Human Impact Project

Gael, a nonverbal 5-year-old boy from Colombia with significant developmental delays undergoing autism evaluations, was detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas for three weeks along with his asylum-seeking parents, Leonardo and Nelsy. The family was arrested on March 3 during an immigration check-in in El Paso. During his confinement, Gael's health deteriorated severely: he struggled to eat, experienced constipation lasting over a week with visible abdominal swelling and pain, and began engaging in self-harm behavior by hitting himself as his distress increased. Before detention, Gael had been receiving therapy in El Paso while the family pursued their asylum case. His attorney, Elora Mukherjee, requested his release on medical grounds after a video call with children's entertainer Ms. Rachel, arranged by a journalist, drew public attention to his condition. The family was released days later and returned to El Paso with required ICE check-ins to continue their asylum proceedings.

A 10-year-old U.S. citizen girl recovering from brain cancer was deported to Mexico along with her undocumented parents and four American-born siblings in February 2025. The family was detained at an immigration checkpoint while traveling from Rio Grande City to Houston for the child's emergency medical checkup. The girl, who had undergone surgery to remove a brain tumor, has been unable to continue her specialized medical treatment and rehabilitation in Mexico. An 11-year-old U.S. citizen recovering from brain cancer was deported to Mexico with her family by Border Patrol agents despite her documented citizenship and need for ongoing medical treatment. The family was traveling to Houston for emergency care when agents ignored a hospital letter the family had used previously at checkpoints and detained the family, deporting them the next day. The citizen child's 18-year-old brother, Fernando Hernández García, was not detained and remained in the U.S. to earn money and send medicine to his sister. The family's lawyers report they have been unable to access proper medical care in Mexico and have applied for humanitarian parole.

Heidy Sánchez, a 44-year-old Cuban immigrant and home health aide who arrived in the U.S. in 2019, was detained by ICE on April 22, 2025, during what she believed was a routine annual check-in appointment at the Tampa office while nursing her one-year-old daughter, a U.S. citizen born prematurely with seizures. She was handcuffed and separated from her daughter as her husband, Carlos Yuniel Valle, a U.S. citizen who owns a landscaping company, heard her screaming. Two days later, on April 24, Sánchez was deported to Cuba on a flight with 81 other Cuban migrants. Sánchez had no criminal record, worked as a home health aide, held a social security card and driver's license, paid taxes, and was complying with ICE requirements under her I-220B supervision order. Her daughter, distressed by the separation, refused to eat. From Cuba, Sánchez has recorded tearful video pleas to President Trump and walks up to ten times daily searching for internet to video call her daughter. U.S. Representatives María Elvira Salazar and Kathy Castor have called for her reunification, with Castor filing a humanitarian parole request with the Trump administration. DHS disputed Sánchez's account, claiming she was offered the choice to take her child or place the child with a designated relative. Sánchez arrived in Cuba without passport, identification, or documentation explaining her deportation.

Anabell, a Nicaraguan immigrant detained at Campbell County Detention facility, experienced vaginal bleeding and severe abdominal pain — symptoms of a possible miscarriage — while in ICE custody. She submitted a detainee request for medical help on March 22, 2026, but has received limited medical care and cannot access her own medical records to understand what happened to her pregnancy or what care she received. Democratic Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois and other lawmakers are pushing for her release and have been unable to obtain her medical records despite repeated requests, though detainees are legally entitled to access their medical records under federal policy.

Anabell, a Nicaraguan immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 2022 and was working in food service in Milwaukee, tested positive for pregnancy twice after being detained at Campbell County Detention Center in Kentucky. In late March, after experiencing vaginal bleeding, severe pain, and cramping, she pleaded for emergency medical help in a written request. She was taken to a nearby hospital where staff told her she was not pregnant despite her positive tests, leaving her uncertain about what occurred. According to her attorney and her own account to lawmakers, Anabell received no prenatal care or vitamins during detention, was not seen by a doctor within 72 hours of her positive pregnancy test as federal policy requires, and was tasked with carrying heavy items despite her condition. Since the hospital visit, she has experienced ongoing pain, numbness, vomiting, and hair loss but has not received follow-up medical care. Her attorney and two Democratic lawmakers have been unable to obtain her medical records despite multiple requests, leaving Anabell and her legal team unable to determine what medical care she received or what happened to her pregnancy. Anabell is pursuing an asylum claim in the United States.

Women detained at Baker County Detention Center in Florida have shared a video describing poor living conditions while awaiting immigration processing. They allege inadequate access to hygiene supplies, broken clothing, moldy food, and substandard bedding including mattresses made of insulation. One woman claims to have been transferred through over 30 facilities in a month and often slept on floors.

