Human Impact Project

Elzon Lemus, a 23-year-old Hispanic U.S. citizen and electrician from Brentwood, Long Island, was stopped by ICE and Homeland Security agents on June 3 while riding as a passenger on his way to work in Westbury, one of six vehicles halted that day. Agents told him he "looks like somebody we are looking for" but would not identify themselves or specify whom they sought. When Lemus declined to hand over ID without information from the agents, they opened the car door, confiscated his phone, and handcuffed him for 20 to 25 minutes before finding his ID in his pocket; he and the driver were held at the scene for about an hour. Video recorded by Lemus and the driver captured the encounter, and agents released him without explanation or apology after confirming his citizenship. His attorney, Frederick Brewington, called the stop racial profiling and a breach of federal civil rights and is evaluating a lawsuit, while State Assembly Deputy Speaker Phil Ramos said the video showed a clear rights violation and called for a Department of Justice investigation.

Elaine Miles, an Indigenous actor best known for roles in 'Northern Exposure,' 'Smoke Signals,' and 'The Last of Us,' was detained by four ICE agents at a bus stop in Redmond, Washington, while walking to Target. When she presented her tribal ID from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation—a form of identification recognized by federal agencies—the agents called it fake and claimed anyone could make one. Miles said the agents did not identify themselves when asked for names and badge numbers, and attempted to take her phone when she tried to call the tribal enrollment office to verify her ID. The agents left after a fifth agent whistled them back to their vehicles. Miles's son and uncle were also detained by ICE agents who initially rejected their tribal IDs before being released.

Carrera Macias, a Venezuelan national who entered the United States at age 17 and applied for asylum, was arrested by police in Salt Lake City, Utah in July 2026 and subsequently transferred to the ICE Processing Center in Adelanto, California. He filed a habeas corpus petition, Carrera Macias v. Warden, Adelanto ICE Processing Center, challenging his detention as unlawful under the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause and immigration statutes, and sought a temporary restraining order for his immediate release. The court denied the temporary restraining order application, finding that his alleged harms could be addressed through the court's expedited habeas corpus process.

Nepthalí Zozaya Saucedo and Cinthia Saraí Cardona Otero, assistant pastors at Comunidad Cristiana Emanuel Assemblies of God in Edinburg, Texas, were detained by ICE on July 23, 2026, at McAllen International Airport while traveling with their church to a marriage retreat hosted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association—their first trip away from their three U.S. citizen children. The couple, who have served the church for over a decade, said agents mocked them and pressured them to sign voluntary deportation papers by threatening to separate them from their children at a Border Patrol processing center. DHS said the pastors had overstayed a visa that expired in 2022, but church leaders and faith organizations, including the Assemblies of God and the Latino Christian National Network, disputed this, saying the couple held valid R-1 religious worker visas. They were released on Saturday, July 25, and spoke publicly during a Sunday worship service and press conference. They must report to ICE in person every six months and call in monthly while their immigration case proceeds before a judge.

Cristian Humberto Jerez Andrade, a 31-year-old Honduran construction worker, was detained by ICE agents on March 11, 2026, during an enforcement action in South Burlington, Vermont. ICE agents, who had a warrant for another individual not present, pursued Jerez Andrade after a traffic stop, claiming he rammed their vehicles before a standoff occurred at a Dorset Street residence where hundreds of anti-ICE activists gathered to block agents. ICE later said it had mistaken him for a different, Mexican immigrant it was seeking. A federal judge found the arrest violated his constitutional rights, and he was held about a week at Northwest State Correctional Facility before an immigration judge granted release on $10,000 bond, which the Vermont Freedom Fund agreed to post. More than four months later, federal prosecutors have brought no charges related to the ramming claim, and local charges for leaving the scene of an accident and grossly negligent driving recommended by South Burlington police have also stalled with prosecutors. Deportation proceedings against him remain ongoing.

From July 27 to August 29, 2026, ICE's Operation Rotten Apple detained 2,197 immigrants across New York state, including in Democratic-led 'sanctuary' cities, according to DHS's official count. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin publicly announced the results on September 1, framing the operation as a response to New York's political leadership and its new Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, which bars local police from partnering with ICE. Legal aid attorneys in Queens and Brooklyn say the arrest figures obscure that Latino immigrants were disproportionately affected, contrasting with DHS's public-safety framing of the sweep.

