Human Impact Project

A Honduran man has resided continuously in the United States since 2021 and has substantial ties to the country including family members lawfully present, consistent work history, and a fixed address. On April 21, 2026, he was taken into ICE custody and remains detained at the West Tennessee Detention Facility. He filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention without an individualized bond hearing before a neutral decisionmaker, seeking either a bond hearing or immediate release. The court's order references the Sixth Circuit's decision in Lopez-Campos v. Raycraft, which affirmed that noncitizens who have spent significant time in the United States interior and have not committed certain offenses cannot be detained without an individualized bond hearing. The court ordered the respondent to respond within two business days, and if his detention is based on 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A), to either distinguish the case from Lopez-Campos or consent to the issuance of the writ. The court also imposed a stay on any transfer of him out of the West Tennessee Detention Facility during the litigation.

A Peruvian national with a pending asylum application was detained by ICE on April 21, 2026, during a scheduled check-in appointment in San Francisco. He had been previously released on recognizance but was re-detained after being charged with identity theft and failing to appear for his criminal arraignment. The court granted his habeas petition in part and ordered ICE to provide him with a bond hearing within 14 days.

Laura Ramírez lost her 10-year-old daughter Emily in a hit-and-run accident. As a victim of crime cooperating with authorities, Ramírez was eligible for a U visa. However, she was detained by ICE agents during a scheduled immigration appointment despite having this protection, separating her from her remaining daughter.

A Nicaraguan citizen who entered the U.S. in December 2022 and was initially released on parole was re-detained on April 16, 2026 during a routine ICE check-in in Los Angeles. He had been complying with all supervision requirements for over three years, was employed as a caregiver for Los Angeles County, and had a pending asylum application. The court ordered his release within 24 hours, finding his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process.

An asylum seeker from India entered the United States on September 16, 2023, and was initially released on an Order of Release on Recognizance with conditions including ATD monitoring and regular ICE reporting. On April 15, 2026, he was arrested by ICE and detained at Golden State Annex Detention Facility in McFarland, California. The government argued his detention was mandatory under expedited removal procedures under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2), but provided no justification or due process hearing. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted his habeas corpus petition, finding that his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. The court ordered his immediate release and enjoined respondents from re-detaining him unless they provide seven days' notice and hold a bond hearing before a neutral arbiter where the government must demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that he is a flight risk or danger to the community.

A Colombian citizen entered the United States without inspection on March 7, 2023, near Lukeville, Arizona. She was issued a Notice to Appear for removal proceedings on March 8, 2023, and enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program on March 9, 2023, where she was released on her own recognizance. On April 5, 2026, she was arrested for driving under the influence by the California Highway Patrol. On April 15, 2026, she reported to a regularly scheduled ICE check-in and was detained for violating ATD program guidelines by having a criminal arrest. She is currently detained at the California City Detention Facility. She filed a habeas corpus petition challenging her detention as a violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment, arguing the government's claim of mandatory detention under expedited removal procedures is unlawful. The federal court granted her petition and ordered respondents to provide her with an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge within 14 days, where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that she is a flight risk or danger to the community.

A native and citizen of El Salvador who entered the United States in 2019 after fleeing persecution and torture. He was apprehended near the San Ysidro Port of Entry and expressed immediate fear of return. In August 2019, an Immigration Judge granted him withholding of removal under the Convention Against Torture (CAT), finding he faced torture if returned to El Salvador due to false gang affiliation accusations by Salvadoran authorities. He was released on an Order of Supervision and faithfully complied with all conditions for nearly seven years, attending every ICE check-in, obtaining continuous employment authorization, working legally since 2021, and living in California with his partner and their seven-year-old daughter. On April 14, 2026, he voluntarily appeared for his routine ICE check-in in Los Angeles but was re-detained without any pre-deprivation notice, hearing, or explanation of the basis for detention. He was transferred to Adelanto ICE Processing Center and then moved out of jurisdiction to El Paso, Texas without required notice. DHS issued notice of intent to remove him to Mexico, a third country not designated in his original removal order. On May 7, 2026, the federal court granted his temporary restraining order (TRO), ordering his immediate release under previous supervision conditions and enjoining his removal to any third country without notice and opportunity to be heard on fear-based claims.

