Human Impact Project

A Venezuelan man who entered the United States in July 2022 was initially apprehended by immigration officials and released pending removal proceedings, after which he lived in Portland, Oregon. He was re-detained on July 2, 2026, apparently without any notice beforehand, and has a pending application for Temporary Protected Status. He did not receive a bond hearing until a month after his re-detention. He is currently held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center and filed a habeas petition along with a motion for a temporary restraining order, arguing that a transfer out of the district would strip the court of jurisdiction over his case and harm his ability to pursue relief and stay in contact with family members. The court found he was likely detained under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) rather than subject to mandatory detention, and that the lack of an individualized hearing at the outset of his re-detention likely violated due process under the Mathews test. The court granted the temporary restraining order, barring his removal or transfer to another facility, and ordered a preliminary injunction hearing and briefing schedule within 14 days.

Francisca's partner and father of her five children was taken by ICE on June 20, 2026, and subsequently deported. Francisca now faces the burden of supporting her children—including a 2-year-old—while also navigating support for her deported partner. The family struggled to pay rent and basic necessities including food, diapers, and utilities after his removal.

Juana, a mother of four with no criminal record, was arrested by ICE agents on the side of the road in Grants Pass on June 9, 2026. A bystander videotaped the arrest, which showed agents handcuffing her and placing her in an unmarked vehicle while her van was left locked on the roadside. She was transported to the Tacoma immigration detention center and is facing deportation.

Marco Antonio Mendoza-Cesar, a Venezuelan national, was detained by ICE agents during an operation at the Port of Astoria's Pier 1 on June 7, 2026. ICE conducted the operation on federally controlled port property without notifying Port of Astoria officials or local law enforcement. The operation raised concerns about whether it violated Oregon's sanctuary law, which prohibits state and local agencies from participating in immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant.

ICE detained six individuals in the Rogue Valley region of Southern Oregon between May 19 and May 29, 2026, marking a significant escalation in enforcement activity—the first notable surge since July 2025. Detentions occurred in public places including outside Jackson County Circuit Court, near parks, at workplaces, and during traffic stops. Community volunteers with Rogue Valley Migra Watch documented the incidents and tracked ICE vehicle sightings in the area.

A 45-year-old farm worker identified as MJMA was detained along with six others when ICE agents stopped a van without a warrant on October 30, 2025. Officers smashed the van window, used facial recognition technology to attempt identification, and detained MJMA despite her assertion of her right to remain silent and request for legal representation. She had an ongoing asylum case at the time. Federal Judge Mustafa Kasubhai ruled in February 2026 that the arrests were unlawful, citing officer misconduct, inaccurate statements in reports, and improper use of facial recognition technology. The judge noted that MJMA had entered the U.S. with a valid temporary visa, contrary to officers' claims.

Maria Trinidad Loya Medina, a Mexican national who lived in Albany, Oregon for over 20 years and was the primary caregiver for her husband and two U.S. citizen children, was detained by ICE agents on January 10, 2026, during Operation Black Rose while shopping at a sporting goods store in Albany. She was held at Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington for four months. An immigration judge denied her bond request on February 4 after a brief hearing, despite evidence of strong community ties and no criminal history. On May 7, Federal Judge Grady J. Leupold ordered her immediate release, finding that the immigration judge violated her constitutional due process rights by failing to consider relevant factors and abusing discretion in denying bond. The judge cited documented harm to her family, including her husband's stroke and daughter's depression. ICE delayed her release until May 8.

A Newport man was arrested by ICE agents on Monday. According to ICE, the man has an extensive criminal record and has been deported four times previously.

Hana Francis, 26, was arrested at a sit-in demonstration in a hotel lobby on Southwest 2nd Avenue in Portland during May Day protests. She was charged with second-degree criminal trespass.

Thousands of Portlanders took part in peaceful May Day demonstrations on May 2, 2026, marking International Workers' Day and linking labor rights with immigrant rights. By evening, hundreds marched to the ICE facility in South Portland, where five people were arrested after police said protesters threw rocks and water bottles at officers; one officer was hospitalized after being struck by a large rock, and another was treated at the scene. Seven additional arrests were made during a hotel sit-in on Southwest 2nd Avenue. The march came two days after a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel stayed earlier federal court orders limiting agents' use of crowd control munitions, and police said the Portland Police Bureau has made 94 arrests tied to ICE protest activity since June 2025.

