An activist Instagram post calls for the release of Ender Cardenas Chacon and other people granted asylum from Karnes ICE detention center. The post urges followers to contact the Department of Homeland Security and Congress to demand their release.
Estefany Rodríguez Flórez, a reporter for Nashville Noticias covering Spanish-language news, was arrested by ICE agents on March 4, 2026, during a traffic stop in South Nashville while her husband was dropping off their daughter at a bus stop. A Colombian citizen who entered the U.S. legally on a tourist visa in 2021, Rodríguez had fled Colombia after receiving threats for reporting on militant groups and was awaiting asylum approval. She also had pending green card applications through marriage to a U.S. citizen. ICE cited her as a flight risk for missing two meetings, though her attorney stated ICE could not locate any record of a scheduled appointment despite multiple inquiries. During her 16-day detention across facilities in Alabama and Louisiana, she reported difficult conditions including forced chemical washing, isolation, and limited access to legal assistance. An immigration judge granted her release on bond on March 16, 2026, and she was released on March 20 after a $10,000 bond was paid. Her legal team filed federal court petitions challenging the arrest as warrantless and alleging violations of her First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rights, including allegations of retaliation for her critical reporting on ICE enforcement activities.
Misslenys Hernandez Zabala, a Venezuelan asylum seeker with a valid work permit, was detained by ICE on March 20, 2026, while on her way to work in Nashville. She is nursing her 10-month-old son, Maximiliano, who is a U.S. citizen, and also cares for a 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old niece. Her partner said ICE agents asked her in Spanish where the baby was as she screamed about her son during the detention. The family came to the U.S. in 2021 seeking asylum and has attended all required court dates, with their next hearing scheduled for 2028. Advocates brought the baby to DHS offices requesting her release, but ICE refused, stating that breastfeeding is not grounds for release.
Igor Babkin, a Russian art teacher who fled political persecution, entered the U.S. legally under humanitarian parole in 2024 and was released under supervision. On February 3, 2026, ICE detained him during a routine annual check-in appointment despite his legal status and prior release. Held at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall for approximately six weeks, Babkin's attorney challenged the detention as violating due process rights. On March 17, 2026, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ordered Babkin's release, finding that ICE had violated his due process rights by reversing its earlier discretionary decision to release him without providing individualized assessment or evidence of changed circumstances. Babkin was released on March 20, 2026.
Three people were detained during an ICE raid on a South Burlington home on March 11, 2026. The detainees were Daysi Camila Patin Patin, 20, from Ecuador; her sister Jisella Johana Patin Patin; and Cristian Humberto Jerez Andrade. None of the three were named in the warrant that authorized the raid. Following federal court hearings, all three were ordered released by a judge, with Daysi Camila Patin Patin's release ordered on March 20, 2026.
U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger ruled that ICE unlawfully detained asylum seeker Andrei Bankevich from Belarus in Muscatine County Jail for over a year and that federal officials violated his due process rights by refusing to release him without a court order.
Jose Valera Vera, a medical assistant at a Memphis clinic, was detained by ICE after traveling to Nashville for an immigration hearing. Vera, a former doctor from Venezuela seeking political asylum, was taken into custody at the hearing despite having a pending petition filed by his wife, who is a permanent resident. He has since been transferred to a facility in Mason, Tennessee.
A 21-year-old Indian citizen entered the U.S. without inspection in June 2024 and was released on his own recognizance with removal proceedings pending. He complied with all release conditions and filed for asylum. Immigration authorities re-detained him on March 19, 2026, without notice or opportunity for a hearing. The court granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release, finding the government violated his due process rights.
Cristian Humberto Jerez Andrade, a 31-year-old Honduran national, was detained during an ICE raid on March 11, 2026, at a South Burlington residence. ICE agents had a search warrant for the property but Jerez Andrade's name was not on it; they were searching for another individual who was not present. He was held at Northwest State Correctional Facility for approximately one week before an immigration judge granted him release on a $10,000 bond on March 19-20, 2026. Jerez Andrade has not been charged with a crime, though deportation proceedings have been initiated against him.
