Human Impact Project

A woman in her 50s, adopted from Iran as a toddler by a U.S. Air Force veteran, is facing deportation proceedings after discovering she was never formally naturalized as a U.S. citizen. She entered the country on a tourist visa and was excluded from the 2000 Child Citizenship Act, despite growing up in the Midwest and having no criminal record. She fears deportation to Iran given her father's military service, her Christian faith, and her lack of family or language connections to the country.

Juana Felipe Mateo, a Guatemalan mother of two, was deported from the South Texas Family Residential Center (Dilley) while 8 months pregnant with a third child after three months in detention. She alleges ICE and DHS deceived her into signing voluntary departure papers by offering $15,000 (which she says she never received) and obtaining a doctor's authorization to fly despite her advanced pregnancy. Juana reported that pregnant detainees, including herself, were hidden from U.S. Congressman Joaquín Castro during a facility inspection to prevent them from reporting lack of medical care and alleged mistreatment. She also described being placed in a cold room known as 'la hielera' for five days when her 2-year-old daughter developed fever. She learned of her unborn son's sex only on the day of her deportation.

A woman adopted from Iran at age 3 by a U.S. Air Force officer and raised in the Midwest for 53 years is facing deportation to Iran, a country with which the U.S. has no diplomatic relations and is currently at war. She was excluded from automatic citizenship under the 2000 Child Citizenship Act due to overstaying a visa as a 4-year-old in the 1970s, a discrepancy she discovered in 2008 when applying for a passport. Her adoptive parents legally completed her adoption with a birth certificate and U.S. citizen parents listed, yet she lacks proof of citizenship. She fears deportation to a country she does not remember and where she has no family or language connections.

Lucia, a pregnant woman detained by ICE after appearing for a regular check-in appointment, began experiencing heavy vaginal bleeding in the middle of the night when she was two months pregnant. She requested immediate medical attention but was not taken to see medical staff for several hours. Instead, medical staff left her alone in a small room without food, water, or pain medication while she bled heavily. After significant blood loss, she was transported to an emergency room with her arms and legs shackled while actively miscarrying. She required a blood transfusion due to the miscarriage. She was returned to ICE custody and continued experiencing abdominal pain and heavy bleeding for another month before being deported.

Alicia arrived for a routine ICE check-in in Louisiana and was detained without warning, then sent to Basile detention center. She soon discovered she was pregnant. She received small portions of poor-quality food that left her feeling weak and hungry. By May, she began experiencing severe abdominal pain, cramping, and bleeding. She was taken to a local hospital for a blood test but received no explanation of her medical treatment or interpretation. At the emergency room, medical personnel performed an invasive uterine test without her consent, injected her with an unknown medication, and informed her that she had miscarried. Despite this miscarriage, ICE returned her to Basile that night and detained her for two more months. She continued to experience heavy bleeding, swelling, fever, and severe uterine pain, submitting repeated sick call requests that went unanswered. In July 2025, ICE deported Alicia, separating her from her children, and she later sought hospital care for a severe infection acquired while in custody.

Angie Rodriguez, a Colombian asylum seeker, was detained by ICE following a routine immigration check-in in July 2025 and discovered she was pregnant while in custody at Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield, California. While detained, she experienced food insecurity, struggling to eat facility meals due to their appearance and smell, with limited alternatives beyond processed foods like instant noodles and chips. She received no adequate prenatal health care or education for weeks after her pregnancy was confirmed. Rodriguez experienced brown discharge and was transported to an off-site hospital where she miscarried. Upon hospital release, she was placed in medical isolation at the ICE detention center before being released. Her case is among more than a dozen documented by the ACLU of pregnant women held without proper medical care at immigration facilities. Rodriguez filed a lawsuit claiming unconstitutional detention, arguing that the stress of sudden arrest, coupled with inadequate food options and lack of prenatal care, may have contributed to the loss of her pregnancy.

