Human Impact Project

ProPublica and FRONTLINE investigated more than 300 arrests of protesters and bystanders during Trump administration immigration enforcement sweeps in Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Charlotte. Over one-third of cases were dismissed, acquitted at trial, or never prosecuted. Video evidence and other documentation repeatedly contradicted officer statements, and prosecutors struggled to substantiate charges such as assaulting federal officers or interfering with law enforcement. Federal agents, largely inexperienced in crowd control, made widespread arrests that ultimately failed legal scrutiny.

Mauro Yosueth Henriquez, 18, a senior at Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center in Houston and varsity soccer team co-captain, was detained by ICE on December 16, 2025, during a routine immigration check-in with his father. He was held at multiple ICE facilities including Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe and Livingston before being transferred to federal detention. After nearly four months in custody, Henriquez was deported to Honduras in February 2026. His detention prompted Houston students to organize protests calling for his release so he could graduate with his class. Elected officials and Houston-area Democrats responded to the case, while Texas Republican leaders declined to comment. Mauro Yosueth Henriquez, a senior captain and midfielder on the Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center soccer team, and his father Mauro Rigoberto Henriquez were detained by ICE on December 16 and are reportedly held at a detention center in Conroe. The younger Henriquez is also a volunteer soccer coach in the community. Neither has a criminal record according to Harris County District Clerk's Office, and both are originally from Honduras. Community members organized a protest on Tuesday evening calling for Henriquez's release so he can graduate with his class. Mauro Henriquez, an 18-year-old senior and soccer team captain at Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center in Houston, was taken into custody by ICE along with his father while attending an immigration meeting in early December 2025. Henriquez and his father, both from Honduras, were seeking asylum in the U.S. and have been detained at Montgomery Processing Center for over 50 days. Henriquez is an A and B student who has lived in the U.S. since grade school and serves as a volunteer soccer coach at his church. Christian Jimenez, a 17-year-old US citizen and senior at McMinnville High School, was detained by ICE officers after they smashed the window of his father's car during his lunch break. Despite repeatedly asserting his citizenship, an officer broke the car window and ordered him out of the vehicle. Jimenez was taken to an ICE facility in South Portland and held for several hours before being released that evening. Authorities later attempted to charge him with interference or obstruction of investigation.

Jose Yugar-Cruz, a Bolivian citizen and torture survivor, entered the U.S. through Arizona in summer 2024 and was immediately detained by border officials. Although his asylum application was denied, a federal judge granted him withholding of removal under the Convention Against Torture, which prevents his deportation to Bolivia. While detained, DHS attempted to send him to Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Mexico, and Canada. After filing a writ of habeas corpus, he was released and began rebuilding his life in Iowa. On April 8, 2026, during what he believed was a routine ICE check-in, officers re-detained him and placed him on a manifest for deportation to the Democratic Republic of Congo—a country experiencing war and an Ebola outbreak where he had no ties and was scheduled for removal on April 15. His attorney filed an emergency motion the same day; a federal judge barred DHS from removing him outside the country pending further notice, and he was released on May 29, 2026. At his next ICE check-in, over 250 supporters, including activists, clergy, and elected officials, attended to prevent further detention.

Bernadette Gamez, 36, of Modesto, and Wendy Villagran, 22, of Stockton, were arrested Tuesday evening after police said they painted 'ICE OUT' on a public roadway during a demonstration near Doctors Medical Center. Both were booked on suspicion of felony vandalism and conspiracy to commit a crime. The protest was organized in response to an ICE shooting incident in nearby Patterson. The city's Public Works Department is working to remove the graffiti.

Tucker Collins, an 18-year-old USC freshman, lost his right eye after a Department of Homeland Security officer fired a less-lethal projectile at him during a "No Kings" rally near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles. Collins was attending the protest to take photos when he was struck directly in the eye, destroying his eyeball and fracturing bones in his eye socket. He is preparing to file a federal civil rights lawsuit against DHS, alleging the officer violated a federal injunction.

Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old Ecuadorean boy, and his father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias were detained by ICE agents in the driveway of their Columbia Heights, Minnesota home on January 20, 2026, after Liam returned from preschool, and flown the next day to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered their release on January 31, criticizing the administration's pursuit of deportation quotas as 'ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented,' and Rep. Joaquin Castro personally escorted the pair home to Minneapolis on February 1, where Liam was reunited with his mother, Erika Ramos. Days later, DHS filed a motion to expedite the family's deportation, which their lawyer, Danielle Molliver, called 'retaliatory' and 'extraordinary'; the family's asylum hearing was moved up, and an immigration judge granted a continuance. On March 19, an immigration judge denied the family's asylum claim and ordered them deported to Ecuador, a ruling Molliver called 'misguided' and said the family plans to appeal. By April, Liam's parents said he continued seeing a psychologist, avoided classmates and certain activities, and grew fearful at the sight of police, telling his mother 'It's ICE, Mommy.' His father said he still does not understand why the family was targeted, calling it 'an injustice.'

Dr. Ezequiel Veliz, a Venezuelan physician working as a resident at UT Health Rio Grande Valley/Knapp Medical Center in Texas, was detained by Border Patrol at the Sarita checkpoint in April 2025 after his Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was revoked in October 2024. Veliz is married to a U.S. citizen, had a pending green card application, and was carrying required immigration documents at the time of detention. Following outcry from the medical community and intervention by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a judge granted him bond during his immigration hearing, allowing his release from custody. Another Venezuelan colleague was also detained within the same week.

Nine clergy members and one immigration activist were arrested on Monday morning while blocking the ICE headquarters garage in Center City Philadelphia as part of a "Week of Action Against ICE and Collaborators." Homeland Security officers forcibly removed the protesters from the garage doors and took them into custody around 9:45 a.m. All were charged with obstructing access to the garage under federal security infrastructure rules and issued violation notices requiring $530 in penalties or a federal court appearance.

On March 29, 2026, police arrested multiple protesters during a demonstration at the Portland ICE building in Portland. Isiah A. Lee, 26, climbed onto the lower roof of the facility and vandalized it, resulting in charges of first-degree criminal mischief and second-degree criminal trespass. Isaias Laguna, 21, was arrested and charged with second-degree criminal mischief, second-degree disorderly conduct, and second-degree criminal trespass. Robert Stoms, 37, was arrested and charged with second-degree criminal mischief. Lee was taken to Multnomah County Detention Center.

About 1,400 people gathered at the federal courthouse in downtown Las Vegas for the No Kings protest against immigration enforcement on March 29, 2026. Six people were arrested by Metro police on various charges including refusing to remove a prohibited item, throwing rocks, battery against protesters, and pedestrian in roadway violations. Additional demonstrations took place in North Las Vegas and Henderson.

Arnoldo Bazan, a 16-year-old U.S. citizen and sophomore at Houston Alief Hastings High School, was detained and assaulted by masked federal immigration agents on October 23, 2025, when they stopped his father, Arnulfo Bazan Carillo, during a drive to school near Gessner Road and Beechnut Street in Houston. According to Arnoldo's account, agents beat him, applied a choke hold around his neck, and subjected him to racial slurs despite his statements that he was a minor and U.S. citizen. Bystanders recorded video showing officers restraining a young man with an arm around his neck. Arnoldo was held for several hours before ICE verified his U.S. citizenship and released him. His father, Arnulfo, who was in the country without authorization, was arrested and subsequently deported to Mexico. ICE disputed the assault allegations, claiming Arnoldo elbowed a federal agent during the encounter and that Arnulfo rammed a federal vehicle and fled; ICE noted Arnulfo had prior unauthorized entries and a misdemeanor DWI conviction. Arnoldo has spoken publicly, including on Capitol Hill, about the incident.

