Human Impact Project

Marlon Parris, 45, a two-tour U.S. Army veteran from Trinidad and Tobago, has been detained by ICE since January 22 and is facing deportation proceedings despite holding a green card for nearly 30 years. Parris served his country on two deployments and has had no arrests since his release from a nonviolent drug offense conviction in 2016, when ICE issued him a no-interest letter stating he would not be deported. In 2023, a customs agent questioned the letter and revoked his green card when he returned from vacation abroad; he was subsequently classified as an arriving noncitizen and denied bond eligibility. His wife, Tanisha Hartwell-Parris, and his attorney, Douglas Kouffie, say the family was in active communication with the government and had already attended ICE and court hearings before his sudden January detention.

Jose Barco, 39, is a decorated U.S. Army veteran who deployed twice to Iraq, received a Purple Heart after a 2004 explosion caused traumatic brain injury, and was honorably discharged in 2008. In April 2008, while struggling with untreated TBI symptoms and PTSD, Barco shot into a crowd of teenagers in Colorado Springs, injuring a pregnant 19-year-old; he was sentenced to 52 years and spent 15 years in prison as a model inmate. Released on parole on January 21, 2025, he was immediately detained by ICE. His commanding officer confirmed Barco's 2006 citizenship application was completed and eligible but was lost in processing. On his release from prison, Barco was transferred to immigration detention and ordered deported to Venezuela in February 2025. When deported, Venezuelan authorities refused to accept him, citing doubts about his birth certificate and lack of family ties, and he was returned to U.S. detention. His wife Tia, supporters including his former Army medic, and veteran advocacy organizations are seeking intervention.

Daniel Oquendo, 33, crossed the U.S.-Mexico border on January 20, 2025, and was apprehended in San Diego. He was placed on a U.S. military C-130 flight with handcuffs as part of a planned deportation to Colombia, but Colombian President Gustavo Petro blocked the landing of two military flights carrying about 200 deportees in early January, objecting to their treatment and the use of military aircraft. After being turned around mid-flight and spending a night in El Paso, Oquendo was finally repatriated to Colombia on a civilian aircraft sent by the Colombian government on January 28.

Doris Flores, a Honduran immigrant who entered the U.S. in 2023 and applied for asylum after being threatened in Honduras, was arrested by Polk County Sheriff's deputies in late January 2025 after they responded to a school threat report involving her 8-year-old daughter Briana. During the investigation, deputies discovered Flores and her fiancé had deportation orders and contacted ICE. Flores was detained, and her 4-month-old baby Briany was placed in the care of her pastor and his wife to avoid foster care. Flores had a deportation order issued in May 2025 for a missed asylum hearing that she said was due to computer issues.

ProPublica received letters from children detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, where over 750 families and 370 single adult women were being held in early February. The children, including a 9-year-old from Venezuela and a 14-year-old from Honduras, describe missing school and friends, lacking reliable medical care, and feeling scared and depressed. Since the Trump administration took office, the number of children in ICE detention has increased sixfold.

A volunteer with Carpinteria Sin Fronteras was pepper-sprayed by an ICE agent on January 14 while observing and recording ICE vehicle stops from a public sidewalk. Video footage shows the agent deploying spray toward the volunteer, who was filming the encounter. The confrontation included a heated verbal exchange in which the agent stated that interfering with enforcement is a felony. No arrest was made, though the agent threatened federal charges against the volunteer.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted a multi-day enforcement operation in Kern County that resulted in 78 arrests, including farmworkers in the Central Valley. The operation, called Operation Return to Sender, resulted in widespread fear among immigrant families and workers, with many staying home from work and struggling to locate detained relatives. Border Patrol officials stated the operation targeted transnational criminal organizations. Community advocates and elected officials raised concerns about potential racial profiling and the impact on the agricultural industry.

Erika was arrested by ICE agents on January 10 during a traffic stop on County Road 42 in Burnsville, Minnesota, as part of Operation Metro Surge. She was transferred to federal immigration detention in El Paso, Texas. She had no prior removal order and only misdemeanor traffic infractions. She filed for cancellation of removal and is awaiting a second immigration court hearing, remaining detained over five months after her arrest.

Ana Cañedo Luna, a business owner and long-term U.S. resident who was brought to the country at age 10, was arrested on January 9 after a traffic stop in Rock Springs, Wyoming, where she holds a valid work permit. She was transferred to the ICE Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado, where she spent five months and ten days in custody. Cañedo discovered that her previous lawyer had requested a voluntary departure without her knowledge or consent, prompting her to change legal representation. After switching to local attorneys and filing a writ of habeas corpus, she was released on June 19 and reunited with her wife, Gloria Guerra. Cañedo continues to fight her immigration case while dealing with the psychological trauma of her detention and remains fearful of future arrest, saying the experience felt like "psychological torture" and a "never-ending nightmare."

Juan Manuel Arellano Zepeda, a 48-year-old Mexican national and owner of El Fresco restaurant in Bloomington, was detained by ICE on January 6 and held in El Paso, Texas. Arellano Zepeda, who has lived in the U.S. for 25 years and has a pending Visa T application, was initially reported missing by his family after they found his car empty with the driver's side window rolled down. His daughter Laura Janyra Arellano Molina told Newsweek that her father called to say he was being taken to El Paso, and the family later identified him in ICE facility photos posted on social media. The restaurant described Arellano Zepeda as "always characterized by his kindness and respect toward his customers and the public." His family said he has no criminal record and has not had a court hearing as of the article's publication.

Adrián Ramírez, 45, was deported from Nashville to his hometown in Michoacán, Mexico after more than two decades in the United States. Upon return, he was interrogated and photographed by cartel members, then watched as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel took control of his town, killing the gas station owner and extorting residents. Fearing for his life, Ramírez left his pueblo a few months later and relocated to another town, also controlled by the cartel. He now works at a tortillería and has been warned that cartel members may question him about his origins. He remains separated from his three children in the U.S. and fears detention if he attempts to return.

Eduardo was detained by ICE in January while driving home from work with a coworker. He was deported to Honduras within a week, leaving his wife Jennifer to care for their five children alone, ranging in age from 18 months to 12 years old. The family now faces financial crisis as Jennifer struggles to provide food, housing, utilities, and basic necessities on her own.

Maria Trinidad Loya Medina was detained by ICE on January 10, 2026, after her arrest outside a store in Albany, Oregon, separating her from her family for four months. A federal judge ordered her release on May 7, finding that an immigration judge had abused discretion and violated her due process rights in denying bond. Loya Medina, who has lived in the U.S. for over 20 years and has no criminal record, was the primary caregiver for her husband who had suffered a stroke and her children, one of whom was diagnosed with depression following her detention.