Greggy Valerio Sorio, a 37-year-old green card holder, was deported to the Philippines after ICE denied his stay request despite severe medical conditions including inflammatory bowel disease, anemia, and a toe amputation requiring wheelchair use. Sorio's deportation stemmed from criminal convictions dating back over a decade, and ICE determined he was medically fit to fly despite advocates' warnings and his recent hospitalization. Community groups and immigrant-rights advocates condemned the deportation as a systemic failure, with 60 protesters rallying outside the detention center, and airline staff initially removing him from the flight after being alerted to his condition.

Lorth Sim, a 59-year-old Cambodian national who entered the U.S. as a refugee in 1983 and became a lawful permanent resident in 1986, died in custody at Miami Correctional Facility in Miami County, Indiana on February 16, 2026. Sim was arrested by ICE in Boston on December 30, 2025, and transferred to the Indiana facility to await deportation following an immigration judge's removal order to Cambodia. He was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead at 7:10 a.m. His death was the seventh in federal immigration custody in 2026. The cause of death remained under investigation, and organizers reported concerns about medical neglect among ICE detainees at the facility, prompting U.S. Congressman André Carson and other lawmakers to seek answers.

Four journalists and an attorney were detained by plainclothes police in Yaounde, Cameroon on February 19, 2026, while investigating Trump administration deportations of third-country immigrants to the African nation. The journalists were beaten during the detention, and their equipment was confiscated. They were attempting to interview recently deported individuals and film a facility holding deportees. All five people were later released. Press freedom groups raised alarm over the incident, which occurred as some deported immigrants were sent to Cameroon in violation of court orders protecting them from deportation to their home countries.

The Department of Justice filed a denaturalization case against former North Miami Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime, alleging he misrepresented his identity and immigration history during his naturalization process in 2006. According to federal prosecutors, Bien-Aime entered the United States in 1997 using a fraudulent passport under a different name, was ordered removed in 2000, but remained in the country under an assumed identity. The complaint also alleges he obtained permanent resident status through an invalid marriage to a U.S. citizen using a fraudulent divorce certificate.

Liam Azizi and his wife Hananeh Alikaram, Iranian converts to Christianity fleeing religious persecution, were separated after only Azizi received asylum approval. Alikaram's asylum request was denied and she is being held in Louisiana awaiting deportation to Iran, where she faces prosecution for her religious conversion.

Rigoberto Soto Jimenez, a Mexican immigrant, was ordered released by a federal judge in Minnesota but ICE released him in Texas without his driver's license, work permit, or Mexican consular ID card. The Department of Justice failed to comply with the court's February 9 order to return his belongings by the February 17 deadline. At a February 18 show cause hearing, U.S. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Isihara was found in civil contempt of court, and Judge Laura M. Provinzino ordered him to pay $500 daily fines beginning February 20 until the documents were returned. On February 19, the DOJ returned Soto Jimenez's documents via overnight delivery, and the judge dismissed the contempt order without imposing fines.

Javier Abreu-Vasquez (also referred to as Javier Ubreu), a 38-year-old kidney transplant recipient from the Dominican Republic with legal status in the U.S., was arrested by ICE agents in Rochester, Minnesota on February 5 while delivering groceries for his church's mutual aid group after officers rammed his car and broke a window. He was transferred to a facility in El Paso, Texas, where he faced delays and reportedly incorrect dosages of the immunosuppressant medication needed to prevent rejection of his donated kidney. His wife and Minnesota state Rep. Kim Hicks attempted to deliver his medication to federal authorities but were initially turned away. After intervention from Senator Tina Smith's office and Mayo Clinic physicians, he gained access to medication, and a federal judge ordered his release on bond. His attorney confirmed he has no prior criminal convictions. He returned home to Rochester on February 19 after roughly two weeks in custody, with next steps in his immigration case unclear.

