Human Impact Project

Ibrahim Mohammed, a 43-year-old Ethiopian national who entered the U.S. legally in 2014, was granted protection from deportation in 2024 under the Convention Against Torture after an immigration judge found he would likely face torture if returned to Ethiopia. Despite this, ICE sought to deport him to third countries like Eswatini, and U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles ordered his release from Louisiana's Camp 57 detention facility in February after finding ICE had no viable deportation plan. ICE rearrested him multiple times without properly serving deportation papers, including a July 28 arrest by roughly 10 agents at his Baltimore-area apartment, during which agents falsely claimed his ankle monitor was malfunctioning and shoved his head into a car. A judge again ordered his immediate release the same day, and deGravelles later held then-ICE deputy field office director Vernon Liggins in civil contempt, ordering ICE to pay Mohammed's attorney's fees and $180 in compensatory damages. Mohammed, who spent 13 months in and out of ICE custody, testified the repeated detentions caused him nightmares and led his landlord to force him to move out.

Eduardo José Osal Mujica, 32, crossed the Darién Gap into the U.S., turned himself in to immigration authorities, and applied for asylum while working installing roofs and driving for Uber, settling first in Denver and later Wyoming. Local police detained him during a traffic stop in Wyoming, after which he was transferred through detention facilities in Colorado, Arizona and Texas before signing a deportation order. He was among 146 Venezuelans deported on Flight 164, which landed in Maiquetía, Venezuela on June 24, after which he and other deportees were taken to the Negra Hipólita Health Hotel for medical checkups before planned release to their home cities. The hotel collapsed in an earthquake that day, killing an unknown number of deportees while in Venezuelan custody. His wife, Danielys Hurtado, spent five days searching for his body among bags of corpses at an improvised morgue in a converted grain-storage facility. Nearly two months later, the Venezuelan government has released no official information on those who died, with survivor estimates ranging between 12 and 32.

Viktor Vdovin, a Russian asylum seeker who fled with his wife Tatiana and their two children in 2022, was detained by ICE during a routine check-in at the Charlotte ICE office and sent to the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia, with his immigration case now separated from his family's. The family's joint asylum hearing is scheduled for November 2027, while Viktor has an earlier master calendar hearing in his now-separate proceedings. ICE has said Viktor's initial humanitarian parole had already expired by the time of his check-in and that a pending asylum application does not itself confer lawful immigration status or preclude detention, despite a USCIS letter the family received in May stating they could remain in the country while their case was decided. Viktor's attorneys have filed a habeas corpus petition seeking his release on bond, which the government has moved to dismiss, and he remains in detention awaiting a judge's ruling while describing overcrowded conditions and falling ill.

The petitioner is a native and citizen of Honduras who entered the United States without inspection in June 2022. He is currently detained at the Caroline Detention Facility. He filed a federal habeas petition arguing that his detention is governed by the discretionary detention provisions of 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) rather than the mandatory detention provisions of § 1225(b)(2), and that being held without a bond hearing violates his due process rights. The government argued he remained an 'applicant for admission' subject to mandatory detention under § 1225(b)(2) because he had not been lawfully admitted. The court found that because he was already present in the country rather than seeking admission at the border, § 1226(a)'s discretionary framework applied. The court granted the petition, ordering that he receive a bond hearing before an immigration judge within seven days and enjoining the government from denying bond or rearresting him except under specified circumstances.

The petitioner is currently held at the T. Don Hutto Detention Center and filed a federal habeas corpus petition challenging his ongoing detention without an individualized determination of whether that detention is necessary. His case implicates a broader legal dispute over whether certain applicants for admission may only be mandatorily detained for 90 days under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A) without a bond hearing. The court found that, on the face of the petition, he may be entitled to relief and ordered the government to show cause in writing by August 25, 2026, as to why the writ should not be granted. The petitioner may file a reply by August 28, 2026, and either party may request a hearing. The court also ordered that he not be removed from the United States or transferred outside the Austin Division pending further order, preserving its ability to hear the case.

