Human Impact Project

Carlos Alborozo was detained by ICE while working in a construction job. His family launched a fundraising campaign to help cover legal expenses and immigration lawyer costs to support his case.

Federal DHS agents conducted at least three immigration-related arrests in Waukegan on Wednesday morning. The first arrest occurred around 9:30 a.m. near Belvidere Road and Powell Avenue; the second around 11:15 a.m. at a Uline warehouse on Lakeside Drive where a man was detained and transported in an unmarked black SUV; and the third around 10:30 a.m. near Catrachos Restaurant on Green Bay Road. At least one detainee was transported to the ICE processing facility in Broadview.

A man was detained by ICE agents in The Colony, Texas after a customer called ICE to avoid paying for auto repair work. According to his daughter, agents pepper-sprayed the man after he was already on the ground and handcuffed. The incident involved an alleged dispute over payment for completed vehicle repairs.

Patricia Balbuena Soto, a 49-year-old mother who had lived in the United States for 30 years, was arrested at her workplace in Atlantic City on July 24, 2025, on criminal charges including home invasion burglary and weapon possession. She was transferred to ICE custody on July 25 and held at Elizabeth Detention Center in New Jersey, then Port Isabel in Texas. On August 5, 2025, she was deported to Mexico, leaving behind her 17-year-old U.S. citizen daughter. The teenager, an honors student, was forced to abandon her college plans and assume financial responsibility for herself at age 17.

Cleon 'Uncle Lou' Williams, 62, a Jamaican-born owner of Uncle Lou's Entertainment Hall in Orlando's Mills 50 district, was detained by ICE on May 9-10, 2026, following his arrest during a raid by the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco investigating alcohol licensing violations at his venue. ICE placed an immigration detainer on Williams due to an expired visa, and he was booked into Orange County Corrections Facility with no criminal charges filed. Williams has operated the prominent music venue since 2005 and is widely recognized in Orlando's music community for supporting emerging artists, offering free performance opportunities to hundreds of local indie bands over two decades. Community members including U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost and State Rep. Anna Eskamani expressed concern about his detention, with Frost visiting him in jail. Friends described Williams as 'a pure light and joy' and a pillar of the community, and fundraisers raised over $28,000 for his legal representation.

A young dairy worker was detained by ICE agents at a Hispanic-owned convenience store in King Ferry on Friday morning, marking the third immigrant detained in the area in approximately six weeks. The detentions have affected dairy farm workers in Cayuga County, prompting community members to organize a rally and march on Saturday to protest the increased enforcement actions.

ICE agents raided OK Service, a gutter company in Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania, on the morning of May 6, 2026, detaining six workers at a job site. Surveillance video captured employees running as agents chased them near the work location. The business owner stated that the workers had documentation showing they were in the immigration process, with at least one holding a valid green card. At least three of the detained workers were released within hours of the detention. Immigration agents detained at least six or seven employees at OK Service LLC, a roofing and construction company in Pittsburgh's Knoxville neighborhood, in an apparent ICE raid on Tuesday. Video showed masked agents detaining workers in the parking lot across from Hilltop Community Children's Center, causing a chaotic scene. Three of the detained workers were subsequently released. ICE officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A Venezuelan father and U.S. asylum seeker since 2016 was detained by ICE agents during a traffic stop while driving from Orlando to Atlanta, where his son, a midfielder for Atlanta United FC, resides. He holds a valid work permit and driver's license and has no criminal record. His son launched a fundraiser to cover legal fees, bail, and business expenses as the family fights his case.

Victor Roman, co-owner of Los Guapos Latin Food in Lawrence, was detained by ICE in late April and has since been deported to Guatemala. His business and romantic partner, Lourdes E. Perez Rojo, continues operating their restaurants in Lawrence. Community members had organized a GoFundMe fundraiser and submitted character letters to support Roman's case, though the deportation proceeded.

Thovatsay Phimmoungkhoun, owner of Khao Niew Lao Street Food, a food cart operating near Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The cart, known for serving Lao street food including sticky rice to PSU students, announced permanent closure following his detention. Phimmoungkhoun was transferred to a detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, and faces deportation to Laos. His family and supporters created a GoFundMe fundraiser to assist with his case.

Ten crew members from Disney Cruise Line were arrested by ICE agents on April 23, 2026, as the Disney Magic ship was being unloaded at the B Street Cruise Terminal in San Diego. The arrests occurred in full view of disembarking passengers, including children. Two days later on April 25, ICE returned to the same terminal and arrested four additional crew members from Holland America's MV Zandaam.

