Human Impact Project

Ngwanq Ransome Mupbah, a Cameroonian citizen who entered the U.S. in December 2022, was arrested on June 1, 2026, by ICE agents in the lobby of the Sacramento ERO office after an Immigration Judge denied his asylum application and ordered his removal. He was transferred to Golden State Annex Detention Facility in McFarland, California. The court granted his habeas corpus petition on July 8, 2026, finding his detention violated due process because his removal order was not administratively final—he had timely appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals on June 16, 2026—and ordered his immediate release.

Elvira Benitez Suarez, a 51-year-old from Sheboygan Falls who emigrated from Mexico as a teenager, was detained by ICE after accidentally crossing into Canada during a family road trip in July 2025 and reentering the U.S. A federal judge ruled her eligible for a green card in fall 2025, but she was arrested again during a check-in at the Milwaukee DHS office in March 2026 while the agency appealed. A 6th Circuit appeals court ruling on mandatory detention allowed her to file for bond, which was granted at $1,500 on May 21, 2026. She was released and checked in at the Milwaukee DHS office on June 1, 2026, with continued check-ins required as a bond condition while the Board of Immigration Appeals considers DHS's appeal.

Nuvia Martinez was detained after attending a routine ICE check-in appointment at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan and held in severely overcrowded conditions for days. Martinez, who has diabetes, was denied access to her required medication despite medical need. She described the facility—designed to hold people for only 12 hours—as holding dozens of detainees in small rooms with no beds or full-time medical staff. In sworn testimony, Martinez reported that women who were menstruating were bleeding through their clothes, almost no food was provided, there were no showers available, and detainees had no access to basic hygiene. She stated: "I was just a body that they crammed into a room, almost as if to be forgotten." The detention occurred as ICE arrests surged.

Miguel Angel Tercero Raudes, a Salvadoran national who had been living and working legally in the United States for over a decade with a 2023 Withholding of Removal court order, was detained at a routine ICE check-in on May 29, 2026. He is married to a U.S. citizen and is the father of two U.S. citizen daughters. The government has indicated plans to remove him to a third country where he has no family or legal status, in apparent violation of his court-ordered withholding of removal protection.

On May 29, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a coordinated operation at Myrtle Park Government Center in Bluffton, South Carolina, detaining over 15 people who had failed to comply with deportation orders. The operation involved ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations division, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which participated under a 287(g) task force agreement. Detainees were loaded onto a bus for transport to facilities in Charleston or Georgia.

Gurpreet Singh Bhandohal, an Indian citizen who entered the United States on May 4, 2023 seeking asylum from political persecution, was placed in removal proceedings and released on his own recognizance. After over three years of compliance with release conditions, he was re-detained by ICE on May 28, 2026 following a scheduled immigration appointment without written notice or a finding of changed circumstances. The court granted his habeas petition, ordering his immediate release and requiring the government to provide seven days' notice and hold a pre-deprivation bond hearing with clear and convincing evidence of flight risk or danger to the community before any future detention.

A Venezuelan maintenance worker at Grandview Resort in Lake Placid was arrested by ICE agents on May 28 when he arrived for work. He has lived in Lake Placid for over two years, holds valid work authorization through a five-year work permit tied to temporary protected status, has never missed an immigration check-in, and has no criminal history. He was one of 14 workers detained during the operation at the resort and was transported 12 hours to Batania Detention Center near Buffalo, where agents restrained detainees and he was held with only water for the journey. Unable to contact his family for three days, he was released on bail after approximately two weeks in detention and now wears an ankle monitor. His wife collapsed upon learning of his arrest. He is pursuing a pending political asylum case and reported experiencing daily fear and trauma, avoiding locations where he was detained.

Ricardo Hernandez-Navarrete, an 18-year-old senior at Mather High School in Chicago, and his mother Liliana Navarrete were detained by ICE on March 16, 2026, during a routine check-in appointment for their pending asylum case. The family had entered the U.S. from Colombia in 2022. Liliana was released on May 19, 2026, after a federal judge ordered her release on a writ of habeas corpus. Ricardo was released from federal custody on May 26 and reunited with his mother in Crown Point, Indiana. Ricardo attended his high school graduation ceremony on May 28, 2026, and received his diploma. He is required to wear a wrist monitor and check in with federal immigration officials daily as his case proceeds.

