Human Impact Project

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.

Maria Betania Uzcategui Castillo, a Venezuelan asylum-seeker with valid work authorization through 2030, and her two elementary school-aged children—Victor Uzcategui-Labrador Jr. (age 11) and Monserrat Uzcategui-Labrador (age 8)—were detained by ICE agents on April 27, 2026, at a school bus stop in Alamo Heights, Texas. The family, who had arrived at the U.S. border in 2021 seeking asylum and had complied with prior immigration requirements with a court date scheduled for 2027, were transported to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. The children, both students at Cambridge Elementary in Alamo Heights Independent School District, were reported as deeply traumatized by the detention. Community organizing efforts, including a rally and fundraising campaign that raised over $28,000 for legal fees, followed the arrest. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ordered their release on May 13, 2026, and the family was released on May 14, pending immigration hearings.

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.

Axel Sánchez Toledo called 911 in December 2025 requesting a welfare check on his 4-year-old daughter in Palm Beach. When sheriff's deputies arrived, they accused him of being undocumented and detained him for ICE. Body camera footage shows deputies tasering, tackling, and striking Toledo with a baton while he was on the ground, despite his claims of having a pending asylum case and documentation. Toledo spent four months in jail on a resisting arrest charge before prosecutors dropped it in exchange for an apology letter. ICE took him into custody on May 1, 2026, and he now faces deportation proceedings.

Roman Husar, 37, a Ukrainian artist who arrived in the U.S. in 2023 with his wife, son, and cat under a Biden administration Ukrainian sponsorship program, was arrested in Texas in September for marijuana possession while driving home from Burning Man. After ICE detained him, authorities attempted to deport him to Ukraine despite his conscientious objector status and risk of imprisonment or death if forced to return to the war zone. Husar was denied a bond hearing and assigned to an immigration judge with no immigration experience. Despite holding letters of support from U.S. citizen relatives and church pastors, and despite his attorney's assessment that he had a strong asylum case, Husar withdrew his asylum application and accepted voluntary departure to Turkey or Poland.

Juan Tablante, father of Atlanta United midfielder Moisés Tablante, was detained by ICE during a traffic stop while traveling from Orlando, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia. Tablante has been an asylum applicant since 2016, holds a valid work permit and driver's license, and has no criminal record. He remains in immigration detention despite his pending asylum status.

Olivia Andre, a 19-year-old nursing student and asylum seeker from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was apprehended with her family in November 2025 while attempting to seek asylum. While her mother and two younger siblings were released in March 2026 following a court order, Andre remained detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas for approximately six months because she is technically an adult without guardianship of her siblings. During her detention, she experienced severe physical and mental health deterioration including weight loss of nearly 20 pounds, depression, insomnia, nightmares, suicidal ideation, headaches, and received no mental health care despite documented PTSD and depression. On May 9, 2026, a federal district court judge in San Antonio ruled that Andre's detention was unlawful because the government failed to establish she posed a danger or flight risk and that continued detention violated her constitutional right to due process. She was released and reunited with her family in Portland, Maine.

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.

Anstasiia and Andrei, Russian activists who fled Russia fearing retaliation for their involvement with the Navalny campaign, sought political asylum in the U.S. but were detained at separate ICE facilities in Louisiana. Anstasiia was held at Basile ICE jail, where she alleges she was stripped naked and confined to a glass room for 24 hours. She also reported that women detainees were subjected to male guards while showering and using the bathroom. Andrei was detained at Allen Parish Public Safety Complex. The facilities are reported to have conditions including physical and sexual abuse, medical neglect, rat infestations, black mold, expired food, and prolonged solitary confinement.

Maria Trinidad Loya Medina, a Mexican national who lived in Albany, Oregon for over 20 years and was the primary caregiver for her husband and two U.S. citizen children, was detained by ICE agents on January 10, 2026, during Operation Black Rose while shopping at a sporting goods store in Albany. She was held at Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington for four months. An immigration judge denied her bond request on February 4 after a brief hearing, despite evidence of strong community ties and no criminal history. On May 7, Federal Judge Grady J. Leupold ordered her immediate release, finding that the immigration judge violated her constitutional due process rights by failing to consider relevant factors and abusing discretion in denying bond. The judge cited documented harm to her family, including her husband's stroke and daughter's depression. ICE delayed her release until May 8.

