Human Impact Project

Christian Omar González, a 27-year-old Cuban man living in Hialeah, Florida, has been held at an ICE facility in Miramar for nearly two months after being arrested on August 5 while riding as a passenger to his job in West Palm Beach. His mother and grandmother have publicly pleaded for his release, with his mother saying 'mi niño no es ningún delincuente,' insisting he has no criminal record. ICE said he was arrested during a joint operation with the Florida Highway Patrol following alleged traffic violations, though the vehicle's driver, U.S. citizen Luis Villalba, disputes that account and says he was never ticketed. González left Cuba in 2022 to avoid mandatory military conscription after the July 11 protests, and his asylum case is pending; a bail request was denied because he was classified as an 'arriving alien,' a category that bars the immigration judge from granting bond. His family says they have taken on debt trying to secure his release, and his attorneys note his case coincides with a pending U.S. Supreme Court review of whether ICE can detain migrants in this category without bond. The Miramar facility where he is held has reportedly held as many as 342 people despite an official capacity of 56.

Johnny Sebastián Lucas Barre, a 38-year-old Ecuadorian man held at the Folkston ICE Processing Center in Georgia, says agents handcuffed and beat him after he refused to sign a deportation order and provide fingerprints without a lawyer present. He said three agents threw him against a wall, struck him, and placed a foot near his head until he lost consciousness, later waking up in a wheelchair receiving medical attention and showing visible bruises on his wrists and body. His partner, Leidy Montalvo, said he had been working in the facility kitchen for a dollar a day when agents repeatedly pressured him to sign his deportation paperwork, and she has shared photos of his injuries publicly. Lucas Barre entered the U.S. through Texas in 2024 and was detained again in December after reporting a change of address at an immigration appointment in Orlando, Florida; he has a pending asylum/immigration appeal but no longer has a lawyer because he could not afford to continue paying for one. Immigration attorneys said fingerprints or a signature obtained while someone is unconscious would not be legally valid. Lucas Barre has since filed a federal habeas corpus petition against the facility's warden, which remains pending after the warden moved to dismiss it and his attorney filed a response opposing dismissal.

A North African man, identified only as A.S. out of fear of being detained again, said he was pressured to self-deport while held at the Plymouth, Massachusetts ICE detention facility last winter. He said officials repeatedly suggested he could instead be sent to Uganda, a country with a third-country removal agreement with the U.S. that he had never visited and whose language he did not speak. He was eventually released from detention to his family in southeastern Massachusetts.

A woman was detained by ICE agents during a vehicle stop in North Austin, Texas, on October 1, reportedly near where she had just dropped her 9-year-old son off at his school bus stop. A video of the arrest, shared widely on social media by Leonardo Pelaez, showed a child crying nearby as vehicles with flashing lights idled in the background. Austin Mayor Pro Tem Jose "Chito" Vela publicized the footage, calling the arrest "evil" and "wrong" and saying a school bus stop was an inappropriate location for ICE enforcement. ICE said it released the woman about 10 minutes after learning she was the sole caregiver for minor children, but disputed that any children were present during the stop or that the crying child was related to her. Vela's office later confirmed the child was safe and with family.

A 26-year-old refugee known only as Adam, who fled forced military conscription, was granted protection from removal by a US immigration judge but was secretly deported to Equatorial Guinea in November 2025 under a third-country removal deal. He has been confined alone in a hotel room under armed guard for nearly a year, and was recently handcuffed and beaten by security officers who warned him not to speak out.

A U.S. citizen was injured when an ICE agent punched him during a work van stop in Naples Manor, Florida, after community members arrived to document and protest the stop. Graphic images shared with the Naples Daily News and The News-Press show an ICE agent pointing a gun toward bystanders during the encounter. June Sanson, a legal observer with the Rapid Response Alliance for Immigrant Safety and Empowerment, said the agent involved had previously pointed his weapon at her during an unrelated encounter in Immokalee. The advocacy group has planned a protest in Naples on Oct. 2 in response to the incident. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reginaldo Quej, Erwin Orlando Xoy Acaham, and Catherine Migdalia Rax Sis, all Guatemalan nationals working at Chile & Chili's Taqueria in Tallahassee, Florida, were detained on September 25, 2026 when ICE and Florida Highway Patrol attempted to stop a vehicle suspected of carrying someone without legal status near the restaurant. The three fled on foot before being caught and handcuffed, with security footage capturing the scene; ICE said the taqueria itself was not the target. One detainee, a 23-year-old woman, worked to financially support her mother, who has cancer, and her two younger sisters in Guatemala. Owner Shannon/Marco Tenorio, a naturalized U.S. citizen, described the workers as 'good people trying to make a living,' said some were in the process of finalizing immigration paperwork or seeking asylum while others held DACA status and work permits, and noted it was the third immigration operation the business had faced in just over a month. Remaining staff quit out of fear, prompting the business to permanently close. An immigration attorney said none of the three had a serious or prior criminal history, though their legal statuses varied, and all remained in ICE custody at detention centers far from Tallahassee. Community members raised nearly $13,000 via GoFundMe, and the Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance organized a protest rally at the restaurant.