A 56-year-old Colombian citizen who had been granted withholding of removal was detained without a warrant by ICE officers in Baltimore on March 31, 2026, when he reported for a scheduled check-in. He had been complying with supervised release and had a home visit scheduled for April 1, but ICE instructed him to report in-person on March 31 instead. The court granted his temporary restraining order motion and ordered his immediate release, finding ICE violated his due process rights. A second man was placed in removal proceedings in August 2023 and charged with inadmissibility for entering the United States without inspection. He was released from immigration custody on an Order of Recognizance but was subsequently arrested by immigration authorities and is currently detained at the Adelanto ICE Detention Facility. The court granted his temporary restraining order requiring an individualized bond hearing within seven days.

Genesis, 11, and Denis, 6, students at Burton Magnet Elementary School in Durham, North Carolina, were detained with their parents by ICE during a scheduled asylum appointment in Charlotte and deported to Honduras within 48 hours. The family had fled Honduras in 2022 and lived in the U.S. for four years with no criminal record while seeking asylum. ICE said the family had a final removal order after missing an immigration hearing, but advocacy group Siembra NC and State Senator Sophia Chitlik said the family had been complying with all immigration requirements and was denied adequate due process or time to secure legal representation. The deportation prompted responses from Durham Public Schools, local lawmakers, and community protests.

Dr. Rubeliz Bolívar, a 33-year-old Venezuelan emergency medicine resident working at South Texas Health System in McAllen, Texas, was detained by Customs and Border Protection agents at McAllen International Airport while traveling with her 5-year-old U.S. citizen daughter to California for a scheduled asylum interview. Bolívar entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2016, held a valid work permit through 2030, and had an active asylum case and pending green card application; CBP said she had overstayed her visa since 2017. Her daughter was also held, for about 19 hours, before being released to a relative. Bolívar was transferred to ICE custody at El Valle Detention Center and missed the asylum interview, which her husband, Milenko Faria, attended alone. The American College of Emergency Physicians and the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association have advocated for her release and called for a national-interest exemption for physicians.

A noncitizen previously released on bond was re-detained by ICE on April 10, 2026, following notification that he had been convicted of driving under the influence on December 3, 2025. He had a prior DUI arrest in 2012 and was arrested again for DUI on June 14, 2024. The court ordered that Respondents provide him a bond hearing within fourteen days before an immigration judge, with the government bearing the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that he is a flight risk or danger to public safety. If no hearing is provided within fourteen days, he must be immediately released on the same terms as his previous release.

Mauro Yosueth Henriquez, 18, a senior at Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center in Houston and varsity soccer team co-captain, was detained by ICE on December 16, 2025, during a routine immigration check-in with his father. He was held at multiple ICE facilities including Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe and Livingston before being transferred to federal detention. After nearly four months in custody, Henriquez was deported to Honduras in February 2026. His detention prompted Houston students to organize protests calling for his release so he could graduate with his class. Elected officials and Houston-area Democrats responded to the case, while Texas Republican leaders declined to comment. Mauro Yosueth Henriquez, a senior captain and midfielder on the Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center soccer team, and his father Mauro Rigoberto Henriquez were detained by ICE on December 16 and are reportedly held at a detention center in Conroe. The younger Henriquez is also a volunteer soccer coach in the community. Neither has a criminal record according to Harris County District Clerk's Office, and both are originally from Honduras. Community members organized a protest on Tuesday evening calling for Henriquez's release so he can graduate with his class. Mauro Henriquez, an 18-year-old senior and soccer team captain at Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center in Houston, was taken into custody by ICE along with his father while attending an immigration meeting in early December 2025. Henriquez and his father, both from Honduras, were seeking asylum in the U.S. and have been detained at Montgomery Processing Center for over 50 days. Henriquez is an A and B student who has lived in the U.S. since grade school and serves as a volunteer soccer coach at his church. Christian Jimenez, a 17-year-old US citizen and senior at McMinnville High School, was detained by ICE officers after they smashed the window of his father's car during his lunch break. Despite repeatedly asserting his citizenship, an officer broke the car window and ordered him out of the vehicle. Jimenez was taken to an ICE facility in South Portland and held for several hours before being released that evening. Authorities later attempted to charge him with interference or obstruction of investigation.

