Human Impact Project

William 'Danny' Rosenmund, a Springdale resident who regularly spoke at borough council meetings, was forcefully pulled from the podium and taken to the ground by Springdale police during an April 21 public meeting. He had repeatedly questioned the borough's 287(g) agreement with ICE and criticized officials for approving it without a public vote.

Alejandro Cabrera Clemente, 49, from Valle de Santiago, Guanajuato, Mexico, had lived in the United States for about 25 years and was married to a U.S. citizen, though he had not obtained legal residency. He was arrested by ICE on January 8, 2026, in Tennessee and transferred over five days through facilities in Tennessee and Alabama before arriving at Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana on January 13. During roughly three months in custody he was treated for high blood pressure, fever, and back and throat pain, receiving medication according to ICE. On April 11, 2026, he was found unresponsive with facial paralysis and cyanosis during a security check; resuscitation attempts failed and he was pronounced dead at Winn Parish Medical Center. The coroner attributed his death to natural causes from cardiovascular disease. Guanajuato's Human Rights Secretariat located his sister in Atlanta and offered funeral assistance and possible repatriation. His death was one of several ICE custody deaths reported in early 2026.

Argam Nazarian, a 27-year-old Iranian Christian who fled religious persecution and arrived in the U.S. as a refugee in 2008, was arrested by ICE on June 23, 2025, while heading to work in Los Angeles. He had lived legally in Los Angeles for four years, working as a delivery driver and in air conditioning while supporting his wife and serving as a caretaker for his mother, who has chronic health conditions. An immigration judge ordered his release on bond in August 2025, finding he posed neither a flight risk nor danger to the community, but the federal government refused to release him, arguing his classification as an "applicant for admission" requires mandatory detention. Nazarian was held in ICE detention in El Paso and later transferred to Cibola County Detention Center in New Mexico, where his knee injury requiring ACL reconstruction remained untreated. The Texas Civil Rights Project challenged his detention through habeas corpus petitions. After nearly 10 months in custody, a federal judge ruled on April 17, 2026, that his detention violated his Fifth Amendment rights, and Nazarian was released. War between the U.S., Israel, and Iran beginning February 28, 2026, had disrupted ICE's deportation plans, with charter flights to Iran temporarily ceased.

Venezuelan physician Rubeliz "Bibi" Bolívar and her 5-year-old daughter Milena were detained by ICE while Bolívar was en route to an asylum interview. Bolívar held a valid work permit (EAD) and an approved I-485 employment-based visa petition. The organization Médicos Unidos Venezuela demanded their immediate release. A Venezuelan physician was detained by immigration authorities in Nashville while attending an official asylum appointment. The detention followed an administrative change to his case after it was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. He is currently held in custody in Louisiana and has health concerns including hypertension, severe scoliosis, and recent respiratory symptoms. Dr. Rubeliz Bolivar, an emergency medicine resident in McAllen, Texas, was detained by ICE at McAllen International Airport on April 11, 2026, while traveling with her five-year-old U.S. citizen daughter to a scheduled asylum interview in California. Dr. Bolivar held a valid work permit and had pending asylum and green card applications. She was released from custody the same night.

Bruno Guedes da Silva, a Brazilian man who fled to the U.S. in 2022 seeking asylum, was detained by ICE agents in Sewickley, Pennsylvania on February 21, 2026, despite possessing valid work authorization, a Social Security number, and a driver's license. ICE cited a warrant for felony charges related to firearms and falsification of documents, though those criminal charges were later dropped related to allegedly lying about his immigration status on a firearm purchase application in July 2024. His 6-year-old daughter, Maria, began chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma shortly after his detention. Da Silva was held at Northern Regional Jail in Moundsville, West Virginia, until a judge granted him bond on immigration charges in April 2026, allowing him to reunite with his daughter.

Andriy Shepitsen, a 46-year-old Ukrainian man, has been in ICE custody since December 2025, held first at the Everglades facility, then Glades County Detention Center, and finally Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami. Despite being prescribed medications for severe bipolar disorder, major depression, and ADHD, he was denied these drugs for months, prompting a 60-day hunger strike that left him unable to walk, in hypotensive shock, and hospitalized; his attorneys allege ICE at one point attempted to force-feed him. Sanctuary of the South, Amnesty International USA, and the ACLU of Florida have filed a formal complaint with ICE and DHS demanding emergency medical intervention, while a DHS spokesperson denied the allegations, saying Shepitsen refused his medications. Advocates say his life remains at risk even after the hunger strike ended.

