Human Impact Project

On August 27, 2025, Vasquez (49) and Ramirez (40), a married couple from Mexico, were arrested by ICE during a traffic stop in Tulsa despite having pending U visa applications and federal deportation protections as crime victims who assisted law enforcement in prosecuting a serial rapist. Ramirez was held for four months at Bluebonnet Detention Facility in Texas, where she was denied access to seizure medication for her epilepsy. Vasquez was detained for over seven months at a CoreCivic facility in Cushing, Oklahoma, and attended 13 immigration court hearings before winning a habeas corpus lawsuit granting him a bond hearing. The prolonged separation and detention resulted in job loss, eviction from their home in Broken Arrow, and approximately $12,000 in accumulated legal debt. Vasquez was released in April 2026 on deferral of removal grounds, followed by Ramirez's release. Both remain without legal status and are working to recover financially while awaiting U visa hearings.

Jorge Cruz, a green card holder and street vendor from Mexico City who has lived in the U.S. since age 5, was detained by ICE on August 27 while returning home with his wife from dropping off their four children at school. Cruz, who obtained his green card in 2014 after marrying a U.S. citizen, remains held in a detention center in Adelanto about 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles. His attorney and wife report that the specific grounds for his detention remain unclear, though authorities have referenced past dismissed charges related to street vending infractions and a verbal altercation with another vendor that resulted in dropped charges.

Alejandro Theodoro Orellana, 29, a member of the Boyle Heights-based community organization Centro CSO, pleaded not guilty to handing out protective face shields to protesters during an anti-ICE demonstration in Los Angeles. He faces federal charges of conspiracy and aiding and abetting civil disorder. Trial was set for August 26 in LA federal court.

Luis, a migrant from Ecuador, was arrested by ICE agents after an immigration court hearing on August 26, 2025, as his young daughters clung to him in anguish. The photograph of his arrest, capturing his daughters' faces as they tried to prevent their father from being taken away, won World Press Photo's 2026 'Photo of the Year' award. The image drew international attention for its depiction of fear, terror, and powerlessness during the enforcement action.

Luis, an Ecuadorian mechanic and father of three, was arrested by masked ICE agents on August 26 after leaving a courtroom on the 12th floor of 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan with his wife Cocha and their children, ages 7, 13, and 15. The family had attended a routine immigration hearing and believed his case had been extended for another year when agents grabbed Luis without explanation. His children leapt onto him, clutching his shirt to stay together, but an ICE agent violently yanked one of his daughters backward to pry them apart. His 7-year-old son was left weeping as a masked agent blocked the family with his arm. The family came to the U.S. from Ecuador 2.5 years ago, making the journey on foot and by car, fleeing local corruption and fearing for their children's futures. Luis works as a mechanic and is the family's sole financial support. Cocha, who stayed home to care for the children, does not know where her husband was taken or what to do without him.

A Guatemalan father of three, a native and citizen of Guatemala, has resided in Los Angeles with his family for many years and has three biological children who are United States citizens. He was arrested by immigration authorities on August 26, 2025, and has been detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center since that time. He is pending removal proceedings and is seeking Cancellation of Removal relief. An immigration judge denied bond at two hearings—one on January 12, 2026 (where he bore the burden of proof) and another on March 2, 2026 (where the government bore the burden)—based solely on his prior DUI conviction and immigration history, without adequately considering his family ties, stable residence, or lack of criminal history involving moral turpitude. The federal magistrate judge found the March 2, 2026 bond denial was an abuse of discretion because the immigration judge failed to conduct an individualized assessment, consider mitigating factors, or address alternatives to detention as required by the Rodriguez class action injunction. The court ordered his immediate release on his prior conditions of supervision and enjoined further detention without a compliant bond hearing.