On March 11, 2026, ICE agents conducted a raid in South Burlington, Vermont, after a vehicle stop on Dorset Street. Court filings later revealed that agents misidentified and arrested Cristian Jerez-Andrade, a Honduran man, after chasing him into a home—they had been seeking Mexican national Deyvi Daniel Corona-Sanchez, who was not present. Hundreds of community members and activists, alerted by Migrant Justice, rapidly assembled at the scene and formed a human barrier to prevent ICE from entering the house and detaining residents. As the standoff continued into the evening, heavily armed ICE agents and Vermont State Police officers in tactical gear forcibly pushed through the crowd, deploying flash-bang devices and shooting pepper balls at protesters. At least one protester was injured and taken away by ambulance, several were arrested, and many others suffered pepper spray exposure.

ICE agents raided a home in South Burlington, Vermont on March 22, 2026, searching for Deyvi Daniel Corona Sanchez but arrested three other people instead: Ecuadorian sisters Jisella Johana Patin Patin and Camila Patin Patin, and Christian Humberto Jerez Andrade from Honduras. The operation became chaotic when hundreds of protesters surrounded the Dorset Street building, and federal agents used flash bangs and tear gas to clear the crowd and attempt to leave the scene. Local and state police were called to assist, creating conflict between police departments—Vermont officers were skeptical of ICE's actions and some questioned whether the target was even in the home. Federal judges granted release to the two sisters; Jerez Andrade was released on bond. Their attorneys say ICE violated their civil rights by arresting them.

Ben and five other people in Illinois, Oregon, and Minnesota were arrested while protesting at ICE facilities and had DNA swabs taken without clear consent. Ben was arrested during a protest at Chicago's Broadview ICE facility during Operation Midway Blitz; video reviewed by NPR shows a masked federal officer slamming him to the ground while three immigration officers pinned him down and dragged him to their vehicle. He was held in custody for approximately three hours, then photographed, fingerprinted, and had a DNA swab collected from inside his cheek without clear explanation. The six cases, reported in recent months across three states, are now part of litigation challenging the Department of Homeland Security and FBI DNA database collection practices as violations of First and Fourth Amendment protections.

Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman from Paterson, New Jersey, was detained by ICE in March 2025 after attending a voluntary check-in at the Newark ICE office. She had participated in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in April 2024, though those charges were dismissed the next day. At the time of her ICE detention, Kordia had a pending green card application through her U.S. citizen mother and a pending asylum application. She was held at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas for over one year. In February 2026, while detained, Kordia suffered a seizure and was hospitalized but remained shackled to her hospital bed and was prevented from contacting family or attorneys. She experienced additional health complications including dizziness, fainting episodes, and significant weight loss, along with reports of overcrowded conditions and inadequate food at the facility. On March 16, 2026, an immigration judge ordered her release on a $100,000 bond, citing minimal flight risk and serious medical concerns. The government did not appeal the decision. Her attorneys contend she was targeted for her pro-Palestine advocacy.

Jonatan, a legal resident with an upcoming asylum hearing, was detained by ICE and held in a local jail in Virginia for three weeks before being released on March 14, 2026. His partner Kirby credits community organizing and intervention by people tracking ICE movements with preventing his disappearance and securing his release. The incident left lasting psychological and financial impacts on both of them.

The Gámez-Cuéllar family—parents Luis Antonio Gámez Martínez and Emma Guadalupe Cuéllar López, and their three sons Antonio (18), Caleb (12), and Joshua (14)—were detained by ICE on February 25, 2026, during a routine immigration check-in in Edinburg, Texas. The family had legally entered the U.S. in May 2023 through the CBP One asylum app and were in active asylum proceedings with a final hearing scheduled for September. Antonio was separated from his family and shackled during transport to an adult detention facility in Raymondville, while his younger brothers and parents were held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley. Two of the brothers are award-winning mariachi musicians with McAllen High School's Mariachi Oro band, which has performed at the White House and Carnegie Hall and won eight state championships. After approximately 13 days in detention, bipartisan congressional pressure from lawmakers including Rep. Monica De La Cruz and Rep. Joaquin Castro, combined with a successful parole request by their attorneys, resulted in the family's release on February 28, 2026. The parents were required to wear ankle monitors and restrict travel to 75 miles from their home.

