Human Impact Project

Yoandry Rafael Garcia Gali was re-detained on January 30, 2026, after previously being released on bond or conditional parole. The court found that the government violated due process by failing to provide a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter when re-detaining someone who had been previously released. The court ordered Garcia Gali's immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention.

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

Gaston Longines Garcia, a Mexican national who entered the United States without inspection in 1998 and has lived in the country for approximately 28 years, was arrested on January 28, 2026, in St. Joseph County on drunken driving charges. ICE issued a detainer and an administrative warrant commanding his detention pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1226. Garcia was taken into ICE custody on February 24, 2026, and removal proceedings were initiated. On March 11, an immigration judge denied his request for release on bond, finding she lacked jurisdiction. Garcia remained detained at the Clay County Jail without a bond hearing. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the lawfulness of his continued detention. On April 23, 2026, a federal district court granted his petition, finding that his detention without a bond hearing violates the Immigration and Nationality Act. The court ordered respondents to either afford Garcia a bond hearing before an immigration judge consistent with 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) and pertinent regulations, or release him from detention within seven days.

Hagop Chirinian, a non-citizen surfer, was released after being detained for four months following an accidental trespass onto Camp Pendleton beach. A federal judge ordered ICE to release him, ruling the agency violated its own protocols by detaining him despite knowing he could not be deported, as Lebanon refused to accept him. Chirinian had been living under an order of supervision with a work permit for nearly 30 years without additional convictions.

ICE enforcement operations in Minnesota during January 2026 resulted in the detention of at least seven students from Columbia Heights Public Schools, including a five-year-old boy. The operations included stops of individuals without confirmed identity verification and stops of off-duty police officers, with agents staging on school grounds and in neighborhoods. St. Paul and Brooklyn Park police chiefs acknowledged concerns about racial profiling and potential civil rights violations. School officials reported the year was "tumultuous," with students and families experiencing ongoing negative impacts and fears about student retention.

ICE agents confronted Ecuadorian immigrant Cristian Vaca at his home in Maine, with an agent threatening on camera to 'come back for your whole family.' Vaca arrived from Ecuador in September 2023 and reported having a work permit and a scheduled immigration hearing. The incident occurred during ICE's 'Operation Catch of the Day' enforcement operation in Maine.

Joabe Barbosa, a 25-year-old Brazilian doctoral student at Roosevelt University on an F-1 visa, faces forced departure to Brazil after going unmatched for a required internship in his final year of clinical psychology studies. Without an internship placement, Barbosa must leave the U.S. within 60 days after the school year ends and may not be able to return to complete his degree, which he is on track to finish in 2027.

Juan Sebastian Carvajal-Munoz, a Colombian civil engineer employed by an engineering consulting firm and holding a valid work visa, was detained by ICE agents on Pearl Street in downtown Portland on January 23, 2026. Masked agents in police vests used a crowbar to smash his car window and forcibly removed him from his vehicle in less than two minutes, leaving the car running in the street. Carvajal-Munoz, who earned a master's degree from the University of Maine, has no criminal record, despite the operation being described as targeting immigrants with criminal records.

Makengo Nzeza was detained by ICE on January 23, 2026, while returning to the hospital after his wife gave birth via C-section to their newborn daughter. Nzeza, a member of First Parish Congregational Church in Saco, was arrested as part of Operation Catch of the Day. He had been granted asylum. DHS stated that Nzeza entered the country on a tourist visa in 2017 that expired in 2018. His wife was left alone at the hospital with their newborn and three other children ages 3, 6, and 11. A fundraiser was created to support the family and cover legal fees and bond costs.

Fernando Paul Leon Pinto, a noncitizen who had been previously released on bond or conditional parole, was re-detained by immigration authorities on January 22, 2026. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his ongoing immigration detention, arguing that the government violated his due process rights by re-detaining him without providing a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter. The federal court granted his petition and ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he was subject to prior to his January 22 detention.

