Human Impact Project

Wilbert Jean Baptiste was chased down and apprehended by law enforcement near a car wash at the Southern Village Shopping Center in Springfield, according to bystander videos posted to social media in which an officer identified himself as being with ICE. He is currently incarcerated at the Butler County Jail on an ICE hold, under the jail's agreement with ICE to house suspected noncitizens.

Local advocacy group Granite State Organizing Project reported 10 ICE detentions in New Hampshire and Vermont between Aug. 7 and Aug. 10, including three in West Lebanon and five others stopped en route to a construction site in Londonderry, Vermont. Additional detentions were reported in Keene, New Hampshire. Lebanon's city manager confirmed ICE activity in the city but said he had no details on arrests, while Hanover police said they had not been contacted by ICE about any operations in that town. Advocates said the enforcement activity felt like an increase from baseline levels but had not confirmed further incidents since Aug. 10.

Beaubrun Charles Ardouin, a naturalized U.S. citizen who drives for a transportation company shuttling workers, was pulled over near Topre America in Springfield, Ohio, in what DHS called a 'targeted enforcement' stop. Ardouin said he showed officers his ID and told them he was a citizen, but they demanded identification from his five Haitian passengers and threatened to break his van's windows if he didn't unlock them. All five men, who said they had pending asylum applications, were detained and booked into Butler County Jail under ICE holds; jail records identified them as Canot Monnimat, Albert Francois, Nero Adrien Toussaint, Cadet Vixama and Wislain Fenelon. The stop occurred amid broader ICE activity across Springfield, including arrests near a car wash in an area with several Haitian-owned businesses, with some detainees' mugshots showing them still in work uniforms. Butler County Jail held 17 people listing Haiti as their birth country under ICE detention as of one recent Monday, as many of Springfield's estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Haitian residents became vulnerable to detention after a federal judge lifted a stay on the revocation of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti. Legal experts questioned whether officers had reasonable suspicion for the traffic stop, and DHS said several of the detained men have since been released or transferred.

A U.S. citizen born in Yakima, Washington, was pulled over by ICE agents on the morning of August 17 while driving to work near the Sundome area on Fair Avenue. A masked agent approached without identifying himself, telling the man there was a warrant for his arrest for "being here illegally." He was handcuffed and placed in the back of a squad car while agents verified his citizenship, and was released once his identity was confirmed. He said the agents refused to provide their badge numbers or names before leaving, and he photographed their vehicles and license plates. His sister also posted about the incident on Instagram, sharing photos and urging others in the community to "move with caution."

ICE agents forcibly detained a person with irregular immigration status outside a Dollar Tree store in Jacksonville, Florida. During the operation, another person inside the store questioned the agents' actions and argued that they were on private property.

A man was taken into custody by federal immigration agents at Summit Avenue and 21st Street in Union City, New Jersey, according to a witness. The witness said three ICE vehicles arrived and agents detained the man while he sat on the corner with a friend; he provided identification before masked agents handcuffed him, searched his bag and pockets, and took him away. The incident follows a New Jersey law signed by Gov. Mikie Sherrill barring law enforcement from wearing masks while interacting with the public, which ICE has continued to disregard. The report is part of a series of immigration enforcement actions recently reported across Hudson County, including in West New York, Guttenberg, North Bergen, and Weehawken.

A video submitted to HudPost appears to show a federal immigration agent kicking a man during an encounter at 52nd Street and Hudson Avenue in West New York, New Jersey. The footage shows an agent making physical contact with the man, though the circumstances leading up to the moment are unclear and could not be independently verified. ICE did not comment on the incident, citing its policy of not discussing active investigations or arrests. The report follows a series of other immigration enforcement actions across Hudson County in recent weeks, including in Guttenberg, North Bergen, Weehawken, and Union City.

A Guatemalan young man has been held for more than a week in ICE custody at a facility in Miramar, Florida, that is authorized to hold detainees for up to 72 hours, according to his mother. She reports he faces overcrowding and limited access to food and water. He signed voluntary departure paperwork on a Tuesday but remains detained. An activist following the situation says his case is not isolated and that other immigrants have also been held at the facility for several days.