A pregnant woman reported being shot in the stomach with a rubber bullet by a federal agent while observing an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles on a Saturday night.

Leonardo Espartaco Martinez, a U.S. citizen and community watcher with VC Defensa in Ventura County, was violently detained by ICE agents on March 10 after responding to aid a fellow community member who had been pepper-sprayed. Video footage shows ICE agents in three vehicles ramming Martinez's minivan as he attempted to reverse away from the scene. When agents broke his window and dragged him out, he sustained injuries to his knees, shoulders, and wrists. At Los Robles Regional Medical Center, hospital staff and federal contractors kept Martinez handcuffed to his bed for 45 minutes while his lawyers attempted to determine if he was in custody or what charges he faced. No warrant or identification was provided. This is the third time ICE agents have rammed Martinez's vehicle; a previous incident on October 16, 2025, in Oxnard also resulted in his detention and transfer to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.

A federal judge in Oregon has restricted federal officers from using tear gas at protests at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland. The ruling limits law enforcement's use of force against demonstrators at the ICE facility.

On January 7, 2026, ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renée Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, queer mother of three, and writer, in Minneapolis during a large-scale immigration enforcement operation called Operation Metro Surge. Good was in her vehicle when ICE agents approached; as she drove away, Ross fired shots through the windshield, striking her multiple times. Bystander and cell phone footage contradicted federal claims that Good had used her vehicle as a weapon. The shooting sparked national protests and investigations. Good's death, along with the killing of Alex Pretti within the same two-week period, contributed to the removal and demotion of Border Patrol Commander-at-large Gregory Bovino and the firing of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in March 2026.

Mitch Lillie, a VC Defensa volunteer, had his phone seized by Customs and Border Protection agents at Los Angeles airport in March 2026 without a warrant. This was part of a broader pattern of federal targeting that began in May 2025, when Lillie received over 80 calls from unknown and blocked numbers with callers telling him to stop participating in ICE-watch patrols. Lillie alleges the incidents represent government repression of activist organizing.

Juan Diego Lopez Macias, a 19-year-old Enid High School senior, was arrested during a traffic stop for speeding on February 28, 2026, and subsequently transferred to ICE custody after being charged with driving without a valid license. He was transferred to the Bluebonnet Detention Facility in Anson, Texas, where he awaits immigration court proceedings. Student walkouts and protests occurred across Oklahoma following his detention, with classmates and family members gathering at the state Capitol on March 16.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents reportedly detained two people in Lawrence on February 27, including near the University of Kansas campus. Approximately 80 protesters gathered outside Strong Hall. The university stated it was still gathering information about whether any KU students or employees were involved.

The South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, operated by CoreCivic, faced multiple documented problems affecting detained immigrant families and children. Emergency responders handled at least 11 medical emergencies since September 2025, including respiratory distress, seizures, and fever in infants and young children. Detainees reported finding worms, bugs, and mold in food, contaminated drinking water, and inadequate nutrition, leading to a confirmed measles outbreak in early 2026. Children experienced inadequate medical care, 24-hour lighting, and some were detained beyond the 20-day legal limit. A 13-year-old girl denied prescribed anxiety medications experienced a mental health crisis and attempted suicide before deportation. Following media coverage and a January protest, facility staff increased confiscation of art supplies, drawings, and personal items from detainees, and restricted communications with family and lawyers through Google services and video calls. A federal judge ruled some detentions unconstitutional, and medical advocates and congressional representatives called for facility closure.

