Human Impact Project

Maria Rosales, a 32-year-old DACA recipient who came to the U.S. from Colombia as a young child and has lived in Florida for nearly three decades, was detained without warrant by ICE agents at Logan Airport on July 10, 2026, while returning home after a trip to Boston. She works as a dermatologist's assistant treating skin cancer patients and founded a nonprofit color guard organization that provides performing arts opportunities to young people in the Orlando area, with friends and colleagues describing her as a dedicated community leader. ICE cited a 2017 removal order from a New Mexico immigration checkpoint stop that Rosales says she was never properly informed of, and her attorney contends the warrant used to justify her detention may have been fabricated after she was already in custody. She was held for 10 days at ICE's Burlington, Massachusetts facility, where she reported inconsistent access to showers, food, water, and medication, and rooms holding as many as eight women at a time. A federal judge ordered her release after finding ICE failed to comply with statutory detention procedures, and she subsequently filed a lawsuit against the agency, which a judge refused to dismiss in September.

Iara do Carmo Santana, a 29-year-old Brazilian woman working as a house cleaner, was arrested by Malden police after her fiancé, Gabriel Lemos, called 911 out of concern for her mental health following a recent miscarriage and related infection. She was booked, released from police custody, then detained by ICE, which accessed her information through a shared FBI database, and held for roughly four days at ICE's Burlington, Massachusetts field office. She said she received no medical evaluation upon arrival and was often denied her prescribed antibiotics, causing her infection symptoms to worsen. Federal judge Leo T. Sorokin ordered her release on September 8, criticizing ICE for its failure to provide necessary medical care. She was reunited with Lemos, a legal permanent resident she plans to marry next year, and her 6-year-old son. Do Carmo Santana has a pending asylum case and holds employment authorization. "I was afraid that I was going to go crazy in there," she said. "I was really scared."

ICE Boston arrested Leonel Santos-Diaz, a twice-deported migrant from El Salvador, during targeted immigration enforcement operations in Chelsea, Massachusetts. ICE alleged he is wanted in El Salvador on charges including aggravated homicide, human trafficking, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest, and is a suspect in an aggravated robbery investigation there. Authorities said he illegally entered the U.S. to evade prosecution. An ICE official criticized Massachusetts' 'Protect Act' sanctuary law for allegedly shielding him from arrest and deportation.

Rogério da Silva Lima, 42, a Brazilian carpenter and painter living on Martha's Vineyard, was taken into ICE custody with his teenage son Nycolas during their first fishing trip together near Menemsha after the U.S. Coast Guard boarded their boat and transferred them to ICE at Woods Hole. His employer, Rory Moreis, called him a 'hard worker' who was 'determined, dedicated, no limit to the hours or days to work,' while family friend Andrea James described him as 'a hard-working man' and his son as 'the kindest kid on the planet.' DHS said the pair entered the U.S. without authorization in 2021, that da Silva Lima's asylum claim was denied and his appeal dismissed in 2024, and both had been issued removal orders in 2023. His attorney, Amelia Ritenour, filed an emergency habeas corpus petition, and a community GoFundMe raised more than $17,000 for legal aid. Nycolas was released after four days into his adult brother's care, and a federal judge, Indira Talwani, later ordered da Silva Lima's release, ruling ICE had missed the 90-day statutory window to detain and remove him. He remained under the removal order and ultimately departed the U.S. unshackled on a civilian flight paid for by ICE, saying, 'It was the worst feeling in the world. I love my sons, and I did not want to leave them behind.' His sons Nycolas and Nayran remain on Martha's Vineyard to continue school and work.

Cleiton Toledo de Souza was taken into federal custody near 6 Tremont Street in Norwood shortly before 7 a.m. on August 27 after Homeland Security officers attempted to arrest him and he allegedly drove off, striking two parked vehicles, before running away and being caught. No injuries were reported in the crash or pursuit, and Norwood Police remained at the scene to investigate the property damage. DHS said de Souza was wanted in Brazil for homicide and had prior DUI arrests, and that he entered the U.S. without authorization in July 2021, was arrested by Customs and Border Protection, and later released into the country. He remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Jun Qiu, a Chinese national who runs Fantasy Nails on Low Street in Newburyport, was detained by ICE agents who entered the salon "with guns drawn," according to Mayor Sean Reardon. Eyewitnesses reported the operation left customers shaken, and the mayor called it "incredibly frightening and traumatic," adding that the city does not condone the manner in which the operation was carried out. DHS said Qiu is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings; he had been arrested days earlier by local police on misdemeanor harassment and threat charges and had pleaded not guilty. The city said it did not participate in or receive advance notice of the ICE operation, and Reardon said officials are continuing to gather information from those involved or who witnessed the incident.

