Human Impact Project

Alice Guillen Acosta, a Venezuelan national who presented at the El Paso port of entry on March 19, 2024, was released on her own recognizance and enrolled in an Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP). She complied fully with all terms including GPS monitoring and court appearances. On June 29, 2026, she was arrested without warning during a routine ICE check-in appointment and remained detained. The court granted her habeas corpus petition and ordered ICE to provide a bond hearing by July 31, 2026, requiring the government to prove by clear and convincing evidence that detention was justified.

Sid James Velasquez, an immigration detainee, petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus challenging his detention at Golden State Annex Detention Facility. The court found that Velasquez's case mirrored legal issues in multiple prior cases where the government's detention was found unlawful. The District Court granted the habeas corpus petition and ordered Velasquez's immediate release, prohibiting re-detention unless the government demonstrates by clear and convincing evidence at a pre-deprivation bond hearing that he poses a flight risk or danger to the community.

Felipe Emeterio Coxaj-Tipan, a Guatemalan citizen residing in the United States since 2018, was detained by ICE on June 29, 2026, along with his two sons when ICE agents pulled over their family car and shattered the window. He was held without bond at Pike County Correctional Facility under the mandatory detention provision of 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A). The court granted his habeas petition, finding his detention unlawful, and ordered his immediate release, ruling that § 1226(a) discretionary detention with bond hearing rights applies to him instead.

Roberto Antonio Avila Perla, an 18-year-old from El Salvador, was detained by ICE on June 29, 2026, and transferred to Golden State Annex Detention Facility in McFarland, California. Avila Perla entered the United States in May 2019 and was released on his own recognizance. He obtained Special Immigrant Juvenile status in September 2023 and had his removal proceedings administratively closed in October 2023, with no criminal history and no final removal order. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding his detention violated the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause, and ordered his immediate release with restrictions on future detention requiring advance notice and bond hearings.

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

Jose David Cortes Torres, a 20-year-old noncitizen who has lived in Bozeman since 2023, was pulled over on June 29 while driving to work by ICE agents in an unmarked white Dodge Durango. According to court documents, agents asked for his driver's license, told him he had no right to be in the United States, and arrested him without charging him with a crime. He was detained for more than 24 hours in a holding room at the Helena airport with more than 15 other individuals, forced to stand for approximately six hours due to cramped conditions, and was limited to a single three-minute phone call with attorneys. He was told to voluntarily self-deport or face months of lockup. His lawyers at Upper Seven Law filed a habeas corpus petition in federal court alleging the arrest violated constitutional due process rights and was part of a dragnet operation targeting Latinos based on race and language, without individualized suspicion. Cortes Torres is the primary caretaker for his grandmother, who is undergoing cancer treatment.

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

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

Guiliang Huang, a Chinese national who entered the CNMI as a parolee in 2015 and overstayed, was arrested by ICE on June 28, 2026, and placed in removal proceedings. He was detained at the CNMI Department of Corrections and denied a bond hearing despite requesting one at his master calendar hearing. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding he was subject to discretionary detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) rather than mandatory detention, and ordered respondents to provide an individualized bond hearing within fourteen days or release him.

Milad Ibrahim Eid Ayyad, detained at West Tennessee Detention Facility, filed a habeas corpus petition seeking release pending removal proceedings or a bond hearing. He simultaneously filed for a temporary restraining order to prevent his transfer outside the district, arguing such transfer would sever access to his New Jersey-based counsel. The court denied the motion, finding no irreparable harm since electronic communication would remain possible and no litigation on the habeas petition had yet commenced.

Alexsandr Zateev, a Russian national, entered the United States and was released on his own recognizance in July 2022. On June 27, 2026, ICE re-detained him after a routine check-in with immigration authorities. Zateev is seeking asylum in the United States. He filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus and motion for temporary restraining order challenging his detention. The court found that Zateev's prior release by immigration authorities created a liberty interest in his continued release and that his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process. On July 8, 2026, the federal court granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release on the same terms and conditions he was subject to prior to his re-detention.

Ilia Bakumets, a 19-year-old Russian asylum seeker who had been paroled and living lawfully in California since April 2023, was arrested by ICE on June 27, 2026, at a worksite without notice or pre-deprivation hearing. He was transported to Adelanto ICE Processing Center. A federal judge granted his habeas corpus petition, finding that ICE violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights by detaining him without a pre-deprivation hearing, and ordered his immediate release.