Documents obtained by activists reveal that U.S. Border Patrol used the Escondido Police Department's gun range for training at least seven times between February and June 2018, paying $300 per use. The discovery came as the city was scheduled to meet to discuss an ongoing contract between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Escondido police.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested four people at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse on Tuesday. Three attorneys were present during the arrests and were accused of interfering, with one attorney attempting to physically stop the process. ICE warned that anyone impeding arrests in the future could face arrest themselves. Federal authorities have opened a criminal investigation into whether two ICE officers committed perjury by lying under oath about a shooting in Minneapolis. All charges were dropped against two Venezuelan men involved in the incident.

Multifaith leaders held their seventh vigil at Southside Christian Church in Kokomo to oppose ICE detention at Miami Correctional Facility. The vigil came a week after 59-year-old Lorth Sim, an ICE immigrant detainee, died in custody at the facility. Religious leaders called for thorough investigation and better treatment of detainees, noting it was the seventh death in ICE custody nationally that year.

Court documents revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Diego conducted surveillance on activists through Operation Road Flare, targeting individuals who document ICE activities such as Jeane Wong and Arturo Gonzalez. The operation began monitoring activists on October 23, 2025, and documents describe confrontations at the 47th Street Trolley Station on November 18, 2025, where Wong was accused of throwing belongings at agents during a crowd altercation. Wong subsequently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault on a federal officer and received home detention.

ICE agents arrested a man in downtown Santa Barbara after he allegedly slashed a tire on an ICE vehicle parked on East Carrillo Street. Community members and the man's parent followed ICE agents to the police station and filmed the incident. The Santa Barbara Police Department stated it was not notified in advance of ICE operations in the city.

Juan Parra, a tattoo artist, provided services at ICE protests and donated half the proceeds to support protesters. He was assaulted and detained for participating in a protest. He later spoke at a Pro-Palestine rally and encouraged support for protesters outside a detention center.

A Wilson County man spoke out against a rumored ICE detention center, expressing that he feels safer with undocumented immigrants than with ICE agents. Sheriff deputies responded to the man during his protest, though the ICE detention center plan was subsequently abandoned.

About 150 students at Grand Island Senior High School walked out to protest ICE activity on February 17. During the protest, a 54-year-old man exchanged blows with students near West Lawn Elementary School. A water bottle was thrown through the man's car window during the altercation. The man was arrested for assault on a juvenile, and at least one juvenile was cited for assault; additional citations may follow.

An NBC News investigation found that Department of Homeland Security officers conducting Trump's immigration crackdown used less-lethal weapons including rubber bullets, tear gas, and pepper spray on protesters. Officers shot 13 people with guns and injured hundreds more. Courts in at least four states found that force was used inappropriately and indiscriminately. The use of these weapons began in late spring and summer in California and Oregon, expanded to Chicago in the fall, and reached Minneapolis where officers shot and killed two protesters.

On October 4, 2025, Marimar Martinez was shot five times by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent Charles Exum during an immigration enforcement encounter in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood. Federal agents claimed Martinez chased and rammed her car into an agent's vehicle. Martinez was initially charged with assault on federal law enforcement, but the government dropped the charges nearly two months later, and a judge dismissed them with prejudice. Body camera footage and text messages released by the U.S. attorney's office provided details of the incident, though Exum was not wearing his body camera during the shooting. Martinez testified before Congress in February 2026 about the incident and filed a tort claim seeking damages for her injuries.

High school students in Clovis, California walked out of class on February 10, 2026 in response to Trump administration immigration enforcement. The action followed the death of an ICU nurse during an immigration raid. The Clovis Police Department announced it was investigating up to six adults, including Fresno Resistance co-founder Alfred Aldrete, for potentially violating state law by inducing student truancy, though no arrests or charges have been filed. The LAPD also issued similar warnings to adults in Los Angeles who helped organize school walkouts, but only Clovis publicly named its investigation.