A Cumberland County corrections officer was detained by ICE agents Wednesday night in Portland despite having documentation showing he was authorized to work until April 2029. The officer had a clean background check when hired in February 2024 and was actively pursuing legal immigration status. Sheriff Kevin Joyce commented on the arrest, noting the officer's background and immigration status pursuit.

Juan Sebastián Carvajal-Muñoz, a Colombian civil engineer lawfully working in the U.S. on an H-1B visa after earning a master's degree from the University of Maine, was violently arrested by ICE agents on January 22, 2026, while driving to work in Maine. Agents in unmarked vehicles surrounded his car, smashed his driver's side window with a crowbar, and dragged him out at Taser point despite his attempts to show proof of his lawful status. He was placed in full-body shackles, transported around for hours, and held in a windowless cell at an ICE facility in Massachusetts for approximately 15 hours before being released in Burlington, MA, 105 miles from his home. Carvajal-Muñoz filed a federal lawsuit against ICE agent Jack Cory Ravencamp of Lenexa, Kansas, and two unidentified agents, alleging excessive force, warrantless arrest without probable cause, unlawful detention, racial discrimination, and violations of his Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights.

ICE agents detained Juan Sebastián Carvajal-Muñoz, a civil engineer from Colombia employed by an engineering consulting firm and in the country on a work visa, in downtown Portland on January 22, 2026. Agents in an unmarked vehicle cut off his car, smashed his window with a crowbar, and forcibly removed him while he was compliant. The agents left his car running on the street with a smashed window, his belongings inside, and his phone discarded on the road.

Mohanad Mohsen Metwally Ali Ahmed was detained on January 21, 2026, after previously being released on bond or parole. The court found that the government violated his due process rights by re-detaining him without providing a pre-deprivation bond hearing before a neutral arbiter. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California ordered his immediate release with the same conditions he had prior to detention.

Rosmery Morales-Mejia, a 27-year-old Mexican national, pleaded guilty on March 30, 2026 to fraud and misuse of visas after using counterfeit documents to gain employment at Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Nitro. She was sentenced to time served and has an ICE detainer pending her transfer for removal proceedings. Her husband and four other undocumented immigrants working at the restaurant were also indicted in connection with the case.

Danna, who had legal immigration status, was detained by ICE in mid-January 2026 after being racially profiled. She and her 6-year-old child were transported to Texas while her 2-year-old remained with a guardian. It took one month to secure their release and reunite the family. Her husband was deported during this period, leaving Danna as sole provider.

An employee at Pancho's Taqueria & Mexican Café in Circle Pines was detained by ICE agents on January 15 while possessing a valid work visa. He was transported to the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis and then to El Paso, Texas. The restaurant owner set up a GoFundMe that quickly raised $25,000 from customers and supporters to cover legal fees, and plans to sponsor the worker to help secure his release.

Marina E., an Ecuadoran citizen who has lived in the U.S. since 2007, was taken into custody by immigration authorities on January 15, 2026. The government classified her under mandatory detention provisions, but the federal court ruled she was wrongly classified and is entitled to a bond hearing under discretionary detention statutes. The court ordered immigration authorities to provide her with a bond hearing.

A New York City Council employee was detained by ICE during a routine immigration court appointment in Bethpage, Long Island on Monday. DHS identified the employee as Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez from Venezuela, alleging he entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2017 that expired and has a criminal history. City officials and Democratic leaders called the detention egregious government overreach, noting the employee had work authorization and passed background checks for his position as a data analyst.

Shovgi Huseynov, a UB medical researcher from Azerbaijan, was detained by ICE after making a wrong turn onto the Peace Bridge on January 7 and crossing into Canada. Upon his return to the United States, border agents arrested him. ICE claims he was in the country illegally on an expired visa, but his attorney states he applied for permanent legal status while his visa was active, which provides authorized stay, and he has valid work authorization through 2029. Multiple state and local officials, including Rep. Tim Kennedy, have condemned his detention and called for his immediate release.

ICE agents rammed into Christian Molina's car in south Minneapolis on January 12, 2026, then questioned him about his immigration status. Molina, a U.S. citizen, refused to comply and was not detained. The incident occurred two blocks from where an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good on January 7.

