Human Impact Project

Sayed Naser, an Afghan national who worked as a translator and contractor for U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, was detained by ICE agents in June 2025 during a hearing at a San Diego immigration court, after entering the U.S. legally in July 2024 under humanitarian parole while his asylum case was pending. On September 26, federal judge Gonzalo Curiel ordered his release from Otay Mesa Detention Center, ruling that the government violated his due process rights by revoking his parole without notice and placing him in expedited removal despite his pending case. Video of his arrest went viral, prompting veteran-run nonprofits Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and AfghanEvac to launch “Battle Buddies,” a program in which over 1,000 veterans now accompany Afghans to immigration hearings. Naser, reunited with friends and family after his release, said he remains hopeful because of the support he received from Americans.

Noemi's husband was deported to Mexico during the June 2025 ICE raids in Los Angeles. They used to get ready together before she headed to work at LA international airport. Now he calls her each morning at 8am from Mexico.

Yurien saw her father handcuffed, chained from the waist and ankles, and whisked away by ICE agents outside his workplace in LA's fashion district during the June 2025 raids. She remains haunted by the image a year later.

Christian Damian Cerno-Camacho, a 27-year-old identified by family as a U.S. citizen, was violently arrested by federal agents in Boyle Heights after they rammed his white Mercedes sedan with multiple vehicles near Whittier Boulevard and Calzona Street, close to a school. His partner, a toddler, and an infant were inside the car at the time; the baby was seated near where one vehicle struck the car but was not injured. Agents emerged with weapons drawn, fired what appeared to be chemical or tear gas rounds at the vehicle, and forcibly extracted Cerno-Camacho, leaving the woman and children inside the car. The woman and children later fled to a nearby grocery store and were reunited with family about three hours later. Family members said Cerno-Camacho was detained in connection with his participation in recent protests, while the Department of Homeland Security said he was wanted for an alleged assault against a CBP officer and had attempted to flee arrest. LAPD opened an investigation into the incident.

Christian Cerna, a 28-year-old US citizen and carpenter from Paramount, California, was arrested by ICE on June 11, 2025, after participating in an anti-ICE protest near a Home Depot on June 7. Officers used aggressive tactics including ramming his vehicle, detonating flash-bang grenades, and pointing assault rifles at his car while his partner and two young children were inside; court records show the arrest operation involved a drone, four vehicles, and a filming crew. Cerna, whose father was deported when he was 12, was charged with felony assault after border agent Eduardo Mejorado alleged Cerna struck him during the protest, though Cerna and his lawyers say he swung his hand without making contact; he was also struck in the face by pepper balls during the demonstration. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault in December 2025 and was sentenced in March 2026; a federal judge later criticized the case as a "vindictive effort" to impose extrajudicial punishment, and DHS filmed the arrest and posted footage on social media labeling Cerna a "violent rioter."

On June 11, 2025, masked ICE officials detained a man in the parking lot of Downey Memorial Christian Church. Reverend Tanya Lopez witnessed the man on the ground surrounded by three armed, masked officers who refused to identify themselves or produce a warrant. The officers identified themselves only as police and prevented Lopez from questioning them or assisting the man. The church subsequently offered multiple worship options including in-person, Facebook Live, and Zoom services for concerned parishioners.

ICE conducted raids at the Ambiance Apparel warehouse in Los Angeles's Fashion District, detaining approximately two dozen workers on alleged administrative immigration violations. Families of the detained individuals report difficulty making contact with their loved ones and locating where they are being held, with some detainees reportedly already deported. About a dozen of those taken were from Veracruz, Mexico, and attorneys working with the families say access to detainees has been extremely limited.

CNN reporter Jason Carroll and his crew were escorted away from a protest zone in downtown Los Angeles and briefly detained by LAPD while covering the anti-ICE demonstrations. An officer instructed Carroll to place his hands behind his back and told him "You are being detained while you are leaving this area," though Carroll was not placed in restraints. The officer clarified Carroll was "not under arrest because you're press" and took down details from all crew members before releasing them.

Nine News US correspondent Lauren Tomasi was shot by a rubber bullet while reporting on the LA protests in Downtown Los Angeles. She was clearly identified as press and was speaking on camera when she was hit, yelling in pain from the impact. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese later confirmed she was sore but otherwise unharmed.

A protest near the Santa Ana Federal Building in response to ICE raids began with roughly 100 people in the afternoon and swelled to at least 1,000 by evening. After police declared the rally an unlawful assembly, officers confronted crowds. Several protesters were arrested; some were accused of throwing objects at officers and setting off fireworks.