Ho-Yin Mo, a field representative for California Assemblymember Catherine Stefani who assists Chinese American constituents with healthcare, childcare, and food support, was detained by ICE on September 17, 2026, at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas while traveling to visit the Muhammad Ali Museum. Mo, originally from Hong Kong, lawfully entered the U.S. in January 2020; DHS said he overstayed after failing to depart in May 2020, though attorneys argued he was likely protected from deportation under Deferred Enforced Departure for Hong Kong residents. Stefani described Mo as 'a selfless public servant and a valued, legal employee of the California state Legislature,' and nearly every San Francisco City Hall politician and many state legislators called for his release. Mo, a former KTSF TV anchor and reporter who also worked on Mayor London Breed's 2024 re-election campaign, was held at the Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump before being released on bond after 15 days in custody. Stefani traveled to Las Vegas to greet him upon release, and Mo thanked her, his lawyer, and supporters, saying he was eager to return to work.

A Guatemalan man working a landscaping job for Tommy Builders near Everett Community College was pulled from a work truck by six to eight masked ICE agents in tactical vests on a Monday morning in north Everett. Homeowner Jennifer Gordon recorded video showing the man shouting for help in English and Spanish, saying 'They don't have a warrant' and 'I can't breathe' as agents leaned over him; a second man working with him fled the scene. Gordon said the agents wore no badges or identification, used unmarked vehicles, refused to show a warrant when asked, and later photographed her house and address, which she said felt intimidating. ICE declined to confirm his identity, but DHS later said he had a criminal history and had been issued a final removal order in 2003 that was reinstated in 2011 and 2016 after alleged unauthorized reentry, and said officers used lawful, minimum-necessary force after he refused commands. A neighbor said an agent claimed the man was wanted over a murder allegation in his home country, which ICE did not confirm.

Gerardo Sanchez Lopez (also reported as Chavez Lopez), a longtime Clatsop County resident who came to the United States as a teenager and owns and operates multiple businesses in the area, was detained by ICE officers on June 7 while agents were searching for another man, Marco Antonio Mendoza-Cesar, who was also detained that day. ICE officers moved Sanchez Lopez between vehicles at the Port of Astoria's Pier 1 before transporting him to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. The use of port property by ICE prompted complaints to the Oregon Department of Justice over a potential violation of the state's sanctuary laws, though the Port of Astoria said staff faced a difficult situation and did the right thing by allowing agents access. Sanchez Lopez has since been released and returned home to Clatsop County, though a person close to him said he will need to check in with immigration again in several months.

César Cepeda Gomez (also referred to as Cesar Augusto Cepeda Gomez), a Venezuelan asylum seeker who delivered for Walmart in Bloomington, was detained by ICE agents in a Walmart parking lot alongside a coworker on September 1, 2026. Cepeda Gomez entered the U.S. legally through a CBP One appointment, held valid work authorization, and had an asylum hearing scheduled for October; he lives in Bloomington with his partner and her child. He was transported to the GEO Group-run North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan, where he remained held for weeks. His attorney said he has been working, paying taxes, and has no criminal history. A federal court ruled ICE could not continue holding him without a chance to seek release, after which an immigration judge granted him a $10,000 bond, with Cepeda Gomez awaiting payment as of early October.

On June 7, 2026, ICE agents conducted an operation at the Port of Astoria's Pier 1, detaining two men. As vehicles left the scene, Astoria resident Stefanie Collar, who had been observing the agents, approached one vehicle at a nearby red light, pressing her body against it because she believed an officer was preparing to pepper-spray her. An officer rolled down his window and sprayed her as the vehicle drove past, and two additional vehicles following also sprayed her. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said officers had been 'swarmed by a group of 20 rioters,' but video footage reviewed by KMUN and witness accounts showed only a few people on a nearby sidewalk, contradicting that account. An ICE officer separately called local police to report that agents used pepper spray after being swarmed.

Ricardo Aparecido Barbosa da Cunha, a Brazilian immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for over 20 years and owns a home and business in Massachusetts with his wife and two U.S.-born children, was detained by ICE in September 2025 after a traffic stop in Norwood, Massachusetts while driving to work. He had an asylum application and work permit after entering the country around 2005. Under a Trump administration policy issued in July 2025, DHS classified him as an 'applicant for admission' subject to mandatory detention and held him without a bond hearing in Buffalo, New York. He challenged the detention in federal court; a district judge ordered his release, and he was later released on bond. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously rejected the government's interpretation, joining judges in nine of eleven federal appeals courts who have ruled against it. On October 1, 2026, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to review the administration's appeal, with the ACLU warning the case could affect thousands to millions of noncitizens detained under the same policy.