ICE arrested eight people on April 22 at two Davenport restaurants—Izumi and Jiang's Hot Pot & BBQ—as part of an ongoing investigation into immigration violations. Local law enforcement was not contacted in advance; Scott County Sheriff Tim Lane said the arrests likely stemmed from federal warrants and that those detained were not taken to the Scott County Jail. Davenport police said they also were unaware of the operation until federal agents were already in the city. The restaurants' ownership, which also runs Red Ginger—briefly closed afterward—said the closure was due to internal issues, and both Izumi and Jiang's remained open as of late August.

Hector V. was detained during an ICE raid at the Allston Car Wash in November 2025 alongside eight coworkers. Though he had legal work authorization, he remained in custody due to an outstanding removal order from a 2007 hearing he missed because he is illiterate and was given incorrect information. After spending five months in the overcrowded South Texas ICE Processing Center under harsh conditions, he elected to self-deport at the end of January and was deported to El Salvador in mid-April, 11 weeks after making that choice. His attorney filed a motion to hold the government in contempt for failing to schedule a required bond hearing and a motion to reopen his case, both of which were denied.

Octavio Daniel Cabrera Valdez, a 36-year-old Mexican immigrant who fled cartel violence in Monclova, Mexico, was detained by ICE while at work in April 2026. He had a valid work permit and had applied for a green card through his U.S. citizen mother. A Stockdale Marshal's Office officer asked him and his coworkers for papers before turning him over to ICE. He was the sole provider for his partner and two children, ages 8 and 4, and had also cared for his U.S. citizen parents; he has siblings who are also U.S. citizens and has worked in the energy industry after years living in the U.S. He has been held at the Karnes City detention facility, where he reports scarce food, an untreated rash he attributes to insect-infested bedding, and delayed medical care. His family sold their belongings, was forced from their apartment, and moved to another part of Texas, where they now avoid going out for fear of arrest. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro has called for his release and visited the Karnes facility in June 2026 to review his case and the conditions 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.

ICE detained five Myanmar nationals in Buffalo, New York during an enforcement operation targeting undocumented migrants. One person was arrested while waiting to deliver packages at a warehouse in Pembroke. Community members identified the detainees as asylum seekers.

A father named Adith was detained by ICE outside his workplace. He is a working man who provides for five children. His family is seeking financial assistance to bring him home, as the legal process to do so is expensive.

Rev. Yeison Cortes Vasquez, a 46-year-old evangelical pastor at The Gathering Place Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, was detained by ICE on March 20, 2026, while working a food delivery job. ICE cited an overstayed tourist visa from Colombia that expired in 2016, though church members stated Vasquez had an active asylum case and was following legal processes. During his approximately three-week detention at Delaney Hall in Newark, church leaders reported he was denied access to a Bible for at least a week; DHS denied these allegations and stated detainees may request religious items. While in custody, Vasquez ministered to other detainees. Members of Congress visited the facility and raised concerns about detention conditions. Vasquez was released on bond with GPS monitoring while awaiting removal proceedings. The National Latino Evangelical Coalition confirmed he has no criminal record.

ICE agents detained six Guatemalan workers, ages 18-40, while they were doing roofing and remodeling work at a home in Cambridge, Maryland, after traveling from Glen Burnie for the job. Coworker Bryan Polanco, a Dominican national with permanent residency who was not detained, livestreamed about 30 minutes of the arrest, saying agents were "hurting working people — people who do good for the country," and in a driveway confrontation told the homeowner, a self-described retired Marine, "You don't have to have hate in your heart... Live for them. Spread love." The wife of one detained worker, five months pregnant and caring for two children, said, "I feel so sad, desperate for my husband... we are here to move forward, not to do harm." Online claims alleged homeowner Karen Trevino called ICE to avoid paying roughly $10,000 owed for the job and was later arrested and charged, but Maryland court records showed no evidence of arrest or charges against Trevino or her father, and both ICE and Trevino denied anyone at the property contacted immigration authorities; Trevino said she received threats afterward, and Cambridge police said they would maintain increased presence near the home. ICE separately told reporters the arrests resulted from a targeted enforcement operation rather than a tip, claiming several of the men had prior removal orders and one had a prior reentry conviction, and that the workers resisted and attempted to flee before being detained. No charges have been filed in connection with the incident, and the crew's work van was left unsecured at the property after the men were taken.

Six Guatemalan workers were detained by ICE agents at a home in Cambridge, Maryland, after the homeowner allegedly called immigration authorities on them while they were fixing her roof. The incident was livestreamed by coworker Bryan Polanco, a Dominican national with permanent residency, who accused the homeowner of calling ICE and handing agents a ladder to reach the workers. According to reports, the homeowner owed the workers $10,000 and allegedly threatened to call ICE again if they returned to finish the job.