Kléber (also spelled Cleber) Guachilema, a 25-year-old Ecuadorian immigrant, was arrested by ICE agents during an operation in a Lawrence, Massachusetts neighborhood, with the arrest captured on video. His family describes him as the sole financial provider for the household and the father of a young child. Relatives say the arrest resulted from mistaken identification, and that his wife has recently had health problems. They say his son has been traumatized by the detention, repeatedly asking whether his father is dead.

Debora Kapisha, a registered nurse from Zambia working at Maine Medical Center in Portland, was detained by ICE on July 30 at Boston Logan Airport after her visa expired in November 2024. According to ICE, she entered the U.S. on May 14, 2024, and remained in the country after her visa expiration. Kapisha maintained a valid registered nurse license since June 2025 with no disciplinary action and argued she had legal work authorization while her asylum case was being adjudicated. The Maine State Nurses Association organized a rally within 24 hours of learning of her detention and mobilized community support, with over 100 Maine Medical Center nurses and supporters protesting alongside Democratic officials including Senate nominee Troy Jackson and gubernatorial nominee Hannah Pingree, describing her as a trusted, compassionate caregiver whose absence affected patient care. She was released from ICE custody on August 7 following the protests. The union and MaineHealth are working to sponsor her for permanent resident status through an EB-3 visa, for which skilled nurses are eligible and exempt from standard labor certification requirements.

ICE arrested Heriton Da Silva Aredes, a Brazilian national previously deported in 2008 who later reentered the U.S., during a targeted operation in Taunton, Massachusetts. He faces a pending charge of negligent homicide with a motor vehicle after a November 20, 2025 crash in which his car struck 75-year-old Kenneth Carr of Taunton, a former Fall River fisherman, who died two days later from his injuries. ICE said local and state authorities released Aredes from custody on three prior occasions without honoring ICE detainers before he was ultimately arrested at large.

ICE conducted enforcement operations in Fall River between July 16 and August 3, 2026, resulting in four arrests. Daniel Narcisse, a Haitian immigrant, was arrested on July 16 after being charged with misdemeanors for DUI, negligent driving, and endangering two children while driving under the influence in May 2026. Alex Morocho Lalvay, an Ecuadorian immigrant, was arrested on July 22 and faces misdemeanor charges of assault and battery on a family member and violation of an abuse prevention order from 2025. Fabiano Silvino Dos Santos, a Brazilian immigrant, was arrested on August 1; he faced a 2024 felony charge of assault and battery on a child under 14 with a dangerous weapon that was dismissed after prosecutors did not pursue it. Miguel Angel Bermol-Hermitano, from Mexico, was arrested on August 3 after being previously removed from the country; Massachusetts court records show two misdemeanor charges for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle from 2003 and 2005, both dismissed. According to ICE, all four individuals were not living in the country legally.

Elton Purvis, a 55-year-old lawful permanent resident, Rastafarian priest, and father of nine U.S. citizen children from Trinidad and Tobago, was detained by ICE at Boston Logan Airport on May 13, 2025, while returning to attend his sons' graduations. A community fixture for more than 30 years, Purvis had malaria and Type 1 diabetes when detained; he said ICE officers confiscated his insulin and malaria medication, and he was hospitalized about a week into detention before receiving malaria treatment. During roughly seven months in multiple facilities, including the Geo Group-run South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas, Purvis filed over 100 grievances, suffered hypoglycemic crashes, dehydration and malnutrition, and became unresponsive in his cell at least three times due to low blood sugar. Staff also refused to accommodate his strict vegetarian diet required by his religion and medical condition. He was deported to Trinidad and Tobago on December 6, 2025. The ACLU filed a federal tort claim on his behalf seeking $10 million in damages, part of a nationwide effort that filed more than 50 claims across 17 states and Washington, D.C., alleging neglect of detained immigrants' medical and food needs.

A 14-year-old Brazilian girl with an expired visitor visa was detained by ICE agents on March 11 in a parking lot outside Bethel Presbyterian Church in Marlboro, Massachusetts, after a car was pulled over. Her attorney stated she was with her U.S. citizen brothers, though DHS disputed this account, claiming she was with two Brazilian men suspected of gang ties with no familial relationship to her. ICE said the men's vehicle was connected to an alleged attempted home invasion in Walpole. The girl was taken to the JFK federal building in Boston for 10 hours, then transported overnight to a children's detention facility in New York. At a hearing, Federal Judge Leo T. Sorokin expressed concern about the detention and overnight transfer, stating it was the first time in his 22 years on the bench that he had seen agents detain a juvenile solely because no appropriate person was available to release her to. He ordered her immediate return to Massachusetts, and she was reunited with her maternal aunt, a U.S. citizen, at the JFK building in Boston.