Luis Enrique Cuellar-Padilla, an asylum seeker from Colombia, was detained by ICE after a court hearing despite having his credible fear application approved. He has been held for nearly 8 months and denied bond, with immigration officials claiming he is a flight risk due to insufficient community ties, though his legal team attributes the detention to the current anti-immigrant political climate. Since entering the U.S. in 2022, Cuellar-Padilla has maintained a stable job, attended all immigration appointments and court dates, and held an apartment lease.

Eliana G. was detained before her asylum court proceedings began in 2025. After losing her asylum case, she waived her right to appeal and elected to self-deport. Despite this choice, she remained in ICE custody across Arizona and Louisiana detention facilities for over seven months awaiting travel documents. A court designated Ecuador as her third-country deportation location despite her being originally from Honduras, but she has not been given an opportunity to contest this choice. She has two children, ages 10 and 2, living with family members in Western Massachusetts.

Anton Bulgakov, a Russian national who entered the U.S. on a B-2 visa and filed for asylum, was detained by Arkansas police during a traffic stop on May 5, 2026. The officer stated Bulgakov had violated immigration law and took him to county jail, where ICE later transferred him to Jackson Parish Correctional Center in Louisiana. The court granted a temporary restraining order preventing his removal before his June 15, 2026 asylum hearing.

Jean Manuel Izquierdo, a 49-year-old Venezuelan father, was detained by ICE in Herriman, Utah, on May 5, 2026, as he was leaving his apartment complex to go to work. He is currently held in an immigration detention facility. According to his family, Izquierdo has no criminal record, holds valid work authorization, and is an active asylum applicant, but remains out of legal status. His family has launched a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to raise money for his bond and to support his case as it proceeds through immigration proceedings.

Bryan Rafael Gómez, a 27-year-old undocumented immigrant, was detained by ICE at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island following his arrest by Worcester police on assault and battery charges. On April 28, 2026, a federal judge ordered his release after ICE and the U.S. attorney's office withheld information about an active homicide warrant from the Dominican Republic. After his release, Gómez disappeared and failed to report to ICE as expected. On May 5, 2026, a federal judge ordered Gómez re-detained after the withheld warrant information emerged. The judge criticized the conduct as a breach of trust and ordered a disciplinary review of the U.S. attorney's office, noting that had she known about the warrant, she would not have granted Gómez's habeas corpus petition.

Meenu Batra, a 53-year-old certified court interpreter fluent in Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu, was detained by ICE agents on March 17, 2026, at Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas while traveling for a court assignment in Milwaukee. Batra fled India approximately 35 years ago after her parents were killed in violence connected to their Sikh religion and was granted withholding of removal status by an immigration judge in 2000. She has maintained valid work authorization that she regularly renews and continues to be valid for several more years, and has worked in immigration courts for over 20 years. Batra is a single mother of four U.S. citizen children, including youngest son Jasper Batra, who joined the U.S. Army shortly before her arrest. She was held at El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville for 45 days, during which she alleged denial of food, water, and medication. On April 30, 2026, federal judge Rolando Olvera in Brownsville issued a temporary restraining order ordering her release, finding the government lacked proper justification and had violated procedural protections and due process. Her attorney noted she has had only one speeding ticket in the last 30 years.

Ytalo Pierre Montalvan Vasquez is a Peruvian citizen who was paroled into the United States on March 12, 2022 to pursue asylum. He has complied with all immigration procedures and court orders, has no criminal history, and has established ties to the community. After an immigration judge issued a removal order, Petitioner timely appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals and requested a custody redetermination. On April 23, 2026, the immigration court denied his bond request, finding the immigration judge lacked jurisdiction. Petitioner was detained at Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. On May 13, 2026, the federal district court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding that his continued detention violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights because he had a liberty interest in his prior conditional release status and was denied procedural safeguards before re-detention. The court ordered Petitioner's immediate release subject to former conditions, prohibited future re-detention without notice and a pre-deprivation hearing, and ordered return of confiscated property.