A Venezuelan man with a U.S. citizen son was detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, despite having been previously released by ICE. Court records indicate ICE reassessed his tattoos as a basis for re-detention. He was among at least 16 asylum seekers released by federal court order after successful litigation challenging their detention.
A former career public servant from Afghanistan who fled violence and was granted work authorization to work as a supermarket cashier and Uber driver was among at least 16 asylum seekers detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, and later released by federal court order. The detention was based on alleged violations of the Intensive Supervision Appearance program.
A Russian asylum seeker who fled persecution over refusing to participate in Russia's invasion of Ukraine was among at least 16 asylum seekers detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, and later released by federal court order. The detention was based on alleged violations of the Intensive Supervision Appearance program.
An Afghan asylum seeker was assured by ICE that two missed check-ins would not be held against him—one due to a double-booked appointment and another due to hospitalization for a heart arrhythmia. Two months after the hospitalization, ICE detained him at work, claiming he was a flight risk for missed check-ins and failing to report a move to Portland. ICE provided no documentary evidence of the violations. U.S. District Judge Kymberly K. Evanson ruled in his favor and released him after 41 days of detention at the Northwest Detention Center.
Wilfredo Castillo, a Venezuelan who fled political persecution and violence, was arrested at an immigration check-in appointment in Tukwila in March 2025 after being told by ICE he would be detained. ICE claimed he missed nine SmartLink app check-ins, but Castillo says the app malfunctioned and he never missed in-person appointments. He spent 11 months at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, where he was stabbed multiple times by another detainee. A federal judge released him after finding the government lacked justification for his prolonged detention.
Ricardo Navarrete, an 18-year-old senior at Mather High School, was detained by ICE agents on March 16, 2026, during a scheduled check-in appointment for his pending asylum case. He had fled Colombia in 2022 seeking asylum, held a valid work permit and REAL ID, and had been accepted to play soccer at Truman College. Following his detention, Ricardo was transferred between multiple ICE detention facilities across Oklahoma, Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, where he reported sleeping on floors without blankets and spending time in solitary confinement. His attorneys filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention, and he was released on May 26, 2026, just days before his high school graduation.
Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman from Paterson, New Jersey, was detained by ICE in March 2025 after attending a voluntary check-in at the Newark ICE office. She had participated in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in April 2024, though those charges were dismissed the next day. At the time of her ICE detention, Kordia had a pending green card application through her U.S. citizen mother and a pending asylum application. She was held at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas for over one year. In February 2026, while detained, Kordia suffered a seizure and was hospitalized but remained shackled to her hospital bed and was prevented from contacting family or attorneys. She experienced additional health complications including dizziness, fainting episodes, and significant weight loss, along with reports of overcrowded conditions and inadequate food at the facility. On March 16, 2026, an immigration judge ordered her release on a $100,000 bond, citing minimal flight risk and serious medical concerns. The government did not appeal the decision. Her attorneys contend she was targeted for her pro-Palestine advocacy.
Vilma Bautista Torres and her 9-year-old son Kenek, who has Level 3 autism, were detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center for more than 80 days despite a federal settlement limiting child detention to 20 days. During detention, Kenek lost access to specialized therapy and schooling, experienced frequent meltdowns, self-harm episodes, and became increasingly disoriented and afraid. After a pro bono law clinic filed a parole request documenting his autism diagnosis and self-harm, ICE released the family with an ankle monitor.
Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, an Afghan national who served alongside U.S. Special Forces for a decade, was arrested by ICE agents on March 13, 2026, outside his home in Richardson, Texas, while taking his six children to school. He had legally entered the U.S. in 2021 after evacuating from Afghanistan and had a pending asylum application. During his arrest, his wife attempted to give him his inhaler, but ICE agents rejected it. While in ICE custody, Paktiawal called his brother Naseer to report chest pain and requested medical care, which ICE staff ignored. He was transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital on the evening of March 15 after reporting shortness of breath and chest pains during ICE intake processing. The following morning, he died from anaphylaxis triggered by an adverse drug reaction that exacerbated his asthma. Hospital staff noted tongue swelling and administered epinephrine, but he was pronounced dead approximately 40 minutes later. His death certificate and the Dallas County Medical Examiner both ruled the cause of death as accidental, attributed to an adverse drug reaction to an unidentified substance. His family and advocacy groups are demanding the full autopsy report be released and questioning what substance caused the reaction. His brother asked: "If they know he is going through pain and he is asking for someone to help, what were they waiting for? The last breath?"
Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal, a 41-year-old Afghan asylum seeker and former Afghan special forces soldier who worked with U.S. military forces, died on March 14, 2026, less than 24 hours after being detained by ICE in Richardson, Texas while dropping off his children at school. Paktyawal had entered the U.S. legally in 2021 through Operation Allies Refuge and was awaiting an asylum decision; his temporary parole status had expired in August 2025. During ICE custody on March 13, he complained of shortness of breath and chest pain during a medical intake exam and was taken to Parkland Hospital in Dallas. The following morning, his tongue swelled and medical staff administered epinephrine and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation before he was pronounced dead at 9:10 a.m. The exact cause of his death remains unknown to his family, with results pending from the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office. His 12-year-old son and brother have publicly sought answers about his death.
Jonatan, a legal resident with an upcoming asylum hearing, was detained by ICE and held in a local jail in Virginia for three weeks before being released on March 14, 2026. His partner Kirby credits community organizing and intervention by people tracking ICE movements with preventing his disappearance and securing his release. The incident left lasting psychological and financial impacts on both of them.
A man with no criminal record who entered the United States legally and pursued an asylum claim for a decade was transported across multiple states in federal custody. During the multi-day transfer beginning March 14, he experienced prolonged restraint, overcrowding, sleep deprivation, and limited access to food, water, and medical care. Detainees were handcuffed for up to 14 hours, held in facilities beyond capacity, and did not receive proper medical screening or attorney notification.
Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, a 41-year-old Afghan national who served alongside U.S. Army Special Forces in Paktika province starting in 2005, died in ICE custody on March 14 at Dallas' Parkland Memorial Hospital, less than 24 hours after his arrest. On March 13, 2025, unmarked ICE agents arrested Paktiawal outside his home in Richardson, Texas, while he was taking four of his six children to school. His brother Naseer reported that Paktiawal called that evening saying he couldn't breathe, his body was in pain, and he was shaking and sweating. At the hospital, staff discovered severe tongue swelling at breakfast on March 14 and administered allergy medication before initiating life-saving measures. Paktiawal had been evacuated to the U.S. with his family when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021 and held humanitarian parole valid through 2029. His family stated he was in the country legally with a pending immigration case and asylum application. DHS claimed he had been arrested for alleged SNAP fraud and theft with no charges filed, though his military service was confirmed by news organizations. The Dallas County medical examiner's office investigation into the cause and manner of death was ongoing.
The Gámez-Cuéllar family—parents Luis Antonio Gámez Martínez and Emma Guadalupe Cuéllar López, and their three sons Antonio (18), Caleb (12), and Joshua (14)—were detained by ICE on February 25, 2026, during a routine immigration check-in in Edinburg, Texas. The family had legally entered the U.S. in May 2023 through the CBP One asylum app and were in active asylum proceedings with a final hearing scheduled for September. Antonio was separated from his family and shackled during transport to an adult detention facility in Raymondville, while his younger brothers and parents were held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley. Two of the brothers are award-winning mariachi musicians with McAllen High School's Mariachi Oro band, which has performed at the White House and Carnegie Hall and won eight state championships. After approximately 13 days in detention, bipartisan congressional pressure from lawmakers including Rep. Monica De La Cruz and Rep. Joaquin Castro, combined with a successful parole request by their attorneys, resulted in the family's release on February 28, 2026. The parents were required to wear ankle monitors and restrict travel to 75 miles from their home.
