Human Impact Project

Gratien Milandou-Wamba, a 32-year-old corrections officer at the Cumberland County Jail from the Republic of Congo, was detained by ICE on April 19, 2025, while driving to work. He had fled torture and political persecution in Congo, entered the U.S. lawfully in May 2023 on a visitor's visa, obtained a work permit while his asylum application was pending, and was hired as a corrections officer in August 2024 after passing a background screening. ICE cited his expired visa as grounds for detention, though his attorney said Milandou-Wamba believed he was in legal status while awaiting his asylum decision, and suggested an attempted firearm purchase in September 2024 may have flagged his status. Cumberland County District Attorney Jackie Sartoris publicly defended him as an upstanding community member, and his friend and landlord, Tyler Brinkmann, described him as kind and gentle and involved in his church. He left his corrections officer position on May 31, 2025, while remaining in ICE custody at Strafford County Department of Corrections in New Hampshire, fearing imprisonment or death if deported to Congo. A federal judge denied bail citing flight risk, a decision he is appealing, with his asylum hearing scheduled for October 2025.

L. Vural Elibol, a photojournalist working for Turkish news agency Anadolu Ajansi, was violently shoved to the ground by federal officers outside an immigration court in lower Manhattan on October 1, 2025. The incident occurred as officers were detaining a person from Peru at the courthouse. Elibol was injured and hospitalized, spending 35 to 40 minutes semiconscious on the ground before being transported by ambulance to New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where he was treated and discharged the same day. Fellow photographers Dean Moses and Olga Fedorova were also pushed by federal agents during the incident.

Garcia's husband was arrested by a Manatee County sheriff's deputy on a DUI charge last October and transferred to ICE custody. He is being held at a detention center in California. Garcia, a mother of three, works as a cleaner and party venue staff member while applying for a T visa (trafficking victim relief) for both herself and her husband at a cost of approximately $15,000. She disclosed that at age sixteen, smugglers brought her into the U.S. and held her against her will for years in what she describes as kidnapping; her husband faced labor abuse as an H-2A visa migrant farmworker before overstaying. Since his arrest, Garcia has taken only one day off for an immigration appointment. Most of her earnings go toward legal fees and her husband's detention account so he can purchase food and make phone calls home. With limited funds remaining, she struggles to feed her children and has had to forgo celebrating family birthdays and holidays.

Rey, a Cuban in his mid-fifties who arrived in the U.S. in 1994 and had been authorized to remain in the country due to Cuba's non-cooperation with deportation, was arrested at an ISAP (Intensive Supervision Appearance Program) check-in in El Paso in October 2025. Rey had built a life in El Paso as a truck driver and small business owner, opening a Cuban pizzeria, nightclub, and trash-collection and furniture-restoration businesses. He was married to Sara, a U.S. citizen and Texas state employee, and was a father figure to her son. After his arrest at the ISAP office, he was transferred to Camp East Montana, where he spent six weeks in the facility's deteriorating conditions.

Jean, a 33-year-old Haitian, was deported from the United States to Mexico in late October 2025. He was transferred by bus to Villahermosa, then relocated to Cancún, where he was left without official assistance or resources. He submitted an asylum application to COMAR in mid-November but has not received confirmation of receipt. Jean cannot work because he is undocumented, cannot leave Quintana Roo state where he filed his application, and cannot access banking services or receive money from relatives.

Giovanni, a 48-year-old car wash worker in the San Fernando Valley, was detained in October 2025 along with three coworkers during a federal immigration raid. Unlike his coworkers who were deported to Mexico within 24 hours, Giovanni refused to sign voluntary departure documents and was held at Adelanto ICE Processing Center for six months rather than return to El Salvador. His detention left his wife Maria and school-age children without his primary income.

Erick Pena, a 29-year-old from Honduras who came to the U.S. as a child, was detained by ICE in October while on his way to work. He had an approved petition for permanent residency through his U.S. citizen wife. After three months in ICE custody, he was released on bond while his deportation case is pending. His wife Synthea, a U.S. citizen, started a GoFundMe to cover legal fees and government costs as they pursue a hardship waiver.