Chansarath Duong, a Cambodian refugee who entered the US as a child in 1982, was detained by ICE on May 4, 2026, after 25 years on supervised release. Duong had been living in the US under Orders of Supervision since 1999 following a 1997 drug conviction, but Cambodia has consistently refused to issue travel documents for his removal. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release, finding that ICE violated its own regulations by having an unauthorized officer revoke his supervision.

Manuela Hernandez, an asylum seeker from Colombia, was detained at California City's detention center for five months after her electronic monitoring device broke during a household accident in December 2025. She reported severe medical decline in custody, including fainting spells and a bacterial infection, while ICE pursued federal charges for property destruction. After her legal team filed a habeas corpus petition arguing the break was unintentional, she was released on May 4, 2026, and has reunited with her family while continuing her asylum case.

Stephani Espinoza Fontalvo, detained at Adelanto ICE Processing Center, filed a pro se habeas corpus petition and emergency motion to prevent her removal from the United States. The federal court granted a temporary restraining order enjoining ICE from transferring or removing her from the Central District of California pending a preliminary injunction hearing. The court ordered ICE to ensure her appearance at the May 8, 2026 hearing.

Andres Exequiel Villatoro Weelock, a native of Nicaragua, was detained by ICE in May 2026 and is currently held at Richwood Correctional in Monroe, Louisiana. He was granted withholding of removal as to Nicaragua under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). Villatoro filed a habeas corpus petition and emergency motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent his deportation or transfer, arguing that deportation to Mexico would violate his due process rights and expose him to refoulement to Nicaragua despite his CAT withholding order. He is a member of the D.V.D. class, consisting of individuals subject to final removal orders whom ICE plans to deport to third countries. The district court denied his motion for temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, citing the Supreme Court's prior stay denial in the D.V.D. class litigation and the principle of avoiding duplicative litigation.

A Mexican asylum-seeker who fled cartel violence in Michoacan in 2019 was arrested by ICE at her check-in appointment in Santa Rosa in May 2026, separating her from her three children ages 2, 13, and 19. After texting her daughter to bring the younger children home, she was held in a freezing cell with little food before being transported toward a detention center. Attorneys from the newly created Bay Area Habeas Network, led by attorney Jordan Weiner, filed an emergency habeas corpus petition and obtained a federal judge's order for her immediate release within hours. The woman told the Chronicle: "I feel like I have no peace. But I have faith and know that there are good people who will help us."

Henry Morales Hernandez, 55, a former Venezuelan army major who fled the Maduro government and sought asylum in the United States, was detained by ICE following a traffic stop in Collier County, Florida in April 2026. He was charged with driving under the influence, but prosecutors dropped the charge after determining insufficient evidence—breath tests showed blood alcohol levels of 0.036 and 0.037, below Florida's legal limit of 0.08. Despite the criminal case dismissal, ICE lodged a detainer and took him into custody on May 1, 2026. An immigration judge denied his bond request in May, relying on the arrest report despite the DUI charge being dismissed. Morales Hernandez holds an active asylum case in immigration court and previously held Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans, though the Trump administration moved to terminate that program in 2025.

Ceferino V.L. came to the United States as an unaccompanied minor in August 2018 and was initially detained by immigration officers who commenced removal proceedings. He subsequently filed an asylum application that remains pending. He was transferred to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement and released to his sponsor, an uncle. In May 2026, immigration officers arrested him in front of his home without pre-deprivation process or notice. Ceferino challenged his detention in federal court, arguing it violated his constitutional due process rights. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted his petition for writ of habeas corpus, finding his case indistinguishable from prior cases where courts determined similar detentions violated due process. The court ordered Ceferino's immediate release and permanently enjoined respondents from re-arresting or re-detaining him without constitutional protections including pre-deprivation notice, a timely hearing, and a government burden to prove by clear and convincing evidence that he poses a danger or flight risk.

Josue Alvarado, who fled gang extortion in Ecuador with his family in 2024, was detained by ICE in 2025 after the Trump administration canceled CBP One paroles. On May 1, 2026, his scheduled asylum hearing was canceled just before trial when a judge granted the government's motion to pretermit his case within hours, denying his attorney the standard 10 days to respond. He was ordered deported to Ecuador despite his family's fear that return would result in kidnapping or death from the gang members pursuing them.

