Human Impact Project

Steven Saari, a Marine Corps veteran, was detained by federal immigration agents at the scene of Alex Pretti's killing in Minneapolis on February 3, 2026. During his six-hour detention at a federal building, agents collected his biometric data, forced a DNA sample, and copied his cell phone without a warrant or authorization. Saari was denied access to an attorney despite repeated requests and was released without charges.

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

ICE agents smashed the windows of a car and arrested a man without a warrant while his wife held their crying baby and pleaded with the agents. During the arrest, the man briefly escaped from the ICE van while still wearing handcuffs.

Carlos Chavez, a taco vendor and father of three active in children's ministries at North Hills United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, was chased and detained by masked, armed ICE agents on January 29 during a raid on church grounds. The raid occurred while the church was hosting a food distribution ministry and an event for mothers and children, forcing attendees to shelter in a secure room for over four hours. Chavez had no criminal record or outstanding warrant, and church leaders described him as a devoted participant in the church's children's programs. He said he was denied medical treatment for a respiratory illness and anxiety while in custody and, out of fear, signed a self-deportation order, resulting in his deportation to Mexico within a day of his arrest. His wife and children have not seen him in person since, and the church has since moved its food ministry and after-school programs online. The raid followed a 2025 policy change rescinding the federal 'sensitive locations' protections for houses of worship, which religious organizations have challenged in a lawsuit.

A Chinese national was re-detained by ICE on February 2, 2026, after previously being released on supervised release in October 2023 following a removal order. He had complied with all terms of his supervised release. The court granted his motion for preliminary injunction and ordered his immediate release on the same conditions as his prior supervised release.

Medina, an asylum applicant with a valid work permit, was detained by ICE on February 2, 2026, after appearing at a scheduled court date in San Diego. He was transferred to Otay Mesa Detention Center and is scheduled to remain detained at least until his next court date on February 24. Medina has lived in the United States since adolescence, is married to a U.S. citizen, and has two U.S. citizen children. His detention has caused financial hardship for his family, who lost his primary income.

A 19-year-old anti-ICE protester was sprayed with chemical agent by a federal officer during a protest in Portland. The protester was vocal but nonviolent and standing still when sprayed. Video evidence documents the incident.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained several residents in Hudson County, New Jersey on Sunday using unmarked vehicles. An ICE agent told a city councilman that warrants are not needed to conduct their operations. Local officials reported that ICE arrested at least three people, including two workers at local businesses, without advance notification to local police.

Federal ICE agents were present outside the Ventura County Sheriff's Office on Monday, February 2, 2026, where protesters and observers had gathered. During the encounter, an ICE agent threw a woman to the ground and subsequently used pepper spray on the crowd. Witnesses stated they were documenting the ICE operation and posed no physical threat to officers. At least one person was detained during the incident. The woman who was thrown to the ground declined to speak about what happened.

Jhony Gonzalez Merino, a Mexican national from the Triqui Indigenous group, was arrested by ICE agents in Anchorage in February 2026 after dropping off his son at school. He had applied for asylum. After initial detention at the Anchorage jail, Gonzalez Merino was transferred to the federal immigration detention center in Tacoma, Washington, where he remains.

An Iranian couple seeking asylum in the U.S. was detained and interrogated by ICE/DHS agents at their apartment less than a week after U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran in late February 2026. The couple had entered the U.S. legally on tourist visas in November 2024 and filed for asylum after receiving threats from the Iranian government, holding pending asylum applications with work permits. The husband was held for three weeks at the ICE detention facility in California City before an immigration judge granted his release on bond. His pregnant wife was questioned for hours but not arrested due to her pregnancy. Immigration attorneys said the case reflects a broader pattern of heightened scrutiny of Iranians following the strikes.