Victor Jardon-Reyes, a 33-year-old DACA recipient from Guerrero, Mexico, lost his job on February 18, 2026, after his DACA renewal application stalled for months. He applied to renew his DACA in November 2025, received an appointment for fingerprinting in January 2026, but his work permit expired before the renewal was processed, causing him to lose work authorization and legal protections from deportation. Jardon-Reyes, a homeowner in Chicago's Belmont Cragin neighborhood with a mortgage and college enrollment, is now afraid to leave his home due to risk of ICE detention. His situation exemplifies a nationwide problem of DACA renewal delays affecting an estimated half million recipients.

Juan Nicolás, a two-month-old infant, was deported to Mexico on February 8, 2026, hours after being discharged from hospital treatment for bronchitis and respiratory illness. He was detained at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, alongside his mother Mireya López Sánchez and 16-month-old sister after his mother was apprehended near Eagle Pass on January 21 while seeking asylum. During detention, Juan Nicolás developed severe breathing problems, vomiting, and gastroesophageal reflux disease; his mother reported he became unresponsive and was "choking on his own vomit" while hospitalized. After hospital discharge, he was immediately deported with only $190 from the family's detention commissary account. With assistance from journalist Lidia Terrazas and advocacy groups, the family secured shelter and medical care, where Juan Nicolás was diagnosed with RSV and severe bronchiolitis. The family later relocated to Guatemala where they have relatives. Rep. Joaquin Castro criticized the deportation as "heinous."

Luis Roldan-Cerda, a DACA recipient, was detained and deported by ICE on February 17, 2026, after attending a biometric appointment for his U visa application at an immigration office in McAllen, Texas. He was deported to Reynosa, Mexico, and spent more than five weeks stranded there, witnessing cartel violence in the city. A federal judge ordered his return to the United States, and he was reunited with his wife Denisse Garcia and their children. Roldan-Cerda, who was brought to the U.S. at age three, said he was grateful to be back with his family and planned to return to his job as an electrician.

Erasmo Ibuado-Reyes, an undocumented immigrant and primary breadwinner for his family of four including two disabled children, was arrested by ICE agents while on his way to work. A federal magistrate judge praised his 20-year work history and family dedication at his hearing and ordered his release from criminal custody. However, he was transferred to immigration custody and deported to Mexico on March 7, leaving his wife and children behind.

Juan, a 21-year-old from Guatemala seeking asylum, was pulled over by Olathe Police Officer Todd Boyer on February 16, 2026 for speeding and driving without a license. Boyer violated department policy by calling an ICE hotline and providing the exact stop location, leading to Juan's detention and subsequent deportation to Guatemala. Police Chief Mike Butaud confirmed the policy violation. As of June 2026, Boyer remained employed at the Olathe Police Department.

Eight migrants from Kenya, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Ethiopia, Angola, and Zimbabwe were deported to Cameroon on February 16, 2026, as part of a secret third-country removal program. They were held in detention in Yaoundé without documentation, due process, or contact with attorneys, and faced conditions including inadequate food and coercion to 'voluntarily' return to their home countries.

A grand jury indicted Braulio Jara-Alvarez on federal gun and drug charges after his arrest by Topeka police on an ICE detainer in February 2026. Jara-Alvarez faces charges including unlawful reentry after deportation, methamphetamine possession with intent to distribute, and illegal firearm possession. ICE took custody of Jara-Alvarez on February 20 following his arrest at the Shawnee County Jail.

Dmytro Kulik, a Ukrainian father who fled the war and arrived in the U.S. in late 2023 under the Uniting for Ukraine humanitarian program, was detained by ICE agents near a Walmart in Minneapolis in January while loading groceries. His wife and daughter's applications for conditional release were approved, but his remained pending when immigration authorities arrested him. Kulik fears deportation back to Ukraine where he may be forced to fight, and his family worries they could also be detained.

Terez Metry, a 28-year-old dental assistant with no criminal record, was detained by ICE in Alabama immediately after receiving I-130 approval during a routine immigration interview at a Department of Homeland Security office in Nashville. Metry, who had fled Egypt as a teenager at age 13 and received a removal order at that time, was separated from her U.S. citizen husband Dominique Flemister during the interview. Metry had been living and working in Nashville since 2018 and the couple believed they were following proper legal procedures for her immigration case.