On May 28, 2026, ICE agents detained multiple employees at Don Patron Mexican Restaurant locations in Weston and Bridgeport, West Virginia, including Erick Cristal Cumes and Jose Cruz Castro. More than a dozen workers were taken into custody at each location. The detainees' families reported poor detention conditions, including spoiled food and limited contact with relatives. On June 25, 2026, habeas corpus petition hearings were held in U.S. District Court in West Virginia to determine whether ICE had legal authority to continue holding the detainees. A judge issued a ruling allowing at least one detainee's case to remain in West Virginia federal court.

A Guatemalan mother and her three children were detained by ICE on May 28, 2026, at a Ferndale facility during what they believed was part of the CBP Home self-deportation process, and were deported to Guatemala on May 30. The family had visited a government office in Tukwila on May 27 as part of the voluntary departure process with a scheduled June 19 departure date. According to her attorney, the mother was told through the CBP Home app that she needed to retrieve her passport and have an exit interview at the Ferndale appointment, but ICE staff later indicated the appointment was specifically intended for detention and removal. The family's 14-year-old son, who entered separately with his father, was left behind.

Harold A., a 58-year-old Cuban national, was arrested during a routine ICE check-in, detained for several months, and deported to Mexico without documentation, money, or personal belongings. He arrived in Mexico unable to afford food or rent. According to a Human Rights Watch report, Harold A. was one of more than 4,300 Cubans deported to Mexico between January 2025 and March 2026 under the Trump administration's expanded mass deportation plan, most of whom were never taken before a judge to contest their deportation despite expressing fear for their safety.

Yumei Wu, a Chinese national lawfully admitted on a B-2 visa in 2015 who overstayed and subsequently applied for adjustment of status, was arrested by ICE officers without prior notice or warrant on May 26, 2026, during her USCIS adjustment of status interview. ICE alleged she was being arrested for visa overstay. After a bond hearing on June 17, 2026, where an immigration judge denied her release, Wu filed a habeas corpus petition. The federal court granted her petition on July 1, 2026, finding she had a liberty interest in remaining free from detention and ordered her immediate release, enjoining future detention without notice and a pre-detention hearing.

Jose Pineda, a Salvadoran man with Temporary Protected Status working as a landscaper in East Boston, was stopped by ICE officers while on his way to work. Despite presenting valid Social Security and work authorization cards, agents refused to accept his documents and detained him for nearly two days in an overcrowded holding cell at the ICE Boston Field Office with approximately 50 other people where conditions were poor—he could not sit or sleep and received minimal food and water. His $600 in rent savings was not returned. The detention caused him frequent headaches, anxiety, memory loss, and worsened gastritis. His absence from work resulted in a demotion from lead foreman to assistant. He now experiences recurring nightmares and sleeps separately from his wife out of fear of harming her. He has filed a tort claim against the federal government.

Dolores Bustamante Romero, a 54-year-old apple picker and farmworker advocate from Wayne County, New York, was detained by ICE on April 22, 2026, during a mandatory check-in appointment at the Buffalo office without notice that her supervised release was being revoked. A Mexican national who fled gender violence in 2003 and arrived in the U.S. seeking asylum, Bustamante has lived in upstate New York since 2012 and was a well-known advocate for migrant farmworkers and member of Alianza Agricola. She was instrumental in securing New York's Green Light Law and an executive order banning State Police from inquiring about immigration status. She had no criminal record and had attended four previous check-in appointments without incident while enrolled in an alternatives-to-detention program under the Biden administration. U.S. District Judge Meredith Vacca ordered ICE to return her to Western New York and held an evidentiary hearing on May 26, 2026, to review whether ICE violated her due process rights by detaining her without proper notice.

J.R., a 35-year-old Colombian with valid work authorization and an ankle monitor through ICE's Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, attended what he believed was a routine monitor maintenance appointment. ICE officers detained him instead, confiscating his ID and work permit. He was held overnight at the Aurora detention center despite having a pending appeal of his asylum case and was released the following day with assistance from Casa de Paz.