Several hundred protesters gathered at Portland's ICE facility on May Day, with some marching onto the facility's driveway and rattling its gate before Portland police and Oregon State Police moved in to clear the area and make arrests. Officers said protesters threw rocks and water bottles, injuring an officer, while ICE agents remained inside the building throughout the confrontation. Police had made arrests earlier in the day, including nine people during a hotel sit-in demonstration, with additional arrests made near the ICE facility as the evening protest intensified. A police spokesperson said officers' intervention was prompted when demonstration activity "turned criminal."

Thovatsay Phimmoungkhoun, owner of Khao Niew Lao Street Food, a food cart operating near Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The cart, known for serving Lao street food including sticky rice to PSU students, announced permanent closure following his detention. Phimmoungkhoun was transferred to a detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, and faces deportation to Laos. His family and supporters created a GoFundMe fundraiser to assist with his case.

Rajinder Kumar, a 32-year-old Indian national who was living and working in the U.S. without legal status, was detained by ICE on April 22, 2026, after posting bail following a fatal November 24, 2025 crash on U.S. Highway 20 in Deschutes County, Oregon, that killed newlyweds William Micah Carter and Jennifer Lynn Lower. He has been held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, and faces felony charges of manslaughter and reckless endangerment. On July 1, 2026, U.S. Immigration Judge Drew Nishiyama ordered Kumar deported to India before he can stand trial on those charges. Deschutes County Attorney Steve Gunnels and the victims' families said they had hoped Kumar would face trial in the U.S. for the deaths of Carter and Lower.

A Hispanic mother was detained by immigration agents while working as a delivery driver. The post appeals for help and offers to share a GoFundMe link for those commenting.

On March 28, 2026, a crowd gathered near the Portland ICE building about an hour after the peaceful "No Kings III" march concluded. Protesters damaged the facility's front gate twice and threw rocks at officers and state troopers before police declared an unlawful assembly around 10:10 p.m. and made targeted arrests. Isiah A. Lee, 26, climbed onto the lower roof and vandalized it, resulting in charges of first-degree criminal mischief and second-degree criminal trespass; he was taken to Multnomah County Detention Center. Isaias Laguna, 21, was charged with second-degree criminal mischief, second-degree disorderly conduct, and second-degree criminal trespass, and Robert Stoms, 37, was charged with second-degree criminal mischief.

An Afghan asylum seeker was assured by ICE that two missed check-ins would not be held against him—one due to a double-booked appointment and another due to hospitalization for a heart arrhythmia. Two months after the hospitalization, ICE detained him at work, claiming he was a flight risk for missed check-ins and failing to report a move to Portland. ICE provided no documentary evidence of the violations. U.S. District Judge Kymberly K. Evanson ruled in his favor and released him after 41 days of detention at the Northwest Detention Center.

A 23-year-old Colombian man was detained on March 10, 2026, at an ICE check-in appointment in Eugene based on a pending felony domestic violence assault charge in Linn County. He is an asylum seeker who fled politically motivated violence in Colombia. The alleged victim filed a statement saying she does not fear him and that the arrest does not represent his character as a person or father. Chief U.S. District Judge Michael McShane granted his habeas petition on May 14, 2026, finding the detention unjustified and rejecting the government's broad interpretation of mandatory detention law.

A federal judge in Oregon has restricted federal officers from using tear gas at protests at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland. The ruling limits law enforcement's use of force against demonstrators at the ICE facility.

A Laotian refugee who entered the United States in 1988 as a child refugee and was adjusted to lawful permanent resident status was detained by ICE on March 3, 2026, when he reported to the ICE office in Portland, Oregon. He was taken to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. He has a U.S. citizen spouse, one child, and four step-children. A final removal order to Laos was entered on January 5, 2012, but he had been released on Orders of Supervision since May 2015 based on nonremovability. On January 8, 2026, his spouse filed an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative. He was served with a Notice of Revocation of Release citing changed circumstances making removal reasonably foreseeable. On April 10, 2026, ICE obtained a Laissez-Passer from Laos valid for 90 days. He filed a habeas corpus petition and motion for temporary restraining order seeking to prevent his removal and transfer pending the court's consideration of his case. On May 1, 2026, the federal magistrate judge denied his motion, finding he had not shown a likelihood of success on the merits because ICE had obtained a valid travel document establishing an unchallenged basis for his detention.

Paulino Martin San Pedro, a handyman who lived and worked in Oregon for years, was arrested by ICE agents in Washington County in late 2025 during an enforcement surge in the Pacific Northwest. The arrests were part of an operation internally called 'Operation Black Rose,' which resulted in a 600% increase in apprehensions in Multnomah County and a 2,100% increase in Washington County. After his arrest, San Pedro was deported to Mexico, where he died in February 2026 from pneumonia complications.