A Venezuelan family who legally entered the U.S. through the CBP One program and were released on notice to appear in court chose to self-deport to Mexico after ICE arrested the husband and son. The family said ICE agents came to their home in New Mexico claiming a routine status check, detained the husband from his workplace, and took the son from a construction site. The remaining family members decided to relocate to Mexico rather than risk deportation to Venezuela.

Martin Romero was deported to Mexico while dealing with multiple serious health conditions including lupus vasculitis, hypertension, anemia, and kidney failure requiring dialysis every other day. His daughter created a fundraiser to help cover the costs of his medical treatment, medications, specialist visits, and transportation to dialysis appointments in Mexico, as the family struggles with overwhelming medical expenses.

Roberto was arrested and detained by ICE while driving to work nine days after the birth of his son in mid-February 2026. He was held in detention for two months at an unknown location, then deported to Guatemala. His partner María was left alone to care for their newborn without support or knowledge of his whereabouts.

Owen Ramsingh, a Columbia resident and lawful permanent resident, was detained by border patrol at Chicago's O'Hare Airport in September 2025 after returning from visiting his father in the Netherlands. ICE cited a cocaine possession charge from his teenage years as grounds for deportation. After spending approximately four and a half months in detention facilities across Chicago, Texas, and New Mexico, Ramsingh was deported to the Netherlands on February 8, 2026, and banned from the United States for 8-10 years. His wife and daughter remained in the United States.

Owen Ramsingh, a 45-year-old Missouri resident and green card holder, was detained at O'Hare Airport in September 2025 after Border Patrol discovered a felony drug conviction from nearly 30 years prior. He was deported to the Netherlands in February 2026 and is now rebuilding his life in his birth country while separated from his wife and teenage daughter. Ramsingh, who last lived in the Netherlands at age 5, is living with his reconnected father and reports experiencing nightmares from his detention.

ICE chartered a private Gulfstream IV jet owned by Florida property developer Gil Dezer, a Trump associate and donor, to deport Palestinian men from the United States to the West Bank. At least two deportation flights occurred on January 20-21 and February 1-2, 2026, transporting eight or more detainees from an Arizona detention facility through multiple countries (New Jersey, Ireland, Bulgaria) before reaching Tel Aviv and the West Bank. Among those deported was 24-year-old Maher Awad, a long-term green card holder who had lived in the U.S. for nearly a decade and had a newborn son in Michigan. The men were shackled throughout the multi-country journey and reported being abandoned at checkpoints with minimal resources. A joint investigation by +972 Magazine and The Guardian documented the flights, with former U.S. officials and immigration lawyers characterizing them as indicative of a shift in Trump administration deportation policy toward more aggressive mass deportation tactics.

In March 2025, ICE agent fatally shot 23-year-old U.S. citizen Ruben Ray Martinez on South Padre Island, Texas. Bodycam footage shows the vehicle with brake lights engaged when three shots were fired through the window. Martinez was removed from the car and restrained before receiving medical care, but died at a Brownsville hospital. The agency's involvement was not publicly revealed until nearly eleven months later. A grand jury declined to indict the agent, and ICE stated the shooting was justified. Martinez's family is pursuing a tort claim for wrongful death.

Civil rights and immigrant advocacy groups, including the ACLU of Florida, issued a travel alert on February 5 urging international tourists attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Miami to exercise caution due to expanded immigration enforcement. The advisory highlighted risks from Florida's statewide partnerships between local and federal immigration authorities, noting that visitors could face detention during routine activities like traffic stops. Groups cited the case of Carlos Gonzalez Meza, a Mexican tourist with a valid U.S. visa who was detained for 10 days after a traffic stop in Orlando. The coalition emphasized the alert is informational and not a call for boycotts.

Luis, a 53-year-old Mexican immigrant handyman, was detained by ICE for over three months at a Conroe-area detention center after being arrested in October 2025. He was granted bond and released on February 5, 2026, following a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Lee Rosenthal. While released, Luis faces an ongoing court case with possible deportation, as he has lived in the U.S. without legal status for 25 years while raising five children and establishing himself as a homeowner and community member.