Daniel Romero, 18, a Colombian national and recent graduate of Ooltewah High School in Tennessee, was taken into ICE custody on May 18, 2026, during what his family believed was a routine appointment related to an immigration program. ICE cited missed check-ins and failure to submit required weekly photos as reasons for detention. Romero's family disputed the allegations, claiming the check-in app malfunctioned for four weeks and provided documented evidence of the technical error, but officials did not allow Romero to present this proof before his arrest. Records provided by the family indicated compliance with program requirements. He was held at Etowah County Jail in Alabama before being transferred to a detention center in Louisiana, where no bond, video calls, or visitation were allowed.

Jessica Crystal Lira, a 22-year-old transgender woman and Nicaraguan citizen, was re-detained by ICE on May 22, 2026 during a scheduled check-in and transferred to the Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC) in Tacoma, Washington. Despite identifying as a woman, Respondents housed her in a male detention unit where she experienced verbal harassment and fear for her safety. The court granted her motion for a temporary restraining order, enjoining Respondents from housing her in a male detention unit or solitary confinement, and ordered Respondents to either move her to appropriate housing or release her within 24 hours.

Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez, a 42-year-old DACA recipient who had lived in the United States for 27 years after arriving in 1998 at age 15, was arrested and deported to Mexico on February 18, 2025, during a green card interview at a USCIS office in Sacramento, California. Immigration agents cited a 1998 expedited removal order from her initial border crossing, despite her valid DACA status, lack of criminal history, and previous federal approvals to remain in the country. She was removed within 24 hours. Following a lawsuit by her attorneys, U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins issued a temporary restraining order on March 23, 2025, ruling the deportation a "flagrant violation" of her DACA protections and due process rights. Estrada Juarez was granted humanitarian parole and reentered the United States on March 30, 2025, at the San Ysidro border crossing, where she was reunited with her daughter.

Andres Guevara Moran, who entered the United States in February 2006, was previously detained by ICE and released on bond in 2024. He was re-detained by ICE on May 21, 2026. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding that his re-detention violated due process because he was not provided pre-deprivation notice and an opportunity to be heard before an immigration judge. The court ordered his immediate release on the same conditions he was subject to prior to re-detention.

Peter Fakhry Zarief Kamel, a noncitizen in removal proceedings, was detained at Adelanto ICE Processing Center on May 21, 2026 without prior explanation or hearing after missing seven biometric check-ins over ten months in the ISAP program. Kamel had been released on his own recognizance in 2024 and was complying with release conditions while his asylum and withholding of removal application was pending. An immigration judge denied his post-detention bond hearing, citing Matter of Q. Li. The federal court granted Kamel's habeas petition, finding his detention violated due process because he was not provided pre-deprivation process and ordered his immediate release on the original conditions of release.

Elvira Benitez-Suarez, a 51-year-old mother of four U.S. citizen children who has lived in Wisconsin for 35 years, was detained by ICE on March 10, 2026, during a routine check-in appointment in Milwaukee. An immigration judge had previously ruled her deportation should be canceled and approved her green card application, but the Department of Homeland Security appealed that decision. After spending over two months in custody at Campbell County Detention Center in Kentucky, a 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling against the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy opened the possibility of a bond hearing. On May 21, 2026, an immigration judge granted her a $1,500 bond, though the government reserved the right to appeal during the 30-day appeal window.

An Indian family of four — parents Jagdish and Gurwinder, and children Guri (12) and Manpreet (11) — were detained by ICE during a routine check-in appointment in February 2026 and held at the Dilley family detention center in Texas. The family fled Punjab, India, after Jagdish converted from Sikhism to Catholicism and faced persistent threats and violence. They arrived in the U.S. in 2022 seeking asylum and settled in Los Angeles. During detention, Guri developed bleeding in his stools without specialist referral, Manpreet lost 6 pounds after a week of vomiting she attributed to tap water, and Gurwinder's arthritis and diabetes worsened without proper medication — her daughter helps her out of bed each morning. Both children have shown behavioral changes: Manpreet is often angry, Guri has stopped listening to his parents. Manpreet celebrated her 11th birthday in detention with a makeshift cake from commissary snacks — she said if there had been candles, she would have wished for her family to leave Dilley. The family reported no meat-free options on the days their Sikh-Hindu faith requires vegetarian meals. Manpreet stopped attending classes because they were taught in Spanish, which she does not speak. Guri stopped attending after his mother's health declined.