Rümeysa Öztürk, a 30-year-old Turkish doctoral student pursuing a PhD in child development at Tufts University on a valid F-1 student visa, was arrested by plainclothes ICE agents on March 25, 2025, outside her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, as she left to attend an Iftar dinner. The Trump administration revoked her visa and detained her based on allegations she supported Hamas, though government officials later acknowledged the action was tied to a pro-Palestinian op-ed she co-wrote for the Tufts Daily criticizing the university's response to divestment resolutions and Israel's war in Gaza. During her 45-day detention across multiple states—including New Hampshire, Vermont, and Louisiana's South Louisiana ICE Processing Center—Öztürk suffered at least 12 asthma attacks in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions without adequate medical care or access to medications. Tufts University administrators stated they found no information supporting the allegations against her and that she did not violate university policies; a colleague described her as "quiet, steady, and unshakably kind." U.S. District Judge William Sessions III ordered her release on May 9, 2025, finding serious claims of due process and First Amendment violations and noting the government's only evidence was the op-ed itself, with "no evidence here … absent consideration of the op-ed." An immigration judge subsequently terminated her removal proceedings, determining the Department of Homeland Security lacked legal grounds to deport her. In December 2025, a federal judge ruled her SEVIS record (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) was wrongfully terminated and must be reinstated retroactively to March, and in January 2026, another federal judge determined the government's policy of arresting and detaining scholars for protected speech violated the First Amendment. Öztürk has since resumed her research and teaching duties at Tufts.

Hundreds of high school students organized a peaceful march from City Hall to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center on February 5, 2026 to protest ICE raids. LAPD in riot gear formed skirmish lines and charged at the students multiple times throughout the afternoon, resulting in at least two arrests. Officers were documented using force against minors, including throwing students to the ground and striking a protester with a baton, while ICE agents were observed coordinating with LAPD at the detention center.

Dylan, a 20-year-old Venezuelan student at Ellis Prep High School in the Bronx, was detained by ICE on May 21, 2025, immediately after appearing at federal immigration court in Lower Manhattan for an asylum hearing. He entered the United States legally under Biden-era policies and has no criminal record. His attorney stated he was entitled to full legal protections to pursue asylum relief. Dylan's mother reported he has been suffering from untreated stomach problems and has been moved to at least four different detention centers within five to six days. The Department of Homeland Security placed him under expedited removal proceedings.

Immigration officers with guns drawn arrested activists who were following their vehicles in south Minneapolis on Tuesday. At least one person wearing anti-ICE clothing was handcuffed face-down on the ground.

Federal ICE agents were present outside the Ventura County Sheriff's Office on Monday, February 2, 2026, where protesters and observers had gathered. During the encounter, an ICE agent threw a woman to the ground and subsequently used pepper spray on the crowd. Witnesses stated they were documenting the ICE operation and posed no physical threat to officers. At least one person was detained during the incident. The woman who was thrown to the ground declined to speak about what happened.

Thousands of protesters marched to an ICE facility in South Portland on Saturday as part of a "Labor Against ICE" rally organized by local unions. Federal agents deployed tear gas, pepper balls, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades after some protesters approached the building's security gate. The protest coincided with a march honoring Alex Pretti, an intensive-care nurse fatally shot by Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis.

