Human Impact Project

This guide explains how families can locate loved ones detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Florida. It describes the ICE detention process, including how detainees are transferred through processing centers and facilities, which can make locating them difficult. The article provides instructions on using the ICE Online Detainee Locator System to search by A-Number or biographical information, and explains reasons why detainees may not immediately appear in the system.

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.

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.

Andrei Bankevich, a Belarusian asylum seeker granted relief from deportation to Belarus under the Convention Against Torture, was arrested on a drunken driving charge in Minnesota in February 2025 and transferred to ICE custody. After ICE detention facilities filled during Operation Metro Surge, he was transferred to Muscatine County Jail in Iowa in December 2025. ICE claimed it had been working on potential third-country removals for Bankevich since September 2025, but provided no documentation. Federal Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger ruled on March 11, 2026, that ICE illegally detained Bankevich beyond the six-month limit in violation of federal law and his due process rights, calling his jailing "prolonged and seemingly interminable" and ordering his immediate release.

Leonardo Espartaco Martinez, a U.S. citizen and community watcher with VC Defensa in Ventura County, was violently detained by ICE agents on March 10 after responding to aid a fellow community member who had been pepper-sprayed. Video footage shows ICE agents in three vehicles ramming Martinez's minivan as he attempted to reverse away from the scene. When agents broke his window and dragged him out, he sustained injuries to his knees, shoulders, and wrists. At Los Robles Regional Medical Center, hospital staff and federal contractors kept Martinez handcuffed to his bed for 45 minutes while his lawyers attempted to determine if he was in custody or what charges he faced. No warrant or identification was provided. This is the third time ICE agents have rammed Martinez's vehicle; a previous incident on October 16, 2025, in Oxnard also resulted in his detention and transfer to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.

Ruben, 28, a Nicaraguan immigrant who had been living in San Francisco's Mission District with his brother Francisco since October 2022, was arrested on February 17 while arriving for his asylum appointment at the Sansome Street immigration court. Francisco and Ruben had worked together and lived as a unit for three years in the Mission, sharing meals and supporting each other as they built their lives in the United States. Ruben's prior immigration appointment had been changed without his notification, and he failed to file the necessary motion to explain his missed hearing, which proved fatal to his case. He was detained and transferred through multiple detention facilities—Mesa Verde in Bakersfield, a facility in Arizona, and Puerto Isabel in Texas—before being deported to Nicaragua on March 8.

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.

The Trump administration invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport more than 230-260 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador's CECOT supermax prison in March 2025, alleging ties to Tren de Aragua and MS-13. A federal judge ordered a halt to the deportations and verbally directed the flights to turn back, but the administration proceeded, saying the planes had already left US territory. Neither government publicly identified the detainees or provided evidence of gang affiliations; internal DHS data later showed only 32 had US criminal convictions, most for nonviolent offenses, and roughly 75% had no US criminal record, with at least 27 never having been ordered removed. Detainees were held incommunicado, with reports of torture, beatings, sexual violence, and prolonged solitary confinement, while the US paid $6 million to house 300 migrants at the facility. After about four months, the Venezuelans were transferred to Venezuela in a prisoner exchange, though the administration reported losing track of 137 of them. In 2026, a federal judge ordered the administration to facilitate the return of more than 130 of these men to the US for their immigration proceedings.

Hugo Leonel Ardon Osorio, a Guatemalan immigrant who worked as a truck driver and construction worker at Marcello Masonry on Shelter Island for over 20 years, was detained by ICE agents on February 4, 2026, at approximately 6:30 a.m. while commuting to work at the North Ferry terminal in Greenport. He had no criminal background and was the primary breadwinner for his wife and newborn daughter. During his 23-day detention, Ardon Osorio was held first at a facility in New Jersey for three days, then transferred to a holding facility at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan, where he was chained by wrists and ankles in an extremely overcrowded room and described the conditions as "really bad." His employer, Bobby Marcello, hired an attorney and described him as "a stand-up guy in every respect" who was deeply integrated in the community, even caring for his boss's children when needed. Community members and OLA of Eastern Long Island organized fundraising efforts to support his family during detention. Ardon Osorio was released in March and returned to work at Marcello Masonry.

An Indian citizen entered the United States on June 17, 2023, and was initially detained and released on conditional parole on June 19, 2023. Over the following two years, he complied with all ICE reporting requirements, attended scheduled check-ins, obtained employment authorization, and worked lawfully as a commercial truck driver. He also filed an asylum application in October 2023 with removal proceedings still pending. On February 25, 2026, after obtaining required ICE permission, he commenced a work trip. The next day, ICE officers approached him, claimed he had an ICE violation, and took his biometrics despite his assertion that he had prior authorization. He was transferred to Indio, California, where his phone and wallet were confiscated, then detained in El Centro for two days before being transferred to Imperial Regional Adult Detention Facility. He was never provided written explanation of the alleged violation, supporting documentation, or opportunity to contest his arrest. On April 1, 2026, he filed a habeas corpus petition claiming his detention violated the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause. The court granted his petition, finding that ICE's revocation of his conditional parole without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process rights, and ordered his immediate release subject to the conditions of his preexisting parole.

