Human Impact Project

Homeland Security Investigations agents raided an apartment in Lynden, Washington on October 29, detaining U.S. citizen Jocelyn Peña while arresting her undocumented partner, Jesus Alejandro Lopez Ruiz, on a federal warrant alleging he assaulted an officer during a vehicle pursuit on October 15. Lopez Ruiz was booked into Whatcom County Jail and transferred to federal immigration custody. Advocates and Lopez Ruiz's partner dispute the assault allegation, characterizing the arrest as retribution and intimidation, with claims that no evidence has been provided that the alleged car door contact occurred.

Border Patrol agents conducted immigration enforcement raids across Chicago and nearby suburbs on Halloween, detaining multiple individuals. Incidents included pepper-spray deployment in Albany Park, an agent pointing a weapon at protesters in Evanston, and an officer punching a detainee. Three U.S. citizens were arrested for allegedly obstructing the operations, while five Mexican nationals were detained.

Lonardo Garcia Venegas, 25, was at a construction site in coastal Alabama when immigration agents arrived. Garcia Venegas began filming after his undocumented brother requested a warrant from agents. Agents removed his brother to the ground during the encounter. Garcia Venegas was also taken into custody. Agents checked his REAL ID, which Alabama issues to those legally in the U.S. Garcia Venegas was held handcuffed for more than an hour. His brother was later deported. Garcia Venegas returned to work two weeks later. On a subsequent occasion, an immigration agent encountered Garcia Venegas at a construction site and checked his REAL ID. Agents also held two other workers who had legal status during immigration enforcement activities.

Illinois state representative Hoan Huynh, a Vietnamese refugee, reported being confronted by ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents who pointed a gun at his head while he monitored immigration enforcement operations on Chicago's North Side. Huynh was documenting the agents' activities and informing residents of their rights when the incident occurred. ICE enforcement operations in Chicago have separated families from their communities. Gerardo Perez's mother was arrested and deported in June.

U.S. citizens were detained by federal agents at an Aurora school hospital. Protesters confronted the agents at the scene. The detained individuals have since spoken out about their experience.

George Retes, a disabled American combat veteran, was detained for three days without access to a lawyer or ability to contact family during a massive immigration raid on a marijuana farm where he worked as a security guard. His family could not locate him until they recognized his car in a TikTok video from the scene; agents broke his car window, pepper sprayed him, and tackled him. Retes suffered injuries including a cut leg from broken glass and burns from lingering pepper spray. Despite DHS later claiming he was arrested for assault, he was released without charges and was never told why he was arrested. Retes missed his daughter's third birthday and told ProPublica that agents knew he was a citizen but did not care.

Andrea Guadalupe Velez, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen and Cal Poly Pomona graduate, was detained by ICE agents in downtown Los Angeles on June 24, 2025, when she was dropped off at work during a street sweep operation targeting vendors. Agents arrested her after she stepped into the path of an officer attempting to apprehend another individual. Velez was charged with assaulting a federal officer and reported being denied water for 24 hours while held at a detention center and unable to contact the outside world for much of her detention, which lasted more than two days. A federal judge ordered her released on $5,000 bond. The Justice Department later dismissed her case without prejudice. On August 20, Velez filed a federal tort claim alleging racial profiling and wrongful arrest; she is one of six claimants represented by the Carrillo Law Firm alleging similar misconduct by ICE and Border Patrol in Southern California.

Leonardo Garcia Venegas, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen of Mexican descent working in construction, was detained twice by immigration agents in coastal Alabama. During the first incident, agents ignored white and Black co-workers while targeting Latino workers, then tackled his undocumented brother and grabbed Garcia Venegas after he began filming and stated he was a citizen. Agents dismissed his Alabama REAL ID as fake and held him handcuffed for over an hour; his brother was later deported. In a second detention at a construction site weeks later, agents again questioned his citizenship and dismissed his REAL ID despite him providing both it and his Social Security card. Garcia Venegas was never charged with any crime and filed a federal lawsuit alleging unlawful detention and civil rights violations.

On October 25, 2025, a 67-year-old U.S. citizen was removed from his car and assaulted by Border Patrol agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Chicago's Old Irving Park neighborhood. The man sustained six broken ribs and internal bleeding during the incident. The enforcement operation occurred during a children's Halloween parade preparation, and tear gas was deployed near children in the area. Border Patrol agents had blocked off the street as part of their operation to apprehend an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. On October 10, 2025, Dayanne Figueroa, a U.S. citizen paralegal employed by WGN TV, was removed from her vehicle by masked Border Patrol agents on West Hubbard Street in Chicago following a traffic accident involving an unmarked government vehicle. Video footage documents armed federal agents dragging her from the car by her legs and pinning her to the ground without initially explaining the reason for the detention. Figueroa sustained injuries requiring hospital treatment. She was subsequently released without being charged. Accounts differ between Figueroa and DHS regarding who struck whom and her actions during the encounter.