A 60-year-old Mexican tamale vendor who had been selling street food in Pilsen for over a decade was detained by ICE agents when she could not provide proof of legal status. She had been supporting herself and her son while managing diabetes since her husband's death in 2023. She was released on October 22, 11 days after filing her habeas case.

Samuel Ochoa Ochoa, a Venezuelan immigrant, was detained by ICE and held for 126 days before a federal judge ordered his release in October. His habeas corpus ruling has since been cited as a favorable precedent in 186 other immigration cases filed in the Northern District of Illinois.

Amanda Ungaro, a 41-year-old Brazilian former model who lived in the U.S. for over 20 years, was arrested in June 2025 on fraud charges related to unlicensed cosmetic procedures at a wellness center in Florida. She was detained for approximately three and a half months at ICE facilities in Miami and Louisiana before being deported to Brazil in October 2025. Ungaro alleges that her ex-partner Paolo Zampolli, a Trump special envoy and father of their teenage son, contacted senior ICE officials to ensure her detention and deportation amid an ongoing child custody dispute. Zampolli and the Department of Homeland Security denied the allegations, with DHS stating the removal was based on visa overstay and fraud charges. The case remains open with an arrest warrant issued should she return to the United States.

Stanley Minjale, who immigrated to the United States from Malawi in 2021 on a student visa, was detained in October 2025 after his visa status was terminated for failing to enroll in a university as required. At the time of detention, he held a valid work permit and was employed full-time as a nursing assistant. He has a nearly two-year-old U.S. citizen son whom he has not seen during his nine-month detention at North Lake Processing Center. Minjale has received a deportation order but continues to appeal.

Kamal Tijani, who arrived in the U.S. from Nigeria in 2017 on a valid student visa, was arrested by ICE in October 2025 for overstaying his visa. He has been detained at North Lake Processing Center for nine months. His wife, a U.S. resident from Georgia, lost their apartment without his income and cannot visit him. Tijani has received a deportation order but continues to appeal his case while remaining in indefinite detention.

Alberto, a 59-year-old surgical technician who worked as a confidential informant for federal immigration agents in the 1990s in exchange for promised legal status, was arrested in October 2025 during a scheduled green card interview at a USCIS field office in Fresno when ICE agents entered the room. Released after four days following a successful habeas petition, he was re-arrested at a subsequent ICE check-in appointment in November and detained for nearly four months at Golden State Annex detention center near Bakersfield before being released on bond in February with an ankle monitor.

a 24-year-old Colombian migrant, Angie Rodriguez, suffered a miscarriage in the facility. Upon discovering her pregnancy while in detention, she was provided no medical care or prenatal vitamins. Her diet was also inadequate, forcing her to supplement provided meals with instant ramen, chips, and candy, often purchased at a high cost from the commissary.

A father from an unnamed country who was separated from his daughter at the US-Mexico border in 2017 and reunited with his children in Florida in 2021 was detained by ICE in October 2025 at Alligator Alcatraz in the Florida Everglades and transferred to Camp East Montana in Texas. While detained, he experienced poor conditions including mouldy food with worms and witnessed a fellow detainee's death from asphyxia due to neck and torso compression. The ACLU filed a motion and he was released in April 2026, but remains subject to ankle monitoring and bi-weekly ICE check-ins.

Michael James Garcia, a 39-year-old marine engineer with a valid crew visa, was interrogated by CBP agents aboard a Viking Ocean Cruises ship docked in Charleston on October 1, 2025. Agents claimed his email was linked to child pornography but never provided evidence or filed charges against him. Without a formal criminal proceeding or due process, his visa was revoked and he received a 10-year ban from entering the United States.

Abdullahi Mohamed, a Somali immigrant with 25+ years in the U.S. and valid work authorization, was detained by ICE in October 2025 during a routine check-in and subsequently transferred rapidly across multiple states without warning to his family or attorney. His family lost contact with him for approximately five days during the transfers, receiving fragmented updates before he was deported to Somalia. According to a Marshall Project investigation, rapid transfers of detainees have become increasingly common under the Trump administration, with transfers of five or more times more than tripling and out-of-state transfers within 24 hours more than doubling since the Biden administration's final year.