Carlos Iván Mendoza Hernández was shot seven times by ICE agents during a traffic stop in Patterson, Stanislaus County, California on April 8, 2026. According to dashcam video and eyewitness accounts, Hernández reversed away from officers who had drawn weapons, then drove forward as agents opened fire; ICE stated he attempted to run over agents with his vehicle. While hospitalized at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, FBI agents accessed his HIPAA-protected medical records without clear authorization or warrant, prompting concerns from his federal public defenders. After discharge, Hernández was arrested by the FBI and placed in solitary confinement at California City Detention Center with his gunshot wound injuries remaining unaddressed. On June 27, 2026, he was removed from the facility for a scheduled medical appointment to evaluate bullet fragments, but his family received no updates for hours and the detention center refused to confirm his whereabouts or safety.

Artyom Vovchenko, a 27-year-old Russian who deserted the military in 2022 in opposition to the war in Ukraine, was deported back to Russia by the Trump administration last summer after spending 13 months in three U.S. detention centers and being denied asylum. After his return to Russia, where he faced potential imprisonment or forced deployment to Ukraine, Vovchenko escaped again and crossed into Belarus earlier this year. He is now in an undisclosed country attempting to start a new life.

Fredy Maldonado Guzman, a Mexican citizen who entered the United States in July 2004 without inspection, was arrested and detained by ICE on June 26, 2026 at the Philadelphia Federal Detention Center. He had previously been detained in 2018, released on bond in May 2018, and had his immigration proceedings taken off calendar in December 2022. The government sought to detain him without a bond hearing under INA § 1225, claiming he was "seeking admission." The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding the government's interpretation of the mandatory detention statute unlawful and unwarranted as applied to someone already present in the country for over two decades.

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

Jose Ernesto Gonzalez Cardona, a Guatemalan national who entered the United States in 2007, was arrested by immigration authorities on June 26, 2026, while traveling to work. He was detained at the Philadelphia Federal Detention Center under mandatory detention provisions of 8 U.S.C. § 1225 without a bond hearing. On June 30, 2026, the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania granted his habeas corpus petition, finding his detention unlawful because he was not 'seeking admission' under the statute, and ordered his immediate release.

Gavilan Sanchez, a Mexican national without legal immigration status and mother of U.S. citizen children, was arrested by ICE agents during the same operation that resulted in the detention of her husband, Jesus Acevedo Sanchez, outside a Baltimore school in June. According to her attorney, when agents told her to cooperate, they threatened to do to her "what we did to your husband or worse." ICE arrested her for assault, claiming she punched agents during the incident. In early July, a federal judge ordered her release. Since the arrest, her daughters have been staying with relatives.

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

Samwail Naguib was detained pending removal proceedings without being afforded a bond hearing. The petitioner challenged his detention through a habeas corpus petition in federal court. Following the Sixth Circuit's decision in Lopez-Campos v. Raycraft, the court granted the petition and ordered respondents to provide Naguib with a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) within ten days or release him from custody.

Jose Ignacio Cambero Maldonado, a 29-year-old Dominican Republic citizen who entered Puerto Rico without inspection in 2021, was arrested by ICE agents on June 25, 2026 during a traffic stop in San Juan. Cambero had been living in Puerto Rico for nearly five years with no criminal record, had married a U.S. citizen, had an approved I-130 family petition, and had a pending provisional unlawful presence waiver application. The court granted a temporary restraining order preventing his transfer outside Puerto Rico and ordered he receive a bond hearing before an Immigration Judge, finding he likely fell under discretionary detention provisions rather than mandatory detention.

Juan Domingo-Aguilar, a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. in 2014 to request asylum, was detained by ICE on June 24, 2026, while on his way to work. He had been residing in the United States for 12 years with a valid work permit and pending asylum claims. The court ordered his immediate release, finding that his mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b) without a bond hearing violated immigration law, as that provision applies only to those affirmatively seeking admission, not long-term residents.

Emelina del Carmen Valle Toledo is detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the El Valle Detention Center in Willacy County, Texas. She filed a habeas petition challenging the government's authority to detain her without a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A). While conceding she is subject to mandatory detention under that statute, she alleges the application violates her Fifth Amendment due process rights. The court denied her request for preliminary injunctive relief and decided to await a Fifth Circuit decision in a related case before ruling on her due process claims.

