Human Impact Project

Ernesto Puac Son, a 33-year-old roofer and legal resident of Stuart, Florida, with a valid work permit and pending asylum case, has lived in the United States for 18 years. On October 1, 2025, FDLE agents conducted a traffic stop near his house after he made a rolling stop. Puac refused to exit his van because he had just witnessed agents arresting his brother Felipe, who had a deportation order but no criminal history. FDLE agent John Soltys smashed Puac's van window and dragged him through the broken glass, pinning him face-down on the ground and leaving him with gashes on his face, back, and arms. Despite showing a valid Florida driver's license, Puac was charged with resisting arrest with violence. He was convicted on January 7, 2026, and sentenced to one year in Martin County Jail. FDLE was operating under the 287(g) program, which authorizes state and local law enforcement to enforce immigration law.

Beginning May 25, 2026, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, to support detainees staging a hunger strike over poor living conditions including moldy and expired food, overcrowded cells, and lack of air conditioning. The 1,000-bed facility, operated by the GEO Group under a $1 billion contract and opened in early 2025, became the site of escalating confrontations over several days. ICE agents and New Jersey State Police deployed pepper spray, tear gas, batons, and horses against demonstrators who formed human chains and used makeshift shields. Senator Andy Kim was exposed to pepper spray, a U.S. military veteran providing medical assistance was detained, and an ICE agent supervisor was filmed pushing a photographer off a public sidewalk. At least 80 people were arrested, with some charged with rioting after authorities imposed a curfew, and Congresswoman LaMonica McIver was later charged with assaulting officers. Mayor Ras Baraka announced plans to shut down the facility and to sue the GEO Group, while the state filed a lawsuit seeking unrestricted health inspections.

A DHS Office of Inspector General inspection of Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana found multiple violations affecting approximately 1,500 detained immigrants. Facility staff failed to properly report use-of-force incidents including a chokehold and a pen stabbing, and did not maintain adequate sanitary conditions, proper food storage temperatures, or medical records. The facility lacked documentation of disciplinary actions or remedial training for officers involved in use-of-force incidents.

Marvin Godoy Calderon, a 45-year-old Peruvian immigrant with valid work authorization through 2030, was arrested outside his Sunnyside home on May 27, 2026, while sitting in his parked car waiting to go grocery shopping with his roommate. ICE agents removed him from the vehicle without showing a warrant and pressed him facedown on the asphalt, with multiple agents striking him across the back and head while pinning his arms and placing knees on his shoulders and neck. Calderon works two jobs as a janitor and dishwasher to support his four children in Peru. After being detained for approximately 13 hours in a cold metal cell at immigration court, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order mandating his immediate release, prompted by video footage of the arrest and legal advocacy. Medical evaluation at SF General Hospital revealed a head injury and fluid in his left knee from the arrest. Following his release, Calderon raised $900 through selling pollada (a Peruvian chicken dish) to make rent after losing his restaurant job shifts, and continues working and attending church while awaiting a June 10 hearing.

ICE agents arrested two members of a roofing crew on June 4, 2026, in the parking lot of Sabores Latinos, an Ecuadorian restaurant on North Main Street in Brockton, Massachusetts. At least six ICE vehicles surrounded the crew's van as they arrived to pick up coworkers for a job in Boston. Tony Heredia, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen and member of the crew, was handcuffed and punched three times in the face by an agent after he demanded badge numbers; he said his wrists were left swollen from the cuffs and that he is consulting an attorney about possible charges against the officer. ICE accused Heredia of spitting at an agent, which he said was saliva that flew while he was yelling, though video he posted afterward shows him spitting on an ICE vehicle as agents left. ICE said one of the arrested men had prior arrests including operating under the influence and unlicensed operation of a vehicle, with pending charges, while the other had prior arrests for driving after a suspended license and hit-and-run property damage and was subject to a final order of removal; ICE said both men will remain in custody pending removal.

