Human Impact Project

David Ardila, a 33-year-old DJ from Venezuela, was detained by ICE at Logan Airport on July 10, 2026, after returning from attending a FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match in Boston. Ardila fled Venezuela and applied for asylum in 2017, entering the U.S. on a valid visa that year. He holds a Social Security number and work permits and has been following all legal processes required while waiting nearly a decade for an asylum interview. ICE detained him for allegedly overstaying his visa by over eight years, which his attorney Todd Pomerleau attributes to delays in the asylum application process. Ardila has no criminal record and is currently being held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts, approximately 3,000 miles from his family in Seattle, with legal challenges being filed seeking his release and permission to remain in Massachusetts during his immigration proceedings.

A Border Patrol agent stopped a 20-year-old driver at a Slidell, Louisiana gas station, citing a vehicle light violation, before shifting to immigration questioning. The driver livestreamed the encounter on Facebook and refused to provide identification, prompting the agent to turn to the driver's 13-year-old stepbrother in the passenger seat, demanding his name, birth date and citizenship. The boy, born in Pearl River, confirmed he was a U.S. citizen; both occupants were eventually released. An immigration attorney who reviewed the footage characterized the stop as an illegal detention, noting Border Patrol lacks authority to conduct traffic stops for vehicle code violations.

An elderly woman who has been in the U.S. legally for over 35 years was detained by ICE agents in Chaparral, New Mexico while traveling to a chemotherapy appointment. According to her daughter, the woman encountered ICE agents on the road, became frightened, and fled into an Allsup's Convenience Store seeking help, reporting she had been followed. Video of the incident spread on social media. The detention occurred amid ongoing debate over ICE traffic stop policies, following President Trump's statement that ICE should continue traffic stops despite two recent deadly shootings involving ICE agents.

ChongLy 'Scott' Thao, a 56-year-old naturalized Hmong American U.S. citizen with no criminal record, was forcibly removed from his St. Paul, Minnesota home on January 18, 2026, after masked ICE agents broke down his door at gunpoint without a warrant. Agents refused to examine his identification and led him outside in sub-freezing temperatures wearing only underwear, Crocs, and a blanket, as his 4-year-old grandson watched and cried; Thao, who suffers from severe psoriasis worsened by cold and stress, was then driven to an undisclosed location, photographed, and questioned for over two hours before being released once agents realized he was a citizen. DHS said agents were executing a warrant for two convicted sex offenders tied to the address, but Thao disputes this, and the Minnesota Department of Corrections confirmed one of the men remains imprisoned. Thao's mother fled Laos in the 1970s after working as a nurse supporting U.S. covert operations there. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher opened a criminal investigation into the raid as potential kidnapping, burglary, and false imprisonment, and Thao is working with the ACLU of Minnesota and the state Attorney General's office, with plans to file a civil rights lawsuit against DHS.

Quentin Williams, an assistant teacher known as 'Mr. Q' at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis and a graduate of the school, was tackled and choked by federal agents on January 7, 2026, during a Border Patrol operation known as Operation Metro Surge. Agents pursuing a vehicle in a chase swarmed the school's front lawn as students were being dismissed; body camera footage shows agents grabbing and choking Williams after he helped up a colleague who had been knocked down while trying to keep agents off school property. DHS said the driver had struck a government vehicle and that a man identifying himself as a teacher assaulted an agent while a crowd threw objects. Williams was placed in an unmarked SUV, detained, and later federally charged with assaulting and impeding officers; the charges were dropped months later. He said, 'I feel lucky to be alive,' described fearing for his life, believes he was targeted because he is Black, and has struggled with anxiety since. Minneapolis Public Schools closed all schools citywide for several days afterward, and Williams is now pursuing a Federal Tort Claims Act lawsuit with the MacArthur Justice Center and Friedman, Gilbert and Gerhardstein.

Miguel was 14 years old and aspired to be a teacher. He was held in federal custody for 167 days. This source is part of a broader CT Insider investigation into extended detentions of immigrant children under Trump administration policies that imposed stringent new requirements for their release. The article covers six children held in Connecticut federal custody, with detention lengths ranging from 118 to 505 days, many while their families awaited approval despite meeting all vetting requirements.

Liam, 15, was arrested by local police in May 2025 following a fight; ICE agents separated him from his father who arrived to pick him up and took both into custody. Liam was held in an ICE office in Burlington, Massachusetts, then transferred to an ORR shelter in Texas for three months before being moved to Groton, Connecticut. Whether ICE ever properly contacted his mother to inform her she could pick him up remains disputed; she said ICE called her while he was in Burlington but did not tell her she could retrieve him, and she did not hear from him again until he was in Texas. The government made contradictory statements about the mother's availability, at one point claiming ICE couldn't locate her, then claiming ICE asked her to pick him up but she refused, while also stating she was at the police station during his arrest. Liam grew anxious and depressed in the shelters; a psychological evaluation recommended his release "as soon as possible" for his well-being. Federal Judge Vernon Oliver called the government's claims "disturbing" and "full of significant incongruities," and ordered Liam's release 27 days after the lawsuit was filed; his mother picked him up the following day after 255 days of detention.