Aleksei and his wife were arrested at the U.S. border with their 5-year-old twins and detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center for more than 120 days, six times the 20-day federal limit. When Aleksei asked an ICE officer about the violation, he was told the court settlement limiting child detention was "not applicable anymore." The twins experienced psychological deterioration including frequent meltdowns, sleep disruption, weight loss, and fear of strangers. The family was released in February after securing legal representation and filing a parole request.
A citizen of Kyrgyzstan entered the United States without inspection on April 17, 2023, and has lived in the U.S. interior for nearly three years. DHS initiated removal proceedings and released him on an Order of Release on Recognizance (OREC) in April 2023. On February 20, 2024, he filed a pending asylum application. On March 12, 2026, Indiana State Police encountered him during a traffic stop, after which DHS revoked his OREC and ICE arrested him under an administrative warrant pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1226. He has been detained at Clay County Jail in Brazil, Indiana since March 12, 2026. He is charged with inadmissibility as a noncitizen present in the United States without being admitted or paroled. The federal court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding that his detention without a bond hearing violates immigration law. The court ordered that by April 7, 2026, respondents must either provide him with an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge or release him under reasonable conditions of supervision.
An asylum seeker who entered the U.S. as a minor in 2021 was detained by ICE after being stopped by police while driving to work in Key Largo, Florida on March 12, 2026. He had been living in the community with a pending asylum application and no criminal history for five years. The court ordered his immediate release, finding his detention violated constitutional due process rights.
A man from Nicaragua who surrendered at the southern border in 2022 held a valid work permit, was employed as a landscaper in Minnesota, and had a pending asylum application when immigration courts summoned him to a hearing. ICE officers arrested him in the courthouse hallway immediately after the hearing ended. His labor union helped him file a lawsuit that ordered his release, though he was held for six additional days. He now fears he cannot trust the federal government to give him a fair hearing.
Jaime Eliceo Castro Guaman was arrested by ICE agents during a carpool to work on March 10, though agents stated they were looking for someone else. He held a pending asylum application, valid work permit, and no criminal history. Federal Judge William K. Sessions III ordered his immediate release on March 20, finding the detention may have violated his constitutional rights and stating the stop appeared pretextual. An immigration court bond hearing was scheduled to set conditions for his continued residence in the community.
A 23-year-old Colombian man was detained on March 10, 2026, at an ICE check-in appointment in Eugene based on a pending felony domestic violence assault charge in Linn County. He is an asylum seeker who fled politically motivated violence in Colombia. The alleged victim filed a statement saying she does not fear him and that the arrest does not represent his character as a person or father. Chief U.S. District Judge Michael McShane granted his habeas petition on May 14, 2026, finding the detention unjustified and rejecting the government's broad interpretation of mandatory detention law.
Adriana Laya, Miguel Alberto Caicedo, and their two children were detained at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas for two months following a routine ICE check-in in January 2026. The family, who entered the U.S. in 2024 under asylum parole, reported poor detention conditions including undrinkable water, constant lighting, and inadequate medical care for their son with kidney issues. Upon their release in mid-February, they discovered they had been evicted from their apartment in Las Cruces, New Mexico and lost their possessions, life savings, pet dog, and jobs. The family is now living in their car, their only remaining possession.
Joseph Andrey Londono Rodriguez, a 6-year-old deaf student at the California School for the Deaf, was detained by ICE agents on March 3, 2026, during what his mother believed was a routine photo renewal appointment at an ICE office in the San Francisco Bay Area. His mother, Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez, an asylum seeker from Colombia who had been in the country for four years and was under a supervision order, was detained along with Joseph's 5-year-old brother. The family was deported to Colombia within days without access to hearing aids, cochlear implants, legal representation, or accurate information about their location. State officials alleged ICE misrepresented the family's location to obstruct legal intervention. California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and congressional members requested an investigation and humanitarian parole to return the family, citing violations of due process protections.
