Human Impact Project

A former Guilford County detention officer, Michael Diehl, 40, was charged with 20 counts of felony forgery after allegedly submitting fake magistrate signatures on ICE detainer forms. The investigation began after the Magistrate's Office flagged a forged document in the case of detainee Claudio Nepornuceno, filed under North Carolina's HB 153 detainer process, which allows magistrates to hold ICE detainees up to 48 additional hours before transfer to federal custody. A review of jail records then uncovered 19 more forms with allegedly forged magistrate signatures. Diehl, who had worked for the Sheriff's Office since June 2008, was fired and arrested, and the investigation is ongoing.

A Mexican man identified only as John Doe, who testified against drug traffickers on behalf of U.S. prosecutors, was arrested by ICE as soon as he returned to U.S. soil despite a federal judge's order allowing his safe return. He had been deported three times, most recently on August 1, to an area of high drug-trafficking activity in Mexico, even though an immigration judge had deferred his deportation in 2024 under the Convention Against Torture due to fears he could be tortured by the Mexican government or others acting with its consent. He was never enrolled in the federal witness protection program despite cooperating in criminal cases, and his lawyer, Anna Tijerina, says his life remains at risk from organized crime. U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher had ordered that if detained again, he be held within 200 miles of Baltimore, where he lived, with guaranteed access to his attorney.

Samuel Guzmán, a 24-year-old U.S. citizen born in Maryland who spent part of his childhood in Mexico and lives in Anne Arundel County, was surrounded and handcuffed by masked ICE agents near a 7-Eleven in Annapolis one Sunday in June while driving to his restaurant job. He said he repeatedly told officers he was born in the country, and that one officer asked him, 'If you are an American citizen, why don't you speak better English?' He was held for more than an hour alongside other Latino individuals and said he worried about a co-worker who lived nearby. Guzmán is now the lead plaintiff in a proposed federal class-action lawsuit, Guzmán v. DHS, filed September 9, 2026 in U.S. District Court in Maryland by immigrant rights group CASA. He is joined by three other Maryland residents from Prince George's, Montgomery and Wicomico counties who say they were similarly arrested without warrants or probable cause. The lawsuit alleges ICE adopted an 'arrest first, ask questions later' policy targeting people perceived to be Brown or Black immigrants without individualized assessments, and asks a federal judge to declare such warrantless arrests unconstitutional.

Pietro Graza de Lima, a gay Brazilian man who lived in Orlando, Florida for about seven years running a small services business, fled Brazil after corrupt police shot him over his sexuality, an attack that cost him a kidney and left lasting physical damage. After his student visa expired and he was arrested for drug possession, ICE detained him for nearly two years, including time at Eloy Detention Center in Arizona. On April 16, 2026, an immigration judge granted him protection from deportation to Brazil under the Convention Against Torture, but ICE continued holding him while seeking another country to deport him to. After he refused to sign a document accepting removal to Liberia, he was shackled for roughly 36 hours and flown to Liberia—where he and other detainees refused to disembark—and then to Equatorial Guinea, a country with which he has no ties. His attorney said he was denied the interview he was entitled to under CAT protections before being sent there. He and about a dozen other deportees have been confined at a decommissioned hotel, Hotel Bamy, in Malabo, where armed officers confiscated his phone on September 8, 2026 after he spoke with journalists, cutting off contact with his attorneys and leaving him unreachable since September 9, 2026.

Julian David Palacios Obregon, a 27-year-old Colombian human rights activist and lawful permanent resident with ties to Canada, spent about 650 days in ICE detention at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. During his detention he suffered from a severe gastrointestinal bacterial infection causing vomiting, diarrhea and fecal incontinence that required him to wear diapers, saying he had no health problems before entering custody. Staff errors caused him to miss three scheduled colonoscopy appointments recommended by a gastroenterologist, forcing him to choose between receiving medical treatment and attending his asylum hearing. Representing himself, he filed two federal habeas corpus petitions and five humanitarian requests with ICE; a federal court had previously found his removal to Canada reasonably foreseeable but ordered he be given a chance to have his fear of removal reviewed by an immigration judge, while denying earlier requests for expedited release or bond. On September 11, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington ordered his release, finding that the deficient medical care had made his detention 'punitive' in violation of due process.

Kevin Deofredo Perez Ordonez, a citizen of Honduras, entered the United States without inspection in 2013 and was placed into removal proceedings, which were administratively closed in 2017 and remain closed with no final removal order issued. He lived in the community for more than a decade without any criminal convictions in the U.S. or abroad. His father is a U.S. citizen, and he has begun pursuing consular processing for an immigrant visa on that basis. On July 30, 2026, Border Patrol agents arrested him near the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego after discovering four individuals hidden in the back seat of the truck he was driving, and he was held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center without a bond hearing. He filed a habeas petition arguing his continued detention violated the Fifth Amendment. On September 10, 2026, U.S. District Judge Benjamin J. Cheeks granted the petition, ordered a constitutionally adequate bond hearing by September 25, 2026, denied his temporary restraining order motion as moot, and enjoined his transfer before the hearing.