On August 13, 2025, DHS agents deployed tear gas and fired less-lethal bullets from the roof of an ICE facility at 4310 S Macadam Ave in Portland, targeting civilians peacefully demonstrating on the public sidewalk. A U.S. military veteran was violently attacked from behind, assaulted, and pinned to the ground while being exposed to tear gas for approximately two minutes by three DHS agents. On January 31, 2026, federal agents deployed tear gas on a densely packed crowd of peaceful anti-ICE protesters during a labor union-led rally and march near the ICE facility. The crowd included children, elderly people, and pets who marched from Elizabeth Caruthers Park before being trapped in lingering tear gas plumes. Agents used tear gas again on February 3. The ACLU of Oregon filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of five plaintiffs: Jack Dickinson (known as "the Portland chicken"), Laurie Eckman (84), Richard Eckman, Mason Lake, and Hugo Rios. Laurie Eckman was shot in the head with a crowd control munition without warning; her husband was tear-gassed and had a munition fired at his walker. Dickinson was repeatedly assaulted and bombarded with chemical munitions. Independent journalists Lake and Rios were shot with pepper balls, tear-gassed, had lights pointed at them to interfere with recording, and Lake was sprayed with bear mace. U.S. District Judge Michael Simon issued a temporary restraining order on February 3 pausing tear gas or crowd control munitions use on non-violent protesters and journalists unless targeting a specific imminent threat. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed an amicus brief supporting the lawsuit.

Anti-ICE demonstrations at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles turned confrontational on January 30, 2026, with protesters throwing objects at federal agents. Dozens of arrests were made over the weekend as demonstrations expanded to City Hall. The protests were part of a nationwide call to end funding for ICE.

Thousands of protesters, including union members and families with children, marched to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in South Portland on Saturday to oppose immigration enforcement. Federal agents deployed tear gas, pepper balls, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades against the crowd, including children, after some protesters crossed onto the building's property. Portland City Councilor Mitch Green was tear-gassed and called for the abolition of ICE and DHS and prosecution of federal agents. Protester Malena Marvin, also tear-gassed, stated "This is like the big moral question of our time. Are we gonna let secret police kill people right in front of us?" and credited organized labor for the large turnout. Former OregonLive reporter Erin Hoover Barnett described the scene as terrifying, witnessing parents frantically tending to children in strollers and people on motorized carts struggling to escape the gas. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson characterized the demonstration as peaceful and called for ICE to leave the city, saying federal agents had "lost all legitimacy" through their use of violence.

Federal immigration agents detained Thao Xiong, a community organizer and volunteer food shelf delivery driver, in the parking lot of the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center in St. Paul on city-owned property. The detainment occurred despite objections from community center staff and legal observers, and Xiong's U.S. citizenship or immigration status remained unclear. The incident occurred during Operation Metro Surge, which brought approximately 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota for immigration enforcement.

Multiple protesters were detained and injured during an anti-ICE demonstration at the Eugene Federal Building on January 27, 2026. Federal officers deployed tear gas, pepper balls, and flash-bangs, detaining at least nine demonstrators. Several protesters reported injuries including bruises, hyperextended limbs, and eye injuries sustained during the law enforcement response.

Federal prosecutors charged 14 people with crimes related to alleged assaults on immigration agents during Trump's immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota. The charges include spitting, throwing objects, blocking vehicles, and resisting arrest during confrontations at Roosevelt High School, the Whipple Federal Building, and other locations. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi posted defendants' names and photos on social media before charges were unsealed, prompting concern from a federal judge who noted defendants are presumed innocent.

On January 28, 2026, ICE agents conducted an early morning enforcement operation at the intersection of Salinas and Carpinteria Streets in Santa Barbara's Eastside neighborhood, near Franklin Elementary School. During the operation, ICE agents pepper-sprayed and physically pushed multiple residents who had gathered to document the activity. Community members, including Beth Goodman who was distributing ICE resource information, witnessed and recorded the incident. At least one woman was sprayed while documenting the operation, and a man in a yellow sweatshirt escaped arrest. Santa Barbara Police Department and firefighters responded to provide medical assistance and help de-escalate the confrontation. An unknown number of individuals were detained by ICE, and no arrests were made by local police.

Federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations raided multiple Zipps Sports Grill locations across Phoenix on January 27, 2026. As agents departed the 32nd Street and Shea Boulevard location, an agent pepper-sprayed approximately 50 protesters who were standing on the sidewalk and not impeding the vehicles. The protesters, including at least one person who fell to the ground in pain, had not been blocking the agents' departure.