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.

Royer Pérez-Jimenez, a 19-year-old indigenous Tzotzil Mayan from San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, Mexico, died on March 16, 2026, at Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida, while in ICE custody. He had immigrated to the United States at age 15 to join an uncle but was left on his own after the uncle was deported. He worked continuously in a restaurant but earned minimal wages. On January 21, 2026, he was arrested during a traffic stop after giving a false name and was convicted of misdemeanors on February 19. He was transferred to ICE custody on February 21 and moved to the Moore Haven facility on February 26. On March 16 at approximately 2:34 a.m., he was found unresponsive in his dormitory; despite CPR efforts by detention staff and emergency responders, he was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m. ICE stated the death was a presumed suicide, though the official cause remained under investigation. His father Manuel Pérez rejected the suicide conclusion and called for a thorough investigation. His death was one of at least 13 to 14 acknowledged deaths in ICE detention occurring between January and late March 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.

Two individuals were detained by ICE and subsequently released on bond following legal proceedings. Estefany María Rodríguez Flores, a Colombian journalist for Nashville Noticias, was detained during a traffic stop on March 4, 2026, and released on March 19 after an immigration judge granted bond. Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman, was detained in March 2025 after meeting with immigration authorities and held for over a year at Prairieland Detention Facility in Texas before being released on March 16, 2026, following a judge's bond order that the Department of Homeland Security declined to appeal. Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman and visible campus advocate, was detained in March 2025 for staying in the U.S. on an expired F-1 student visa. While in detention, she experienced her first-ever seizure and was handcuffed to a hospital bed for 72 hours. An immigration judge ordered her release on bond twice before the government kept her detained through automatic stays. A Texas judge ordered her release a third time on March 16, 2026, setting bond at $100,000.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and ICE regarding conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, which holds approximately 1,800 people. The brief documented inadequate medical care, unsafe conditions, insufficient staffing, contaminated water, spoiled food, lack of clean clothing, and reports of pepper spray use on detainees. Three men died at the facility between September 2025 and February 2026. Detainees also reported limited access to phones for legal calls and failure to accommodate people with disabilities. ICE denied the allegations, stating detainees receive proper meals, water, and medical treatment.

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.

San Diego County's Immigrant Legal Defense Program, which provides free legal counsel to detained immigrants and unaccompanied minors, faces significant funding gaps as costs are expected to reach $13.4-$18 million annually while the budget remains at $5 million. The increased demand is driven by a nearly 200% increase in detention levels at the Otay Mesa Detention Center under the Trump administration. Without additional funding from philanthropic and state sources, the program may be unable to maintain current service levels.

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.

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.

A whistleblower at the Baltimore ICE detention facility alleged severe conditions including use of a restraint chair and unsanitary environments. A video documented overcrowding in January 2026, prompting Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen to raise concerns. ICE transferred approximately 100 detainees from the facility to Arizona on March 12, 2026, the day before a congressional oversight visit. A federal judge subsequently ruled in March 2026 that ICE must limit capacity at the downtown Baltimore holding facility to 56 people across five cells, citing health and safety risks. The court ordered ICE to conduct medical screenings within 12 hours of arrival, clean cells daily, and ensure access to hygiene supplies and medication within 24 hours.

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.

Habiba Soliman, 18, and her four younger siblings (ages 4-16) were detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center for more than nine months following their father's arrest in connection with a firebombing attack at a Jewish event in Boulder, Colorado. DHS arrested the mother and children and investigated their alleged involvement in the attack, though they denied any connection and publicly disavowed their father's actions. An arrest warrant reported that their father stated he never discussed his plans with family. An immigration judge initially determined the family posed no danger or flight risk and granted bond, but later reversed the decision after ICE appealed. Soliman was subsequently separated from her younger siblings and moved to an adult section of the facility.

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.

Curtis Wright, a 39-year-old Edmonton-born permanent resident who has lived in the United States for nearly 30 years, was detained by ICE on November 6, 2025, after returning from a business trip to Mexico through Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport. Wright works in the oil and gas sector and lives with his fiancée Kayla Thomsen, their 18-month-old daughter, and his two young sons from a previous marriage. ICE cited a drug possession conviction from when Wright was 17 years old—Xanax tablets were found in a car he was in; he had completed community service for that sentence. Wright's green card has been renewed multiple times since becoming a permanent resident in 2001, and his fiancée argues that federal law shields him from removal because more than 22 years have passed since his offense. While detained at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Wright endured harsh conditions including cold temperatures, no blankets or jackets, contaminated water that made him severely ill, poor food, and was denied his colitis medication for 41 days. His court hearings were repeatedly delayed, with his name missing from the docket on at least two occasions and a judge failing to appear for a scheduled virtual court date. On March 13, 2026, Judge Jennifer L. Mazza ordered his deportation. Wright's legal team, including attorney Matt Mendez, filed evidence supporting his case and is pursuing a habeas corpus request and plans to appeal the deportation order. During detention, Wright has been moved to seven different facilities and has helped 13 other detainees with legal and communication support. His daughter has learned to walk while he has been detained, and his fiancée described it as heartbreaking to see their daughter try to reach him through glass during visits. Wright could self-deport to Canada but fears losing custody of his two sons.