Yousof (Yousef) Azizi, a 40-year-old Iranian researcher, journalist, and Virginia Tech PhD candidate who had lived legally in the U.S. for 13 years, was arrested outside his Germantown, Maryland home on April 13 shortly after dropping his children at school. More than ten FBI and Homeland Security Investigations vehicles were involved, with agents pointing rifles at him before transferring him to detention facilities, eventually moving him over six days through Louisiana, Arizona, and California, including a stay in a freezing Arizona facility that he said harmed his health. Authorities alleged he lied on his student visa application about past membership in Iran's Student Basij Organization, but he said no evidence was ever presented despite multiple court hearings, and his wife called the visa issue a pretext for targeting his public commentary on U.S.-Iran relations. A judge denied bond despite 250 pages of support letters from professors at Harvard, Virginia Tech, the University of Michigan, and other institutions. Azizi, a regular media commentator critical of U.S. and Israeli foreign policy, said an FBI agent twice threatened his wife, and after roughly three months in custody he accepted voluntary return to Iran, where he hopes to defend his dissertation remotely.

Nqobile Malangeni, a pregnant South African woman who lives in Connecticut with her fiancé, a U.S. Army veteran, was arrested by ICE agents at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas as she prepared to board a JetBlue flight home. She had traveled to Las Vegas for a vacation to celebrate her birthday. In footage of the arrest shared across U.S. media, agents told her they had a final order of removal against her for overstaying her authorized period of stay. Her fiancé told reporters they followed all proper procedures and never received a removal letter in the mail, describing the arrest as completely unexpected. She is being held at the Henderson Detention Center in Nevada.

L, who came to the U.S. from Honduras in 2012 to escape gun violence, was unexpectedly detained during a routine immigration check-in and later deported to Honduras, leaving behind four children ages 15, 9, 3, and 2. Her mother, M, took unpaid leave from work to care for the grandchildren and support L's case, during which time she lost her health insurance and access to care for her diabetes. A GoFundMe campaign is raising money for plane tickets to reunite the children with their mother, M's lost wages, and legal fees.

Guillermo "Memo" Gallardo Barrera, a longtime Arizona resident, construction worker and welder who helped raise his two U.S.-born children, has spent over a year in ICE custody at the Florence Correctional Center following a routine traffic stop in Gilbert. His wife and family say he was healthy before detention but now relies on a cane, suffers severe numbness in his hands and worsening pain, and has not received a diagnosis or adequate treatment from facility officials. Advocates from the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and Proyecto Progreso say Gallardo has no criminal record and is being denied proper medical care. A federal court denied his attorneys' amended petition for writ of habeas corpus seeking his release. His family fears that without proper medical care or release, he will not survive in custody.

Oscar, a mechanic from the Fredericksburg area, was held under ICE custody at the Rappahannock Regional Jail before being moved through a chain of detention facilities in Virginia, Texas, and Louisiana and deported to El Salvador in 2024, despite having no felony record. He described poor conditions at the jail, being shackled throughout his deportation flight, and being accused of gang membership in El Salvador due to a paperwork error. Deportation Data Project records show 356 people were held under ICE custody at the jail and removed from the country between January 2025 and March 2026, with 67% having no criminal record beyond their immigration status. The jail's policy of querying ICE about foreign-born detainees exceeds what Virginia law requires, and a new state law, the Community Safety and Trust Act, may prohibit such cooperation without a judicial warrant.

Marcos Gaspar-Da Silva, a 32-year-old Brazilian general contractor and former attorney living in Bridgton, Maine, was detained by ICE agents during a traffic stop in Portland on January 20. He had no criminal record, had entered the country seeking asylum, and had a pending marriage-based green card petition filed by his U.S. citizen wife, Alessia. He was held for nearly seven months, transferred through facilities in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Louisiana and Arizona, where he and his wife reported overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, inadequate medical care including an untreated toothache that led to the tooth being pulled, and a weight loss of more than 26 pounds. U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree's staff assisted Alessia and pressed officials about his medical treatment while helping expedite his case. In August, an immigration judge granted him adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident, and he was released on August 13 to reunite with his wife and 11-year-old daughter, though he described lasting emotional numbness and difficulty eating and sleeping.

