Human Impact Project

Marof Montanary, known as "Frenchy," a bodybuilder with aspirations of competing at Mr. Olympia, was detained by ICE agents during what he and his partner initially believed was a routine traffic stop while driving to a wedding in Omaha, Nebraska. Agents separated him from his partner and their three dogs, shackled him, and transferred him to a detention facility in Leavenworth, Kansas. Facing high legal costs, Montanary and his legal counsel decided he will pursue a structured voluntary self-deportation while his partner works to file a petition to bring him back to the U.S. legally in the future.

Esteban Rios Sosa and his wife, Luisa Rodriguez, were first stopped at a Camp Pendleton gate in September 2025 while trying to visit their pregnant daughter, who is married to a Marine, with their son Steve Rios, also a Marine. They were briefly detained, fitted with ankle monitors and told to check in with ICE weeks later; when they returned to the federal building in San Diego, agents detained them again, deporting Rios Sosa to Mexico within a day while Rodriguez was sent to Otay Mesa Detention Center. Both held pending U visa applications that USCIS had deemed bona fide, along with deferred action and work permits, though the agency said annual visa caps delayed approval; Rodriguez was released after about three weeks once an immigration judge recognized her deferred status. During nearly a year in Mexico, Rios Sosa said he feared being kidnapped and struggled with depression, while attorney Monika Langarica of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law filed suit in July arguing his due process rights were violated. U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino agreed, ruling he was deported without notice or a hearing and ordering his immediate return; he crossed back into the U.S. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry to reunite with his family, return to his job cleaning cars, and meet his new grandchild.

A man was detained by ICE, according to a GoFundMe campaign started by his cousin, Ashley Zuniga. He has a young daughter he is trying to get home to. The family says this is the fifth time a family member has been detained by ICE, and funds raised will go toward paying for a lawyer and other needs related to his detention.

Martin Anguiano, 63, who has owned and operated Guadalajara Taco Shop in Seaside for 23 years, was arrested by ICE officers on September 10 while picking up supplies at a Safeway. Officers cited a 1993 removal order, after which Anguiano was deported and later returned to the country; his family says he has faced no charges since and is now questioning the validity of the warrant ICE is using to hold him. His wife, Michelle, said she is struggling to understand what happened and described him as a hardworking father, grandfather and husband known throughout the community, while Steve Haugen, owner of the building housing the restaurant, called him "the last person you'd think would be arrested." Anguiano is being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, where his family says conditions are poor, and a GoFundMe started by his daughter has raised more than $14,000 for bills and legal fees.

James Mervil and Josselene Polidor were arrested by ICE agents near John Marshall Elementary School in the Chollas Creek neighborhood of San Diego minutes after dropping off their 2- and 5-year-old children. Witnesses said officers boxed in the family's car, and the mother ran barefoot into a nearby home under construction, where she was handcuffed while pleading with workers for help and explaining her daughter attended the nearby school. Construction workers reported that an officer unholstered his gun and threatened pepper spray when a supervisor tried to intervene, and that the officer entered the home without the owner's permission. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrests, stating the parents had overstayed their visas. San Diego Unified School District confirmed both parents were taken into ICE custody, said the children were not present and were doing well, and arranged for a family friend to pick them up, while also condemning ICE arrests near its campuses. Local elected officials, including Rep. Scott Peters and Mayor Todd Gloria, condemned the arrests, saying such actions traumatize children and families.

Peter, a 51-year-old Kenyan man and country music fan whose son serves in the US Navy, lived in Dallas, Texas for 25 years before being deported to Cameroon, only learning his destination midway through the flight. After arriving, he contracted malaria and spent three days in the hospital on respiratory support. He has since had an interview with the UN refugee agency, which could grant him refugee status, though Cameroon may still decline to accept the outcome.

Nelson Contreras-Gelves, a 35-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker who arrived in the U.S. in 2022, was detained by ICE in Philadelphia on June 27, 2026, just a week after his wedding reception with wife Ariel Whaley of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. He had been following all required immigration procedures at the time of his arrest. Contreras-Gelves worked as a distribution associate at Mighty Writers, a nonprofit in New Garden Township, where colleagues described him as 'irreplaceable' and part of their extended family. He was held for about three weeks at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia before being transferred to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, where he faced repeated bond denials and described scalding shower water, insect infestations, poor food, and inadequate medical care. A crowdfunding campaign raised more than $38,000 to help cover legal costs and household expenses. He was unexpectedly released on September 10, 2026, and now wears an ankle monitor, is restricted to travel within Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, and must attend frequent check-ins.