A 14-year-old Brazilian national was detained by ICE agents in Marlborough, Massachusetts on March 10, 2026, during an operation targeting suspected gang members. She was transferred to a juvenile detention facility in New York without following proper legal procedures. A federal judge ordered her immediate release on March 12, 2026, finding the detention and out-of-state transfer violated constitutional protections and questioning why she was not turned over to state child welfare authorities instead. She was reunited with her aunt and uncle in Massachusetts but received a notice to appear in immigration court and now faces deportation to Brazil. Her attorney plans to challenge the deportation and petition for special immigrant juvenile status.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado granted a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the case of Luis Alfredo Chavelas Rosas, a Mexican citizen detained by ICE on July 16, 2025, in Aurora, Colorado. The court ruled that the detainee was improperly detained under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A) without a bond hearing and determined that the default rule under § 1226(a) applies, requiring the government to provide a bond hearing. The court concluded that § 1225(b)(2)(A) does not authorize detention for noncitizens who have been present in the country for years and are not actively seeking admission.

Pío Figueroa, a Latin convenience store owner in Russellville, Alabama, was detained by ICE on January 30 while transporting $21,000 in cash to a bank for his money transfer business. The funds, collected from community members sending remittances to Latin America, have not been accounted for since his arrest. His legal team notes that ICE agents do not use body cameras, making it impossible to track what happened to the money. Figueroa was held at Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana and now faces deportation proceedings.

Karla Sáenz, a 26-year-old transgender woman from Venezuela and organizer with Trans Queer Pueblo, was detained by ICE on March 9 during a routine immigration check-in at a USCIS office in Phoenix. She was held for a month at Eloy Detention Center in a men's unit, where she was denied hormone therapy, unable to shower for a week, and subjected to verbal abuse and medical neglect by staff. A federal judge ordered her release in April, finding her detention arbitrary and violating her due process rights.

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.

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.

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.

José Mauricio León Llanos is a citizen of El Salvador who has lived in the United States for approximately 20 years, having entered on November 26, 2005. He has a United States citizen child and has worked in the country with no prior removal order. On March 4, 2026, ICE officers apprehended him in Simi Valley, California during a field operation as he exited his vehicle. Officers did not provide him a warrant until after arrest and did not provide a pre-deprivation opportunity to contest his detention. Llanos has been held at Desert View Annex in Adelanto, California since his detention and has never received a bond hearing before an immigration judge, with no neutral decisionmaker reviewing whether his continued detention was warranted. He sought immediate release under reasonable conditions of supervision through an emergency motion for temporary restraining order. On August 4, 2026, the federal court granted his motion and ordered his immediate release, finding he demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of his due process claim under the Mathews v. Eldridge test and that he would suffer irreparable harm from continued unlawful detention.

Irvin Cruz Nape, a father of four, died on March 4, 2026, days after being released from the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. Cruz Nape reported heart attack-like symptoms while in custody but allegedly did not receive proper medical treatment. He had been detained by ICE agents in the fall after being mistaken for another target, and was granted bond and released in late February.

Luis Muñoz Pinto, a 27-year-old Venezuelan man, was deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador's Cecot prison in March 2025. He was accused of gang membership based on rose tattoos he obtained to honor his twin sisters. U.S. immigration officials identified the tattoos as Tren de Aragua gang symbols. A federal court later ruled that Muñoz Pinto and over 100 other deported Venezuelans must be allowed to return to the U.S. for due process.

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.

San Juanita Guerra, a lawful permanent resident, was detained by ICE on March 2 at the Progreso International Bridge over a 1994 conviction involving an unloaded firearm. She was held at El Valle Detention Center for over three weeks before being released on a $15,000 bond and now wears an ankle monitor while her legal case continues. Guerra reported difficult detention conditions including inadequate access to water, medications, and medical care despite her heart and kidney conditions. She says she had completed probation and community service for the 1994 incident decades ago.

