Human Impact Project

Aminata (Amina) Seck, a 26-year-old graduate student and basketball center for Kentucky State University from Dakar, Senegal, was detained by ICE on Aug. 7 at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport while preparing to fly with her team to an HBCU tournament in New York. Seck entered the U.S. on a student visa in 2019 and was ordered removed after missing an immigration hearing; her attorney, Sadiqa Reynolds, said Seck never received notice of the hearing and missed the deadline while recovering from back surgery and an ACL injury. Wearing a leg brace at the time of her arrest, she has since been moved between at least four detention facilities in Kentucky and Chicago as well as a hospital over 48 days, reportedly experiencing seizures and limited access to phone calls, visitors, or basic medical care. Seck started most games last season, averaging more than 11 points and 7 rebounds, and earned All-Conference and SIAC Elite 16 academic-athletic honors. Her head coach, Amani Williams, has advocated on her behalf, and U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey said he is monitoring her situation.

Sarafinah Bukirwa, a 31-year-old Ugandan immigrant and founder of Sarafinah Sickle Cell Society, a nonprofit treating sickle cell anemia, was detained by ICE on July 22, 2026, at Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville while traveling to a sickle cell anemia conference in California. Bukirwa entered the U.S. legally on a visa to expand her nonprofit work and has a pending asylum claim with valid work authorization. After being held at Grayson County Detention Center in Leitchfield, Kentucky, her family reported she was denied her required sickle cell medication for nearly a week despite having the medication with her, with prescriptions reportedly diluted in water and withheld. She experienced a medical crisis requiring hospitalization at a Louisville hospital the day before her detention. Her brother Isaac Kabunga stated at a press conference that ICE agents claimed she was arrested for overstaying her visa, though U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey confirmed she is following proper legal procedures and called for her immediate release, stating her condition could become life-threatening without proper treatment.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested at least six people in Western Kentucky on Thursday. Several of those arrested are now being held at the Hopkins County Jail, where 185 other immigrants are awaiting deportation. Community members, including a former Hopkins County judge, have criticized the arrests, raising concerns about racial profiling and due process.

Eight people were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Thursday morning in Henderson. At least three of those arrested are members of Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, described by the pastor as prominent and longstanding members of the Spanish-speaking Catholic community. Henderson County sheriff's deputies assisted federal agents in the operation, which lasted from approximately 5:30 a.m. to noon.

Sarafinah Bukirwa, 31, a Louisville woman with valid work authorization and a pending asylum claim from Uganda, was detained by ICE at Muhammad Ali International Airport on July 22, 2026, while heading to a sickle cell anemia conference, and transferred to Grayson County Detention Center. Bukirwa, who founded the nonprofit Sarafinah Sickle Cell Society, had been hospitalized for a sickle cell crisis the day before her detention; her brother, Isaac Kabunga, says she has still not consistently received her prescribed medication, with some doses allegedly diluted in water. U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey says her attorney is filing a habeas corpus motion challenging her detention, and notes she has never been charged with any crime. The Grayson County Jailer maintains she is receiving all prescribed medications, while advocates continue to raise concerns about medical care in immigration detention.

Artemio Romero, 28, was arrested by ICE on July 21, 2026, while commuting to his job in Paducah, Kentucky, and taken to a holding facility in Hopkinsville. He has lived in the United States since age two and is the primary breadwinner for his mother and two younger brothers, whom he has helped raise. Described as a gifted artist, dancer, and gamer known for his humor and warmth, Romero is a role model and father figure to his younger brother Luis. His family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for legal representation, living expenses, and potential resettlement in Mexico if he is deported.

Federal law enforcement arrested 13 undocumented immigrants during a two-day operation at a window supply business in Paducah, Kentucky in May 2026. Eight of those arrested were indicted by a federal grand jury for using stolen Social Security numbers on employment eligibility verification forms (I-9s) between June 2021 and August 2025. The eight indicted defendants each face up to five years in federal prison if convicted. The remaining five arrested individuals were not criminally charged and were placed in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Abdallah Osman Sheikh, a resident of Fairdale, Kentucky, was targeted for denaturalization for concealing that he possessed indecent digital images of two minors in July 2019 while serving in the Marines and posted such an image to social media. He also received an other-than-honorable discharge from the Marines for misconduct, disqualifying him from naturalization based on military service.