Chanthila "Shawn" Souvannarath, 44, was deported to Laos on Friday despite a federal court order issued the day before blocking his removal. The judge had ordered ICE to keep him in the country so he could present a claim of U.S. citizenship. DHS claimed the court order was not received until after the deportation had already occurred. Souvannarath, who was born in a refugee camp in Thailand but has lived most of his life in the U.S., had been granted lawful permanent residence before his first birthday.

Arnoldo Bazan, a 16-year-old U.S. citizen, was beaten and choked by ICE agents on October 23, 2025, during a traffic stop near South Gessner Road and Beechnut Street in Houston while he was on his way to school. Unmarked federal agents without visible identification pulled over the vehicle carrying Arnoldo and his father, Arnulfo Bazan. When both father and son fled, agents chased them through a nearby restaurant-supply store, where they tackled, kicked, punched, and choked both of them. During the assault, agents subjected Arnoldo to racial slurs and confiscated his phone. Arnoldo was hospitalized with bruises and welts on his neck consistent with choking. He was released after identifying himself as a minor and U.S. citizen. His father was deported to Mexico following the incident. Months later, Arnoldo testified before Congress about his experience.

Federal agents from ICE and U.S. Marshals Service raided a home in Gary, Indiana on October 23, 2025, taking an entire family into custody. The 26-year-old son reported being punched in the eye and choked during the arrest, while his parents—who lack legal immigration status—remain in custody. The two adult U.S. citizen children were released, but the family now faces four separate court cases and legal expenses.

Arnoldo Bazan, a 16-year-old U.S. citizen and sophomore football player at Alief Hastings High School, was detained for several hours on October 23 when ICE agents stopped a vehicle carrying him and his father, Arnulfo Bazan Carrillo. Bazan alleged he was beaten and choked by masked officers who did not identify themselves, but ICE denied the allegations and stated Bazan elbowed a federal agent in the face during the encounter. Bazan was released after ICE verified his U.S. citizenship.

A junior at Benito Juarez High School in Chicago was detained by federal agents on October 23, 2025, while on his way to school in the Little Village neighborhood. The student, who city leaders identified as a U.S. citizen, was zip-tied and taken into custody after federal agents conducted immigration enforcement operations at a shopping center at 26th and Whipple. He was released back to his family at approximately 3 p.m. that day. A second student was injured during the same operation but was not detained.

During federal immigration enforcement operations in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood on October 23, 2025, federal agents led by U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino detained at least five people, including two Benito Juarez Community Academy high school students and at least one U.S. citizen. A 16-year-old junior was detained and later released; video showed federal agents grabbing a teenage boy from a sidewalk and forcibly handcuffing him. When dozens of residents and protesters gathered near a discount mall at 27th and Whipple streets to oppose the enforcement action, federal agents wearing military-style camouflage and gas masks deployed tear gas and pepper spray into the crowd. Video evidence shows Bovino himself tossing a tear gas canister into the crowd after being told not to do so by Little Village Community Council President Baltazar Enriquez. A 24-year-old U.S. citizen woman protesting was also detained and placed in a van; her sister reported not hearing from her as of Thursday afternoon. Attorneys filed a federal complaint alleging agents violated a court order prohibiting riot control weapons without imminent threat and requiring prior warnings. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis ordered Bovino to testify for five hours and appear in person for a status hearing.

Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh was indicted along with five other protesters for allegedly blocking vehicles outside a federal ICE processing facility in Broadview, Illinois. Abughazaleh faces charges of conspiracy and forcibly impeding a federal officer. She and other defendants will self-surrender to authorities following the indictment filed on October 23.

Four U.S. citizens were arrested and held at 26 Federal Plaza for nearly 24 hours without any federal charges during a joint ICE enforcement operation on Canal Street in Manhattan's Chinatown on October 21, 2025. The operation, described by ICE as targeting criminal activity related to counterfeit goods, also resulted in the detention of nine undocumented immigrants. The families of the arrested citizens filed missing persons reports with the NYPD before the four Americans were released approximately 30 minutes after Congressman Dan Goldman held a press conference about the arrests.