Jean, a 12-year-old from Haiti, was detained at the U.S. border and held in federal custody for 505 days, spending his 13th birthday in an ORR shelter in California and later a foster care program in New Haven, Connecticut. His family in Fort Lauderdale—his father, stepmother, and two sisters—had completed all required vetting, background checks, and home studies, yet the Office of Refugee Resettlement repeatedly requested documents his family could not obtain, including a Haitian death certificate from territory controlled by gangs. After his sisters were released to their stepmother, Jean remained detained; ORR cited a DNA test showing his father was not his biological parent, though his father said this changed nothing. A federal judge ultimately ruled the government's process "arbitrary and capricious" and ordered Jean's release, with the judge noting that unlawful detention "results in an injury that really can never be remedied." In August 2026, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal cited Jean's case, along with a 5-year-old Connecticut girl held 118 days, in a letter demanding that the HHS inspector general investigate ORR's prolonged detention of immigrant children, accusing the agency of an "obstructionist policy" toward families seeking reunification.

Jose Guadalupe Rojas Quintanar was pulled over for not having a driver's license in Paragould, Arkansas, and arrested. An ICE hold was discovered during the traffic stop, and he is now detained at a correctional facility in Louisiana. His wife Cesilia, who works as an Uber driver at night, is caring for their two young sons alone while managing household expenses. Cesilia is raising funds for legal fees, court travel, and living expenses to support the family during his detention.

A native of India entered the United States in June 2024 at the Mexican border and was released to live in Philadelphia while in removal proceedings. On July 15, 2026, DHS officials arrested him at a scheduled immigration check-in and detained him at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia without a bond hearing. The government relied on a July 8, 2025 ICE policy interpreting the Immigration and Nationality Act to subject all noncitizens without admission status to mandatory detention without bond eligibility. He filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus arguing the detention violated the INA and the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause. The federal court granted his petition, finding that he should be detained under the discretionary provisions of 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), not the mandatory detention statute, and that he is entitled to a bond hearing before an immigration judge.

A Cuban citizen who entered the United States in 2022 was taken into ICE custody on July 15, 2026, and detained at the West Tennessee Detention Facility. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his continued detention without a bond hearing. The court stayed his transfer and ordered ICE to respond to the petition, requiring them to either distinguish the case from Lopez-Campos v. Raycraft or consent to release, as that precedent prohibits detention without individualized bond hearings for noncitizens who spent significant time in the U.S. interior and are not ineligible under § 1226(c).

Juan, a 66-year-old man, was arrested during an ICE enforcement operation in a residential area on 7/15/2026. According to a video posted on Facebook by Jonathan Djcachu Hernandez, approximately 14 uniformed officers restrained Juan on the pavement. Juan had left his home that morning to buy medicine because he felt sick and did not go to work. During the arrest, Juan stated "No voy a correr" (I am not going to run) and appeared to be in pain. The exact location, Juan's full identity, and official confirmation of the arrest circumstances have not been independently corroborated.

A delivery driver and father of three daughters was detained by ICE, creating financial and emotional hardship for his family. His detention occurred during his youngest daughter's middle school graduation. The family is raising funds to cover household expenses, legal fees, and other needs while he remains detained.

Alvaro Anastacio Garcia Tevalan, a 20-year-old Guatemalan citizen, entered the United States without authorization in November 2016 at age 11 and was released to his mother's custody in Clarion, Iowa, where he has lived for nearly a decade. He has a U.S. citizen child and maintained compliance with the terms of his release during that period. On April 29, 2026, he was arrested on a domestic abuse assault charge, and ICE took custody of him on May 1, 2026. Federal Judge Stephanie Rose ruled that the government violated his due process rights by re-detaining him without a hearing after allowing him to live freely in the country for nearly 10 years, and ordered that either he be released or given a bond hearing to determine his eligibility for release.