ICE officers detained a mother and father near John Marshall Elementary School in San Diego's Chollas Creek neighborhood shortly after morning drop-off. Witnesses say officers boxed in the couple's Toyota Prius at an intersection, prompting the pair to flee on foot into a nearby house under construction, where the woman pleaded with workers for help, saying her daughter attends the school. A construction worker said the ICE officer unholstered his gun and drew pepper spray after the crew tried to intervene. San Diego Unified confirmed the parents' 2- and 5-year-old children attend a school program and were picked up by a family friend after both parents were taken into ICE custody.

Maria Rosales, a 32-year-old DACA recipient who came to the U.S. from Colombia as a young child and has lived in Florida for nearly three decades, was detained without warrant by ICE agents at Logan Airport on July 10, 2026, while returning home after a trip to Boston. She works as a dermatologist's assistant treating skin cancer patients and founded a nonprofit color guard organization that provides performing arts opportunities to young people in the Orlando area, with friends and colleagues describing her as a dedicated community leader. ICE cited a 2017 removal order from a New Mexico immigration checkpoint stop that Rosales says she was never properly informed of, and her attorney contends the warrant used to justify her detention may have been fabricated after she was already in custody. She was held for 10 days at ICE's Burlington, Massachusetts facility, where she reported inconsistent access to showers, food, water, and medication, and rooms holding as many as eight women at a time. A federal judge ordered her release after finding ICE failed to comply with statutory detention procedures, and she subsequently filed a lawsuit against the agency, which a judge refused to dismiss in September.

Wilfredo Giron, a construction worker and father, was taken into ICE custody after someone posing as a potential client contacted him about a job, luring him into an encounter that resulted in his detention. He has been held for more than two weeks, leaving behind his wife, Rachel, who is pregnant, and their 2-year-old son. The family is raising funds for immigration attorney fees, legal filings, and a potential bond to secure his release while his case continues.

On the morning of September 9th, two family members—an aunt's husband and her son-in-law—were detained by ICE agents outside their home as they left for work. The men had lived in the U.S. for nearly 13 years and have three children between them, one of whom was born in the U.S. They were taken to the Buffalo detention center, where they were pressured into signing voluntary departure forms, and were later transferred to a facility in Louisiana. One of the men has heart problems requiring five medications nightly, and one reported experiencing abuse in custody; family members say they are unsure if he is receiving needed medical care. ICE confiscated the men's passports, leaving the family without a way to relocate, and the wives have had only brief phone calls with the detained men since their arrest.

Marianela Pujol and Nelson José Díaz, a Venezuelan couple originally from Ciudad Ojeda, Zulia, were detained by ICE agents on the night of Sunday, September 6, while stopped at a Wawa charging station on 87th Avenue in Doral, Florida, to recharge their electric vehicle. The couple, who work as insurance agents, entered the U.S. legally in 2021 on a visa and have a still-pending asylum application. Their 21-year-old daughter, Daniela Pujol, said an officer told her mother there was no specific infraction but that she was being taken into custody because of the pending asylum case, leaving Daniela alone in the country. Family members said the couple has no criminal record, and Daniela has sought legal representation, appealed to a local council member and advocacy organizations, and started a GoFundMe campaign to cover legal defense costs.

César David Miranda Pinedo, a Venezuelan father with a pending asylum case, was detained by ICE agents in South Florida on August 25 while returning from the pharmacy with medication for his 6-year-old daughter, who had been treated at a hospital the night before for a severe ear infection. His wife, Paola Álvarez, said he texted her 'ICE detained me' and left the medication and their car at Central Park before being taken into custody. Miranda Pinedo entered the U.S. legally in 2018 and had waited about eight years for a decision on his asylum application. He was transferred to the Krome Detention Center, and his attorney filed a habeas corpus petition arguing he should not be held without a formal charging document. His wife, whose own immigration status is also pending, said she has prepared a legal power of attorney for their two daughters in case she too is detained. Immigrant rights organizations in South Florida are calling for prosecutorial discretion so he can continue his immigration case while free to care for his daughter.

Iara do Carmo Santana, a 29-year-old Brazilian woman working as a house cleaner, was arrested by Malden police after her fiancé, Gabriel Lemos, called 911 out of concern for her mental health following a recent miscarriage and related infection. She was booked, released from police custody, then detained by ICE, which accessed her information through a shared FBI database, and held for roughly four days at ICE's Burlington, Massachusetts field office. She said she received no medical evaluation upon arrival and was often denied her prescribed antibiotics, causing her infection symptoms to worsen. Federal judge Leo T. Sorokin ordered her release on September 8, criticizing ICE for its failure to provide necessary medical care. She was reunited with Lemos, a legal permanent resident she plans to marry next year, and her 6-year-old son. Do Carmo Santana has a pending asylum case and holds employment authorization. "I was afraid that I was going to go crazy in there," she said. "I was really scared."