Aldrin, a hardworking father and primary household provider, was detained by ICE in early January 2026 in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, after agents followed him and his wife home from work. His young daughters witnessed the detention from their home window. He was transferred out of state to El Paso, Texas, where he allegedly received poor conditions and was denied needed medical care, then moved to a detention facility in New Mexico. His wife has been unable to work out of fear of leaving their children parentless, creating severe emotional and financial hardship for the family.

On February 17, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained Sonia Espinoza Arriaga, a Mexican national, and her three children (ages 5, 16, and 18) in Soldotna, Alaska. The family had entered the United States in 2023 and declared themselves at the border seeking protection. Arriaga was married to a U.S. citizen and had been in regular contact with her immigration attorney, who believed no enforcement action would occur for 90 days. The detention followed Arriaga's missed immigration court hearing in January due to miscommunication about the date. Within 36 hours of detention, Arriaga and her two youngest children were deported to Tijuana, Mexico, while her 18-year-old son was transferred to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. An immigration attorney filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the legality of the detention, and the rapid deportation prompted an Alaska House Judiciary Committee investigation into ICE activity in the state.

Marie, a graduate student and lawful visitor to the United States, was detained for more than 20 weeks at Basile detention center in Louisiana during her high-risk pregnancy. Although she had informed ICE officers of her pregnancy, she was placed in solitary confinement after being transferred thousands of miles from the U.S.-Canada border. Medical treatment was not provided until other detained women advocated for her. Inside the facility, food was often inedible, and when she asked about missing prenatal vitamins, a nurse told her, 'You won't die if you don't take them.' After her release through legal intervention, Marie developed eclampsia, endured a difficult delivery, and continues to struggle with postpartum depression linked to her detention trauma.

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.

A Guatemalan citizen who has lived in the U.S. for 14 years with two U.S. citizen children was detained by Florida Highway Patrol during a traffic stop on February 18, 2026, while driving to work. He was transferred to Border Patrol custody and later moved to California City Immigration Processing Center. The federal court ordered his immediate release, finding his detention without a bond hearing violated due process rights.

Ludovic Mbock, a 38-year-old competitive gamer from Cameroon, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on February 17, 2026, during a routine work permit renewal check-in at the Baltimore ICE office. Mbock legally entered the U.S. as a teenager and has lived in Maryland for 18 years. He was transferred across multiple states during 25 days in detention. His lawyer and family fear deportation to Cameroon, where same-sex activity is criminalized and he faces danger as an openly gay man. A federal judge ruled he will be held for 10 days pending a bond hearing in Immigration Court.

Ruben Torres Maldonado, a home painter who has lived in the U.S. since 2003, was arrested by ICE agents on October 18, 2025, outside a Home Depot in the Chicago area and detained at the Broadview ICE facility before being transferred to Clay County, Indiana. His arrest occurred shortly after his 16-year-old daughter Ofelia returned home from the hospital, where she was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for stage 4 Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. Her cancer treatments were put on hold during his detention. A federal judge ruled that Torres Maldonado's detention violated his due process rights. An immigration judge set his bond at $2,000, which his family paid, and ruled him conditionally entitled to cancellation of removal based on family hardship, noting he poses no danger to the public and has strong family and community ties. He was released on Thursday, October 30, reuniting him with his family. On February 15, 2026, Ofelia died after her cancer battle. An immigration judge's ruling on her death came three days before, granting Torres Maldonado a pathway to lawful permanent residence.

Fadya Contreras de Rondon and Johnny Rondon Rodriguez, both real estate agents in Central Florida, were detained by federal immigration agents on January 9, 2026, while traveling to work together. Both had valid documentation and pending asylum cases at the time of their arrest. Fadya was transferred between the Orange County Jail, Broward Transitional Center, and back to Orange County Jail during her nearly month-long detention. U.S. District Judge John Antoon found that the arrest warrants used to justify their detentions contained issues with signature authenticity and were invalid, ordering both released on February 13. Two other individuals detained in connection with the same enforcement action—Junier Alexander Silva Parucho, who had overstayed a visa, and Miguel Rincon Hernandez, an asylum applicant—were also ordered released by judges on February 13 after determinations that their detentions were unlawful or that bond payment processing issues should not delay their release.

Jesus Flores, a Mexican mechanic and father of six children, was detained by ICE agents who faked car trouble outside his home in Columbia Heights, Minnesota on Thursday afternoon. Security camera footage shows two women pretending to have mechanical problems at the curb; when Flores came out to help, ICE agents in other vehicles surrounded the driveway and apprehended him. Two of Flores' children have autism and require special care. His family reports he was transferred to El Paso, Texas within 48 hours, allegedly in violation of a federal judge's order. Flores is undocumented and was previously deported approximately 16 years ago.

At least 20 undocumented immigrants arrested in Minnesota during immigration sweeps since December 2025 were transferred to Nebraska county jails, including 19 at Lincoln County Detention Center and at least one at Sarpy County. Additional detainees were held at a federal immigration detention center in McCook. Legal representatives argue that transferring detainees across state lines complicates legal representation, as Minnesota-licensed lawyers cannot practice in Nebraska, and some fear federal immigration officials are forum-shopping for more sympathetic judges. The transfers are part of Operation Metro Surge, which has arrested more than 4,000 people since December.