Karla Saenz, a 26-year-old Venezuelan transgender organizer with Trans Queer Pueblo, was detained by ICE on March 9, 2026, during what she believed was a routine immigration check-in in Phoenix. According to an eyewitness account, ICE agents took her to a back room, claimed she had an arrest warrant without providing documentation, and handcuffed her. Saenz was transferred to Eloy Detention Center, located approximately 60 miles southeast of Phoenix, where she was initially placed in the men's unit despite being a trans woman. She contracted COVID-19 during her first two days in custody. Saenz had been a vocal advocate for Arbella "Yari" Marquez, a lesbian detainee at the same facility who was suffering from serious health complications including returning leukemia. Advocates believe Saenz's detention was retaliatory for her visible organizing work against immigration enforcement in Arizona, noting that she had consistently complied with all supervision requirements prior to her detention.
Ruben, 28, a Nicaraguan immigrant who had been living in San Francisco's Mission District with his brother Francisco since October 2022, was arrested on February 17 while arriving for his asylum appointment at the Sansome Street immigration court. Francisco and Ruben had worked together and lived as a unit for three years in the Mission, sharing meals and supporting each other as they built their lives in the United States. Ruben's prior immigration appointment had been changed without his notification, and he failed to file the necessary motion to explain his missed hearing, which proved fatal to his case. He was detained and transferred through multiple detention facilities—Mesa Verde in Bakersfield, a facility in Arizona, and Puerto Isabel in Texas—before being deported to Nicaragua on March 8.
Jefferson Fernando Cando Llano, 29, a father of a 6-year-old boy seeking asylum from Ecuador, was detained by masked Border Patrol agents in unmarked vehicles at a laundromat parking lot in Browne's Addition, Spokane on March 8. Cando Llano came to Spokane three years ago with his wife to escape trauma and violence in Ecuador and has an open asylum case with no criminal record. Friends who witnessed the encounter could not identify the agents and filed a missing persons report with Spokane police, fearing a kidnapping. Cando Llano was held for 10 days at Kootenai County Jail before being released after his attorney filed an appeal against a removal order issued by an immigration judge. The incident raised concerns among local police about the use of unmarked vehicles and masks by federal agents in immigration enforcement operations.
An asylum seeker from Ghana working as a health aide in Central Ohio is facing deportation to Uganda following a recent immigration hearing. The individual is seeking assistance after the government determined she should be removed to a country unfamiliar to her.
Jose Ernesto Aparicio Almendarez, a 20-year-old Honduran citizen who entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor seeking asylum, was detained by ICE after being stopped for driving without a license in Orlando, Florida. He had previously been released by ORR to a sponsor and has a pending asylum application. The court ordered his immediate release, finding his detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process. Jose Alberto Cuellar, a 51-year-old landscaper from El Salvador who has lived in South Florida for 30 years, was detained by ICE agents during a traffic stop near Davie and Griffin roads early Tuesday morning. According to his son Justin, who was driving the landscaping truck, ICE agents approached the vehicle after it was pulled over for an allegedly obstructed license plate, and agents asked his father in Spanish whether he had papers or was "legal," using a racial slur. Cuellar has no criminal record and has worked as a landscaper six days a week for decades while attempting to legalize his immigration status since the early 2000s; his family has been unable to locate him in any detainee system and are raising funds for legal representation.
Juan, a Honduran national who came to the U.S. seven years ago seeking asylum, was arrested by ICE during a traffic stop on a Virginia highway while driving to work. He had an active asylum case, work permit, and marriage petition to a U.S. citizen at the time of his arrest. After spending one month detained at Farmville Detention Center, Juan was released on bond following a habeas petition but now faces an uncertain asylum process with declining approval rates under the current administration.