A Filipino man who had lived in the United States for over 20 years as a lawful permanent resident, having first arrived through California in April 2004, was deported by DHS on August 18, 2026, following a final removal order issued by an immigration judge on July 2. DHS cited his affiliation with the Asian Boys gang and a California criminal record including convictions for voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault with a firearm, and drug possession, stemming from the 2018 death of a US Navy sailor on a San Diego freeway. He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and related charges and was sentenced in 2020 to nine years and eight months in California state prison.

ICE removed Rafael José Quero Silva, a former colonel in Venezuela's Bolivarian National Guard, to Venezuela on Aug. 18, 2026, following a Department of Justice immigration judge's removal order. ICE arrested him in Miramar, Florida in February 2025 after he overstayed his 2016 admission at Miami International Airport. Officials allege he oversaw the detention and torture of at least 74 anti-Maduro protesters in 2013 while commanding a National Guard detachment in Barquisimeto. Quero Silva had a pending U.S. lawsuit over the alleged abuses and had applied for asylum, but was ruled ineligible due to his National Guard service; his removal involved ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center.

A noncitizen held at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility filed a habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 challenging his arrest and continued detention by ICE, arguing he should be released and given a bond hearing before an immigration judge under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). The Government conceded that he is a noncitizen unlawfully present in the United States who had been detained under § 1226(a), and agreed the court should order a bond hearing under recent First Circuit precedent. The Government's only opposition was that he had not exhausted administrative remedies by requesting bond directly from an immigration judge, an argument the court rejected as futile since the Board of Immigration Appeals has held that immigration judges lack authority to grant bond to noncitizens present without admission. The court granted the habeas petition, ordering the Government to release him immediately, though it may transfer him to ICE's Boston Field Office solely to process his release and return property. The court denied the Government's request to place him under monitoring equipment pending a bond hearing. The Government was ordered to provide him a bond hearing within ten days, at which the immigration judge must consider alternatives to detention before ruling on flight risk or dangerousness, and to file a status report on the outcome within five days of that hearing.

A detained immigrant filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, challenging his immigration detention. He is currently held at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas. The document does not specify the date or circumstances of his apprehension. The court ordered Respondents to file a response within 7 days addressing the date Petitioner entered the United States, whether he was previously apprehended and released by immigration authorities, and the status of his immigration and/or removal proceedings. The court also permitted electronic notice of filing to constitute proper service on the government respondents. Petitioner was granted 7 days to file a reply after the response is filed.

A man detained at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas filed a habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. The court ordered the respondents, including named official Miguel Vergara, to respond within 7 days, addressing the date he entered the United States, whether he was previously apprehended and released by immigration authorities, and the status of his immigration or removal proceedings. The document does not specify his nationality, family ties, employment, or the circumstances of his apprehension. He is seeking relief through this habeas petition, though the specific relief requested is not detailed in this order. The court has permitted electronic notice of filing to constitute service on the Federal Respondents. He will have the opportunity to file a reply within 7 days after the response is filed.

A man is currently held in ICE custody at the McCook Detention Center in McCook, Nebraska. He filed a habeas corpus petition seeking immediate release from custody. The court issued an order to show cause requiring respondents, including DHS and ICE officials, to justify the legality of his detention. Respondents must submit a return by August 24, 2026, with affidavits, a legal memorandum, information on whether an arrest warrant was used, and any supporting documents. The petitioner may file a reply by August 27, 2026. The court also enjoined respondents from removing the petitioner from the United States or from Nebraska, and ordered his return to Nebraska if he has already been removed.

Volunteers and immigration advocates launched a 'Know Your Rights Week' campaign in Queens, going door to door to educate residents about responding to ICE encounters. The effort was inspired by volunteer Odilia Gonzalez, whose undocumented brother from Mexico was detained for months after being stopped on his way to work. Local officials said their offices have received numerous calls about ICE detentions in the community, and some also called for restoring Temporary Protected Status for Haitians after its termination.

An immigrant man was allegedly detained by federal agents outside a laundromat near 85th Street and Northern Boulevard in East Elmhurst while waiting for his clothes to finish washing. According to Tony Alarcón of the immigrant advocacy group Las Doñas, CCTV footage showed the man drinking a soda outside the laundromat when several agents approached and apprehended him. His wife later went to the laundromat searching for him and found his clothes abandoned in a washing machine.