Angel Ivan Chavez Salas, a father of two who works as an HVAC technician in Decatur, Georgia, was arrested by ICE agents outside his home on August 16. He arrived in the U.S. lawfully on a visa in 2016 and applied for asylum after fleeing political persecution in Peru, regularly attending immigration interviews but never having had a hearing before a judge. His attorney, Peter Isbister, said Chavez Salas has no criminal history. He was held at the D. Ray James Processing Center in southeast Georgia awaiting a court date. Students at Decatur High School, including a friend of his son, organized an online fundraiser that raised nearly $20,000 from more than 300 donors to support his family. A judge later granted him a $10,000 bond, allowing his release while he continues fighting his asylum case.

David Eduardo Mejía Martínez, a Salvadoran man who has lived in Los Angeles for years, was detained by ICE agents in an unmarked vehicle while driving to work in Sherman Oaks, with no arrest warrant. ICE accused him of being an MS-13 gang member, but a federal judge found no evidence to support the claim, noting he has no tattoos, no criminal record, steady employment, and has paid taxes since arriving in 2014. He is married with two U.S. citizen children, ages seven and four, and is the family's main financial provider. After more than 10 months in detention at the Adelanto facility, Judge Serena R. Murillo ordered his release on September 8, finding an earlier immigration judge had abused his discretion in labeling him dangerous, and ICE complied the next day while publicly objecting.

Jihoon Yang, a golf instructor from Lewisville, Texas, was detained by ICE agents while attending a marriage-based green card interview at a USCIS office in Irving. His wife, Jennifer Oh, said two agents entered mid-interview without presenting a warrant and verbally told him he was being arrested for failing to comply with a deportation order. ICE said Yang had received an in absentia removal order after missing a court hearing, but his family disputes ever being notified of that hearing. Yang is currently held at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, and his family has retained a new attorney while the South Korean consulate looks into the case.

Rafael Vela Gonzalez, 66, who fled El Salvador's civil war at 19 and lived in California for decades, was detained by ICE agents outside his Silver Lake home in early January after a video reviewed by the Los Angeles Times showed agents dragging him down concrete steps and handcuffing him. He had served as full-time caretaker for his partner of more than 30 years, 81-year-old U.S. citizen Vivian Lee Arguello, who has mobility issues, and was known in his neighborhood for decades of volunteer handyman work. His attorney says he obtained temporary residency under the 1986 amnesty program but was never notified to apply for permanent status before it expired in 1997; after losing his card in 2023, his 2025 replacement request was denied, leading to his detention. After nearly eight months at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, he developed a rash with oozing, bleeding sores, swollen feet, and difficulty walking, and was hospitalized for acute bronchitis and sepsis from June 17-22 after collapsing in his cell; the facility reportedly withheld information about his whereabouts from his attorney and partner during that time. A judge denied his bond request in July citing flight risk, and his attorney filed an appeal in August. Arguello has had to sell their home, move in with relatives, and rehome their dog Chico, while neighbors held a vigil and raised nearly $50,000 for the family.

Ramon Avilez-Frias and Maria Del Pilar Moreno-Loredo, longtime employees of Cisco's, Austin's oldest Tex-Mex restaurant and bakery serving the East Austin community for more than 75 years, were detained by ICE on September 7 at 6 a.m. as they arrived for work. Both are described by employer Matt Cisneros as hardworking, tax-paying people with no criminal records who are parents and spouses. Cisneros started a GoFundMe to help their families cover legal costs and daily expenses while they remain in ICE custody, and as of September 11 the campaign had raised more than $21,000 of its $22,000 goal from over 270 donations.

A man referred to as 'John' was detained by ICE after his car was stopped on his way home from work in California, and was forced to agree to self-deport to Mexico within a week of his arrest rather than remain in an ICE detention facility. He was held without legal representation or access to his medication, and his family did not know his whereabouts for three days. John came to California from Mexico 30 years ago, worked in construction, and supported his wife and three children, none of whom had legal status despite having no criminal record. A GoFundMe campaign was launched by a family friend to support John's health and new start in Mexico and to help his family, who remain in the U.S. struggling emotionally and financially.