A Pennsylvania man exonerated after spending over 40 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit was immediately taken into ICE custody upon his release, with authorities seeking to deport him to India based on a 1988 deportation order. Subu Vedam, who moved to the US at nine months old, was cleared of the 1980 murder charge earlier this month, but ICE cited his old drug conviction and deportation order as grounds for detention. His family and lawyers are fighting the deportation, arguing that Vedam has virtually no ties to India, had applied for US citizenship before his arrest, and demonstrated decades of good behavior in prison where he earned three degrees and mentored fellow inmates.

Jude Jasmine Jeannine Allard, 28, and Jenaro-Ernesto Ayala, 43, day-laborer advocates, were arrested by federal Border Patrol at a Home Depot parking lot in Van Nuys on suspicion of interfering with immigration enforcement operations. They are facing additional felony charges for allegedly placing homemade tire spikes to disable law enforcement vehicles. Ayala is a U.S. citizen and outreach coordinator at the Van Nuys Day Labor Center who helps connect workers with resources and jobs. After their arrests, attorneys Cal Soto and Colleen Flynn attempted to meet with the detainees at the Federal Detention Center on Alameda Street in Downtown Los Angeles but were denied access, with federal authorities citing ongoing "processing" and inability to locate where the detainees were being held.

On October 16, 2025, Leonardo Martinez, a US citizen volunteer with VC Defensa immigrant rights group, was monitoring ICE enforcement activity in Oxnard, California when federal immigration agents in an unmarked SUV rammed his pickup truck, injuring him. Agents then falsely told dispatchers and investigating officers that Martinez had hit them. Body camera footage from Oxnard Police and witness videos contradicted the federal agents' accounts. Martinez was arrested and taken to Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, where he was detained but released the same day. He was informed he faced charges but has not been formally charged in any jurisdiction.

A 15-year-old U.S. citizen was detained by Customs and Border Patrol agents on Chicago's East Side after federal agents deployed tear gas at a crash scene. According to his attorneys, the teen was slammed to the ground, zip-tied, and held in a garage for five hours without being booked, read his rights, or allowed to contact his mother. DHS stated the teen was arrested for allegedly throwing an egg at an agent, taken to an FBI field office where he admitted to the action, and released without charges. A 16-year-old U.S. citizen born and raised in Chicago was arrested and body-slammed by federal immigration agents during the East Side operation. His mother, Juanita Garnica, reported receiving a call that her son had been beaten, body-slammed, and taken into custody, but was not informed of his whereabouts or status. He was among multiple people arrested during the federal operation and subsequent protest.

Hanover Park police officer Radule Bojovic, a Montenegrin citizen, was detained by ICE on October 15, 2025, as part of Operation Midway Blitz after overstaying his B2 tourist visa by approximately 10 years—he was supposed to leave in March 2015 but remained in the country unlawfully while serving as a sworn officer with firearm access. He was released on bond on October 31 after federal authorities did not contest the release, and returned to full duty shortly after. Village officials stated Bojovic was legally authorized to work and carry a firearm at the time of hire with no criminal history.

Four U.S. citizen cemetery workers at Concordia Cemetery were arrested and subjected to pepper balls and pepper spray during an ICE operation that crossed onto private property. The workers were detained for hours before being released without charges. Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins made statements regarding the operation and requested its termination.

Maria Greeley, a 44-year-old U.S. citizen and Chicago resident born at Illinois Masonic Hospital, was detained by three masked federal agents outside the Beach Bar on Ohio Street after finishing a double shift in early October 2025. The agents restrained her with zip ties and questioned her for approximately one hour, challenging the authenticity of her passport and telling her she "doesn't look like" her last name Greeley, despite her carrying documentation proving her citizenship. After about an hour, the agents released her. Following the incident, Greeley reported experiencing psychological distress and said she felt compelled to "lay low."

Warren King, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen born and raised in Chicago, was tackled and arrested by federal immigration agents at a Walgreens store on the East Side during an operation targeting undocumented immigrants. King was shopping with friends and family when agents swarmed the store; he was arrested despite repeatedly telling agents he was a U.S. citizen and legally in the country. He was held for hours before being released without charges, left with physical and mental injuries from the takedown.

ICE and Border Patrol agents threatened to arrest a Chicago cyclist who was following and recording them. The incident was captured on video and shared by a Chicago Tribune journalist. Community members intervened with whistles, which appeared to cause the agents to back away from the cyclist.