On July 14, 2026, ICE agents conducted a targeted enforcement operation in Laguna Vista, Texas, chasing vehicles carrying roofers returning from a lunch break. Resident Samantha Weber Alarcón, who was driving with her son to a movie theater, said the high-speed pursuit nearly ran her off Mesquite Drive and into a ditch. After one vehicle stopped, the driver and a passenger fled on foot, leaving an 18-year-old U.S. citizen in the back seat; Weber Alarcón said agents entered a yard, pointed a gun at the teen, and briefly handcuffed him before releasing him once his citizenship was confirmed. ICE disputed her account, denying a pursuit occurred and saying an agent drew his weapon when the teen reached into a tool bag after not following orders, with the agency citing a knife while the teen said it was a shingle cutter. A responding local police sergeant said he could not intervene beyond reporting the agents to their supervisors. The incident occurred amid increased ICE activity in the Rio Grande Valley and prompted widespread social media reports from residents describing similar stops of construction and lawn-care workers in the area.

Darwin Alberto Gomez Corrales, a Venezuelan Uber and Lyft driver with Temporary Protected Status and a valid state driver's license, was arrested by ICE agents in the parking lot of Wow Supermarket on South Boulevard in Charlotte. Video and witnesses showed roughly 10 immigration officers surrounding his car and breaking the window to forcibly remove him. A Siembra NC volunteer and a store employee said he was assaulted during the arrest, prompting the store to close temporarily over safety concerns. His wife said agents refused to explain the reason for the arrest or show a warrant, told him to 'shut up,' and used profanity when he asked for a Spanish-speaking officer. Gomez Corrales, who has two children, is currently being held at an ICE facility in South Georgia.

Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-Palestinian lawful permanent resident and Columbia University graduate student known for organizing pro-Palestinian campus protests, was arrested by ICE agents at his student housing in March 2025 with no prior notice. Agents initially claimed his student visa had been revoked, then arrested him anyway after he showed proof of his green card, alleging without explanation that his residency status had also been revoked. His wife, a U.S. citizen, was eight months pregnant at the time. Khalil filed a habeas corpus petition arguing the arrest violated his First Amendment and Due Process rights, accusing the government of using immigration enforcement to suppress student activism. The Trump administration sought his deportation, citing his prior employment with a UN Palestinian refugee agency and invoking a provision allowing removal of noncitizens deemed a foreign policy threat. Khalil was held 104 days at Louisiana's LaSalle Detention Center; a federal appellate court later reversed an earlier release order. After an immigration board denied his appeal in July 2026, Khalil sued Trump administration officials and pro-Israel groups, alleging a coordinated campaign to target pro-Palestinian activists.

A 72-year-old citizen of Nigeria was admitted to the U.S. in B-2 visitor status in October 2020 and later overstayed her authorized stay; her asylum application has been pending with USCIS since June 2024 and she held a valid work permit through December 2026. She has no criminal history. She is insulin-dependent with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and a diagnosed psychotic disorder, requiring nightly insulin, twice-daily glucose testing, metformin, and aripiprazole. ICE arrested her on July 14, 2026 at Los Angeles International Airport as she boarded a domestic flight, and she has since been detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center for 27 days without any Notice to Appear being filed or produced. Her counsel made three attempts to obtain a custody/bond hearing from the Adelanto Immigration Court, all of which were rejected on shifting and contradictory administrative grounds, while EOIR's own systems disagreed about whether a removal case was even pending. Counsel also reported that she went several days without her metformin and aripiprazole medications, with no confirmation the interruption was resolved. She filed a habeas petition and TRO application seeking release, a custody hearing, medication continuity, and other relief. The court granted the petition in part, ordering an initial § 1226(a) bond hearing within seven days, denied outright release, dismissed her medical/conditions claims without prejudice to a civil action, ordered preservation of records and no transfer out of the district without notice, and required Respondents to file a status report on her medications within 48 hours.

Styrobert, a defected Venezuelan military officer who fled Venezuela in 2019 after opposing government corruption and human rights violations, was taken into custody at his routine ICE check-in appointment on July 14, 2026, despite appearing with his attorney and having a pending asylum petition. The ICE officer aggressively confined him to a separate room, insulted his attorney, and confiscated his phone, wallet, and clothing. Styrobert was transferred between multiple detention facilities—ICE Baltimore to Farmville, Virginia; then to Richmond ICE processing center; and finally to Wynn Detention Center in Louisiana. His attorney filed a Habeas Corpus Petition on 7/17 and a Temporary Restraining Order on 7/19 to prevent further transfers or deportation. Styrobert faces grave danger if deported to Venezuela, where he is considered an "Enemy of the State" and would face imprisonment and torture in the country's notorious prisons.

Victor, a Venezuelan national who arrived legally to the United States seven years ago, was detained by ICE on July 14, 2026, while en route to his volunteer shift as an official volunteer for the FIFA World Cup. He spent two weeks in a detention facility separated from his family, where he became ill and waited nearly two days to receive medication while housed in overcrowded conditions with over 100 people. Since his arrival in the U.S., Victor has worked, studied, paid taxes, and followed the law. He has since been released but faces significant legal expenses related to his case.