Jaime Rodriguez, who has lived in the U.S. for over a decade, was detained by immigration officers at a checkpoint near Fort Polk military base in Louisiana while completing a delivery order with his 3-year-old daughter. His wife, Abigail Rodriguez, a U.S. citizen, said officers accepted her ID but rejected her husband's matrícula consular and asked him to step out of the vehicle before handcuffing him, despite him not driving. Abigail said she overheard an officer say to take her husband because "he's illegal," and was herself told she could be taken as well because she did not appear in their database as a citizen, though she was ultimately allowed to leave with her daughter. Family members describe Jaime as a hardworking father who has never been in trouble, and say his children are heartbroken and want him home.

A native and citizen of Georgia entered the United States without inspection in February 2023 and was briefly apprehended by CBP before being released into the country, where he resided for over three years. On August 15, 2026, he was arrested near his home in Philadelphia by ICE and transferred to the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia. The government argued he was subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A) as an 'applicant for admission' still 'seeking admission.' He filed a habeas corpus petition on August 18, 2026, arguing his detention without a bond hearing was unlawful. The court held that § 1225(b)(2)(A) applies only to newly arriving noncitizens, not those who have resided in the country for years and were arrested in the interior, and that his detention should instead be governed by § 1226(a). The court granted his petition and ordered his immediate release.

A Ukrainian national and humanitarian parolee entered the United States about two years ago under the Uniting for Ukraine humanitarian parole program, presenting himself for inspection at JFK International Airport and being paroled in. His parole was granted through May 19, 2026, and he applied to renew it before expiration, with that application still pending. He resided in the U.S. without committing any crimes during this time. On August 15, 2026, ICE arrested him near his home and transferred him to the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, where he remains detained. He filed a habeas corpus petition on August 19, 2026, arguing that his mandatory detention without a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2) was unlawful because that provision applies only to newly arriving noncitizens, not those who have resided in the country for years. The court agreed, holding his detention should instead be governed by § 1226(a), and granted his petition, ordering his immediate release.

A group of U.S. citizens returning to Miami International Airport from Cuba, where they joined more than 1,500 delegates from 63 countries at an August 10-13 colloquium marking the 100th anniversary of Fidel Castro's birth, were held and questioned by U.S. officials over the weekend of August 15-16. Some travelers were required to surrender their cell phones, laptops, tablets and other electronic devices for inspection, according to U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press. Everyone was later released and allowed to enter the United States, with no criminal charges filed, though officials said travelers who had conducted business with Cuban government entities, such as hotels or restaurants, could still face legal consequences if a subsequent investigation finds they violated U.S. sanctions.

Federal immigration agents conducted a traffic stop and arrested three men Saturday near the Akimel Smoke Shop on Gila River Indian Community land off Interstate 10 at Riggs Road. According to the Community, the men were not enrolled tribal members or residents. Gila River Police responded to the scene but were not involved in the stop, and tribal leaders said the incident raises concerns about the community's sovereignty. Tribal leaders issued an advisory urging members to carry tribal identification and know their rights when approached by federal agents.

ICE agents entered a business near SW Sedgwick Road and Sidney Road SW in Port Orchard around 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 15 and attempted to arrest a person working inside who was wanted on an immigration warrant, prompting the person to flee on foot with agents in pursuit. A customer called 911, and Port Orchard Police Department officers responded to verify the agents' credentials but were not notified before the operation and did not assist, citing the Keep Washington Working Act. ICE agents wore tactical attire marked "Federal Officer Fugitive Detention Police" and drove an unmarked black SUV with emergency lights; no one was injured.