Fidel Rivera, an undocumented immigrant who worked in construction in North Carolina for over 20 years, self-deported to Mexico on October 13, 2025, to avoid potential immigration detention. His family, including his U.S. citizen wife and two daughters, are spending the holidays separated as Rivera must remain in Mexico for at least 10 years before he can reapply for legal status.

An 18-year-old girl in Hoffman Estates was forcibly removed from a vehicle and thrown to the ground by what appeared to be a federal agent during a weekend enforcement operation. She and two friends were detained for hours before being released. Her parents are demanding accountability and taking legal action, while there is confusion about which agency was responsible for the arrest.

ICE arrested a U.S. citizen in Oregon. An attorney stated the arrest was illegal and characterized it as an abduction. Limited details about the arrested individual's identity and circumstances are available in the report.

Chicago TV producer for WGN-TV, Debbie Brockman, was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on Friday in a residential area during immigration enforcement operations. A federal judge had issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting DHS agents from arresting journalists without probable cause. Brockman was released from federal custody the same day with no charges filed against her.

An 18-year-old U.S. citizen was detained by ICE agents on October 10, 2025, in Hoffman Estates along with two others. Video footage shows agents pulling the teenager from a car and restraining her on the ground. The detainees were released without charges after a few hours.

A veteran and U.S. citizen was detained by ICE. During detention, the individual was placed on suicide watch in a cell wearing a hospital dress on a concrete bed with a thin mattress. The cell had a light on continuously and officers were stationed outside with a glass door. A psychiatric nurse conducted one check per day. The individual was held in these conditions from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon when released.

Federal officers took three people into custody outside the South Portland ICE facility on Thursday night during a protest against Trump administration immigration policies. The reasons for the federal arrests were not immediately clear. Portland police also arrested two people at the facility on separate charges.

Sunny Naqvi, a 28-year-old U.S. citizen from Skokie, was detained at O'Hare Airport after returning from a work trip to Turkey and held for nearly 30 hours at ICE facilities in Illinois and Wisconsin before being released. Federal agencies provided conflicting accounts of her detention, with CBP claiming she was released within 90 minutes while her family and elected officials reported she was transferred to multiple detention centers. Her case is part of a broader pattern, with ProPublica documenting over 170 U.S. citizens detained by immigration agents in recent years and advocacy groups reporting increased airport encounters in 2026.

Daniel Greer and David Eichler, U.S. citizen cemetery workers at Concordia Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois, say they were pepper-sprayed and arrested by ICE agents on Tuesday afternoon while attempting to help an unidentified man struggling in the Des Plaines River. According to the workers, ICE agents breached the cemetery gate onto private property, immediately pepper-sprayed them with guns drawn, and tackled them to the ground after they questioned the agents' authority and noted the man was on the riverbank outside the cemetery property.

U.S. citizens, including Latinos, were detained during Trump's immigration enforcement operations in the Chicago area. Detainees reported being assaulted by officers who questioned them about their birthplace. The incident occurred when Diego Rosales was stopped by ICE agents while waiting for a school bus in Waukegan.

A U.S. citizen was detained by federal agents during the Brighton Park immigration enforcement operation on October 4, 2025. According to Alderman Julia Ramirez, the man was driving one of the vehicles involved in the incident with Border Patrol agents. His mother, Elizabeth Ruiz, stated her 21-year-old son was being held in an ICE vehicle and had nothing to do with the confrontation. At least one other protester was also detained during the clashes that followed the shooting.

Marimar Martínez, a U.S. citizen and teaching assistant, was shot five times by Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum during Operation Midway Blitz in Brighton Park on October 4, 2025. Prosecutors initially charged her with assaulting federal officers, claiming she rammed agents' vehicle and attempted to run over an agent as part of a convoy of protesters. Federal prosecutors abruptly dismissed all felony charges after her attorney argued agents caused the crash and that the shooting was unnecessary. A federal judge later ruled the agents' use of force against citizens "shocks the conscience."

A woman was shot by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Brighton Park on Chicago's Southwest Side near South 35th Street and California Avenue. According to DHS, agents claimed they were rammed by 10 vehicles and boxed in, and fired defensive shots after discovering the woman was armed with a semi-automatic weapon. The woman drove herself to Mount Sinai Hospital, was treated for her wounds, and discharged. The shooting sparked a protest of approximately 100 people, during which federal agents deployed tear gas and pepper balls. A woman was shot by Border Patrol agents during a protest outside the ICE detention facility in Broadview. According to DHS, agents claimed they were "rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars" and fired defensive shots when a suspect attempted to run them over. The agency stated one driver who rammed the law enforcement vehicle was armed with a semi-automatic weapon. The woman drove herself to the hospital for treatment and was later released according to Chicago police.