ICE agents attempted to arrest a man at Freidrich Castillo-Ormeno's last known address on Route 72 near Mermaid Drive in Stafford, New Jersey, and a vehicle struck an officer before the driver fled; the agent fired shots at the car. The FBI investigated, and Castillo-Ormeno was initially linked to the incident, but DHS later clarified he was not the driver, saying officers encountered someone who merely resembled him. Castillo-Ormeno said he had been in Peru since March, after an immigration judge denied his asylum case in February and ordered his removal, and he is now seeking an attorney to clear his name and address concerns about future visa eligibility.

ICE agents detained a man in Albany Park on Tuesday morning, using a Taser on him while he was already handcuffed on the ground near the intersection of Kedzie and Lawrence avenues. During the arrest, a black Nissan SUV believed to be driven by an ICE agent struck a woman's sedan stuck in traffic; the SUV driver fled the scene. Witnesses reported agents chased and arrested the shirtless man in what neighbors described as a chaotic operation. About 12 neighbors and at least one journalist gathered at the scene, blowing whistles and filming federal agents. One federal agent pointed what appeared to be a Taser at the group of bystanders and the journalist while shouting at them to move back. During the operation, agents also dropped a loaded magazine clip. Following the incident, organizers announced an emergency protest for Wednesday evening at Horner Park to oppose what they characterized as aggressive and reckless federal immigration enforcement tactics.

A prominent photographer, who requested anonymity, had the top of his camera smashed by ICE agents while covering anti-ICE protests outside Delaney Hall detention center in Newark. The incident occurred during clashes between protesters and federal agents over the weekend.

Photographer Madison Swart, a frequent contributor to The New York Times, was deliberately pushed to the ground and struck with a baton by a federal officer while documenting anti-ICE protests outside the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark on May 28, 2026. Swart said she had been standing apart from the crowd for nearly an hour, clearly identifiable as press, when an officer rammed into her with an expandable baton, causing her to fall; another agent then helped her up and asked if she was okay. The protests began May 22 after detainees at the facility started a hunger strike, with lawmakers and rights groups alleging poor conditions, while the Department of Homeland Security has denied mistreatment and said it would prosecute anyone who obstructs law enforcement operations.

Reuters photojournalist Ryan Murphy was struck repeatedly with a baton by federal officers while covering protests outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, which began May 22 amid a detainee hunger strike. On May 28, an officer hit Murphy's hand as he photographed a protester being pepper-sprayed, breaking his finger and leaving a deep cut that required several stitches. Murphy said he was clearly identified as press and that officers also kicked his camera flash, struck his elbow and pointed a stun gun at him during the same assignment. DHS said it would prosecute anyone obstructing law enforcement and urged journalists to exercise caution covering what it described as violent riots, without addressing use of force against the press.

Paul Johnson and at least 17 other individuals were charged with assaulting federal officers during an ICE operation in Minneapolis in January 2026. Johnson reported that ICE and CBP agents boxed in his truck, swarmed him, and struck him repeatedly with punches and pepper spray. He was shackled to a hospital bed for five days following the incident. Federal prosecutors dismissed charges against all 18 defendants by June 2026 after a federal magistrate and judge raised concerns about the credibility of sworn affidavits submitted by federal agents, including one HSI agent whose statements lacked personal knowledge of events. The dismissals cited insufficient evidence and misconduct by federal agents.

Carlitos Ricardo Parias, a 44-year-old Mexican immigrant from Puebla living in South Los Angeles, built a TikTok following of over 340,000 documenting ICE enforcement activity and received a Los Angeles City Council certificate of recognition for his community reporting. On October 21, 2025, federal agents attempting an immigration arrest boxed in his car near Santee High School; agents said he rammed their vehicles, and video showed 11 shots fired, striking Parias in the elbow and wounding a deputy U.S. marshal by ricochet. Councilmember Curren Price called him 'a pillar of our community, a fearless citizen journalist,' and his attorney described him as a hardworking, pacifist father of two U.S.-citizen children with no criminal record. He was charged with assault on a federal officer and property damage, then detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center; a federal judge later dismissed the indictment with prejudice, citing denial of counsel and missed evidence deadlines, but ICE returned him to custody afterward. After more than 300 days in detention, Parias' injured arm reportedly became discolored and atrophied without adequate treatment, with his congresswoman warning he may need amputation, and his attorney said he remains in pain.

