Human Impact Project

An Iranian couple seeking asylum in the U.S. was detained and interrogated by ICE/DHS agents at their apartment less than a week after U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran in late February 2026. The couple had entered the U.S. legally on tourist visas in November 2024 and filed for asylum after receiving threats from the Iranian government, holding pending asylum applications with work permits. The husband was held for three weeks at the ICE detention facility in California City before an immigration judge granted his release on bond. His pregnant wife was questioned for hours but not arrested due to her pregnancy. Immigration attorneys said the case reflects a broader pattern of heightened scrutiny of Iranians following the strikes.

An Indonesian citizen with withholding of removal status was detained at an airport and transferred to Adelanto Detention Facility in February 2026 after almost 18 years of compliance with his Order of Supervision. He was not told why his supervision was being revoked or given an opportunity to address allegations. The court granted his TRO application and ordered his immediate release.

Maria Santay, a U.S. citizen and community observer, livestreamed her detainment by federal immigration agents at an El Monte gas station on February 1, 2026. Agents surrounded her vehicle and broke her car window with a hammer while she recorded on Instagram. She was detained and released Friday evening with charges including resisting arrest.

Anti-ICE protesters held demonstrations across Southern California on January 30-31, 2026, including marches through Los Angeles, rallies at City Hall, and actions outside the Metropolitan Detention Center. Clashes erupted when protesters blocked access points and threw objects, including fireworks, rocks and bottles, at federal agents, who responded with chemical irritants and dispersal orders. Eight people were arrested Friday, and police later said 50 people were arrested following Saturday's protest, mostly for failing to disperse, along with charges including assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism; streets near the federal building were closed overnight and a police pursuit tied to the protest ended in a crash. The protests were part of a nationwide action following fatal shootings by federal officers in Minneapolis.

CNN correspondent Veronica Miracle was struck with pepper spray while reporting live on a protest at an ICE facility in Los Angeles. Protesters overtook the property and pushed Department of Homeland Security officers back inside the building. Miracle choked and coughed on camera due to the chemical irritant but continued reporting on the incident.

Keith Porter Jr., 43, a Black father of two daughters, was shot and killed by an off-duty ICE agent on New Year's Eve outside his apartment complex in Northridge, Los Angeles. Friends and family described Porter as a devoted father and jack of all trades who worked as a waiter, tow truck driver, and Home Depot employee. He was close to his mother, Franceola Armstrong, and known for being compassionate and funny. Porter had recently obtained a firearm safety certificate and was proud to own a gun legally. He was firing a gun into the air to celebrate the new year when he was shot three times by the off-duty agent. Witnesses told Porter's attorney they never heard the officer identify himself as law enforcement and heard demands to "put down the rifle" followed by three shots. His mother spoke at a Los Angeles City Council meeting, saying: "He was on his way back. He didn't even get to pop the champagne. He didn't get to say goodbye. I just want to touch my baby one last time, kiss his face and hold him." Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and family lawyer Jamal Tooson urged California's attorney general to conduct an independent investigation. The Los Angeles County district attorney's office is reviewing the killing to determine if the use of force constitutes a crime.

Anti-ICE demonstrations at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles turned confrontational on January 30, 2026, with protesters throwing objects at federal agents. Dozens of arrests were made over the weekend as demonstrations expanded to City Hall. The protests were part of a nationwide call to end funding for ICE.

Maryna Ishchenko, a Ukrainian asylum seeker from eastern Ukraine, was detained by ICE during a routine check-in appointment at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. She had previously been detained at the U.S.-Mexico border when she and her U.S. citizen husband, Asael Ramirez, presented her asylum case, but was released after he agreed to sponsor her. Despite being married to a U.S. citizen and complying with all required check-ins, she was detained again. She is experiencing abdominal medical issues exacerbated by anxiety and fear while in detention. Her husband has spent $15,000 on her case and is seeking a habeas corpus petition for her release.

A non-citizen who entered the U.S. without lawful admission in December 2021 was detained by ICE on January 30, 2026 after appearing at a scheduled appointment in Los Angeles. He had previously missed an immigration court hearing on January 12, 2026, resulting in a removal order. The court granted his habeas petition and ordered he receive a bond hearing within seven days or be released.