Jose Padilla, a father of four, was detained by ICE during a raid at a car wash in Los Angeles where he worked, separating him from his partner Alma Ramirez and their children. He was held at a detention center in California City before being released on August 4, 2026, after six months in custody. The family continues to face a pending legal case and financial strain as they rebuild following his detention.

Federal immigration agents conducted coordinated raids beginning in June 2025 at car washes and Home Depots across Los Angeles County, with armed, masked agents surrounding businesses and detaining workers, leading to family separations and lost income. According to the CLEAN Carwash Worker Center, at least 373 car wash workers were detained across 106 car washes in Southern California between June 2025 and January 2026, with some businesses later closing. One worker, detained last August after 33 years in the U.S., described being held for two months in a detention facility where he slept on a cold floor without a blanket, toothbrush or medical care. Advocates say fear and lingering trauma persist among workers and families even as media attention on the raids has faded.

Federal immigration officials conducted a raid targeting day laborers in the parking lot of a Home Depot in Santa Ana on Monday. A 50-year-old man from Peru was detained after agents arrived and began taking workers into custody, but was released after producing asylum seeker documents. The man said agents pointed guns at the group and took several people into custody in front of the store on MacArthur Boulevard.

Protesters gathered in Los Angeles to demonstrate against ICE raids, with police in riot gear firing flash bangs and rubber bullets to disperse crowds. Multiple demonstrators were arrested and loaded onto police buses with zip-tied hands after being warned to disperse near the Arts District and Little Tokyo. President Trump doubled the National Guard deployment to the area, activating an additional 2,000 service members alongside approximately 700 Marines, prompting California to file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the deployment.

Cary López Alvarado, a 28-year-old U.S. citizen nine months pregnant, was detained by immigration agents in Hawthorne, California on Sunday. López Alvarado said agents shoved her during the arrest, causing her to lose her balance as she tried to protect her stomach. After her release, she experienced sharp stomach pains and was hospitalized for one day for monitoring. López Alvarado and her cousin Alberto Sandoval, also a U.S. citizen, were doing maintenance work when agents in Border Patrol uniforms arrived in marked CBP vehicles following a white pickup truck carrying two undocumented workers, including her partner Brian Nájera.

Freelance photojournalist Ted Soqui was shot in the back with three rubber bullets in rapid succession by federal officers while covering anti-deportation protests at LA's Federal Building on June 9, 2025. Soqui, who had covered protests throughout his decades-long career, took precautions after being struck with crowd-control munitions the previous day, wearing personal protective equipment and positioning himself 50 to 100 feet from officers and protesters while using a long lens to photograph from afar. The federal officers who shot him were identified as ICE or DHS agents based on department patches visible on their uniforms. The Los Angeles Press Club filed a lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem characterizing the shooting as a "misuse of militarized weapons" that could cause significant and serious harm.

An unnamed man was detained by ICE on June 9, 2025, at a Home Depot in Huntington Park, California, where he regularly sought work. His family launched a fundraiser to pay for legal representation to challenge the deportation process. The man is described as the sole provider for his family.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted sweeps across Orange County on June 10, 2025, detaining at least a dozen people at a Home Depot on Harbor Boulevard and others at multiple locations including businesses near Warner Avenue and Broadway. Hundreds of protesters gathered at Santa Ana's federal building and civic center in response, and law enforcement deployed pepper spray and tear gas as the demonstration grew and blocked streets. Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said ICE appeared to target day laborers waiting for work.

Grammy-winning musician Finneas was tear-gassed while participating in a peaceful protest against ICE immigration raids in Los Angeles on June 8, 2025. He shared his experience on Instagram, criticizing law enforcement's response to the demonstration. The protest was among thousands across the city expressing frustration with the Trump administration's immigration enforcement actions.

Nick Stern, a 60-year-old British freelance journalist and photographer who has lived in the U.S. for 18 years, was struck by a 40mm less-lethal munition that embedded approximately one inch into his leg while covering ICE raid protests in Los Angeles on June 7, 2025. Despite being clearly identifiable as press with visible credentials and cameras, Stern was hit around 9 p.m. while documenting the demonstrations outside a Home Depot. The projectile created a five-centimeter wound with significant muscle damage, and emergency surgeons treated the injury as they would a rifle gunshot wound. Stern was carried away by protesters and required emergency surgery at a trauma unit to remove the embedded round; an X-ray revealed the bullet had lodged in his leg. He avoided permanent nerve damage but sustained significant trauma. Stern was one of at least 11 journalists targeted by law enforcement during the protests; other reporters were also struck by tear gas, pepper balls, and less-lethal rounds. Status Coup News, where Stern had previously freelanced, filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell alleging excessive force against journalists covering the protests.