Tania Warner, a 47-year-old Canadian citizen from Penticton, B.C., with a valid U.S. work visa through 2030 and a Social Security number, and her seven-year-old autistic daughter Ayla Lucas were detained at a Border Patrol checkpoint near Sarita, Texas, on March 14, 2026, while returning from a baby shower with Warner's American husband Edward. The family, who had lived in Kingsville for five years, was separated from Edward and held at the Ursula Central Processing Center in McAllen, sleeping on the floor of a cold cellblock for five days before being transferred to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. Warner said guards were "sadistic, inhumane and abusive," taunted her for being Canadian, and pressured her to self-deport, telling her she could do it "the easy way or the hard way." Ayla suffered chemical burns and a stress-related rash from harsh cleaning products, and the family reported inadequate healthcare, food shortages, and insufficient schooling during roughly three weeks in custody. Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee called the detention "extrajudicial," and Congressman Vicente Gonzalez said neither Tania nor Ayla should have been detained. Warner was released on bond of $9,500 on April 2-3, 2026, fitted with an ankle monitor she is contesting in court, and plans to file a lawsuit alleging unlawful detention and harm to her daughter.

Hayam El Gamal, a mother of five detained at the Dilley Immigration Detention Center in Texas, was taken to the emergency room on April 9 after weeks of being denied medical care for an abnormal chest growth, despite a facility doctor recommending a CT scan in mid-February. She rated her pain as 11 out of 10, and the ER scan revealed fluid around her heart (pericardial effusion); DHS, ICE, and CoreCivic subsequently denied a follow-up ultrasound recommended by the ER doctor. According to her attorney, Eric Lee, three independent physicians who reviewed her case, Dr. Amy Zeidan, Dr. Virginia Reddy, and Dr. Christopher Merrick, have called for further testing for possible cancer, autoimmune disease such as lupus, and heart complications, warning that ICE and CoreCivic are systematically denying her care in a way that poses an urgent threat to her life. El Gamal and her four minor children have been detained at Dilley for over 10 months, far exceeding the 20-day legal limit for detaining children.

Lydia Rabara Swinburne, a 39-year-old Filipino national, was detained by ICE on April 7, 2026, during a green card interview after local authorities arrested her on domestic violence charges that were later dropped. On May 2, while in custody at the California City ICE facility, she suffered a medical emergency after being given unrecognized medication; her husband alleges a medication error occurred. A federal judge ordered her release on May 18 after her family filed a habeas corpus petition challenging her detention.

Ever Alvarenga Rios, a 32-year-old Honduran immigrant represented for eight years by attorney Adam Crandell in his bid for citizenship, was injured when an ICE vehicle allegedly rear-ended his van Thursday morning in Baltimore as he drove to his flooring job. He suffered a concussion, an arm injury requiring a cast, and other injuries to his head, chest, back, and hands, and was hospitalized at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. His wife, Lurbin Vasquez, said he has no criminal record and runs his own flooring business, and that she has not spoken with him since Thursday. Crandell said he was denied access to his client on both Thursday and Friday, and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Sen. Chris Van Hollen have both publicly criticized the incident, which followed a separate ICE-involved crash in Annapolis earlier the same week.

A woman was detained by ICE in March 2025, one day before her scheduled ankle surgery, and held at the Eloy Detention Center until April 2026 with a broken ankle. She was told she had been referred for surgery but never received it in over a year, reporting severe pain and weakness, and used a medical boot and a wheelchair. When she asked guards for help pushing the wheelchair she was told there was nobody available and that she should be nicer so someone would volunteer. Diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension and supposed to be on a diet for health, she never received one; she described meals of rice, pasta, bread, and powdered potatoes, fresh fruit only on weekends, and chicken about once every five weeks.

Yesenia Mejia-Valesquez (a pseudonym used in the report) was detained at the Eloy Detention Center while pregnant and was scheduled for her first OBGYN appointment in January 2026, over a month after she was detained, but missed it and the ultrasound because ICE transported her late. She was not taken to an off-site OBGYN until March, three months into detention, and still did not get an ultrasound because of a scheduling mix-up. Her release request for lack of appropriate medical care was denied in March, and she asked for a deportation flight out of fear of being forced to give birth in ICE custody. When she finally had an ultrasound at the end of March she learned she was about seven months pregnant; in April she was told she had preeclampsia and that the baby has a heart condition that will require surgery after birth. She was released to her family at the end of April, at approximately eight months pregnant.

Ramon Mendez-Tum (a pseudonym used in the report), a 24-year-old with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, was detained by ICE at a traffic stop while a passenger in a car on his way to a chemotherapy appointment, and held at the Florence Detention Center from October 2025 through April 2026. Before receiving specialty care he developed an infection at his PICC line. While receiving chemotherapy he was constantly chained by the leg or handcuffed and watched 24/7 by guards; on multiple occasions he was hospitalized for 3-4 weeks at a time, shackled to his bed, and barred from any contact with family or legal counsel, and even hospital social workers were denied private conversations with him. Back at the facility he was held alone in medical isolation. His lawyers at the Florence Project could not speak with him for over three months, about 10 of his court hearings had to be rescheduled, and ICE denied multiple release requests despite a measles outbreak in the facility. An immigration judge finally released him after six months.