Paigelynne Gonyea, a poll worker and social media creator in Syracuse, New York, was visited by federal agents on June 23, 2026, at her workplace during New York's primary elections. The agents confronted her over a January Instagram post about ICE officer Jonathan Ross, who shot and killed Renée Macklin Good in Minneapolis during anti-ICE demonstrations. Gonyea's post included a picture of Ross and stated "I think today is a great day for Jonathan to be indicted." The U.S. Department of Homeland Security claimed she posted Ross's address as "doxxing," while Gonyea said she posted the picture after Ross had already been identified by news media. The agents handed her a written notice warning of potential federal charges under laws regarding posting personal information about federal officers. Gonyea refused to sign the document and said she intends to continue defending her First Amendment right to make the post. The New York Attorney General's Office said it is reviewing the incident.

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

Luis Parada Ramos, a noncitizen, is detained at the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado. He filed a verified petition for writ of habeas corpus seeking immediate release or a bond hearing where the government must justify continued detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). The court ordered respondents to respond within seven days and issued an order preventing removal from Colorado or the United States pending resolution of the case.

Margar Oganisian filed an emergency ex parte application for a temporary restraining order in federal court to prevent his transfer or removal from the United States pending adjudication of his habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. The Central District of California granted the application on July 17, 2026, enjoining respondents from transferring Oganisian outside the Central District of California or removing him from the United States. The court ordered respondents to show cause by July 20, 2026 why a preliminary injunction should not issue, requiring them to specifically address the facts and circumstances detailed by petitioner's counsel regarding how Oganisian will be removed to Armenia. Petitioner's reply is due by July 22, 2026, unless the parties stipulate to a different briefing schedule.

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

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

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

Eight anti-ICE activists were sentenced to 30 to 100 years in prison on June 23, 2026, following convictions on federal charges including riot, material support for terrorism, and explosives-related offenses stemming from a July 4, 2025 noise demonstration at Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. Benjamin Hanil Song received a 100-year sentence after being convicted of attempted murder for allegedly shooting a police officer during the protest. Daniel Sanchez Estrada, a lawful permanent resident who was not present at the protest, received a 30-year sentence for transporting a box of antifascist zines after his wife attended the demonstration. The remaining six defendants received 50 to 70-year sentences. Defendants and their supporters challenged the convictions, arguing the government presented insufficient evidence and that the prosecution constituted political persecution, but sentencing proceeded despite pending motions to overturn the convictions.

Eighteen Venezuelan men expelled by the US to El Salvador's Cecot prison in March 2025 filed a petition before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights alleging torture, sexual assault, and medical neglect. The men, who were released and returned to Venezuela in July, detail a pattern of abuse including beatings, humiliation, and being held in windowless cells with constant bright lights. Human rights groups filed the petition on their behalf seeking international accountability for violations.

Following the September 11 attacks, over 1,000 South Asian and Arab men were arrested in sweeps across New York City and nationwide, primarily for visa overstays. Most were held in detention for months with limited contact with families and faced physical and verbal abuse, particularly at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. A Justice Department Inspector General review found the "hold until cleared" policy meant detainees stayed for months despite no evidence of terrorist connections, with officials questioning the legality of prolonged detentions.

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

Cameron Arnold, Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Bradford Morris, and Elizabeth Soto were each sentenced to 50 years in federal prison for participating in the July 4, 2025 protest at Prairieland ICE Detention Center. All five were convicted on terrorism-related charges. Prosecutors pointed to defendants wearing black clothing and using encrypted messaging as evidence. The combined sentences for all eight defendants sentenced that day total 450 years — longer than any sentences given to January 6 Capitol assault participants.

Jose Alejandro Juarez Barrientos, a Guatemalan citizen who entered the United States 22 years ago on a temporary visa, was arrested by ICE on June 22, 2026, while on his way to work in Baltimore. He is married with a child who has special needs and requires frequent medical care. Juarez Barrientos is the sole financial provider for his family. He was arrested without a warrant and has not been presented with one. He filed a habeas corpus petition and application for temporary restraining order challenging the lawfulness of his warrantless arrest under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) and § 1357(a)(2). On August 7, 2026, the federal court granted his petition, finding that his warrantless arrest was unlawful because no statutory exception applied. The court ordered his immediate release and converted his temporary restraining order application into a preliminary injunction, also waiving bond requirements.

A 13-year-old child was restrained by Menomonee Falls Police Department officers in an encounter documented by body camera footage. The child's lawyer characterized the officers' use of force as excessive and has threatened to sue the department, calling for the officers' dismissal. The police department stated that officers used only the level of force necessary to detain the minor.

Abner Neftali Avalos Arrona, a Mexican citizen, was arrested by ICE on June 22, 2026 in Weber County, Utah while on his way to work. Avalos had previously been removed from the United States in 2013 pursuant to a final removal order, but subsequently reentered illegally. He was detained in the Weber County and Tooele County detention centers. On June 23, 2026, Avalos filed a habeas corpus petition seeking his release, but on July 2, 2026, the court denied his petition, finding his detention lawful under 8 U.S.C. § 1231, which mandates detention for previously removed noncitizens who reenter.