The petitioner, who had previously been released on parole in 2023 and again possibly in March 2026, was re-detained by immigration authorities on July 27, 2026. He is currently held at the Central Valley Annex Detention Facility. Government attorneys gave shifting and inconsistent explanations for the legal basis of his detention, first claiming he was subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(1), then changing position to argue he was held under the discretionary detention statute, 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). He filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus and a motion for a temporary restraining order, arguing that his re-detention without a pre-deprivation bond hearing violated his due process rights. The court agreed, finding the case indistinguishable from its prior rulings requiring a neutral-arbiter bond hearing before re-detaining someone previously released on parole or bond. The court ordered his immediate release under the same conditions that applied before his July 2026 detention, without additional restrictions like electronic monitoring, and ruled that any future re-detention requires seven days' notice and a pre-deprivation bond hearing.

A Nicaraguan citizen entered the United States without inspection on November 8, 2022, and was briefly detained before being released on parole with routine ICE check-ins. He filed an asylum application on August 1, 2024, which remains pending, holds a valid work authorization card, and has no criminal history. For over 43 months, he complied with all supervision conditions and DHS repeatedly determined his physical detention was unnecessary. On July 27, 2026, ICE detained him during a scheduled immigration check-in in Los Angeles, alleging no violations, no changed circumstances, and no individualized basis for custody, and providing no pre-deprivation hearing. He filed a habeas petition and TRO application arguing his re-detention violated Fifth Amendment due process rights. The Government did not oppose the TRO. The court found he demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits, irreparable harm, and that the balance of equities favored release, ordering Respondents to immediately release him subject to narrowly tailored conditions and to file a status report within five days confirming release.

A 24-year-old man from Mexico was arrested by federal immigration agents near Seattle Center on July 27, just around the corner from where a mass shooting killed three people and injured four the previous day. Witnesses said the man was attempting to drive a white van into the area, where vendors were packing up from the Bite of Seattle food festival, when a marked ICE vehicle pulled him over; video shows him handcuffed by multiple officers before being placed in an unmarked car. U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal said ICE told her office the arrest targeted an individual for overstaying a visa since 2022, and she called the timing and location "insensitive and cruel" given the recent shooting. ICE confirmed the arrest was unrelated to the shooting; the arrest was one of nearly a dozen daytime arrests by masked agents in unmarked vehicles documented across Seattle since June.

Marvin Alexander Mejía Alvarado, a Honduran national with family in Memphis, died on July 27, 2026, weeks after being released from ICE detention. A federal judge in Colorado ordered his release on bond at the end of June after determining the government had not presented clear and convincing evidence to justify continued detention. After his release in early July, Mejía wrote to his aunt thanking God for allowing him to leave the detention facility and acknowledging the prayers that gave him strength to endure mistreatment by detention staff. His family reported that following his release, he experienced severe health complications they attribute to his treatment during detention, including lack of access to medications needed for a preexisting medical condition.

A Nicaraguan man is a native and citizen of Nicaragua who was ordered removed from the United States in 2012 and appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals. The removal order became final in 2014. After 2014, he was released under an Order of Supervision and remained under supervision for nearly fifteen years. On July 27, 2026, he reported for a routine ICE check-in, where he was detained and subsequently transferred to River Correctional Facility where he remains. He filed a motion for a temporary restraining order seeking release under supervision, a detention hearing, and an injunction against removal from the United States or outside the Western District. The court denied his motion, finding that the requested preliminary relief mirrored the ultimate relief sought in his habeas corpus petition and should be addressed through standard habeas procedures rather than as an emergency TRO.

Tangieth Paola Carrasquero Lopez, 23, a Venezuelan asylum seeker with polycystic ovary syndrome, hepatic steatosis, and obesity, has been held at Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia since her July 27, 2026 detention during a scheduled immigration check-in. She says she has received only ibuprofen for abdominal pain and numbness, and that detention food is heavy in carbohydrates her doctor warned she cannot tolerate. A DHS spokesperson said she initially denied needing urgent care at intake but has since tested positive for PCOS and been placed on a chronic care list; her gastroenterologist, Dr. Arnaldo Jimenez, continues to request access to her prescribed Tirzepatide and ongoing monitoring. Her partner, Andres, said she remains unable to continue her necessary medical treatment.