Melissa Tran, a Maryland mother of four and former health care worker, was shackled at her wrists, waist, and ankles without food or water for over 10 hours before takeoff on an ICE deportation flight operated by Omni Air International. She remained shackled for approximately 80 hours total across a multi-day journey to Hanoi, Vietnam. Her wrists became dented and red from the restraints. She reported soiling herself during the flight and described feeling like she was less than an animal.

Dylan, a 20-year-old Venezuelan student at Ellis Prep High School in the Bronx, was detained by ICE on May 21, 2025, immediately after appearing at federal immigration court in Lower Manhattan for an asylum hearing. He entered the United States legally under Biden-era policies and has no criminal record. His attorney stated he was entitled to full legal protections to pursue asylum relief. Dylan's mother reported he has been suffering from untreated stomach problems and has been moved to at least four different detention centers within five to six days. The Department of Homeland Security placed him under expedited removal proceedings.

Julien Pereira, a 26-year-old French tennis coach, was detained by U.S. Border Patrol and ICE after being denied entry to Canada while awaiting work visa paperwork. He spent a month in an ICE facility in Batavia, New York, where he experienced shackling, inadequate food and water, and harsh conditions before being released on bail and ordered to leave the U.S. within 15 days.

Federal immigration agents detained Hugo Leonel Ardon Osorio, Martin Zambrano Diaz, and Alexandro Rivera Magana in Greenport on Wednesday morning, while a fourth man fled on foot during a separate operation on Ludlum Place. According to community advocates, the three detained men have lived in the area for over 20 years with no criminal backgrounds. The operations prompted school absences throughout the district as families responded to ICE presence in the community.

Guillermo Aguilar, a DACA beneficiary and business owner who lived in the United States for nearly 40 years, was arrested on February 3, 2026, while driving to work in North Carolina and deported to Mexico two months later. His wife was pregnant at the time of his arrest and experienced health complications following the incident. His infant son, Guillermo, was born prematurely on May 11, 2026, with six months and two weeks of gestation and remains hospitalized. Aguilar says he has been denied access to the assets and property he built in the U.S. and cannot be with his family during this critical time.

Oscar Isidro, a U.S. citizen from North Texas, was found dead last month after being missing for two weeks. His death came amid family trauma, including his father's deportation to Peru the previous year and his sister's detention by ICE.

Federal immigration agents detained an employee at NATIFS, an Indigenous-focused nonprofit restaurant in Minneapolis owned by chef Sean Sherman, outside the restaurant on February 2, 2026. Agents blocked a vehicle carrying staff members, pulled the employee from the car at gunpoint, and stated they were checking paperwork. The employee was transferred to Texas overnight without access to needed medication and without the family being notified in advance. Chef Sherman stated the employee had legal documentation and characterized the armed enforcement as inappropriate.

Johanny Lacruz, a Venezuelan asylum seeker and fiancée of Juan Rodriguez, was detained by ICE at a Border Patrol checkpoint in February 2026 despite having valid work authorization and no criminal record. Rodriguez observed that U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz secured the release of Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar, a teenager in the same detention facility with similar legal status, but was unable to obtain similar assistance for his fiancée. Both Lacruz and Gámez-Cuéllar were detained during the Trump administration's deportation operations.

Harold, a 58-year-old Cuban national, was deported to Mexico in February 2026 as part of the third-country deportation program. He finds himself unable to work due to lack of documentation, unable to afford food and rent, and without clear prospects for legal status or support.

Lázara Santana, 57, migrated to the United States from Cuba at age 11. She lost her refugee status 20 years ago for selling drugs. For two decades she checked in annually with Immigration and Customs Enforcement under parole conditions and held work permits while raising her son, a U.S. Marine who served in Afghanistan and voted for Trump. In fall 2025, ICE took her into custody at a check-in and deported her to Mexico, where she was given the choice of Congo or Mexico. She now rents a shared room with money sent by her partner and fears leaving her house.