Guillermo Gallardo Barrera, who lived in Arizona for more than 20 years with no criminal record, entered ICE detention able to walk but after more than a year at the Central Arizona ICE Detention Center can no longer stand without a cane. He reports severe pain, numbness in his hands, debilitating insomnia and an undiagnosed disability, saying ICE has only given him ibuprofen for treatment. He filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus and an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order in federal court, both of which were denied; an amended habeas petition was also denied in June 2026, allowing his detention to continue while broader legal challenges proceed. A new case against DHS Secretary Noem has since been filed on his behalf. "I'm terrified I won't make it out of here alive," he said. Advocates have launched a fundraiser to secure him an independent medical evaluation and legal support.

Kléber (also spelled Cleber) Guachilema, a 25-year-old Ecuadorian immigrant, was arrested by ICE agents during an operation in a Lawrence, Massachusetts neighborhood, with the arrest captured on video. His family describes him as the sole financial provider for the household and the father of a young child. Relatives say the arrest resulted from mistaken identification, and that his wife has recently had health problems. They say his son has been traumatized by the detention, repeatedly asking whether his father is dead.

Daysi González, a political consultant who has lived in the U.S. for 25 years after arriving from El Salvador at age 5, is a partner at Solidarity Strategies and works with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Latino outreach for the 2026 midterms, contributing to campaigns for candidates including James Talarico, Ruben Gallego, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Temporary Protected Status for Salvadorans had been set to expire on September 9 but has been extended for an undefined period. Despite the extension, Daysi is still planning to self-deport, along with her sister, to a country she barely remembers.

Katrina Castro-Menéndez, 41, a former municipal judge from Matanzas, Cuba, was detained by ICE agents outside her home in Cooper City, Florida, after her husband left for work and while her 15-year-old daughter slept inside. She was taken to ICE offices in Miramar and then to the Broward Transition Center, where she remains held pending removal proceedings. The Department of Homeland Security alleges she committed immigration fraud by concealing Communist Party membership on her asylum and residency applications, reasoning that her past judicial role implies such affiliation, but Katrina says a lawyer who charged her $3,000 never properly interviewed her and that mandatory Cuban civic groups she belonged to are distinct from party membership. She appeared before an immigration judge in Miami on August 5 without legal representation and testified she had never joined the Communist Party. Her husband, Deyni Rojas González, whose humanitarian parole documentation has expired, cannot visit her in person or maintain video calls, and she says she has rehearsed how to tell her daughter they may be deported to Cuba.

A man was detained by ICE agents in Newark, New Jersey, after visiting the food pantry at United Deliverance Tabernacle church. According to Iszzy Owens, who filmed the encounter, the man had signed up for food assistance and crossed the street to wait for a bus when two ICE agents surrounded him; a third agent then arrived and the man was handcuffed and taken away. Owens said the man visits the church pantry every Friday and does not bother anyone, describing him as "a good person."

Frander has been held in immigration detention for 250 days while his wife Maria awaits his return home to their daughters. In July, Frander won his case, giving the Department of Homeland Security 30 days to appeal the ruling. That deadline passed without any update on his status, though his family later reported possible progress toward his release.

Ambar Aguilar Gómez, a 27-year-old Venezuelan woman who is six months pregnant, was detained by Border Patrol on August 11 while riding as a passenger in her cousin's car near the Tohono O'odham reservation south of Tucson, Arizona, after agents found the vehicle lacked insurance. She remains in Border Patrol custody in Tucson, and it is unclear whether she will be transferred to an ICE detention facility. Her husband, Mevin Josué Guerra, said the couple, parents of two children with a third on the way, entered the U.S. from Venezuela in 2019 through an official port of entry and applied for asylum. Guerra, who is recovering from a June car accident that left him in a 10-day coma with a tracheotomy and brain injuries, has been publicly pleading for help holding a sign, and told N+ Univisión, "She is my lifeline. We have no other family here." An immigration lawyer said her pregnancy and her husband's medical condition could be considered as evidence in the case, though the decision rests with a judge.