Luis Fernando Cabrera Chavarria, an Austin ISD high school senior, was detained by ICE after a state trooper stopped him for an expired registration sticker on May 1 while he was returning home from his job at Popeyes. U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam ordered his release before Friday, allowing him to attend his high school graduation on June 2. His family had applied for asylum in 2019, though his application was not filed correctly.

Karina Lozano Chiriboga, Angel Granda, and their daughter Ariana Granda Lozano were deported to Ecuador on Wednesday morning despite their asylum case being denied without a hearing. The family had fled Ecuador two years prior due to violent organized crime and were going through legal channels to seek asylum. Their initial attorney missed filing deadlines, leading a judge to vacate their case, and although they obtained a temporary stay from U.S. District Judge Leo T. Sorokin on April 24, that order was vacated four days later. ICE ordered them to the airport for a 5:30 a.m. departure, and while they were in flight, the Bureau of Immigration Appeals accepted their appeal into the record.

Marta Guinand, a Venezuelan national living in the U.S. since 2014 with a valid work permit through 2028, was detained by CBP agents at McAllen airport while attempting to travel to her son's graduation in Florida. She has an active political asylum case since 2015 and is being held at Ursula Detention Center without her case being presented to court; her asylum interview scheduled for April was cancelled by authorities.

Osmin Ayala, an asylum seeker from El Salvador living in Oakland since 2021, faced potential re-detention by ICE despite having deferred action status through a U visa application. ICE issued a reinstatement notice in October 2025 but had repeatedly acknowledged they did not have his removal file and had previously released him multiple times as neither a flight risk nor danger. The court granted a preliminary injunction preventing his detention without a pre-deprivation hearing.

Iris Juliana Alvarenga de Vargas, a Nicaraguan citizen, was placed in removal proceedings in December 2022 and charged with inadmissibility for entering the United States without inspection. She was initially released on an Order of Recognizance but was recently re-detained and held at the Adelanto ICE Detention Facility. The court granted her temporary restraining order requiring an individualized bond hearing within 7 days.

Anna Catherine Delgado, a Venezuelan woman living in San Antonio, was detained by ICE agents on April 29, 2026, outside her residence. She was holding her 4-year-old son Isaiah when approximately eight armed agents in vests surrounded her and took her without explanation. Her husband José Rosales arrived carrying their 1-year-old daughter Hannah. Delgado and Rosales had filed for political asylum, which was denied, but she had continued attending immigration verification appointments without issue since 2020. Hannah was still breastfeeding at the time and has refused formula since her mother was taken. Delgado was transferred to Arizona and told she would be deported to Venezuela. Rosales had formally requested permission for his wife to remain in the country to begin the legal residency process, but the request had not received a response.

Rosedeep Manhas was lawfully admitted to the United States on a C-1 crewman visa with authorization to remain until April 12, 2021. He stayed in the country after his visa expired and filed an asylum application in June 2021. On April 29, 2026, more than five years after his visa expiration, immigration officials arrested him. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted his petition for writ of habeas corpus, finding that his five-year period of continuous release after visa expiration created a protected liberty interest. The court ordered his immediate release from custody at the Central Valley Annex detention facility and enjoined respondents from re-detaining him without notice and a hearing before an immigration judge pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a).

Jefferson David Fuentes Martinez, a native and citizen of Honduras who entered the U.S. in 2024 at age 17 and is seeking asylum, was arrested for driving without a valid license. Although he was set to be released on April 27, 2026, he remains detained at Volusia County Jail pursuant to an ICE detainer. The court granted a temporary restraining order preventing his transfer from the facility.