Sithy Yi, a Cambodian Genocide survivor who arrived in the U.S. in 1981, was released from ICE detention following a federal judge's order. Yi was detained at a routine immigration check-in in Santa Ana on January 8 and held at the Adelanto Detention Facility for almost two months.

NPR reporter Adrian Florido witnessed federal immigration agents arrest Jesús González, an undocumented fruit vendor he had been buying from for seven years in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. González was apprehended at his fruit cart stand and subsequently deported to Tijuana, Mexico after agreeing to be removed rather than face detention.

On January 28, 2026, ICE agents conducted an early morning immigration enforcement operation at the intersection of Salinas and Carpinteria Streets in Santa Barbara's Eastside neighborhood, near Franklin Elementary School. A masked ICE officer pepper-sprayed and physically pushed community members who had gathered to document the activity, including Beth Goodman, who was distributing ICE resource information at the time. At least one woman was sprayed while recording the operation, and a man in a yellow sweatshirt evaded arrest. Santa Barbara Police Department and firefighters responded to the scene to provide medical assistance and help de-escalate the confrontation. At least one person was detained by ICE, reportedly unrelated to the pepper-spray incident, and no arrests were made by local police.

Hagop Chirinian, a non-citizen surfer, was released after being detained for four months following an accidental trespass onto Camp Pendleton beach. A federal judge ordered ICE to release him, ruling the agency violated its own protocols by detaining him despite knowing he could not be deported, as Lebanon refused to accept him. Chirinian had been living under an order of supervision with a work permit for nearly 30 years without additional convictions.

Reinaldo Chirino, from Venezuela, and Kris Estefany Pineda-Torregrosa, from Colombia, were detained by ICE after dropping their two young sons off at school in Chula Vista. The couple had entered the U.S. legally in 2022 under Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans but lost that status after the Trump administration revoked TPS protections. Their children, ages 12 and 4, were left in the care of a family friend while the parents were held at Otay Mesa Detention Center. After more than two weeks in custody, a judge granted bond and both parents were released, reuniting the family. They are now fighting their removal case while being monitored with ankle bracelets.

Immigration agents attempted to detain landscapers in Downey, California, leading to a physical altercation that was captured on video. The landscapers resisted the detention, wrestling with the agents during the incident.

A federal lawsuit filed by Public Counsel, CHIRLA, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP challenges conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, alleging denied medical care, inadequate nutrition, unsanitary conditions, and retaliation against detainees who speak out. The lawsuit names four plaintiffs and references at least two deaths in custody, including that of Ismael Ayala-Uribe in September 2025. Detainees report untreated infections, denied seizure medication, disease outbreaks, and insufficient food and water.

Federal immigration agents conducted a raid at a Home Depot in Downey, California on a Saturday, with video showing agents leaving as people ran through the area. Local authorities did not specify whether anyone was detained or why the store was targeted.

Anthony Paredes, an 18-year-old deaf high school senior at Ramón C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts in Los Angeles, was chased and tackled to the ground by Department of Homeland Security immigration officers on January 24, 2026, during a peaceful protest outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles. Multiple bystanders shouted that Paredes was deaf and could not hear the officers' verbal commands, but he was taken into custody without a sign language interpreter provided. While in custody, Paredes' requests to use a restroom were denied. His mother, Guadalupe Diaz, expressed concern about the lack of interpreter access during the encounter. Educators and organizers plan to file a claim and lawsuit against the government and seek to have charges dropped, with a court date scheduled for April 1.

A Chinese citizen who entered the U.S. without inspection in July 2023 was re-detained by ICE on January 23, 2026, when he appeared for a routine check-in. He had been living freely in Los Angeles under an Order of Release on Recognizance since 2023 and filed an asylum application based on fear of political persecution in China. The court ordered his immediate release, finding his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated his due process rights.

Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis, was shot and killed by a U.S. border patrol officer during an immigration enforcement operation on January 23, 2026. A U.S. citizen with no criminal history, Pretti had legally owned a handgun and concealed carry permit; bystander videos show him holding a phone with no visible firearm. DHS stated Pretti approached officers with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, though officials did not specify if it was brandished. His family said he was distressed by immigration enforcement actions and had participated in protests.