Mutasim Ibrahim Abdoulrahman Nour, a Sudanese citizen, has been in ICE custody for 23 months without receiving a hearing to argue for temporary release on bond. He was apprehended upon entering the U.S. on July 7, 2024, initially held in Minnesota, then transferred to Muscatine County Jail in December 2025. A federal judge has ordered the government to explain the prolonged detention. Nour's lawsuit seeks his immediate release and a court order preventing his transfer outside Iowa while his CAT asylum case is pending.

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

Javier was detained at a routine ICE check-in appointment after 15 years of pursuing legal permanent residency and U.S. citizenship through the proper channels. He had maintained perfect attendance at all ICE appointments and hired legal representation throughout the process. He now faces deportation and is held in a detention center, separated from his wife Evette and their three daughters.

Anmolpreet S., an immigration detainee who entered the United States without inspection in December 2022, was released on his own recognizance while removal proceedings were underway. On June 21, 2026, after three years of maintaining stable residence, valid employment authorization, and attempted compliance with ICE reporting requirements, he was detained without notice or process when he reported to ICE as instructed. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding the detention violated due process rights, and ordered his immediate release with a permanent injunction against re-detention absent constitutional protections including pre-deprivation notice and a hearing.

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

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

Luis Juarez-Trevizo, a Mexican national who has resided in the United States for over 30 years and is married to a U.S. citizen with four U.S. citizen children, was arrested at a McDonald's in Fontana, California on June 20, 2026 pursuant to a Warrant of Arrest (I-200). He had been removed to Mexico in 2001 but reentered without authorization. ICE reinstated his prior 2001 removal order and provided him written notice on Form I-871 on the date of arrest. The court denied his emergency application for a temporary restraining order staying his removal, finding he failed to demonstrate likelihood of success on his claims that the arrest was warrantless, the removal order reinstatement was invalid, or that his detention violated due process.

Katsiaryna Bartko, a 33-year-old Belarusian cancer survivor, has been in ICE custody since June 4, 2026, and held at the Midwest Regional Reception Center in Leavenworth, Kansas since June 19. After thyroid cancer surgery, Bartko requires daily hormone medication and calcium supplements to manage permanent hypoparathyroidism and chronic hypocalcemia. Medical records show she was hospitalized three times in four days in early June with dangerously low calcium levels, including an emergency visit on June 6 where she appeared "in acute distress" and required intravenous calcium treatment. Her partner alleges she was initially denied prescribed medications despite facility intake records documenting her medical needs, though she has since received some medications after media contact. Bartko, who entered the U.S. legally on an F-1 student visa in March 2022, filed for asylum in February 2023 based on her political activism in Belarus's pro-democracy movement and opposition to Belarus's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A support letter from a Belarusian democratic organization states she could face arrest and persecution if returned.

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

Orolua Eluonyechie, a Nigerian national, has been held in immigration detention for over two years, initially detained in Atlanta in April 2024 and later transferred to Allen Parish in southwest Louisiana. While detained, he has been injured by guards and placed in solitary confinement. He filed a federal habeas petition seeking release or deportation but remains waiting for judicial action as federal courts in Louisiana become overwhelmed with habeas petitions from detainees held in prolonged detention.

Otoniel Aguilar Gomez, a Mexican citizen who entered the United States in 2008 and held a valid work permit, was arrested by immigration authorities on June 18, 2026, while getting into his car to go to work. He was detained at Philadelphia Federal Detention Center under the mandatory detention provisions of 8 U.S.C. § 1225 and denied a bond hearing. The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding that the government's detention was unlawful because Aguilar Gomez was not "seeking admission" under the statute, as he had been in the country for 18 years.

Jeison David Aceituno Moran, a noncitizen, was detained at the Western Tennessee Detention Facility pending removal proceedings without receiving a bond hearing. Moran filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus challenging his detention as violating due process rights. The court noted that Moran, described as a long-term law-abiding resident of the United States, had been held in mandatory detention. Following the Sixth Circuit's decision in Lopez-Campos v. Raycraft, which established that noncitizens are entitled to a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), the respondent agreed that a custody redetermination hearing was required. The district court granted the habeas petition to the limited extent of ordering that Moran receive a bond hearing within ten days or be released from custody, finding that Section 1226 guarantees only a hearing opportunity, not automatic release.