A Vietnamese immigrant who arrived in the U.S. as a refugee in 1992 was detained by ICE on January 12, 2026, during what he believed was a routine check-in appointment at an Anchorage facility. ICE held him for 65 days in the Anchorage Correctional Complex, citing a denied green card application based on an old teenage criminal conviction from the 1990s. His attorney and immigration lawyers disputed the detention, arguing he was eligible for permanent residency under the Indochinese Parole Adjustment Act and that the criminal conviction on his DHS record was inaccurate. A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order, and ICE canceled his final administrative removal order on March 18, 2026, resulting in his release. He was released on conditions including an ankle monitor and weekly ICE reporting requirements.

Jose Pablo Trejo Guzman, a 42-year-old Salvadoran national, was arrested by ICE agents on January 9, 2026, when he and his wife appeared at the Santa Ana Field Office for a scheduled interview regarding their pending I-130 petition. Guzman had been living in the U.S. since 2004 and was previously released on his own recognizance in 2011 after removal proceedings were initiated. He is the primary financial provider for four U.S. citizen children. The court granted his application for a temporary restraining order and ordered his immediate release from custody.

Alejandro Perez, a Ballwin resident, pleaded guilty to unlawful re-entry into the United States in federal court and was sentenced to deportation to Mexico with a 20-year bar on re-entry. His U.S. citizen wife, Janie Perez, and their two daughters plan to relocate to Mexico to remain together as a family following his deportation, which is expected to occur within three to ten days after his sentencing in March.

Pablo Nieves, a Venezuelan asylum seeker who legally entered the U.S. in 2018 with a work permit, was detained by ICE agents in a Home Depot parking lot in Plymouth, Minnesota on January 8, 2026. He was transferred to a detention center in El Paso, Texas, where he was held for two weeks before being released on bond after a court hearing. The detention occurred during Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement initiative targeting asylum seekers with pending applications.

Alberto C.M., a Mexican citizen who entered the country legally on a temporary H2B worker visa in 2022, was arrested by ICE agents in St. Paul during Operation Metro Surge and suffered life-threatening skull fractures and brain hemorrhages. A federal judge ordered his immediate release after 15 days of hospitalization, finding his detention unlawful as he was arrested without a warrant. Hospital records indicate C.M. reported being dragged and mistreated by federal agents, though ICE has refused to provide details about the cause of his injuries, only stating he "got his s*** rocked."

Mauricio Javier Escobar Guerreo, a 26-year-old El Salvadoran who entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor in 2016, was arrested by ICE without a warrant on January 7, 2026, immediately after being released from local custody on a misdemeanor methamphetamine possession charge. He had been living in the community for nine years after being released by ORR, had approved Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and a pending adjustment of status application. The court ordered his release within three days, finding his detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights.

Melisa, a Maryland resident with a valid work permit and pending asylum case, was detained on December 15, 2025 during a routine immigration check-in. She had no criminal record and was employed full-time while preparing to start classes at Carroll Community College and planning her wedding. Her community is raising funds to help her hire an immigration attorney.

Ken Ofori-Atta was released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on April 8, 2026, following a judicial order. His detention originated from administrative compliance flags linked to investigations by Ghana's Office of the Special Prosecutor into allegations of corruption during his tenure as Finance Minister. Ofori-Atta had entered the United States legally and his legal team argued the detention resulted from a procedural misunderstanding rather than criminal violations. He has reunited with his family in the United States.

Sabrina Carmona Sanchez, a 41-year-old transgender woman from Ecuador, was arrested by immigration agents on January 3, 2026, at a hotel on Long Island and transferred to ICE custody at Adams County detention facility in Mississippi. She had previously been released on recognizance by Border Patrol in 2023, granted work authorization, and allowed to remain free while her immigration case proceeded. She is now held in a men's dormitory without being offered a bond hearing, in violation of her Fifth Amendment due process rights, according to her legal team at the Center for Constitutional Rights. Her habeas corpus petition challenges the government's policy of categorically denying bond hearings to undocumented immigrants arrested under the Trump administration's July 2025 detention guidance.