A Chicago couple was arrested during Operation Midway Blitz just eight days after getting married. The wife was deported to Mexico while the husband remained in detention in Michigan. Despite being named in a federal lawsuit alleging unlawful arrests, a judge ordered the husband's removal to El Salvador.

Catalina 'Xóchitl' Santiago, a 28-year-old DACA recipient and community organizer from El Paso, was detained by Border Patrol agents on August 3, 2025, at El Paso International Airport while traveling for work with her wife, Desiree Miller, a U.S. citizen whom Santiago married earlier in 2025. Despite holding valid DACA status since 2012—renewed seven times with her current renewal expiring in April 2026—Santiago was subjected to deportation proceedings. Originally from Mexico, Santiago has lived in the U.S. since age 8. On October 1, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone ruled that Santiago's arrest and detention violated her Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights and ordered her release from the ICE El Paso Service Processing Center. Judge Cardone found that the government presented no evidence that Santiago endangered anyone during her twenty years at liberty, including her thirteen years under DACA, and failed to articulate any individualized reason for her detention. Santiago's brother Jose said the family was deeply affected by her detention and expressed relief at her release.

An unnamed Iranian man in his 40s, who participated in the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests against mandatory hijab laws, fled Iran in 2024 with his wife and another couple. He arrived at the U.S. border later that year; his pregnant wife was released on parole but he remained in ICE custody. On September 30, 2025, despite his resistance and pleas that he would be killed if returned, he was placed in a restraint jacket and forcibly deported on a flight from Alexandria, Louisiana. After the plane arrived in Tehran, ICE handed over his belongings—including his cell phone and communications with his lawyer—to Iranian authorities. The man, who is Kurdish, fled over 300 miles west to Iraqi Kurdistan that first night. His wife and newborn child, who remain in Kentucky, have not seen him since.

An immigrant from Peru was arrested by ICE officers during an asylum hearing at 26 Federal Plaza. The arrest occurred on September 30, 2025, and was documented by journalists present at the facility. The incident escalated when ICE officers shoved and injured multiple journalists who were lawfully documenting the detention.

A cameraman was thrown to the ground and injured by ICE officers at 26 Federal Plaza while documenting the arrest of an immigrant at an asylum hearing. The cameraman was transported on a stretcher by emergency responders as part of the same incident in which multiple journalists were assaulted by federal agents.

A journalist working for a Turkish media outlet was injured and hospitalized after being thrown to the ground by ICE officers at 26 Federal Plaza during the arrest of an immigrant at an asylum hearing. The journalist was transported on a stretcher with a neck brace and remained on the ground for approximately half an hour before emergency responders arrived. FDNY was called at around 10:30 a.m. for a report of injury and transported one person to the hospital.

Broadview Police Chief Thomas Mills announced three criminal investigations into ICE operations at a detention facility in his village, citing repeated exposure of his officers to tear gas deployed by federal agents. Mills and Mayor Katrina Thompson criticized ICE's use of tear gas, pepper spray, and mace during protests at the Broadview Processing Center, stating the chemicals created dangerous conditions for residents and first responders exercising their First Amendment rights.

Photojournalist Olga Fedorova was shoved to the floor by ICE officers at 26 Federal Plaza while documenting the arrest of an immigrant at an asylum hearing. Fedorova, who was lawfully present in the public elevator, was pushed away from the elevator by federal agents. She disputes DHS claims that officers gave warnings before shoving, stating there was no warning and shoving followed immediately.

Miguel Angel Garcia-Hernandez, a 32-year-old Mexican immigrant and father of four with another child on the way, was shot on September 24, 2025, when a gunman opened fire at a Dallas ICE facility's controlled entrance. Garcia-Hernandez, who had lived in the U.S. since age 13 and worked as a painter, was in ICE custody after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on August 8. He died from his injuries on September 30. His widow, Stephany Gauffeny, stated that he was the sole provider for their family and that they had just purchased their first home together.