Balbino Mayora, an Arizona resident of nearly 25 years and business owner, was arrested by Phoenix police over vehicle registration issues. After his court hearing on August 27, ICE agents apprehended him outside the courthouse and he was transferred to the Eloy Detention Center. Mayora, who entered the US legally on a visa but overstayed, is now in removal proceedings while his family fights for his release.

A Guatemalan man who entered the U.S. without inspection in 2019 was arrested and detained by immigration officials at the Phoenix Police Department on August 25, 2025. He alleges that no agent produced a warrant, explained the reason for detention, or provided any documents. The court ordered respondents to answer his habeas corpus petition within 20 days and denied his motion for temporary restraining order.

José Ángel, 17, was detained by ICE agents in Edinburg, Texas on August 25 while on his way to retrieve a truck left behind after his uncle's earlier detention. According to José and his sister Regina, 19, who spoke with N+ Univision, their uncle had been detained by ICE while with one of his children, who managed to escape. Their mother asked them to go pick up the abandoned truck, and José was preparing for school when he and Regina went to the location where he was detained.

Adrian Sotelo Guzman was forcibly removed by ICE from M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina and transferred to a mental health facility in Texas, despite hospital staff determining he was experiencing psychosis related to bipolar disorder and was not stable enough for discharge. A federal judge approved the Department of Homeland Security's request for his removal. Medical providers and advocates raised concerns that Sotelo Guzman could not make independent decisions due to active psychosis and was denied family contact during the transfer. His family and advocacy groups are now seeking to reunite with him and calling for investigations into the circumstances of his removal.

A video captured ICE agents detaining several immigrant workers in Danbury, Connecticut on Monday, August 24, showing an agent kneeling on a man lying face-down on the street with his hands behind his back while pointing an object toward his head. The person who filmed the video, who asked to remain anonymous, told N+ Univision that one of those detained was his friend, whom he had met at a shelter, describing him as "super amable" and someone who always greeted people warmly. The witness said he and his friend were preparing to leave for work with a group of other workers when immigration agents arrived and began detaining people without identifying themselves.

Gustavo was detained by ICE on August 24, 2025, while working at Bubble Hand Car Wash in Torrance. After being held for 7 months, he was granted bond at $17,500. His sister Rosa organized a GoFundMe to raise funds for his legal expenses, noting that Gustavo is elderly with medical conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, and cirrhosis.

Rodrigo Almendarez, a U.S. citizen born in Canoga Park, was detained by ICE agents outside his workplace in Simi Valley without being identified or told why. He was released after showing his ID and a coworker's intervention. He plans to file a lawsuit over the incident.

ICE arrests continue to increase across the Western Pennsylvania region, including areas like Monroeville and Ambridge. Federal immigration authorities are receiving assistance from local police in conducting these enforcement operations. The article references an incident on Tuesday involving more than two dozen workers arrested at a construction site at Mount Nittany.

ICE agents arrested a father from Guatemala outside Park Dale Lane Elementary School in Encinitas on Wednesday morning while dropping off his daughter. The arrest was witnessed by parents and school staff. This was the third ICE arrest outside a San Diego-area elementary school in August. The man had an outstanding removal order from an immigration judge since 2017, according to ICE.

Federal agents, including Border Patrol's BORTAC tactical unit, ICE, and the U.S. Marshal Service, converged on a shopping center parking lot in Encinitas to apprehend a man from Mexico who had been deported twice before and had a final order of removal from 2019. According to CBP, the man rammed one of the agents' vehicles and fled on foot into a wooded area before being taken into custody. Witnesses described the heavily armed, masked agents and unmarked vehicles as alarming, and the man remains in ICE custody pending removal.

Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry, a disabled U.S. Army veteran from Pakistan who has lived in the United States since 2000, was detained by ICE on August 21, 2025, when he arrived for a citizenship interview in Tukwila, Washington. Chaudhry served in the Washington Army National Guard from 2001 to 2005 and was honorably discharged due to a back injury sustained during training; the injury left him using a wheelchair and experiencing severe pain. He has been living in Lacey with his wife Melissa and their two children, and has dedicated his post-military life to activism, serving on former Governor Jay Inslee's Committee on Disability Issues and Employment and as president of Veterans for Peace Olympia. Federal officials say Chaudhry failed to initially disclose fraud convictions from Australia in 1996 related to using documents that were not his to open a bank account and obtain benefits; Chaudhry's wife states he was coerced into pleading guilty and was told there would be no criminal record, and that the convictions carried a lenient sentence. An immigration judge denied his bond on August 29, 2025, leaving him detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma while his removal case moves through the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where he has an ongoing appeal challenging a 2020 Board of Immigration Appeals decision that overturned an immigration judge's 2018 ruling allowing him to keep his green card.

José Escobar Molina, 47, a Salvadoran native with temporary protected status who had lived in Washington, DC for 25 years, was grabbed and handcuffed without questions by ICE agents in two cars as he approached his work truck. He was held overnight in Virginia before being released. He is a plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit challenging warrantless arrests in DC.

Jediael Amaya Sanchez, 46, was detained by ICE agents outside the Buncombe County Courthouse on August 21 while attending a civil complaint hearing. Armed officers in tactical gear conducted the arrest in an unmarked vehicle without notifying local law enforcement or his public defender. Amaya Sanchez had recently been acquitted in a jury trial and had only traffic-related convictions on his record. The incident occurred amid a reported 170% increase in ICE arrests in North Carolina this year, raising concerns among civil rights advocates and local law enforcement about procedural transparency and safety.

Ricardo and Leonard Chavez, two brothers, were tased and arrested by ICE agents in the middle of Main Street in Norwalk during the Operation Broken Trust enforcement action. A video posted to social media documented the tasing and arrest of the two men by federal agents.

ICE Boston, in coordination with the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, and ATF, apprehended 65 people during a four-day enforcement operation from August 12-15, 2025, targeting transnational organized crime, gangs, and offenders with serious criminal histories across Connecticut. The operation, named Operation Broken Trust, included arrests at courthouses in Stamford, Norwalk, and Danbury, as well as street arrests. According to ICE, 29 of the 65 people arrested had been convicted or charged with crimes including kidnapping, assault, drug offenses, weapons violations, and sex crimes. The operation was conducted in response to Connecticut's Trust Act, which limits state and local law enforcement cooperation with ICE. Immigration advocates protested the operation and criticized ICE's tactics, including arrests at courthouses and use of force against protesters.

Miguel Alvarado-Lopez, a worker at Moonshot Tavern in Portland, was apprehended by immigration enforcement agents on January 24 while sitting in his car at a gas station in Northeast Portland. He was transferred to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, then to Arizona, and as of the report was awaiting deportation to Guatemala where his wife and son reside.

Luis Fernando Hong, a 20-year-old Venezuelan man from Coro, Falcón, was detained by ICE on August 20 in Hallandale Beach, Florida. He arrived in the U.S. in 2016 at age 10 as part of his family's asylum application, which was filed three months after their arrival, and has a pending asylum case along with a valid work permit and no criminal record. Hong works at Wells Fargo as a personal banker, and was intercepted by immigration agents outside a Walmart after going to the gym following his work shift. He is currently held at the Miramar processing center. A family member described him as 'a good young man' who has lived in the country for more than 10 years while following the law and maintaining good behavior.

Guan Heng, a Chinese asylum seeker who documented internment camps in Xinjiang, was arrested by ICE agents at his home in Albany in August 2025 and detained for five months. Guan had fled China after his 2021 YouTube footage exposed human rights abuses targeting Uyghur Muslims. He arrived in the U.S. in 2021, applied for asylum, and settled in New York before his detention. The arrest reflects a troubling pattern affecting Chinese dissidents seeking refuge in the United States.