A Venezuelan woman identified only as 'Flora' to protect her safety was arrested during a routine ICE check-in and remains detained, despite pending asylum and trafficking visa applications. Flora says she was trafficked to the U.S. in 2023 and subjected to sexual assault, forced labor, and physical abuse, and her lawyers say she had recently reported herself as a trafficking victim to federal authorities before her detention. She is now held at a facility in Monroe, Louisiana, while her two children, ages 18 months and four years, have been separated from her and remain in the care of volunteers at the Maryland church where the family had previously sought refuge. Her alleged trafficker remains free. Her legal team has filed a habeas corpus petition arguing her detention violates the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, noting that at least 41 other trafficking survivors have filed similar petitions since early 2025.

Jose Lozano, a 28-year-old Worthington resident with a valid temporary permit allowing him to remain in the U.S. for five years, was detained by ICE agents on February 1, 2026, while attempting to jumpstart his minivan. Lozano, who arrived from El Salvador as an asylum seeker ten years ago, was working as a mechanic and attending college when detained. He was being held in a Minneapolis detention center with a hearing scheduled for February 28, 2026, though an earlier bond hearing was possible.

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

At least two confirmed cases of measles have been reported at the Dilley family detention center in Texas, which houses children and parents in immigration detention. A broader measles outbreak is occurring across the U.S. Democratic congressman Joaquin Castro called for the facility to be shut down immediately, citing detention centers as potential vectors for disease transmission.

A 7-year-old girl from Venezuela was detained with her parents by immigration agents outside a Portland, Oregon hospital in January 2026 while seeking care for a persistent nosebleed. The family, who had entered the U.S. in 2024 under humanitarian parole and settled in Gresham with an active asylum case, spent 21 days in a federal detention center in Texas. They were released after a member of Congress intervened, following public advocacy campaigns, including calls for supporters to contact DHS, that had drawn attention to the case.

Omar Ramos Jimenez, 50, a Mexican national who has lived in Rochester since 2004 and co-founded the La Casa restaurant, was detained by ICE after being lured to the agency's Buffalo field office under the pretext of installing a new reporting app. He had been complying with ICE check-ins for five years while pursuing an asylum appeal. His attorney filed a federal complaint alleging denial of due process and seeking his immediate release or a bond hearing. A federal judge later denied his requests for release and a bond hearing, and he remains held at a federal detention facility in Batavia while appealing that decision.

ICE agents conducted traffic stops in Eagle County, Colorado, detaining up to 11 people, according to Senator John Hickenlooper and other Colorado lawmakers. After the vehicles were abandoned, family members retrieved them and found ace of spades cards printed with ICE Denver Field Office contact information left inside at least two vehicles. Immigrant rights group Voices Unidas said the cards reference a Vietnam War-era racist practice, while federal officials offered an alternative explanation that the cards reference the ace of spades as the trump card in the game Spades. The Department of Homeland Security announced an internal investigation into the agents' conduct. Hickenlooper demanded a meeting with DHS after the agency failed to respond to requests for information about those detained and the status of the investigation.

Amir, a 1-year-old whose Russian parents Alsu and Azat fled Russia fearing persecution for opposing the war in Ukraine, was detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center for approximately four months after the family presented themselves at a legal port of entry. During detention, Amir developed speech delays and began hitting himself in the face. Staff allegedly forced his weaning from formula despite his age, leaving parents struggling to provide adequate nutrition; they resorted to hiding cereal in their clothing to prevent him from going hungry. The facility lacked age-appropriate toys and Russian-language books. Amir's speech development slowed to just two words—'mom' and 'dad.' After release in January 2026, now 2 years old, Amir is laughing more, speaking more, and has stopped hitting himself, though his parents report he seems to be recovering from the experience.

Marlyn, a mother with a pending asylum case, a work permit, and no criminal record, was detained by ICE while on a grocery run last November. She repeatedly asked to be allowed to leave with her children, and ICE told her something would be worked out, but she was ultimately deported without being reunited with them. Her 2-year-old son, Eber, is now being cared for by another woman, Estela, who is not his mother. Marlyn's older son is now back in Venezuela with her.