The ACLU, civil rights organizations, and individual detainees filed a federal lawsuit against ICE and DHS challenging conditions at Camp East Montana, the largest immigration detention center in the U.S., located at Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas. The complaint alleges physical abuse by guards, inadequate medical care, solitary confinement, disease exposure including a measles outbreak, and nearly 50 violations of detention standards. At least three detainees have died since the facility opened nine months prior, including a Cuban immigrant ruled to have died from asphyxia due to neck and torso compression. Named plaintiffs Navdeep, a former mail handler, and ZOR, a father detained over eight months, detailed specific conditions including contaminated water, inadequate drinking water access, breathing problems from desert dust, lack of medical care, and family separation.

ICE agents conducted an enforcement action in Santa Paula, California, where they removed a man from his truck in a parking lot and tasered him while he was on his way to work. According to community witnesses, agents pinned the man down as he screamed in pain, refused to provide formal identification, and threatened to mace neighbors who were documenting the incident.

ZOR, detained for eight months at Camp East Montana, had three teeth broken after being beaten by another detainee while guards watched, and says a guard threw his crucifix in the trash and that he has not had enough food, causing recurrent respiratory and skin problems. Four days after arrival, officers shackled and drove him to the Mexican border, falsely claiming he had been granted asylum, without showing papers or allowing attorney contact, and officers have since attempted to deport him about six times despite a court order barring removal to his country of birth. ZOR and three other detainees, including Gerald Akari Angye and a man identified as Navdeep, have filed a class action lawsuit with ACLU representation against ICE and DHS in federal court in El Paso, alleging abuse, including beatings and isolation, at the detention center.

Gerald Akari Angye, a 35-year-old former high school teacher from Cameroon who fled after experiencing kidnapping and torture, crossed into the U.S. in December 2024 and sought asylum. After his asylum claim was denied, he was detained at Camp East Montana ICE detention center at Fort Bliss military base in El Paso for over a month. While detained, Angye was severely beaten by guards after requesting to speak with an attorney before signing documents, suffering injuries to his hands and wrists that required a brace and hospitalization. He was subsequently placed in solitary confinement for 15 days. The ACLU of Texas and partner civil rights organizations filed a federal class-action lawsuit against ICE on behalf of Angye and three other named plaintiffs, challenging severe conditions at the facility including violent use of force, medical neglect, disease outbreaks, excessive solitary confinement, and inhumane living conditions.

Erik Ivan Rodriguez was detained at Camp East Montana, a tent detention facility at Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas. While detained, he experienced physical violence by officers who attempted to coerce him to sign deportation papers. Rodriguez and three other detainees filed a class-action lawsuit through the ACLU of Texas and partner civil rights organizations in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, challenging inhumane detention conditions including medical neglect, disease outbreaks, inadequate food, unsanitary living conditions, excessive solitary confinement, and violent use of force.

Herber Aquino, a father of four with no criminal record and an ongoing immigration case, was detained on May 27th by multiple armed, masked agents in unmarked vehicles during a work stop in Riverside. According to accounts, agents surrounded his work truck, forcibly removed him from the vehicle, drew weapons, struck his head, and transported him and his work crew in unmarked vehicles. His family launched a fundraising effort to cover legal defense costs, bond, and living expenses while his wife recovered from childbirth.

In March 2025, ICE agent fatally shot 23-year-old U.S. citizen Ruben Ray Martinez on South Padre Island, Texas. Bodycam footage shows the vehicle with brake lights engaged when three shots were fired through the window. Martinez was removed from the car and restrained before receiving medical care, but died at a Brownsville hospital. The agency's involvement was not publicly revealed until nearly eleven months later. A grand jury declined to indict the agent, and ICE stated the shooting was justified. Martinez's family is pursuing a tort claim for wrongful death.

ICE agents pursued three people into Central Diner and Grille in Robinson Township after a traffic stop on Route 60. The restaurant's manager, a U.S. citizen and military veteran, refused to let agents search the kitchen without a warrant, and the confrontation escalated when an agent pinned him to the floor, injuring him; ICE said he assaulted an agent and took him into custody. The manager had been hospitalized for heart issues the week before. Employees and customers were shaken, and the restaurant closed for the rest of the day; ICE said two people, including the person originally being pursued, were arrested.