A father was briefly detained by ICE agents on August 19, 2025, after dropping off his child at a Garden Grove elementary school. Masked individuals in unmarked cars surrounded and handcuffed the man near campus around 7:50 a.m. He was held in an ICE vehicle in a nearby parking lot and released within an hour after providing documentation and confirming his identity.

An ICE enforcement action in Escondido resulted in the detention of a father while his children witnessed the incident. According to an Instagram post, children can be heard speaking in Spanish expressing distress about the situation.

Mario, a father of three who had worked non-stop for 33 years since immigrating from Mexico, was arrested at the carwash in Santa Ana where he worked during ICE raids on August 19, 2025. He spent six nights sleeping on the floor of a holding cell he called the "ice box," where detainees huddled together for warmth, and two months at Adelanto detention center where he contracted a contagion, possibly flu or COVID. He was released on October 24 after his lawyers filed a habeas corpus petition, but he cannot work while awaiting a final deportation hearing scheduled for July 27. His wife Alejandra said he was severely traumatized after release, refusing to leave the house, barely eating, with no energy to shower. His son now pays for his rent and food, and Mario said he has become "a burden" for his family after decades of being their sole breadwinner.

Daniel Fuentes Espinal, a 54-year-old volunteer pastor and construction worker from Honduras, was detained by ICE on July 21, 2025, while driving to a construction job in Easton, Maryland, after purchasing supplies at Lowe's and picking up breakfast at McDonald's. He arrived legally in 2001 on a six-month visitor visa and had been living in the country on an expired visa ever since. For the past 24 years, Fuentes Espinal has been a cornerstone of his Easton community, working steadily in construction to support his wife and three adult children, and serving as a volunteer pastor at Iglesia del Nazareno Jesus Te Ama for over a decade, where he has built the congregation to 70 families. His daughter Clarissa had begun sponsoring him for permanent residence through legal channels. According to court records and his family, he has no criminal history. During his detention, he was transferred through facilities in Salisbury and Baltimore before being moved to Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana, where he reported deplorable conditions including sleeping on concrete or cold benches, lack of adequate food and sanitation, and denial of access to his heart and stomach medications. His community, congregation, and Maryland congressional representatives—including U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, Representative Sarah Elfreth, and Representative Glenn Ivey—rallied to support him. A GoFundMe campaign raised over $50,000 for his legal expenses. He was released from ICE detention and returned home to his family in Easton nearly a month after his arrest.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents opened fire on a vehicle during an immigration enforcement operation after the driver allegedly struck two officers with his car. The three occupants, including an unauthorized immigrant, were not hit. The driver was briefly detained but released due to California's sanctuary policies, as agents lacked a warrant.

A U.S. citizen born in Yakima, Washington, was pulled over and temporarily detained by ICE agents on the morning of August 17 while driving to work near the Sundome area. Agents surrounded his vehicle, asked for identification without explaining the stop, and told him there was a warrant for his arrest for "being here illegally." He was handcuffed and placed in a squad car until agents verified his citizenship, after which he was released. He said agents refused to provide their badge numbers or names before leaving, and he photographed their vehicles and license plates.

Federal agents detained a food delivery driver in Northwest Washington on Saturday morning, tackling him to the ground and apparently using a stun gun before placing him in an unmarked vehicle. The incident was witnessed and recorded by multiple people including a Washington Post reporter. The man was later identified as a Venezuelan national.

On August 16, 2025, ICE conducted enforcement operations at a Home Depot and car wash in Anaheim, detaining at least five people despite a federal court order prohibiting indiscriminate sweeps. At the Euclid Car Wash, ICE deployed tear gas against a crowd of bystanders and arrested Isaac Dominguez, an uninvolved Black bystander who was there to wash his car, after he reportedly confronted the agents.

ICE officers arrested a Mayan-language speaking woman from Guatemala in San Francisco immigration court on August 15, 2025. The DHS attorney did not move to dismiss her case and agreed to reschedule her hearing for October. The woman, who spoke only Mam and had difficulty communicating through interpreters, was arrested in the courthouse hallway immediately after her hearing concluded.

