumented, were detained by ICE. Their father was held at Alligator Alcatraz and then transferred to a detention center in Georgia, while their mother was held at a federal facility in Arizona. Eliza dropped out of college to take over the family landscaping business and pay rent, while the children await the outcome of their mother's deportation hearing. According to the Brookings Institution, approximately 205,000 children—including 145,000 U.S. citizens—have likely had a parent detained in the past year and a half due to immigration enforcement actions.