Francisco Miranda, a U.S. citizen born in California, was arrested by ICE agents outside his workplace in Milwaukie, Oregon. While being detained, Miranda repeatedly told agents he was born in California, but they questioned his claim and took him into custody. Miranda recorded part of his arrest before agents confiscated his cellphone. His attorney, Michael Fuller, characterized the arrest as an illegal abduction. Miranda appears to be the first known U.S. citizen arrested by ICE in Oregon this year.

Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen, was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in Brighton Park on Saturday morning during an incident where she and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz allegedly followed federal agents in their vehicles. Body camera footage, according to Martinez's attorney, appears to show an agent telling her to "do something" before shooting her. Both Martinez and Ruiz were released pending trial despite being charged with felony assault of a federal officer.

Jorge was arrested at an ICE check-in at the federal building and deported on October 3, 2025—just two days before his daughter Maite was born. His wife Jessica, a U.S. citizen and elder care worker, was left alone to care for their newborn and her 9-year-old son Dylan on a single income. Jessica grew depressed and anemic during her pregnancy as she worried about Jorge's fate. Since his deportation, Dylan has struggled in school, Jessica has lost their apartment to eviction, and she is pursuing legal avenues for Jorge's return—a process attorneys say could take years. Friends pooled money for plane tickets so Jessica and her children could visit Jorge in Ecuador to meet their newborn daughter in person.

Jesus Hernandez, a 46-year-old from Mexico who has lived in the United States for 25 years and is a father of three, was arrested by federal agents in Little Village along with his 21-year-old son Brian, who is a U.S. citizen born in the United States. Video showed both men being detained and led away in custody. Family members expressed distress at the separation, with a relative stating that Hernandez is the primary provider for his family.

Juan Munoz, an Oak Park Township trustee, was arrested outside the Broadview ICE facility on October 3 while protesting in a designated protest-free zone. Federal agents pulled him to the ground, zip-tied him with plastic handcuffs, and detained him for approximately eight hours without being told why or what he was accused of. Munoz was forced to stand along a guardrail for 40 minutes while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and photographers passed by, which he described as political theater and being used as a prop. He was then locked in a filthy cell with a shared toilet and soiled waste before being released without documentation or charges. Munoz is pursuing legal action and stated that federal agents violated the rights of community members without due process.

Kyle Frankovich, a protester, was arrested outside the Broadview ICE facility on October 3 while demonstrating in a designated protest zone. Federal agents grabbed and threw him to the ground, zip-tied him, and detained him for approximately eight hours without explanation or charges. Frankovich was made to stand along a guardrail for 40 minutes while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem walked past with cameras and photographers. He was then locked in a filthy cell and later released without documentation or charges. The following week, his fiancée Leigh Kunkle was shot in the face with pepper balls by federal agents during another protest at the same facility. Frankovich and his fiancée are planning legal action, with their attorney filing federal claims alleging wrongful detention and violation of rights.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted multiple enforcement operations in Chicago, deploying tear gas and smoke bombs during raids. In one incident at Funston Elementary School, tear gas released in a nearby parking lot during a grocery store raid spread into the school building, exposing students including first-graders to the chemical agent. A separate operation at 51st and Damen on October 3rd resulted in video footage showing federal agents threatening a community member and throwing a smoke bomb onto a vehicle, with one person detained. ICE has conducted multiple enforcement operations in Chicago during this period, including residential raids and the detention of individuals.

A Northwest Arkansas man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement following a traffic stop. According to his attorney, the man is a U.S. citizen. He has since been released and returned home.

Leonardo Garcia Venegas, a U.S.-born citizen, was detained by ICE agents on two separate occasions at construction sites in recent months. His attorney disputes the government's claim that he interfered with agents, stating he was violently tackled and detained despite showing his Real ID both times. The lawsuit alleges ICE violated Fourth Amendment protections and that officers targeted Latino workers based on racial assumptions.

In Chicago, a federal agent grabbed a protester on a public sidewalk by the throat and body-slammed him to the ground. The agent's weapon dangled behind his back during the encounter, creating an additional public safety danger.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation opened a criminal investigation into a CBP officer after he grabbed a protester by the hair, put her in a chokehold, and threw her down a grassy embankment outside an ICE facility in Durango. In April 2026, state prosecutors filed third-degree assault and criminal mischief charges against the officer.