Davona Williams, a 42-year-old Manchester resident originally from Jamaica, was detained by ICE on August 25, 2025, while bringing her child home to Torrey Knoll in Manchester Center. Williams, who worked as a health aide in Vermont, was held under a prior removal order from 2013. She was initially held at Chittenden County Regional Correctional Facility before being transferred to ICE's North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan on September 1. Williams has no criminal record, three children ranging from 18 months to 15 years old, and had been living in Vermont for nearly two decades while pursuing legal status. On September 30, 2025, Detroit Immigration Court Judge Mark J. Jebson granted her a $7,500 bond, finding her neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk, citing her strong community ties. Her attorney, Christopher Worth, plans to file a motion to move the case to Chelmsford Immigration Court in Massachusetts and continue seeking legal relief. Community members, including the Rutland Area NAACP and local officials, organized support efforts; a GoFundMe campaign raised $25,265 to cover bond costs, transportation, and family expenses during her detention. A judge also approved a stay of deportation, and a motion to reopen her prior removal order is pending before the Boston Immigration Court.

L. Vural Elibol, a chief cameraman and videographer for Turkey's Anadolu Agency, was seriously injured when an ICE agent shoved him to the floor in a hallway outside immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan while he was documenting enforcement activity. Elibol hit his head on the floor near an elevator bank and remained unconscious for 35 to 40 minutes. Paramedics placed a neck brace on him and transported him by stretcher to a hospital, where he was treated for a possible concussion and kept for observation. Two other journalists—Dean Moses, a police bureau chief for amNewYork, and freelance photographer Olga Fedorova—were also grabbed and shoved by agents during the same incident but were not seriously injured. Eyewitnesses reported that ICE agents had been pursuing an immigrant into an elevator when Elibol was attacked while attempting to film the confrontation.

On September 30, 2025, at least three journalists were physically assaulted by masked ICE agents at 26 Federal Plaza while documenting an apparent arrest on the 12th floor. Dean Moses, police bureau chief for amNewYork, entered a public elevator to photograph ICE agents apprehending a woman when the agents grabbed him by his arms and shoved him out of the elevator. During the same incident, freelance journalist Olga Fedorova of the Associated Press was shoved to the floor by another ICE agent, and L. Vural Elibol of the Anadolu Agency was knocked down hard, striking his head and sustaining serious injuries that required hospitalization and a neck brace. Moses suffered minor pain in his underarms and shoulder but said he remains determined to continue covering proceedings at the courthouse.

Miguel Ángel García Hernández, 31, a Mexican national who immigrated to the U.S. at age 13, died on September 30, 2025, from injuries sustained during a shooting at a Dallas ICE facility on September 24, 2025. He was shot approximately eight times in the shoulder, stomach, tailbone, neck, and urethra while detained. According to witness accounts and his wife's account, García shielded another young detainee with his body when gunfire began, telling the person to get under him for protection. García was married to Stephany Gauffeny, a U.S. citizen, in 2016 and was the sole breadwinner and father of four children with a fifth on the way; the family had recently purchased their first home together. He worked as a painter and contractor and had been pursuing permanent legal status through an I-130 visa petition sponsored by his wife, following legal immigration procedures. His wife said: "My husband Miguel was a good man, a loving father, and the provider for our family. He worked hard every single day to make sure our children had what they needed." García had been detained on August 8, 2025, on a DUI charge; evading arrest charges were later dropped. He was one of three detainees shot; a second detainee from El Salvador also died from his injuries.

On September 30, 2025, ICE and FBI agents conducted an operation at an apartment building at 7500 S. South Shore Drive in Chicago as part of Operation Midway Blitz, detaining approximately 37 people including Venezuelan migrants and at least one U.S. citizen. The operation involved helicopters, snipers, flash-bangs, and agents breaking down doors and zip-tying residents. The federal government has provided no public accounting of how many remain in custody, what happened to children present in the building, or whether any criminal charges were filed related to the raid.

ICE agents, along with CBP, FBI, and ATF personnel, conducted an overnight raid on a South Shore apartment building on September 30, 2025, targeting individuals allegedly associated with Tren de Aragua and involved in drug trafficking, weapons crimes, and immigration violations. The operation resulted in 37 arrests and drew criticism from residents and advocates over tactics that included use of flash bangs, property destruction, and separation of parents from children.