Luis Gilberto Loja Mayancela, 24, an Ecuadorian immigrant with Special Immigrant Juvenile status and valid work authorization, was detained by ICE on January 15, 2026, despite his protective status. A U.S. District judge ruled he is entitled to a bond hearing in immigration court, with seven days to schedule the hearing or he must be released. Mayancela, held at Moshannon Valley Processing Center, was separated from his wife and 3-month-old son at the time of his arrest.

Hamid Niazai, an Afghan national, was released on immigration parole in April 2024. On December 30, 2025, he was re-arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without notice or explanation. Niazai filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in federal court on April 8, 2026, challenging the re-arrest as a violation of his due process rights and federal regulations governing revocation of release. He requested either immediate release under his prior parole terms or a bond hearing. On April 14, 2026, respondents filed a return stating they did not oppose the petition. The court granted the habeas corpus petition and ordered Niazai's release from immigration custody within one business day under the terms of his prior parole notice.

Arturo Rafael Brito Goncalvez, a 22-year-old Venezuelan pilot, was detained by ICE during a scheduled immigration appointment in Westerville, Ohio. His family claims he entered the country legally in 2023 with valid visas and employment authorization. He is fighting deportation and fears returning to Venezuela due to political persecution.

ICE agents stopped a U.S. citizen named Said Mohamed during a traffic stop and demanded he prove his citizenship. Mohamed repeatedly asked why he was being stopped. Agents cited the vehicle's possible connection to individuals without legal status. After showing his ID, Mohamed was allowed to leave. ICE agents confronted a woman outside her home and demanded she provide ID to prove U.S. citizenship. When questioned, agents claimed to have a warrant for an unspecified target at the address but refused to present it.

Jose Gonzalez, a 53-year-old Mexican national who worked as a maitre d' at an upscale Palm Beach restaurant for 20 years, was detained on December 10 during a traffic stop and held at Alligator Alcatraz detention facility. Gonzalez was transferred to Krome Detention Center on December 22. He had a pending asylum application and valid work permit at the time of his detention.

Spencer Gair Harrington, a Canadian citizen residing in the U.S. since 2019, was arrested on December 18, 2025 during a USCIS interview for his green card application based on marriage to a U.S. citizen. He remained detained until February 3, 2026 when an immigration judge released him on bond, finding he posed no flight risk or danger. Despite the judge's determination, ICE placed Harrington on an ankle monitor and in intensive supervision, prompting his habeas petition challenging the conditions as violating his due process rights.

A 20-year-old from Guatemala who received legal status in 2022 under the child separation settlement was arrested by ICE agents at a gas station in December 2025. He was detained in Florida before being transferred to Louisiana. On December 18, 2025, despite ACLU lawyers emailing Department of Justice officials to contend that an existing court order should prevent his deportation, Homeland Security placed him on a flight to Guatemala.

Babblejit Kaur, an Indian-origin woman who has lived in the United States since 1994, was detained by ICE agents while attending a biometric interview for her green card application at a USCIS office. She had no criminal record, was sponsored by her daughter who is a green card holder, and worked for decades as a restaurant businesswoman and store employee. The detention occurred amid increased scrutiny of Indian nationals under new H-1B visa vetting policies announced in 2025.

Jesus Gutiérrez, a 23-year-old US citizen, was stopped by federal immigration agents in Chicago and handcuffed without identification. Agents used ICE's Mobile Fortify facial recognition app to scan his face, which verified his citizenship status. He was held for about an hour before being released. Federal authorities have acknowledged using this facial recognition technology across the country to verify citizenship and check for deportation orders.

A Homeland Security agent confronting a man about his visa status was briefly taken in an SUV against his will on Wednesday in Plymouth, Minnesota. Two people were charged in federal court with interfering with DHS agents: Oluwadamilola Bamigboye, 24, a Nigerian national who overstayed his student visa, and Rekeya Frazier, 26. The incident began when agents approached Bamigboye outside an apartment complex, leading him to jump into Frazier's SUV and demand she drive away, resulting in a brief pursuit that ended near a New Hope police station.