Angel and Alex Tixe, Ecuadorian brothers-in-law working on a roofing crew repairing Mary Richards' 160-year-old farmhouse in Cornwall, Vermont, were detained on Aug. 8, 2026, after ICE agents in three unmarked SUVs surrounded the property. Reporting indicates the stop began when a passing ICE agent spotted the crew on the roof. Agents did not present a warrant or identify themselves despite Richards' repeated demands, handcuffing one worker in the yard while others fled, some hiding in a tree, before the men were taken out of state to a detention facility in Massachusetts. Angel, whose wife Maria Tixe has a pending asylum case, was released on bail after 15 days in custody and returned to Vermont. Alex, Maria's 30-year-old brother and father of an 18-month-old son, remained detained, with his sister-in-law saying she was still fighting for his release. "We aren't criminals," Tixe said. "We came to work and to help our children get ahead." State Sen. Ruth Hardy, who visited Richards and spoke with the crew manager, said the arrests appeared to reflect racial and ethnic profiling and called the incident traumatic. Migrant Justice and Addison County advocates organized support, and a GoFundMe for the men's families and legal defense raised over $7,600.

Carlos Moreno, a Venezuelan asylum seeker who is legally blind and hard of hearing, was detained by ICE agents in March 2026 as he and his wife, Wendys Martinez, left a Schuylkill County courthouse after paying a $277 noise citation for playing music at their Pottsville home. He was transferred through a York processing facility and Moshannon Valley Processing Center before arriving at Cambria County Prison, roughly 200 miles from home, where he says staff failed to keep his hearing aids charged, never fixed his broken cane, and did not provide promised translation services, forcing him to rely on other detainees to interpret and leaving him largely confined to his cell for nearly six months. Moreno said the conditions pushed him to consider abandoning his asylum appeal; after his appeal deadline passed, Martinez gave birth to their son alone on the Fourth of July. Cambria County, which has earned more than $1.5 million detaining immigrants like Moreno under a federal agreement, later transferred him to facilities in Louisiana and then Texas to await deportation to Venezuela. Cambria County's warden said Moreno received adequate care but declined to provide details, citing privacy and security procedures.

Darline Jean Baptiste, a 33-year-old Haitian woman, was arrested by ICE in Springfield, Ohio on Aug. 14 while returning home from work during what the agency called a "targeted alien enforcement operation," and has since been held at the Butler County Jail. She entered the U.S. through a Florida airport in November 2023 under a humanitarian parole program, financially supports two children in Haiti, and said she fled her homeland due to daily threats of violence. An immigration judge denied her a bond hearing, ruling he lacked jurisdiction because she was considered an "arriving alien," and later withdrew her bond request entirely. On September 23, 2026, she filed a federal habeas corpus petition in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, naming the warden of Butler County Corrections Center as respondent, supported by exhibits including her I-94, employment authorization document, an employer letter, and letters of support. In her court declaration, she said she is not a flight risk or danger to the community and committed to attending all future immigration court hearings if released. The government's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss her petition, and her attorneys filed a response in opposition on October 1, 2026.

Ivan, 27, a construction worker from Guatemala who has lived in Minnesota since 2019 with no criminal record beyond minor traffic violations, was arrested on September 11 after ICE agents ran his work vehicle's plates at a Columbia Heights gas station and followed him to a Menards parking lot. A federal judge later granted his habeas petition, but when he arrived at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis for release, five federal agents were already waiting and took him into custody at Freeborn County Jail. "I didn't even make it to see the sun," Ivan told MPR News by phone from the jail, speaking in Spanish. His attorney, Steven Appelget, had argued agents lacked probable cause or a warrant for the initial arrest.

A man was detained after being chased on foot across three lanes of Interstate 5 in Des Moines, Washington, in an arrest that a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said was most likely carried out by ICE. Video of the incident, showing the man tackled by two vested officers and walked to an unmarked vehicle with flashing lights, was posted to a community site that tracks ICE activity. Washington State Patrol and the King County sheriff's office confirmed they were not involved in the arrest.

Federal agents used high-flying drones to track Abel Ávila Martínez, 48, of Buena Park, California, as he left his home before dawn Thursday, then surrounded his vehicle with about 20 Homeland Security Investigations agents in tactical gear as he prepared to drive away. Ávila Martínez, a Mexican national previously removed from the U.S. in 1999, surrendered with his hands raised after agents blasted him with searchlights and pointed weapons at him. He is charged with using fake Social Security numbers to fraudulently obtain credit, racking up at least $15,964 in debt, including a purchase at Guitar Center, and had filed for bankruptcy last year in an attempt to discharge the debt. He was one of at least four people arrested in a wider operation targeting alleged Social Security fraud schemes totaling over $140,000, which also included Walter Anastacio Castellanos-Pérez, José Alfredo Chávez-Cabello, and Verónica Espinosa-Cortés; a fifth suspect evaded capture and remains at large.

Edgar Vásquez Silva, a DACA recipient born in Mexico who moved to Mississippi with his family at age 3, lost his job as a deputy assistant with the Stone County Sheriff's Office after five years there. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety's Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training (BLEOST) removed his certification because the board requires U.S. citizenship, even though his work focused on transport and jail supervision without carrying a weapon or making arrests. Vásquez Silva said the sheriff told him he tried everything he could to keep him employed, and Vásquez Silva, who said he supports President Trump, expressed hope of asking him for a path to legal residency.