Miguel Ángel García, 31, died after being removed from life support following a shooting attack at an ICE field office in Dallas. García was among detainees in an ICE transport van when a gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop in an attack federal investigators said was intended to target immigration officers.

West Africans deported from the United States to Ghana under a deportation agreement were subsequently transferred to Togo without proper documentation or identification papers. Between six and ten individuals, including nationals from Nigeria, Liberia, Gambia, and Togo, arrived in Ghana via U.S. military plane in shackles after being detained in U.S. facilities. Despite some having legal protections against deportation, they were transferred across the border to Togo and left on the street. Their lawyers pursued legal cases arguing rights violations, though some legal challenges against Ghana's government were withdrawn.

An ICE officer who was relieved of duties after being captured on video pushing an Ecuadoran woman to the ground outside an immigration court in Manhattan was returned to duty following a preliminary review. The incident occurred when federal agents were attempting to detain the woman's husband, and the officer pushed her to the floor in front of her children and journalists.

Internal ICE emails reveal the agency coordinated directly with Iranian officials to deport over 100 Iranian nationals on three charter flights between May and November 2025, even as the U.S. and Israel prepared to bomb Iran. Deportees included political activists and religious minorities who feared persecution, and one man reportedly attempted suicide before ICE agents physically forced him onto the plane. The flights marked a reversal of longstanding U.S. policy that had generally allowed Iranians to remain in the country due to persecution risks.

Santos Edilberto Banegas Reyes, a 42-year-old Honduran construction worker from Hempstead, died on September 18, 2025 after less than 18 hours in ICE custody at Nassau County Correctional Center in East Meadow, New York. He was arrested by ICE Long Island Fugitive Operations on September 17, 2025 and processed at the jail the same day. He was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead at 6:30 a.m. on September 18. Initial reports cited liver failure related to alcoholism complications, but ICE later revised the cause of death to acute alcohol withdrawal. His sister told reporters he had no underlying health conditions and said officials had not contacted the family. His death prompted a protest on September 29, 2025 at the County Executive Building in Mineola, where advocates called for ICE to leave Long Island and demanded abolition of the 287(g) program. His family's attorney alleged a cover-up after ICE missed the federal 90-day deadline to release a death report, and the family requested an independent autopsy and video footage from the jail.

Huabing Xie, a Chinese national, died on September 29, 2025, at El Centro Regional Medical Center after experiencing a seizure while in custody at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico, California. Xie was initially arrested by Border Patrol near Tecate on December 31, 2023, and released on recognizance. He was re-arrested on September 12, 2025, in Indio and transferred to ICE custody. When he experienced an apparent seizure on September 29, facility staff performed CPR and life-saving measures before transporting him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His death marks at least the 20th death in ICE custody since Trump's inauguration in 2025, prompting calls from immigrant justice groups for an investigation and public release of findings.

Miguel García-Hernández, an undocumented immigrant awaiting intake at an ICE facility in Dallas, was shot on September 24, 2025, when a gunman opened fire outside the facility. He died from his injuries on September 29, leaving behind his wife Stephany Gauffeny and three children. García-Hernández had been in ICE custody following a DUI arrest and was working toward legal status through a Biden administration initiative when the shooting occurred.

Jaime Ramirez was detained by ICE agents in Millennium Park on September 28 along with his wife and two children during a family outing. He was taken to the Broadview processing facility before being flown to a Texas immigration facility. While his wife and children were released on October 2 after a federal judge ordered their protection from deportation, Ramirez remains detained in Texas. The family, originally from Guatemala, has an asylum appointment scheduled for October 2027.

Luisa Rodriguez, a Mexican national who immigrated to the U.S. over 30 years ago and worked in courts, was detained by ICE agents on September 28, 2025, at Camp Pendleton's gate while visiting her pregnant daughter, a newly enlisted U.S. Marine. Rodriguez and her husband Esteban Rios were initially released with ankle monitors but were taken back into custody at a subsequent ICE check-in appointment. Rodriguez was held at Otay Mesa Detention Center for nearly three weeks before being released on October 30. Her husband was deported to Tijuana on October 31. The family has pending green card applications and no criminal history.