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.

Marta was taken into ICE custody after arriving for a routine biometrics appointment at the USCIS office in Gardena, California. Video showed her being seated in a room before ICE agents detained her shortly afterward. Her nephew, Victor Jimenez, started a GoFundMe campaign titled "Help Bring Marta Home" to help cover her bills and provide family stability, noting she may lose the job she worked hard to get. The family says they are heartbroken and uncertain how long she may remain detained, and are asking the community to donate or share the fundraiser.

Wisteguens Jean Quely Charles, a Haitian national who had lived in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status since 2013, was arrested by ICE in the Boston area (Mattapan) on January 22, 2025, in a video that went viral after he shouted profanities and declared 'Biden forever' while resisting arrest. DHS said his TPS had been terminated by USCIS in 2022 after he accumulated 17 criminal convictions, including assault, weapons, and drug offenses, and alleged gang membership. Massachusetts' Norfolk House of Correction had released him in October 2023 without honoring an ICE detainer. He spent roughly 19 months in federal custody before an immigration judge issued a final removal order in November 2025. ICE deported Charles to Haiti on September 10, 2026, via a flight from Louisiana, during which officials said he became combative.

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.

Gustavo Barrera Reyes was also arrested by ICE officers in Seaside around the same time as another local resident. According to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Barrera Reyes entered the United States without authorization in 2014 and now faces removal proceedings.

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.

The petitioner is currently held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. He filed an ex parte application seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from transferring him to another detention facility. The federal court denied the motion, finding that he failed to meet the procedural and substantive requirements for ex parte relief under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65. The court also held that it lacked jurisdiction to enjoin DHS from transferring him under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii), citing precedent that ICE has authority to determine detention locations and transfer individuals between facilities. The case has been placed on an expedited schedule for further resolution. The document does not specify the petitioner's nationality, family circumstances, employment, or the circumstances of his initial detention.

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.

Anthony, a Zimbabwean man in his forties, was detained by ICE last year after crossing the US-Mexico border following a long and dangerous journey through Central America. He was subsequently deported to Cameroon, a country with which he has no ties, and now spends much of his time reading the Bible for comfort while facing uncertainty about his future.

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.

Ayana, 40, was born in a refugee camp in Sudan to an Eritrean mother and Ethiopian father and lived legally in the United States since she was two years old, building a life in San Diego where she studied business and worked as a nursing assistant and mother. ICE agents detained her while she was renewing her residence permit, and she was flown to Cameroon in shackles, a country with which she has no personal ties or documentation. She said a US judge had found her fear of returning to her family's home countries credible, but she was nonetheless removed to Cameroon under the Trump administration's third-country deportation policy, and now lives in fear and uncertainty in Yaounde with limited support.

Kenis Alberto López (also reported as Adalberto López), a 44-year-old Nicaraguan man held in U.S. immigration detention for about eight months, was deported to the Central African Republic on a flight departing Aug. 28-29 from Texas. He alleges ICE agents shot him with rubber or pepper-ball projectiles, injuring him, then bound, hooded, and dragged him before tying him to a stretcher to force him onto the plane, restraining him for roughly 24 hours. He told the Los Angeles Times he pleaded with agents, saying, 'I'd rather die here than in Africa.' The flight carried around 100 deportees, including migrants from Iran, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, with López traveling alongside fellow Nicaraguans Luis Carlos Mendoza Santamaría and Isaac Cruz. López says he has no criminal record, had received a deportation stay in 2024, and cannot return to Nicaragua due to danger there, though DHS says he re-entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was later released under the Biden administration. He and the other Nicaraguan men are now confined under police custody in a housing complex in Bangui with roughly 40 other migrants, facing mobility restrictions and limited access to water and electricity. ICE has not responded to the mistreatment allegations.

Chang Yeon Cho, 71, a Gardena, California resident known as 'Auntie Jo' who ran a clothing alteration business with her husband Jongs Soo Kim, was detained by ICE in June during her permanent residency interview despite having no criminal convictions. Her detention reportedly stemmed from an old, uncharged arrest linked to a dispute with a customer over unpaid alteration fees. Cho, who speaks Korean and Portuguese but not English after years living in Brazil, was physically restrained on her first night in custody following a communication breakdown, then collapsed and was hospitalized for eight days; the Korean consulate attributed this to low blood pressure and vomiting caused by stress and unfamiliar food. She is held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, where her bond request was denied on August 25 and she received a final order of removal. The Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles has visited her multiple times, and a GoFundMe campaign has raised over $20,000 toward a $24,000 goal for her legal expenses.