Hayam El Gamal and her five children, Egyptian citizens who entered the U.S. on B-1 visitor visas in 2022, were detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas in June 2025 after overstaying their visas. The family was detained based on the alleged criminal actions of their estranged father, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, who was later convicted of 101 charges including murder, though the family members were never charged with any crimes and stated they were estranged from Soliman and unaware of his plans. During nine months in detention, the family endured moldy and wormy food, inadequate medical care including failure to treat a 5-year-old's severe dental cavities, and religious freedom violations. Her 16-year-old son described the experience as "a nightmare" that made it difficult to return to normal life, writing that "nothing is normal anymore because you live in fear of going back to that place." An immigration judge granted the family bond in September 2025, but DHS appealed and obtained a stay. On April 24, 2026, a federal judge ordered their release; two days later, ICE re-arrested the family during a routine check-in at an ICE office in Denver and transported them to Denver International Airport for immediate deportation in violation of the federal court order. During transport and on a private jet, the family was subjected to verbal abuse, medical neglect, and physical restraint despite a medical emergency. Federal judges issued emergency orders blocking the removal and turning the plane around mid-air. The family was released on April 27 pending litigation on their asylum case, with electronic monitoring required as a condition of release.

Alexander Jose Vizcaino Marrufo, a Venezuelan citizen, was detained by ICE and held at Buffalo Federal Detention Facility. He filed a habeas corpus petition on April 24, 2026, alleging unlawful detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225 and requesting immediate release or a bond hearing. The court granted his motion to prevent removal from the United States until an evidentiary hearing determination is made, but denied his requests for immediate release and to prevent transfer within districts.

Rihan Shinwari, an 18-year-old Afghan high school senior at Cheshire High School in Connecticut, was detained by ICE on April 6, 2026, during a traffic stop. ICE detained him based on erroneous paperwork claiming his humanitarian parole had expired in October 2025, though court filings confirmed it remained valid until October 2026. His family had legally entered the U.S. on humanitarian parole in October 2024 after his father served as an interpreter for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts for over two weeks, an immigration court judge set his bond at $1,500 and ordered his release on April 21, 2026. Rihan was released on April 22, 2026, and remains in removal proceedings; his attorneys sought reinstatement of his humanitarian parole.

An asylum seeker who entered the U.S. in September 2024 was released on parole in November 2024, then re-detained by ICE in April 2026 after reporting to a scheduled appointment. The government argued his parole was revoked for violating conditions, but provided no written notice. The court ordered his immediate release, finding the detention violated due process.

Rufino Beca, a 59-year-old pastor from Angola who arrived in the U.S. in 2017, was detained by ICE agents on April 20, 2026, outside a store on St. John's Street in Portland, Maine. Beca leads two Assembly of God congregations in Biddeford and Portland. He was apprehended while collecting funds to help another congregation member held in immigration custody. DHS stated he overstayed a six-month tourist visa. His daughter disputes this claim, stating he is an asylum seeker with no criminal record. Beca remains held at Strafford County Jail in Dover, New Hampshire.

William Alexander Alfaro, a Honduran national with an active asylum case, was detained by ICE agents on March 18, 2026, while driving his three children to school in San Antonio, Texas. Alfaro held a valid work permit and driver's license and was in compliance with the asylum process. He was arrested at Crosspoint, an ICE check-in and processing facility in San Antonio, as he arrived for a scheduled appointment. During approximately one month in ICE detention, Alfaro was not treated for a knee tumor requiring emergency surgery. He was deported to Honduras without receiving the scheduled medical procedure, likely resulting in amputation. His wife, who witnessed the initial detention, now fears she will be targeted for deportation, which would leave their three U.S. citizen children in San Antonio without parents.

Jaime Nino Astudillo is a Mexican citizen who has resided in the United States since at least 2018. In 2018, an Immigration Judge granted him withholding of removal to Mexico based on his well-founded fear of persecution as a gay man, and he was released on an Order of Supervision. On April 22, 2026, Petitioner appeared at the ICE Los Angeles Field Office for his routine annual check-in, as he had done every year since 2018, but was detained by ICE officers and transported to Adelanto ICE Processing Center, where he remained detained. Petitioner filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention, alleging violations of regulatory procedures requiring notice of revocation and an informal interview, as well as Fifth Amendment due process violations. On May 1, 2026, the court granted the petition without opposition from respondents, ordering Petitioner's immediate release from ICE custody and requiring respondents to file a status report by May 8, 2026.

Kerrie, a transgender Guyanese asylum seeker, was detained following collusion between Nassau County Police and ICE. She is being held in a men's detention facility and is being denied gender-affirming care. Advocates are calling for her release and reunification with her community in New York City.