Anabell, a Nicaraguan immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 2022 and was working in food service in Milwaukee, tested positive for pregnancy twice after being detained at Campbell County Detention Center in Kentucky. In late March, after experiencing vaginal bleeding, severe pain, and cramping, she pleaded for emergency medical help in a written request and was taken to a hospital, where staff told her she was not pregnant despite her positive tests, leaving her uncertain about what occurred. She received no prenatal care or vitamins during detention, was not seen by a doctor within 72 hours of her positive pregnancy test as federal policy requires, and was tasked with carrying heavy items despite her condition; she has since experienced ongoing pain, numbness, vomiting, and hair loss without follow-up care. Her attorney and Democratic Reps. Gwen Moore and Delia Ramirez, who met with her this week at the detention center, have been unable to obtain her medical records despite repeated requests and are now pushing for her release; ICE and DHS did not respond to requests for comment. Anabell is pursuing an asylum claim in the United States.

A 21-year-old Hispanic man identified as Juan Miguel Munoz Penalver died in Louisville Metro jail on February 26, 2026, while subject to an ICE immigration detainer. He had been in custody since February 14 on criminal assault charges and was held under an ICE detainer that could have extended his detention beyond his scheduled release. The death is under investigation by LMDC's Professional Standards Unit and Louisville Metro Police's Public Integrity Unit.

Anabell, a 35-year-old asylum seeker from Nicaragua with three children, was detained by ICE during a mandated check-in and taken to Campbell County Detention Center in Kentucky, where she learned she was pregnant during intake but says she received no prenatal vitamins, blood test or ultrasound. In late March she was hospitalized after heavy bleeding and pain, but says she was told at the hospital she was not pregnant and that her hormone levels challenged that she had been, leaving her unclear on what happened to the pregnancy. Neither her attorney nor Democratic Reps. Gwen Moore and Delia Ramirez, who visited the detention center and are now pushing for her release, have been able to obtain her medical records. DHS has reported nearly 500 pregnant, nursing or postpartum people were detained between January 2025 and mid-February 2026, including 16 miscarriages, a count that would not include Anabell's case.

Beata Siemionkowicz, a 57-year-old with a valid permanent resident card since 2003, was detained by ICE in August 2025 while working in her daughter's garden in Illinois. An immigration judge issued a deportation order in December 2025; DHS cited two petty theft convictions from the early 2000s and claimed an arrest warrant from Poland, though her daughters provided documentation from Polish authorities showing no criminal record. Her appeal of the deportation order is pending, with a final decision expected in summer 2026.

Ernesto Manuel-Andres, an 18-year-old from Guatemala, was detained by ICE on June 4, 2025, just weeks after graduating from Teranga Academy, a learning center for immigrant and refugee youth. He holds Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and Deferred Action, giving him legal status to reside in the U.S. After nearly three weeks in an ICE detention center in Louisiana, Manuel-Andres was unexpectedly released on June 24 when the Department of Homeland Security failed to meet paperwork deadlines for an appeal of his $1,500 bond. The Bowling Green community organized vigils and protests demanding his release, and celebrated his homecoming on June 25 with family, friends, and educators. Teranga Academy principal Kristi Costellow said, "All I can say is that I'm thankful to be in Bowling Green, Ky, where we live in a community where people will see something that's wrong and they will keep at it until it's made right."

Federal agents arrested 13 undocumented immigrants at a window supply business in Paducah, Kentucky during a worksite investigation into employment fraud. Eight of the arrestees were indicted on charges of using stolen or false Social Security numbers on employment verification forms (I-9s) between June 2021 and August 2025. The eight indicted defendants each face up to five years in prison if convicted. The remaining five arrested individuals were not criminally charged and remain in ICE custody pending immigration removal proceedings.