Watchdog groups alleged in a court filing that children and families held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas face prolonged detention beyond legal limits, along with shortages of clean drinking water, chronic sleep deprivation, inadequate medical care, and lack of hygiene products. Legal experts filed accounts describing the facility environment and conditions for detainees.

Noemi Chavez and her two children, ages 8 and 3, were detained by ICE agents in Millennium Park on September 28 while on a family outing. Video showed the 8-year-old clinging to a doll and crying as heavily armed federal agents in camouflage detained the family. The mother reported agents targeted them based on appearance. Chavez and the children were released on October 2 after a federal judge ordered they be protected from deportation while a habeas corpus petition is reviewed. The family, originally from Guatemala, has an asylum appointment scheduled for October 2027.

Noemi Chavez, her husband Jaime Ramirez, and their two children (ages 8 and 3) were detained by federal agents at Millennium Park on September 28, 2025, without a warrant while the children played at the Crown Fountain. When Chavez asked to see a warrant, agents ignored her request. The family originally came from Guatemala in 2023 seeking protection and have an asylum hearing scheduled for October 2027. Chavez and the children were released after detention, but Jaime Ramirez was transferred to detention facilities in Texas and Indiana. A federal judge characterized the stop as "unconstitutional" based on the family's appearance, and attorneys filed a habeas corpus petition alleging the family was stopped because of their skin color. The case is part of broader litigation challenging ICE's warrantless arrest practices in violation of a 2022 consent decree.

Esteban Rios, a Mexican national who immigrated to the U.S. over 30 years ago, was detained by ICE agents on September 28, 2025, at Camp Pendleton while attempting to visit his pregnant daughter with his wife Luisa Rodriguez. Initially released with an ankle monitor, he was detained again when he checked in with ICE days later and was deported on Friday, October 10, 2025. The family has pending green card applications sponsored by his son, U.S. Marine Steve Rios, and says they have no criminal history.

Monica, an Ecuadorian child care worker seeking asylum, was pushed to the ground and shoved into a wall by an ICE agent outside an immigration court in New York City on September 25, 2025, during her husband Ruben's arrest. The incident was captured on video and spread on social media. Monica feared Ruben's deportation would be a death sentence. The ICE officer was temporarily removed from duty following the video evidence, but was reinstated days later despite DHS condemnation of the conduct as unacceptable and political calls for felony charges. The officer has a history of aggressive behavior at the same location. In late October, a federal court ordered Ruben's release, finding he had been detained without explanation while his partner and two young children were present. The family of four has since been reunited, though their asylum cases remain pending.

Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez was fatally shot by an ICE officer following a traffic stop in Franklin Park, Chicago in September 2025. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Villegas-Gonzalez struck an officer with his vehicle and dragged him while attempting to flee, prompting the officer to use lethal force. DHS initially characterized the officer's injuries as serious. However, video evidence obtained after the shooting showed the officer sustained injuries he described as "nothing major," contradicting the agency's account of the incident's severity. Community members and state lawmakers called for the release of video footage and transparency regarding the shooting.

Ian Andre Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was arrested by ICE on a fugitive warrant for living in the U.S. illegally despite a federal immigration judge's prior removal order. Roberts, a Guyana citizen who entered on an F-1 student visa in 1999, remained in the country after his work authorization expired in 2020. During his arrest, he was found in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash, and a hunting knife, and fled in a school-provided vehicle before being apprehended with state patrol assistance. Roberts has a criminal record with prior weapons charges.

Three women—Cynthia Raygoza, Sandra Carmona Samane, and Ashleigh Brown—have been federally indicted for allegedly following an ICE agent home and publicly disclosing his personal information on social media. On August 28, 2025, the women livestreamed their pursuit of the agent from Downtown Los Angeles to his residence on Instagram, then shouted to neighbors about his identity and posted his address online. Each faces federal charges of conspiracy and disclosing a federal agent's personal information, with sentences of up to five years in prison per count. Raygoza remains at large while her codefendants have been arrested.

Freelance photojournalist Dave Decker was shot multiple times with pepper balls by federal officers and had his camera lens damaged while covering protests outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois on September 27, 2025. Officers appeared to target Decker specifically, pointing him out before firing. The incident occurred during protests at an ICE detention and processing facility.