Edwin Calva, a 27-year-old from Ecuador, was arrested by ICE agents at Danbury Superior Courthouse on August 15, 2025. According to ICE, Calva had been convicted of larceny and arrested on charges of domestic violence, third-degree assault, breach of peace, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, and unlawful restraint, with two charges of violating a protective order as felonies. Calva had pleaded not guilty to all charges and his cases remain pending. His sister Monica Apolinario stated that Calva was called to court by his public defender on a day when he wasn't scheduled for a hearing. His girlfriend Jossie Gutierrez said Calva was the sole supporter of his ill mother in Ecuador and expressed fear he would be deported and killed, citing the fate of his nephew who was deported and killed in his country of origin.

Tatiana Martinez, a 24-year-old TikTok influencer with 47,000 followers, was arrested by federal agents while livestreaming from her car in downtown Los Angeles. Her attorney believes she was targeted for recording and reporting ICE activity, though DHS stated she was arrested due to a prior DUI conviction. Martinez was taken to a detention center in Calexico and reportedly suffered bruising during the arrest.

Ribvar Karimi, an Iranian national, has been in ICE custody for over 50 days in Alabama. He missed the birth of his child while detained.

Johan Blanco, a 44-year-old yoga instructor from Venezuela who teaches at Mimi Yoga's Wynwood location, was detained by ICE agents during a vehicle stop in Miami-Dade County on August 15, just minutes before he was set to teach a sold-out Power Vinyasa class. His students arrived to an empty studio that morning, and it remained unclear where he was being held. An ICE spokesperson said Blanco had entered the country lawfully but remained in the U.S. for 10 years after failing to depart as required. A GoFundMe organized on his behalf describes him as a 'community pillar' and has raised more than $40,700 for legal fees and family support. Blanco moved to Miami in 2015 after previously teaching Hatha yoga at embassies in Venezuela.

Mamadou Mouctar Diallo, a 20-year-old asylum seeker from Guinea and student at Brooklyn Frontiers High School, was detained by ICE on August 4, 2025, following a routine court appearance. He was transferred to a detention facility in Pennsylvania. Elected officials, immigrant advocates, and teachers rallied outside the Tweed Courthouse in Lower Manhattan in response to his detention. Diallo was held for approximately five months before being released in November 2025.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained Juan Jose Martinez Cortes, a Mexican national, outside Linda Vista Elementary School in San Diego on Thursday while he was waiting to pick up his child, minutes before school dismissal. School district officials expressed frustration over the arrest occurring near school grounds. This was the second ICE arrest outside an elementary school in the San Diego area within two weeks.

Michel Tshimankinda, a pastor at Restoration Church of Maine in South Portland, was released on bond after spending 16 days in ICE custody following his August 13 detention. Tshimankinda, who arrived in 2016 on a tourist visa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, says he applied for asylum while his visa was still active and has been awaiting a decision. He has returned to lead his church while his asylum case is pending. ICE states he overstayed his visa by nine years, while Tshimankinda maintains his asylum application was filed before the visa expired.

Antonia Aguilar Maldonado, a mother of two U.S. citizen children, was released from ICE custody on August 13 following a federal judge's order. She had been detained on July 17 while on her way to work despite having no criminal record and an active asylum application. Aguilar Maldonado came to the U.S. in 2016 as a 17-year-old unaccompanied minor without legal status.

Jose Valdovinos, a 27-year-old DACA recipient who has lived in Arizona since he was a toddler, was detained by Border Patrol on August 10, 2025, after he and his wife, U.S. citizen Jitzell Flores, left a Circle K gas station near downtown Yuma. When Flores asked why he was being taken, an agent said, 'We don't have to give it to you.' Valdovinos, who works packaging Medjool dates at Datepac, has no criminal record, pays taxes, renewed his DACA status every two years, and was pursuing permanent residency. DHS said the vehicle was stopped for 'driving in a suspicious manner' and stated that 'DACA does not confer any form of legal status.' Flores called the stop racial profiling. The Mexican Consulate visited him and connected his family with an attorney before his transfer to the Florence Service Processing Center. Weeks later, he was released with an ankle monitor.