Marvin Giovanny Melara Castillo, a citizen of El Salvador who entered the U.S. in August 2022, was re-detained by ICE on April 21, 2026 while driving to work in Houston, Texas. He had been released into the community for nearly four years, during which time he obtained work authorization, secured employment, paid taxes, and applied for asylum. ICE provided no notice or justification for his re-detention. The court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding that ICE failed to make any finding of changed circumstances before re-detaining him, and ordered his immediate release with procedural protections requiring a pre-deprivation bond hearing if the government seeks to re-detain him.

Anibal Sante Rojas, a Peruvian national with a pending asylum application, was detained by ICE on April 21, 2026, during a scheduled check-in appointment in San Francisco. He had been previously released on recognizance but was re-detained after being charged with identity theft and failing to appear for his criminal arraignment. The court granted his habeas petition in part and ordered ICE to provide him with a bond hearing within 14 days.

Dzhokhar Gutsiev, a Russian citizen who entered the U.S. in 2022 seeking asylum and was released on humanitarian parole, was detained by DHS in April 2026 while traveling for work in Imperial County, California. Gutsiev had been living in the community for 46 months with work authorization and no criminal history when his parole was abruptly revoked without notice. The federal court granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release, ruling that the government violated his due process rights by revoking parole without justification or hearing.

Argam Nazarian, a 27-year-old Armenian Christian Iranian asylum seeker, was detained by ICE in June 2025 despite having an active asylum case and no criminal history. An immigration judge ordered his release on bond in August 2025, finding him neither a flight risk nor a danger, but ICE refused to release him, citing mandatory detention policies for those who entered without inspection. After 298 days in detention across multiple facilities, including El Paso, a federal judge ruled in April 2026 that ICE violated Nazarian's Fifth Amendment due process rights by holding him without a bond hearing and using incorrect legal authority. Nazarian was released and reunited with family in Los Angeles, though his immigration case remains pending.

Gabriela Lozano Sousa, a Venezuelan national who entered the U.S. legally in 2023 through a humanitarian parole program, married U.S. citizen Brandon Garrison in April 2025, believing it would put her on a path to legal residency. In October 2025, a domestic-dispute call brought local police to the scene, who turned her over to federal immigration authorities; no criminal charges resulted. ICE classified her as an 'arriving immigrant,' subjecting her to mandatory detention without a bond hearing, and she was held at a facility in Baker County, Florida. Her attorneys argued the classification was legally incorrect. The couple had filed an I-130 petition on her behalf, under review since November 2025. A federal judge dismissed her immigration case in spring 2026, and she was released after roughly six months in detention, though federal authorities retained 30 days to appeal, leaving her future status uncertain.

A Valencia College student with pending asylum status and legal documents was arrested by ICE while leaving home to go to work. The student had documentation showing their asylum case was in process at the time of detention.

Maria, a 29-year-old woman, fled Colombia in January 2024 after being kidnapped and tortured by the FARC rebel group and abused by her ex-husband, a police officer. In May 2025, a U.S. immigration judge found she would more likely than not be tortured if deported to Colombia and granted her protection under the Convention Against Torture. While held in Louisiana, she learned only the day before her transfer that she was being sent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and said she objected up until boarding the plane. ICE took her identity documents and passport, leaving her unable to travel, and she was given seven days upon arrival to decide whether to accept a voluntary return to Colombia despite the risks she faces there.

M, a mother of six children and asylum seeker, is struggling to support her family after her husband and brother—the household's primary income earners—were apprehended by ICE without a warrant while traveling to a job site. Both men are detained and facing deportation. M is caring for her children alone, including three infants and one child with a complex blood disorder requiring regular medical care. M and her two school-age children are asylum seekers living in fear of their own detention. After three months, the family faces mounting bills with no income and M has exhausted her resources.

Mixan Javier Gonzalez-Rivas, a Nicaraguan citizen who entered the U.S. in December 2022 and was initially released on parole, was re-detained on April 16, 2026 during a routine ICE check-in in Los Angeles. He had been complying with all supervision requirements for over three years, was employed as a caregiver for Los Angeles County, and had a pending asylum application. The court ordered his release within 24 hours, finding his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process.