ICE arrested Rocael Ordonez-Cruz, 23, a Guatemalan national, on July 21 at the Middlesex County House of Correction in Billerica following his release from state custody. Local authorities had arrested him on June 25 and charged him with assault to rape, rape, indecent assault and battery on a person 14 years or older, and indecent exposure. ICE alleged he entered the United States illegally and served him with a notice to appear before an immigration judge; he remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings, which run alongside the pending state case. Four days after the arrest, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed a law restricting how ICE can operate within the state.

Gonzalo Roberto Yasaca Arellano, a national of Ecuador, was arrested by ICE Boston officers during targeted enforcement operations in Brockton, Massachusetts. According to ICE, Yasaca Arellano has a documented criminal history in the United States.

Pierre Andy Jean-Louis, a 20-year-old Haitian migrant, was arrested by ICE on July 18, 2026, during a vehicle stop in Fall River, Massachusetts. Jean-Louis entered the United States in September 2024 at Nogales, Arizona, and was released on a two-year parole by Customs and Border Protection. In June 2026, he was charged in Fall River District Court with felony counts including possession of child pornography, indecent assault and battery, and extortion by threat of injury. He is scheduled to appear in Fall River District Court for a probable cause hearing and before an immigration judge.

David Ardila, a 33-year-old DJ from Venezuela, was detained by ICE at Logan Airport on July 10, 2026, after returning from attending a FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match in Boston. Ardila fled Venezuela and applied for asylum in 2017, entering the U.S. on a valid visa that year. He holds a Social Security number and work permits and has been following all legal processes required while waiting nearly a decade for an asylum interview. ICE detained him for allegedly overstaying his visa by over eight years, which his attorney Todd Pomerleau attributes to delays in the asylum application process. Ardila has no criminal record and is currently being held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts, approximately 3,000 miles from his family in Seattle, with legal challenges being filed seeking his release and permission to remain in Massachusetts during his immigration proceedings.

Liam, 15, was arrested by local police in May 2025 following a fight; ICE agents separated him from his father who arrived to pick him up and took both into custody. Liam was held in an ICE office in Burlington, Massachusetts, then transferred to an ORR shelter in Texas for three months before being moved to Groton, Connecticut. Whether ICE ever properly contacted his mother to inform her she could pick him up remains disputed; she said ICE called her while he was in Burlington but did not tell her she could retrieve him, and she did not hear from him again until he was in Texas. The government made contradictory statements about the mother's availability, at one point claiming ICE couldn't locate her, then claiming ICE asked her to pick him up but she refused, while also stating she was at the police station during his arrest. Liam grew anxious and depressed in the shelters; a psychological evaluation recommended his release "as soon as possible" for his well-being. Federal Judge Vernon Oliver called the government's claims "disturbing" and "full of significant incongruities," and ordered Liam's release 27 days after the lawsuit was filed; his mother picked him up the following day after 255 days of detention.

Jose Raul Martinez-Alvarado, 40, from Honduras, was arrested by New Bedford Police on June 7 after officers found him in an apartment where a group of men were fighting and residual cocaine was present. He was charged with possession of a large capacity firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, and resisting arrest. He posted $500 bail on June 8 and an additional $1,000 bond on June 9, after which he was released from Bristol County Jail; he was then picked up by ICE on July 2. The case sparked a public dispute after ICE Boston posted on social media that the jail had released him without honoring an ICE detainer, prompting Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux to respond that detainers are not legally binding, citing a 2017 Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling barring local and county law enforcement from holding individuals solely on detainers and a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting state enforcement of federal immigration law. Heroux accused ICE of acting in an unprofessional and partisan manner and called for accountability within the agency.

Margarita Melgar, a mother from Honduras who had lived in the U.S. for 12 years, was given a choice by immigration agents: be detained indefinitely or self-deport. She chose to self-deport and left for Honduras on Sunday, taking her 10-year-old daughter Katherin, a U.S. citizen who has never been to Honduras. Her two older daughters, ages 17 and 20, remained in the United States. Margarita had fled Honduras after facing extreme violence. The family said goodbye at Logan Airport, with her eldest daughter Damary, a college student, remaining in Boston.

Damary Melgar, a 20-year-old college student at Simmons College working full-time as a restaurant server, remained in the United States after her mother, Margarita Melgar, and 10-year-old sister Katherin — a U.S. citizen who has never been to Honduras — self-deported on June 28, 2026, following 12 years in the U.S. during which Margarita had fled extreme violence in her home country. Immigration agents had given Margarita the choice of indefinite detention or self-deportation. A third daughter, 17-year-old Tania, is also remaining in the United States with Damary. After initially planning to pursue pre-med studies, Damary changed her focus to business and finance due to financial pressures on her family, and she now faces supporting her mother and sister from abroad while working and attending school without stable housing, since she cannot afford the family's Brighton apartment alone. Damary said she must remain strong for her family despite their full compliance with immigration check-ins and procedures, and plans to send money to Honduras.