Xiaowei Song, a Chinese national who entered the U.S. on an F-1 student visa in May 2016 and engaged in publicly documented activism against the Chinese Communist Party, was arrested on December 9, 2025, during a traffic stop in Yermo, California after immigration agents conducting surveillance identified him from a photograph. He had lived openly in the U.S. for over nine years without immigration enforcement contact. Song was charged as deportable for visa overstay and detained at Adelanto ICE Processing Center. On June 16, 2026, an immigration judge denied his bond request, finding him a flight risk. The federal court denied his habeas petition seeking immediate release, finding that a post-deprivation bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) satisfied his due process rights.

Mario Galvez-Mondragon, a Mexican citizen who entered the U.S. on a B-2 visa in 2019 and overstayed, was arrested during a targeted ICE raid in Los Angeles on December 8, 2025, without an arrest warrant. He was detained and received a bond hearing on April 30, 2026, where bond was denied. The federal court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding the arrest violated 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) requirements and ordered his immediate release, prohibiting re-detention without a pre-detention hearing before an immigration judge.

ICE detained a mother with a pending asylum petition and visa for crime victims days after she had an emergency C-section, leaving her newborn alone in a NICU on a ventilator. She was held at Broadview Processing Center where she was denied postpartum medical care, a breast pump, adequate food and water, and received minimal care despite agents knowing she had recently given birth.

Gennady Sorochkin, a Ukrainian immigrant who has been on supervised release since 2001, was re-detained by ICE on December 2, 2025, during a routine check-in. He had been living in Santa Monica with his sister for 25 years without violations after Ukraine refused to accept him as a citizen. The court ordered his immediate release, finding no significant likelihood of removal in the reasonably foreseeable future.

Diana Sanchez, a Stockton-area resident with pending asylum and U-visa applications, was detained by ICE officers at a check-in appointment in mid-December 2025 at Otay Mesa Detention Center. During her nearly four-month detention, she witnessed multiple medical emergencies including strokes and fainting, reported inadequate medical response and poor food quality, and experienced retaliation from guards after filing grievances about treatment. A federal judge ruled in her favor in April 2026, finding ICE lacked authority to detain her, and she was released.

Ehsan Rajabi, an Iranian graduate student at Johns Hopkins University studying art history, had his student visa cancelled by U.S. border officials at the American border near Buffalo, New York. After presenting all required documentation including his student visa and Canadian visitor visa, officers searched his car and phone, interrogated him for hours, and then used a red marker to draw a cancellation line across his student visa.

Two 16-year-old Venezuelan cousins were detained by ICE agents during a raid on their Detroit home in late November 2025. The teens arrived in the U.S. in 2023 and were formally seeking asylum with valid work permits. Both were students at Western International High School, where a teacher described one cousin as an excellent student eager to learn English. One cousin worked at Chili's. During the raid, agents also detained two of the teens' parents while searching for a different individual. All four family members were transferred to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Texas, hundreds of miles from their support network. Both teens had pending asylum cases scheduled for immigration court. Community members, students, and advocates held a rally at Clark Park calling for their immediate release.

Vahid Abedini, an assistant professor of Iranian Studies at the University of Oklahoma's College of International Studies, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Will Rogers International Airport on Saturday while boarding a flight to attend a Middle East Studies Association conference in Washington, D.C. Abedini, who holds an H-1B visa for specialty occupation employment, was held for three days before being released on Monday. DHS characterized the detention as standard questioning. After his release, Abedini described the experience as deeply distressing on LinkedIn and thanked colleagues at the University of Oklahoma, the Middle East Studies Association, and the broader Iran studies and political science community for their support in resolving the situation.

Thi Dua Vang and her family found asylum in the U.S. in 2023 and she applied for her green card, which is awaiting final approval. ICE agents showed up at her doorstep, which Vang believed to be a mistake given her pending legal status.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been holding 23-year-old Eric Sebastian Ferrales, a Laveen landscaper who has lived in the United States since age 3, for two weeks. Although Ferrales lacks legal status, his family states the U.S. is the only country he has ever truly known. He now faces deportation proceedings.