Houman Rashidy, an Iranian citizen, was detained at Torrance County Detention Facility for approximately 13 months pending removal. On July 27, 2026, U.S. District Judge Kea W. Riggs granted Rashidy's petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, ordering his release. The court found no significant likelihood of removal in the reasonably foreseeable future, as removal to Iran is withheld and three countries (Canada, Brazil, Honduras) refused to accept him.

Erika and Edgard, a married couple and parents of two with a granddaughter, were removed from their car by ICE officers without explanation. Erika was injured during the arrest, sustaining bruises to her hands and arms. The couple have lived in the country as taxpayers with no legal problems and have worked to build a better life for their family. Their daughter Valeria is seeking legal representation funds to help them fight detention and reunite the family.

A man from Burkina Faso who arrived seeking asylum has been detained at Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark for nearly a year with no release date in sight. His case exemplifies the impact of an ICE policy change issued in July 2025 that subjects undocumented immigrants to mandatory detention without bond eligibility, causing ICE custody populations to jump from 39,000 to 71,000. An estimated 300 men and 40 women at the facility participated in a coordinated hunger strike and work stoppage in protest, which reportedly ended after retaliatory action by ICE and facility operator The GEO Group. The constitutionality of the mandatory detention policy remains contested in federal courts, with the Supreme Court set to hear arguments in October 2026.

Luis Angel Cifuentes Rodas of Guatemala was driving a pickup truck on Walraven Drive in Teaneck on Sunday, July 26, around 11:30 a.m. when he attempted to flee from ICE agents. He crashed into a parked SUV, which struck a utility pole and brought down power lines onto the street and other vehicles, trapping a person inside one parked car for about an hour until PSE&G crews secured the scene. Cifuentes Rodas complained of head pain but declined medical treatment, and was arrested by ICE agents and taken into federal custody. He received motor vehicle citations for reckless driving and driving on a sidewalk, according to Teaneck Police Chief Andrew McGurr, and will have his case heard by a Justice Department immigration judge.

Boanerges Flores-Bravo and his wife Alba Matamoro-Hernandez came to Missouri from Nicaragua in 2022 seeking asylum, saying it was unsafe to return because Flores-Bravo had worked for the Nicaraguan government. Both worked for the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District, where staff described them as model employees, and their 8-year-old daughter attends school in the same district. The couple attended every scheduled ICE check-in, but during a routine appointment on May 18, 2026, agents detained Flores-Bravo despite assurances he would not be arrested, while Matamoro-Hernandez was placed on an ankle monitor under the Alternatives to Detention program. He was transferred from a Missouri detention center to Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana, where Rep. Wesley Bell said he was coerced into signing voluntary self-deportation paperwork after being threatened that his family would be detained if he refused. He was deported to Nicaragua in June 2026, and Matamoro-Hernandez later signed up for voluntary departure, planning to leave with their daughter in summer 2026. Court records show no criminal history for either of them, and Matamoro-Hernandez said their daughter has struggled with the separation.

A man described by a St. Louis Archdiocese spokesman as living a devout Catholic life was arrested by ICE after helping his daughter enlist in the U.S. Army. The spokesman said he has been treated poorly despite being 'just like the rest of us.' Further details on the man's background and legal status were not provided.

Alexander Jarquin-Jarquin, a Nicaraguan asylum seeker with a valid work permit and driver's license, was arrested on July 26, 2026, while on his way to work with no stated reason. He entered the U.S. in 2021 through the southern border, was released by ICE under parole, and has since obtained legal work authorization and worked 12-hour days supporting his elderly father in Nicaragua and his wife in the U.S. He has no criminal history. He is now in immigration custody with his case before an immigration judge, and his family is raising funds for legal fees and bond to secure his release and demonstrate community ties.

At least 11 people, including asylum seeker Jesus Carrión, were detained during check-ins at ICE's Malta field office, according to court records and immigrant rights advocates. An emergency habeas petition was filed the same day to prevent their transfer outside the Northern District of New York, and they were initially held at Montgomery County jail before a court ruling allowed transfer to the Batavia detention center with restrictions on further movement. Carrión's wife, Jean Aurilio, said he was taken into custody while waiting for what was expected to be a routine check-in. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the detained individuals lacked legal status and would receive due process, as nationwide ICE arrests rose to an average of 1,474 per day by late July, according to federal data.