On August 27, 2025, Vasquez (49) and Ramirez (40), a married couple from Mexico, were arrested by ICE during a traffic stop in Tulsa despite having pending U visa applications and federal deportation protections as crime victims who assisted law enforcement in prosecuting a serial rapist. Ramirez was held for four months at Bluebonnet Detention Facility in Texas, where she was denied access to seizure medication for her epilepsy. Vasquez was detained for over seven months at a CoreCivic facility in Cushing, Oklahoma, and attended 13 immigration court hearings before winning a habeas corpus lawsuit granting him a bond hearing. The prolonged separation and detention resulted in job loss, eviction from their home in Broken Arrow, and approximately $12,000 in accumulated legal debt. Vasquez was released in April 2026 on deferral of removal grounds, followed by Ramirez's release. Both remain without legal status and are working to recover financially while awaiting U visa hearings.

Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old nearly blind Rohingya refugee from Myanmar who spoke little English and relied on a cane to walk, was released from Erie County jail on February 19, 2026, after Border Patrol agents determined he was ineligible for deportation. Agents dropped him off at a Tim Hortons north of Buffalo without notifying his family or attorney. Surveillance footage contradicted DHS claims that the location was safe and open, showing the store was closed except for its drive-thru. Alam went missing for several days before his body was found on February 24 near KeyBank Center, about four miles from where he was left. Local officials ruled his death a homicide, caused by complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer worsened by hypothermia and dehydration. Governor Kathy Hochul later cited his death as an example of harm caused by federal immigration enforcement.

A Guatemalan national who entered the United States in 2008 at age 15 was taken into immigration custody on March 31, 2026. An immigration judge entered an Order of Removal on May 18, 2026, which he appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his continued detention as unlawful and unconstitutional, alleging inadequate medical care for cervical and lumbar spinal injuries, due process violations, and that less restrictive alternatives exist. The court denied his emergency motion for a temporary restraining order prohibiting removal but ordered respondents to file a sealed medical status report within 14 days.

Maria, a 38-year-old thyroid cancer survivor from Brazil, was detained at Delaney Hall ICE detention center for roughly two weeks where medical staff did not provide her prescribed daily hormone supplements and also provided incorrect medication, leaving her unable to urinate for at least four days. Her attorney filed an emergency letter to a federal judge on March 31, 2026, raising concerns about the possibility of irreparable harm including organ failure or sepsis. The judge ordered her release the next day, in part due to these medical concerns. Her case is among over 70 lawsuits filed by Delaney Hall detainees alleging medical neglect.

Rudy Villeda Mejía, a 47-year-old Honduran roofing business owner who has lived in Washington state since 2010 after being kidnapped and held for ransom by Los Zetas cartel members, was arrested by ICE at Denver International Airport on March 30, 2025. He had attended routine immigration check-ins for years without incident and had a pending T visa application as a trafficking victim, which his attorney argued was his only lawful path to remain with his U.S. citizen wife, Mabel Shaffer, and her three children. During roughly four months in ICE custody in Aurora, Colorado, his health declined, including worsening Bell's palsy symptoms, back pain, and weight loss, while the family's roofing business lost contracts and his wife struggled to manage it alone. A federal judge initially denied his habeas petition, but later ordered his release under a court order barring detention of pending T visa applicants; ICE had already transferred him to Louisiana and released him there without his ID, passport, or work permit. His wife flew to Louisiana to drive him home, and his stepson said he immediately returned to work at the family business.

Patience Gore, a 44-year-old Zimbabwean national who has lived in the U.S. for about 24 years, was seized by undercover plainclothes ICE agents at a United Airlines gate at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport after a gate agent repeatedly called her name over the loudspeaker. Gore, who held a withholding of removal order, has sole custody of her 11-year-old U.S. citizen daughter and is married to U.S. citizen Olaoluwa Omotosho; she had been traveling home to Maryland with her partner after attending a friend's wedding. She was held for nearly two weeks across three Arizona detention facilities in what her lawsuit describes as degrading, squalid conditions, including sleeping on a mattress on the floor, being denied a change of clothes, and being denied sunglasses despite light sensitivity. The detention disrupted a time-sensitive IVF cycle, and a subsequent replacement cycle did not result in pregnancy. A federal judge granted her habeas petition and ordered her release on March 27, and she and her husband are now suing United Airlines, alleging it colluded with ICE to lure her to the gate.

Alberto Rodríguez, 73, a Cuban who had lived nearly 50 years in the United States, was deported to Mexico as part of the Trump administration's third-country deportation program. He arrived in Villahermosa at 2 a.m. in prison garb and spent his first nights sleeping in a park. Rodríguez, who uses a cane due to a stroke that leaves him perpetually foggy, now sits outside a Catholic shelter with limited prospects for work or medical care. He has expressed suicidal ideation since his arrival.