A man was detained by ICE while attending his asylum appointment. His wife describes him as hardworking and someone who followed the legal process. The family is now facing legal fees, bond costs, and emotional stress while he remains in detention.

Lien Loung Saeteun, a 53-year-old Laotian refugee and lawful permanent resident, was abruptly re-detained by ICE on May 19, 2026, during a routine check-in after being on supervised release for over 20 years. Saeteun came to the U.S. as a child refugee in 1979 due to his father's service with the CIA in the Secret War in Laos. The federal court granted a temporary restraining order and ordered his immediate release, finding violations of due process and ICE regulations.

Jorge Luna Cruz, a Mexican national who entered the United States in 2003 at age 17 and lived in the country for approximately 23 years, was arrested by ICE on May 18, 2026, and charged with inadmissibility under INA § 212(a)(6)(A)(i). He was detained without a bond hearing based on the government's interpretation of 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2). The federal court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding that his detention should have been governed by § 1226(a), which provides for a discretionary detention process with bond hearing rights.

Jose Gregorio Llarve-Guzman was detained on May 18, 2026, at Central Valley Annex Detention Facility after having been previously released on bond or conditional parole. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California found that the Due Process Clause requires the government to provide a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter before re-detaining a noncitizen who was previously released. The government failed to provide such a hearing before detaining Llarve-Guzman. The court granted his petition for a writ of habeas corpus and motion for temporary restraining order, finding his case indistinguishable from prior decisions establishing this constitutional requirement. The court ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he was subject to prior to his May 18, 2026 detention, and prohibited the government from imposing additional restrictions unless determined necessary at a future pre-deprivation hearing. If the government seeks to re-detain him, it must provide at least seven days' notice and hold a constitutionally compliant pre-deprivation bond hearing.

Boanerges Flores-Bravo, a Nicaraguan national who entered the U.S. in 2022 and was seeking asylum with his wife, was detained by ICE agents during a routine check-in appointment on May 18, 2026. He is now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. His wife Alba Matamoro-Hernandez was released with an ankle monitor and placed in the Alternatives to Detention program. The couple has an 8-year-old daughter and both worked for the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District.

Peter Booth was arrested on charges of unlawful trespass and resisting arrest during a protest at an ICE digital surveillance center on May 14, 2026. Booth was carried out of the building by Vermont State Police officers. He had previously been cited for criminal trespass at a similar protest in February 2026.

An uncle and aunt who had attended yearly ICE check-ins since the early 1990s were suddenly detained during a routine check-in and held for over four months. During detention, they were denied access to medications for serious health conditions, and the aunt was transferred to Florence, Arizona without family or attorney notification. Both are stateless individuals from the former USSR facing potential deportation to an unknown country. They were released on January 16, 2026, and are now pursuing a legal appeal.

Airida Gould, a Lithuanian national and licensed massage therapist who has lived in the United States for 26 years, was detained by ICE on May 16, 2026, during a green card interview at which USCIS had just approved her marriage petition. Gould is married to U.S. Army veteran Mark Gould and has three U.S.-born adult children. ICE officers handcuffed and detained her based on a 2009 removal order issued after she missed a court hearing due to road construction. During her 66 days in ICE custody, Gould was held at multiple facilities including Broadview, Illinois, Brazil, Indiana, and Kentucky. She described conditions at the Brazil facility as extremely poor. Her legal team, led by former immigration court Judge Carla Espinoza Grcic, filed an Emergency Motion to Reopen with the Board of Immigration Appeals. According to her husband's social media posts, Gould was deported on July 21, 2026.