ICE agents detained six people at a home on 79th Avenue near Hillside Street in East Oakland on August 12, 2025, including a 17-year-old minor and someone with a severe disability. According to Nikolas De Bremaeker, immigrants' rights managing attorney at Centro Legal, no arrest warrants were issued for any of the detainees. The minor was initially held in a hotel before being transferred to the San Francisco ICE Field Office, where all six remain detained. De Bremaeker stated he pressed ICE on the illegality of detaining a child under these circumstances. Centro Legal and the Alameda County Immigration Legal Education Partnership's rapid response hotline are providing legal support to the detainees. This was the first confirmed ICE sighting in Oakland verified by the county's rapid response hotline.

Federal Protective Service officers arrested more than a dozen protesters outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles during Occupy ICE demonstrations that began in early July. The protesters maintained an encampment and stated they were being targeted for exercising First Amendment rights, while federal officials cited charges including assaulting officers and vandalism. The ACLU filed a lawsuit alleging excessive force and violations of protesters' constitutional rights during the demonstrations. The arrests occurred during the ongoing demonstrations.

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking ICE from holding immigrants at a Manhattan facility (26 Federal Plaza) unless conditions are improved, including providing sleeping mats, hygiene products, and legal access. The facility had been holding detainees on floors without beds, limiting meals to two per day, and denying access to basic necessities and legal representation.

Marcos Gaspar-Da Silva, a 33-year-old Brazilian national with a pending asylum case and an I-130 petition filed by his U.S. citizen wife, was detained by ICE agents in Maine in early January after missing an immigration court hearing. He was held for seven months across multiple facilities, including Mesa's overcrowded AROCC facility where he slept on a feces-covered floor without a blanket, and the Florence detention center, where he lost more than 26 pounds and went without treatment for a toothache until his tooth had to be pulled. On August 12, an immigration judge granted him adjustment of status through his wife's petition and ordered his release; he was dropped off at a Mesa church the next day and reunited with his wife and 11-year-old daughter, though he described lasting trauma and difficulty eating and sleeping.

J-M-L, a 57-year-old father from Guatemala, was detained by ICE on August 12, 2025, when he and his son arrived at the Eugene Federal Building for an administrative check-in. Both were transported to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. J-M-L had previously entered the United States without authorization on multiple occasions and was considered subject to a final removal order since 2007. The family had been living in Lebanon, Oregon since 2019.

S-M-J, a 19-year-old with a disability from Guatemala, arrived at the Eugene Federal Building on August 12, 2025, for an administrative check-in and was detained by ICE along with his father. An ICE officer presented him with options to sign a voluntary departure order or receive a notice to appear, which U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai characterized as "coercive conduct." The judge's ruling ensured the voluntary departure order would not be enforced. S-M-J had lived in Lebanon, Oregon since 2019 and was a high school graduate.

A 21-year-old man with physical and developmental disabilities, who is nearly deaf and has limited English proficiency, was arrested by ICE on August 12 during a raid in Oakland and is now detained at the Northwest ICE Detention Center in Tacoma. Advocates and attorneys report he cannot understand his legal proceedings and is isolated from those who can communicate with him. ICE is detaining an individual with disabilities at a detention center.

Two men were arrested by ICE agents inside a Stamford courthouse on August 11, 2025, around 11:15 a.m. Federal officers in military-style vests entered the building, forced open a bathroom door, and removed the men in handcuffs. Witnesses reported the use of pepper spray and described the operation as aggressive and disruptive to court proceedings. The arrests occurred after President Trump's administration reversed a federal policy that had prohibited immigration enforcement in courthouses.