Mauricio De Leon, 50, was born in Guatemala and taken to the United States by his mother at age one. He grew up in the foster system in Long Beach after his mother lost custody. Given a deportation order in 2007 after serving time for drug trafficking, he was deported to Mexico last year. Mexico attempted to return him to Guatemala, but Guatemala said it had no record of him, leaving him essentially stateless. He survives on savings from his work as a truck driver in California.

Ricardo del Pino Olivera, 67, was deported from the United States to Mexico on July 3, 2025 after serving a 17-year sentence. He applied for refugee status on July 31 but struggled to find formal employment or access services. After the Amparito shelter in Villahermosa advocated on his behalf, he received some medical treatment but was repeatedly hospitalized beginning December 12. He was severely malnourished and remained without legal documentation. Ricardo died on February 21, 2026. His death certificate listed his nationality as "unknown."

Luis René Lemus, 59, a Cuban with Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia, was deported to Mexico where he has struggled to procure needed medication. He is among elderly and infirm Cubans sent to Villahermosa under the third-country deportation program.

Ricardo Pérez, 67, a Cuban, was pushed across the U.S. border by immigration agents while in a wheelchair and deported to Mexico. He arrived at a Catholic shelter in Villahermosa among many elderly Cubans with health problems, where he struggles to access care and necessities.

Roberto, a Cuban man, was deported to Mexico in mid-February 2026 after being detained at an immigration appointment where he was informed his I-220A form was invalid. He was held for three weeks before being transferred to Tapachula without money, identification, or communication access. His U.S. citizen fiancée in Michigan eventually reconnected with him and traveled to deliver documents so they could marry. Roberto now works as a barber in Cancún while awaiting a spousal visa determination.

Farah, a 21-year-old gay woman from Morocco, fled her country in early 2025 after her family attacked her for her sexual orientation and sought asylum in the United States. She was detained for nearly a year while her asylum claim was processed. In August 2025, an immigration judge issued a federal protection order prohibiting her deportation to Morocco due to danger to her life. However, three days before a scheduled hearing on her release, ICE agents detained her and placed her on a flight to Cameroon—a country where homosexuality is criminalized and where she had never lived. After she refused to remain in Cameroon, she was flown to Morocco, where she is now in hiding. She is among dozens of migrants reportedly deported to third countries by the Trump administration despite holding judicial protection orders.

Olga Perez, a 47-year-old Mayan language translator, was deported to Guatemala in July 2026 following a June 3 immigration court ruling, separating her from her four U.S.-born children in Florida. Perez had been detained since November 2025 after a traffic stop and had no criminal record. Her deportation leaves a gap in language services across Florida courts, schools, and hospitals, while her eldest daughter has taken over the family landscaping business to support her three younger siblings.

Francisco Chan Reyes, a 25-year-old U.S. resident with lawful status, was detained by ICE agents during a traffic stop on the west side of San Antonio on January 26, 2026, while returning home from a market with three cousins. Video shows agents breaking his car window, pepper-spraying him, and holding him facedown on the pavement without identifying themselves. Despite Reyes showing agents his Texas driver's license and work permit, they initially refused to accept these documents and told his wife he was in the country illegally. After approximately four hours in custody, including DNA swabbing and fingerprint processing, fingerprints confirmed his lawful presence and he was released. He sustained a head injury and pepper-spray burns. His three cousins were deported to Mexico the following day. Immigration attorney Marlyn Moreno noted that a Texas driver's license should have been sufficient proof of lawful presence, as the state only issues them to people who demonstrate citizenship or lawful presence. He and his wife plan legal action.

Two Azerbaijani men, Fazal and Alikhan, who immigrated legally to the U.S. and were married in Charlotte, were detained by ICE after a routine immigration appointment in January. Alikhan was moved to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia where he became ill and received inadequate medical care until a U.S. Senator intervened. Unable to face prolonged detention, Alikhan announced in February he would self-deport rather than continue fighting his case, with Fazal planning to follow.