Deisy Fidelina Rivera Ortega, wife of active-duty U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Jose Serrano stationed at Fort Bliss, was detained by ICE agents on April 14, 2026, while attending a USCIS appointment in El Paso, Texas to apply for Parole in Place. A native of El Salvador who had lived in the U.S. for approximately a decade, Rivera Ortega held valid work authorization and a 2019 court order granting her withholding of removal under the Convention Against Torture. Despite these legal protections, ICE arrested her based on a December 2019 removal order for illegal entry and indicated plans to deport her to Mexico under third-country removal procedures. After approximately one month in custody at the El Paso Service Processing Center, Rivera Ortega was released on May 15, 2026, following media reporting and personal intervention by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat and combat veteran who contacted the Department of Homeland Security on her behalf. She remains subject to GPS monitoring, mandatory ICE check-ins, home visits, and travel restrictions while facing potential deportation.

Alejandro Mauricio Valerio-Reyes, a Honduran citizen who entered the United States in August 2023, was paroled on September 21, 2023 with reporting requirements. On May 15, 2026, he appeared at his scheduled ICE check-in appointment in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he was taken into immigration custody. The court found that respondents failed to provide written notice of the reason for parole revocation and that the mandatory detention statute did not apply to paroled individuals. The court ordered his immediate release on his prior parole conditions and enjoined respondents from re-detaining him without notice and a pre-detention hearing before an immigration judge.

Justo Betancourt, a 54-year-old Cuban national who entered the U.S. in 1990 and held lawful status, was detained by ICE on October 29, 2025, during a routine annual immigration check-in. He was held for approximately seven months at the South Florida Detention Facility (Alligator Alcatraz) in the Florida Everglades, despite being unable to be readily deported to Cuba. During detention, he was shackled up to 23 hours daily and denied proper medical care despite having diabetes, neuropathy, heart and blood pressure issues, suffering strokes, cardiac arrest, and significant health deterioration. His daughter Arianne organized weekly vigils outside the facility for 44 weeks to advocate for his release. On May 13, 2026, U.S. District Judge Kyle Dudek granted his habeas corpus petition, finding his detention was erroneous and unlawful, and ordered his release within 48 hours. Betancourt was released on May 14-15, 2026.

Joe Ceballos, 55, a lawful permanent resident and twice-elected former mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, who immigrated from Mexico at age four, was detained by ICE on May 13-14, 2026, after pleading guilty in April 2026 to three misdemeanor counts of disorderly election conduct for voting without U.S. citizenship. Ceballos stated he mistakenly believed his permanent residency status allowed him to vote. He voted in elections in 2022, 2023, and 2024, and disclosed his voting history voluntarily during a naturalization interview. Under his plea deal, he received one year probation with a suspended six-month jail sentence, a $2,000 fine, and court fees. ICE subsequently initiated removal proceedings, citing voting as a removable offense, and took Ceballos into custody at its detention facility in Wichita, where he now faces potential deportation to Mexico.

Allan Dabrio Marrero, a gay asylum seeker from the Cayman Islands, was detained by ICE on November 24, 2024, immediately after attending a marriage-based green card interview at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City with his U.S. citizen husband Matthew. Although USCIS approved his marriage petition, ICE agents arrested him outside the building after discovering a 2022 removal order that Marrero claims he never received—he states he was in a rehabilitation center when the hearing occurred. Advocates and faith leaders, including Make the Road New York and Middle Collegiate Church, called for his release, citing ICE's failure to provide prescribed medication for anxiety and depression and the lack of notice regarding the original hearing. A motion to reopen his deportation case paused removal proceedings but did not secure immediate release. A judge granted Marrero release on $6,000 bond on January 27, 2026, finding no flight risk given his clean record and marriage to a U.S. citizen. However, ICE refused to accept the bond payment and continued his detention across five facilities. Marrero was finally released on May 15, 2026, reuniting with his husband at Middle Collegiate Church after nearly five months in custody.

Three additional protesters, ranging in age from early twenties to late seventies, were arrested on charges of unlawful trespass and resisting arrest during a protest at an ICE digital surveillance center. The protesters blocked entrances to the facility to impede ICE operations. All four arrestees are scheduled to appear in court on June 30, 2026.

A 33-year-old man from the Middle East was detained by ICE in December 2024 after a scheduled check-in with immigration officials. While held in solitary confinement, he experienced panic attacks and chest pains, and repeatedly struck his head against a door. According to his brother, he is a Christian who fled religious persecution in his home country and has no criminal record. An ICE officer informed him he could be deported to Uganda. Facing indefinite detention, he chose to voluntarily depart the United States rather than continue in custody.