A U.S. District Judge in West Virginia issued a final notice to the federal government regarding continued unlawful detention of immigrants without individualized custody determinations. Judge Joseph R. Goodwin ruled that the government has repeatedly violated the Fifth Amendment by detaining immigrants without proper legal procedures. The judge warned of legal consequences for state and federal officials if the unlawful detention practices continue.

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.

Kaleth, a 2-year-old boy seeking asylum with his mother Joani, was detained in March 2026 after attending a required immigration check-in appointment in California. His father was handcuffed and taken to an adult detention facility in California while Kaleth and Joani were transferred to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas. Without his father, Kaleth became despondent and stopped eating for 12 days, vomited when forced to eat, and stopped having bowel movements—conditions doctors attributed to depression. Kaleth and his mother were released in April 2026 and reunited with his father, with reports indicating the boy is recovering well.

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.

Alisa Ramdial Shahib, a 46-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago who immigrated to the U.S. at age 19, has been detained by ICE at Chase County Detention Center since March 2026. Despite being granted a withholding of removal under the Convention Against Torture by a federal judge—a legal protection that bars her deportation to Trinidad and Tobago due to fears of persecution—DHS continues to detain her while searching for a third country willing to accept her. Shahib is separated from her U.S. citizen husband Secah, a PGA golf instructor, and her two children, one of whom is attending college. Over her decades in the U.S., she worked in modeling and commercial cleaning. Prior drug trafficking convictions prevent her from pursuing legal status. She communicates with her family through drawings mailed from detention while dealing with undisclosed medical issues, and her family remains uncertain about her final destination.

Haruna, a 39-year-old Ghanaian man with hepatitis B, was detained at Delaney Hall ICE detention center and taken to the hospital twice—last year and in March 2026—requiring a blood transfusion and surgery after his requests for medical help were answered late or not at all. A doctor who reviewed his medical records found that Delaney Hall staff failed to provide him with needed outpatient medical care and identified a pattern of insufficient ongoing care leading to health deterioration followed by emergency treatment only when his life was in danger. His case is among over 70 lawsuits filed by Delaney Hall detainees alleging medical neglect and deficiencies.

Jonathan, Joani, and their 2.5-year-old son Kaleth, asylum seekers from Peru, were detained by ICE officers in March 2026 after arriving at a scheduled immigration appointment in Thousand Oaks. The family was separated across state lines: Joani and Kaleth were sent to Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas for two weeks, while Jonathan was sent to Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California for over a month. During detention, Jonathan reported delays in medical care, mistreatment including food being thrown at detainees, and being placed in a cold room as alleged punishment for calling his lawyer. Joani reported the facility conditions were poor, with inedible food, non-drinkable water, constant lighting preventing sleep, and her young son becoming ill and refusing to eat. The family was eventually released through legal intervention and community support.

Edgar Karapetyan, a citizen of Armenia in removal proceedings since 2022, was arrested by ICE agents at his home in March 2026 following a DUI citation. He had been living at liberty for over four years while his immigration case was pending. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release and mandating pre-detention hearings for any future arrests.

Maykel and his five cousins were detained in shelter facilities for four months after trekking hundreds of miles to reunite with their mother Maria. Under Trump administration rules, the children remained in detention despite their parent being available to care for them. Families across New York and the country are using habeas corpus petitions as a legal tool to challenge prolonged detentions of unaccompanied minors.

Seamus Culleton, an Irish national who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 20 years and is married to U.S. citizen Tiffany Smith, was arrested by ICE agents at a hardware store in Boston on September 9, 2025, during a random immigration sweep. Culleton entered the country in 2009 on a visa waiver and overstayed, but held a valid work permit tied to a pending green card application as the spouse of a citizen and has no criminal record. He was detained for roughly six months across facilities in Massachusetts, New York, and Texas, including El Paso Camp East Montana, where he and his attorney reported overcrowding, inadequate food, lack of outdoor time, unsanitary conditions, and significant weight loss. A judge approved his release on bond in November 2025, but ICE continued to detain him after claiming he had signed deportation documents, a claim Culleton and his lawyer dispute due to documentation irregularities. His prolonged detention caused him to miss a critical green card interview. In March 2026, a U.S. Court of Appeals judge paused his deportation pending resolution of his petition for review.

Rabbiatu Kuyateh, a 58-year-old woman from Sierra Leone working as a nurse, was detained during a routine ICE check-in in July 2025. Despite a U.S. court order prohibiting her return to Sierra Leone, ICE deported her to an undisclosed location. She was held in shackles during a 10-hour flight. Videos documented her being dragged by individuals after resisting deportation. Her son contacted CASA seeking her return to the United States.