Mirna Yesenia Alvarado Benitez, a citizen of El Salvador who entered the U.S. in July 2024, was initially detained and then released with conditions. On March 5, 2026, she appeared for a routine ICE check-in appointment, at which point the government placed her in expedited removal proceedings and detained her. The court granted a temporary restraining order preventing her removal while her habeas corpus petition is pending. Mirna Benitez, a Salvadoran woman who had been living in the U.S. for nearly 13 years and working as a school custodian, was detained by ICE after attending a scheduled appointment at an ICE office in North Chesterfield on December 7, 2025. Despite having attended regular ICE check-ins for years, applied for asylum with legal representation, and obtained a temporary work permit, Benitez was taken into custody without warning. She was transferred through multiple detention facilities—Riverside Regional Jail in Richmond, an ICE facility in Texas, and another in Louisiana—over 10 days, during which she reported mistreatment by officers, inadequate medical care, unsanitary conditions, and denial of access to legal counsel. She ultimately chose to accept deportation to El Salvador rather than remain detained, departing before Christmas.
Over 1,100 Afghan refugees, many of whom served alongside U.S. forces, are at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar. Since February 28, 2026, residents have experienced missile attacks and are housed in shipping containers. President Trump suspended their refugee resettlement program in 2025. The refugees remain in Qatar with unresolved immigration status.
An asylum seeker was detained on March 4, 2026 at Eden Detention Center while his asylum application remains pending. He filed an emergency motion seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent his removal and requesting immediate release or an individualized bond hearing. The federal court denied his motion, finding he failed to meet the requirements for emergency relief.
Syed Abbas, an Indian national from New York, was detained by Iowa State Patrol and ICE officers on March 4, 2026, while traveling through Iowa as a commercial truck driver. Abbas had been granted work authorization in 2024 and had a pending asylum application at the time of his arrest. State troopers pulled over his vehicle after the driver failed to stop at a weigh station, checked Abbas's immigration status despite him not being the driver, and concluded he was in the U.S. without authorization, then transferred him to Polk County Jail. Abbas's attorney has filed a federal lawsuit against ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and Polk County, arguing his due process rights were violated when he was deprived of liberty without notice, hearing, or individualized justification.
Orlin Carrasco, 29, was detained by ICE agents on March 4, 2026, inside Robertson County Courthouse after appearing before a judge on traffic charges. Carrasco had entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor at age 17 to flee gang recruitment in Honduras. At the time of his detention, he had an active asylum case, a valid work permit, a driver's license, and was married to a U.S. citizen. He has been held in a Louisiana detention facility for over three months without a clear explanation or active deportation order. His attorney argues ICE is illegally detaining him under a void document and that his 2013 administratively closed case does not support mandatory detention.
A Guatemalan national who entered the U.S. on a Visa Waiver Program is detained by ICE and challenging his mandatory civil detention through a federal habeas corpus petition. He has a child in the United States, lives with the mother of his child, has resided at the same address for several years, and has construction employment. He was arrested following what his counsel characterizes as a selective, racially targeted ICE field operation. His only cited criminal history involves two alcohol-related driving matters: a November 2023 plea to driving while ability impaired (classified as a traffic infraction under New York law) resulting in a conditional discharge, $300 fine, and 90-day license suspension, and an earlier dismissed and sealed matter. The Immigration Judge found him a danger and flight risk and set no bond. He seeks immediate release pending adjudication of his habeas petition and asylum claim, proposing strict conditions including a $10,000 cash posting, driver's license surrender, absolute driving prohibition, home detention or curfew, and alcohol treatment and testing.
Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old Haitian asylum seeker who arrived at the southern border in 2022, died from hypothermia on March 2, 2026, after being released by ICE on February 27 or 28, 2026, under the Alternatives to Detention Program with an electronic ankle monitor. Michel had spent six months in Washington County Correctional Facility awaiting a preliminary hearing on misdemeanor charges stemming from an arrest for yelling due to untreated severe mental health issues. After her release, she was taken approximately 25 miles away to Pittsburgh and left at a bus shelter in sub-freezing temperatures (20–30°F) while wearing summer clothes, where she spent 24 to 30 hours alone before being found unresponsive. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide. Her family plans to sue the U.S. government and other entities, alleging ICE failed to account for her severe vulnerability, including untreated mental health conditions and significant language barriers.
Emmanuel Damas, a 56-year-old Haitian who arrived in the U.S. under the Biden Administration's Humanitarian Parole program with a pending Temporary Protected Status application, died on March 2, 2026, from sepsis caused by an untreated dental infection. Damas was detained at Florence Correctional Center in Arizona and repeatedly reported tooth pain to facility staff starting in mid-February, requesting dental care multiple times but receiving only ibuprofen. After two weeks of complaints and developing difficulty breathing, he was taken to a Scottsdale hospital on February 19, but the infection had already progressed to septic shock and pneumonia. Damas died at the hospital. Representatives Ansari, Grijalva, and Stanton demanded a full investigation, noting he was the tenth person to die in ICE custody in the first two months of 2026.
A Venezuelan citizen on humanitarian parole was detained by ICE in March 2026 when she accompanied her husband to his scheduled credible fear interview at the Nashville ICE Field Office. After her husband received a negative credible fear determination, both were taken into custody and she was transferred to Richwood Correctional Center. The court granted expedited consideration of her habeas petition but denied her temporary restraining order request.
A Kazakhstani man who had been released on recognizance and enrolled in the Alternative to Detention program since 2023 was detained by security personnel at Fort MacArthur/Los Angeles Air Force Base after allegedly attempting to enter without authorization. ERO officers took him into immigration custody and transported him to Desert View Annex. The court ordered his release, finding his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated procedural due process.
A Chinese citizen who fled persecution for his political views and applied for asylum in 2022 was abruptly re-detained by ICE in March 2026 after complying with immigration reporting requirements for over three years. He had been released on parole since arriving in September 2022 and has no criminal history. The court granted a preliminary injunction ordering his immediate release, finding his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process rights.
Between March and April 2025, the Trump administration deported 238-252 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) mega-prison using the Alien Enemies Act. Internal DHS data revealed that only 32 had been convicted of U.S. crimes, with most convictions being for nonviolent offenses, and more than half had no U.S. criminal record at all, having only violated immigration laws. Approximately 75% of deportees had no criminal records in the United States, and at least 27 were never ordered removed despite pending immigration court hearings. Detainees were held incommunicado with no public list of names, facing reports of torture, beatings, sexual violence, and inhumane conditions including prolonged solitary confinement. The U.S. paid $6 million to use the facility for housing 300 migrants. A federal judge initially ordered the planes turned around and ruled the deportations violated due process. After approximately four months, the Venezuelans were transferred to Venezuela as part of a prisoner exchange, though the administration reported losing track of 137 migrants. In 2026, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of over 130 of these men to the United States for their immigration proceedings.
Rafael, a Brazilian rideshare and delivery driver, was detained by ICE at the Cristianitos Gate at Camp Pendleton while picking up a passenger on Saturday, despite holding valid work authorization and having no criminal history. He arrived in the U.S. on a regular visa in 2019 and filed for asylum shortly after, fearing political persecution and violence in Brazil. After nearly seven years in the immigration backlog, Rafael had his USCIS interview on February 3, 2026, and his attorney reported leaving the interview feeling confident about his case. However, the Trump administration's December pause on all asylum decisions has left him in indefinite limbo, unable to receive a final decision despite completing his interview. His friend Cameron Jones described him as "smart, funny, sarcastic, super hard-working" and "always there for you whenever you need him." Rafael is now held at Otay Mesa Detention Center with a hearing scheduled for March 12.
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