Isael Urena Sepulveda, a Mexican citizen, first entered the United States in 1989 and most recently in 2000. He has lived in Napa, California with his wife, a U.S. permanent resident, and four U.S. citizen children, working as an agricultural worker. Sepulveda was arrested by DHS in April 2016 and placed in removal proceedings under INA § 240; he was released on bond by an immigration judge that same year. In 2017, he filed an EOIR-42B application for cancellation of removal, noting his youngest son's emotional and behavioral health problems and the hardship his family would experience upon his removal. On May 12, 2026, Sepulveda was detained by ICE without a pre-detention hearing and taken to the ICE Detention Facility at 630 Sansome Street in San Francisco. He filed a habeas corpus petition and motion for temporary restraining order seeking release and an injunction preventing re-detention without a hearing. On May 21, 2026, the federal court granted a preliminary injunction, finding that Sepulveda has serious questions going to the merits of his Fifth Amendment due process claim and that he is likely to suffer irreparable harm. The court ordered that Sepulveda cannot be re-detained without notice and a pre-deprivation hearing before a neutral immigration judge at which the government must establish by clear and convincing evidence that re-detention is warranted.

José Contreras Díaz, a 30-year-old DACA recipient from Edinburg, Texas, was arrested by ICE agents during a routine check-in appointment in January 2026 and deported to Honduras despite his valid protected status. After his attorney challenged the deportation citing federal court precedent, immigration authorities granted him parole to return to the United States. Upon arrival at Harlingen Airport on April 29, 2026, ICE agents detained him at Port Isabel Detention Center rather than releasing him as expected. He was released on May 7-8, 2026, after more than three months of separation from his family, including missing the birth of his son. He continues to face removal proceedings.

Darisbell Paola Quintero Morillo, a Venezuelan asylum seeker with a pending case, was detained by ICE on April 23, 2026, while attending a scheduled check-in appointment at the Dallas ICE Field Office despite her compliance with immigration requirements. She had entered the U.S. in April 2021 with her husband Gilbert Vicent, both fleeing political persecution in Venezuela. She was transferred to Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, where she discovered she was pregnant during medical evaluation. While in custody, she reported inadequate nutrition, poor food quality, and insufficient medical care, and requested medical attention multiple times due to pregnancy complications. Her attorney filed a federal court petition and emergency motion seeking her release on parole, citing her compliance history and lack of criminal record, but the judge denied the emergency motion. She subsequently miscarried while detained. After learning of the miscarriage from her doctor at the hospital, ICE officers cuffed her ankles to the hospital bed.

Milena Araya-Davis, a 27-year-old therapist and Palm Springs High School graduate, was arrested by ICE agents on December 15, 2025, outside a USCIS office in San Diego immediately after being told her green card application was approved. Araya-Davis was brought to the U.S. from Peru at age 4 and received DACA protection as a teenager, going on to earn a master's degree in marriage and family therapy. She was detained for overstaying a tourist visa from her childhood. During her seven-day detention at Otay Mesa Detention Center, Araya-Davis slept on the floor, shared a single sink with roughly 150 women, and received inadequate food and medical care, relying on other detainees for basic supplies and support. Her husband, a U.S. citizen whom she married in April 2025, was home waiting for brief phone calls during her detention. Araya-Davis has since shared her experience on social media, drawing thousands of responses from people fearing detention or worried about loved ones. San Diego County subsequently filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and private prison operator CoreCivic after being denied inspection access to the facility.

Oscar, a 32-year-old Honduran environmental activist who had fled death threats, was arrested at an ICE check-in appointment and moved to a Texas detention facility before being deported to Honduras. His wife Ana and their 7- and 9-year-old children were granted asylum and remained in Maryland. Oscar's lawyer filed a petition for him to rejoin his family, but processing faces dramatic delays. Oscar remains in hiding in Honduras, staying alone in an apartment and avoiding going outside. When he calls his children, he tells them he didn't leave them by choice.