A Colombian national who entered the United States in 2022 was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on April 9, 2026, at a USCIS office in Tustin, California while attending an interview for his pending asylum application. He had been living in Compton, California with his girlfriend and their child and had previously been appearing for immigration court hearings before those were terminated. He was held virtually incommunicado, denied contact with family and counsel for two days, and permitted only one 15-minute phone call with his attorney. The court found that his arrest without notice or a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and his Fifth Amendment due process rights. On April 20, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release without conditions, finding that he had developed a substantial liberty interest in remaining free based on his four years of residence in the United States and his family connections.

A Venezuelan citizen who entered the U.S. in 2023 was granted withholding of removal to Venezuela in February 2025. On April 9, 2026, he was detained by ICE during a routine check-in. His wife was informed that authorities intended to remove him to Africa, despite his withholding protection. The court issued a habeas petition order requiring respondents to show cause why the petition should not be granted and ordered advance notice of any removal.

Ariadna Zumba, 18, a native of Spain who has lived in the United States since she was nine and holds Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, was detained by ICE on April 9, 2026, while walking near her home, without agents presenting a warrant or immediately notifying her family. She was held for 53 days at Delaney Hall in Newark, run by the GEO Group, missing her senior prom and high school graduation, before being released June 1, 2026, after filing a habeas corpus petition. She later received her diploma at a mid-August ceremony at Orange High School. Zumba described moldy food, overcrowding, inadequate medical care and early-morning room checks at Delaney Hall, said she joined a hunger strike over conditions before stopping after officers threatened additional charges, and helped other detainees with translation and paperwork; she has no criminal record, was accepted to Essex County College, and plans to study social sciences before transferring to Montclair State University and eventually attending law school, though she has another ICE appointment scheduled for January.

A Mexican national who entered the U.S. as a child in 1989 was arrested by ICE on April 9, 2026, after reporting to the Santa Ana Enforcement and Removal Operations office. He is married with six U.S. citizen children and has a pending application for adjustment of status. The court granted his request for an individualized bond hearing while denying his request for immediate release.

Hilda Sucely R.M.D.E., mother of two U.S. citizen children who lived in the U.S. for nearly 25 years, was arrested by immigration authorities on April 9, 2026, when she appeared for a fingerprinting appointment in connection with seeking relief under the Violence Against Women Act. She had been released on bond after entering without inspection in 2003 and had an in absentia removal order from September 2003 that she never received notice of. The court ordered her immediate release from immigration detention, finding violations of federal regulations requiring pre-deprivation process.

Brandon, a U.S. citizen, was detained for eight hours at the Whipple building during Operation Metro Surge and reported appalling detention conditions including unresponsive guards, unsanitary facilities, and interrogations. After his release, he was hit with pepper balls and exposed to tear gas and flash bangs as ICE agents confronted a protest outside the facility.

A man detained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is currently held at the Joe Corley Processing Center in Conroe, Texas. Represented by counsel, he filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 challenging his continued confinement and a motion for a temporary restraining order and/or preliminary injunction seeking his immediate release pending judgment on the merits of his petition. On April 3, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued an Order to Answer requiring the respondent (the Warden) to file an answer or appropriate responsive pleading and response to the motion by April 17, 2026. The petitioner was given ten days to respond to any answer or dispositive motion and to the respondent's response to the motion for temporary restraining order.

Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez, a 25-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker married to a U.S. Army Reserve Black Hawk pilot, was detained by ICE in Houston on December 5, 2025, during a routine check-in despite having been released in 2021 pending her asylum claim and consistently complying with all required appointments and hearings. She was held at the Houston Contract Detention Facility for about four months, reporting overcrowding with roughly 60 women, lack of privacy, inadequate food, anxiety attacks, and limited medical care. A federal judge found due-process violations in her case and ordered her release within 48 hours, allowing her to continue pursuing her asylum claim outside detention.