KO, a 41-year-old Guatemalan mother of three, was arrested at an ICE check-in appointment. When she told the officer that she had a 19-month-old child waiting for her at home, the officer responded that her child and she 'could die for all he cared.'

José Contreras Díaz, a 30-year-old DACA recipient who grew up in Edinburg, Texas, was arrested at an immigration appointment on January 6, 2026, and deported to Honduras within days despite holding valid DACA status. While in Honduras, he missed the birth of his son, Mateo. After his attorney filed a legal challenge arguing the deportation was unlawful, ICE flew him back to Texas on April 29. Upon re-entry, he was immediately detained at Port Isabel Detention Center for eight days. Released on May 7-8, Contreras is now home with his wife and newborn son. He stated: "I would not wish what I've been through on anyone. They detained me, sent me to a country I barely remember, and then gave me hope — the hope that I could come home, see my family, and hold my son again. Then that hope was taken away." Contreras remains under deportation threat and must report periodically to ICE. The Department of Homeland Security has stated it still intends to deport him, arguing that DACA does not confer legal status.

Hubert George Cole, a Honduran citizen who immigrated to the U.S. at age 11, was detained by ICE during his regular check-in on May 8, 2026, after 12 years of complying with supervision conditions. ICE served him with a Notice of Removal stating intent to remove him to Mexico, not his home country of Honduras where removal had been deferred under the Convention Against Torture. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release and prohibiting removal without proper procedures.

Gautam Chapagain, an immigration detainee with no criminal history, was re-detained by ICE during routine non-detained lobby duties at the Dallas Field Office. The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding no evidence of any encounter with law enforcement other than ICE's re-detention. The court enjoined respondents from re-detaining him without clear and convincing evidence that he is a flight risk or danger to the community.

Guillermo Mendez Lopez and Yesica Yanina Aguirre Aguirre sought emergency protection from ICE detention during their scheduled check-ins on May 25 and 27, 2026. The U.S. District Court for Massachusetts granted a temporary restraining order prohibiting ICE officials from arresting, detaining, or removing the petitioners during their mandatory check-ins. The court order is effective until June 5, 2026.

Armando Ducosquier Suarez is a Cuban citizen who entered the United States without inspection on March 18, 2022, and has since accrued no criminal history. He was detained by ICE shortly after entry, then released on his own recognizance in March 2022, during which time he established a life in the US with his spouse, who filed an Alien Relative Petition on his behalf in February 2025. On May 6, 2026, Suarez was re-detained by ICE at a scheduled check-in without explanation, notice of changed circumstances, or a hearing. He was transferred to the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico. On May 14, 2026, Suarez filed a habeas corpus petition arguing his re-detention violated the Due Process Clause and the Immigration and Nationality Act. On May 27, 2026, the federal court granted his petition, finding that Suarez possessed a protected liberty interest in his release, that a pre-deprivation hearing was required before re-detention, and that the Mathews factors weighed in his favor. The court ordered Suarez's immediate release within 24 hours and prohibited further re-detention unless ICE demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence that he is a danger to the community or a flight risk.

Milana Swope, a trafficking survivor who arrived in the U.S. on a fiancée visa in 2001, was detained by ICE in September 2025 during a routine check-in she had maintained for over 20 years. She received a removal order in 2003 after leaving an abusive first marriage but remained under ICE supervision while raising her child in the U.S. After nearly eight months in detention at ICE's Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana, Swope faces deportation to Russia, where she has not lived since the early 2000s and where ongoing conflict presents safety concerns. Her attorney states ICE has not previously sought her removal despite the standing order, and questions why the agency is not recognizing her status as a trafficking victim.

Hector Beltran Simental, a 44-year-old Mexican citizen who entered the U.S. on an H2B work visa in 2004 and had lived in Colorado for over 20 years, was detained by ICE on May 5, 2026, following a petty offense arrest. Despite demonstrating strong ties to the community through business ownership, tax compliance, and custody of a U.S. citizen daughter, an Immigration Judge denied his bond on June 3, 2026. The federal court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding he was improperly detained under § 1225(b) and ordered a bond hearing by July 7, 2026, where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that he poses a flight risk or danger to the community.