Human Impact Project

Alexis, a 15-year-old from Chiapas, Mexico, was detained on July 1 when Florida Highway Patrol stopped a vehicle he was traveling in with friends and handed him over to federal authorities. He had no criminal record but initially misrepresented his age, fearing separation from his group. He was held for three days at Alligator Alcatraz, a temporary detention facility of tents and chain-link pens in the Florida Everglades designed for adults, where he was housed with adults and handcuffed during transfer. His father Ignacio, who fled Chiapas in 2018 due to violence, learned of his son's detention only after three days when one of Alexis's friends called from the facility. After Ignacio sent a photo of Alexis's birth certificate and authorities confirmed his age, the boy was transferred to a federal shelter for migrant children on July 4. State and federal officials initially did not acknowledge a minor had been held at the facility, later confirming it after media inquiries, though officials maintain minors are not held there despite a draft operational plan including provisions for supervising minors if present.

A Cuban citizen who had been under ICE supervision since 2006 was detained by ICE in July 2025. He was held at Camp 57 in Angola, Louisiana, then transferred to Arizona where he was scheduled for deportation to Mexico. The court granted a temporary restraining order blocking his removal, finding he was denied proper notice and hearing before being deported to a third-party country where he has no connections.

Pascual Miguel Andres, 45, a Guatemalan undocumented immigrant who has lived in the US for 17 years, was detained by ICE on August 15, 2025, after being turned over by Florida Highway Patrol following a minor traffic accident. His two daughters, Yulisa and Yeniffer Andres, are U.S. Marines serving in California, and have applied for "parole in place" to secure his green card and release. Andres has no criminal history and is father to four children, including a son who plans to enlist in the Air Force. He was initially held at Alligator Alcatraz detention facility before being transferred to Krome Detention Center.

Pedro Vasquez Perdomo, a 54-year-old Latino man, has lived in Pasadena, California for decades and works as a day laborer in construction while managing diabetes. On June 18, 2025, at 5:30 a.m., he was waiting at a Metro stop near Orange Grove Boulevard and Los Robles Avenue with coworkers to be picked up for a construction job when four large black vehicles with tinted windows arrived. Armed men wearing masks but no visible badges or identification emerged with guns and surrounded him and his coworkers. Perdomo was handcuffed without being informed of any warrant and stated his right to remain silent in English. He was taken to a CVS parking lot where officers searched his pockets, found his expired foreign consular ID, and placed him in a car. He was transported to a detention center in Los Angeles where he was held in a crowded room with 52 others, given minimal food and water, and provided no medical attention for six days despite his diabetes requiring daily medication management. He was then transferred to Adelanto detention facility where he remains shackled and continues to experience health deterioration and psychological distress. Vasquez Perdomo is challenging his detention and the conditions thereof through this litigation.

Laura, a 32-year-old Colombian woman who entered the U.S. undocumented in February 2022 with her husband Luis and their 13-year-old son Angel, was diagnosed with metastatic gastric cancer after months of avoiding medical care due to fear of ICE detention. Her husband Luis was arrested at their North Miami home and transferred to Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center in Louisiana on June 8. Laura delayed seeking medical treatment out of fear she would be detained without her son, but eventually sought care at an urgent facility near Aventura and was diagnosed with terminal cancer that had spread to her ovaries, lungs, and back. She was hospitalized for a combined 14 days without insurance and has a final deportation order; she plans to return to Colombia with her son.

Arzou Hami, an Iranian woman suffering from serious mental health issues, was detained in June 2025 as part of a sweep of Iranian migrants following U.S. military action against Iran. She was detained by Buffalo ICE agents at the Niagara County Jail before being transferred to Texas. Her attorney alleged in court filings that her detention prevented her from receiving mental health medications. Her attorney reported she has received some medication, but it is not the same as what she was previously prescribed.

Ramiro G., a 33-year-old man from Ecuador living in Buffalo, New York, was walking to work when he noticed an unmarked van trailing him. He texted his wife: 'Don't come outside, I think ICE is here.' When the van turned on its lights, masked officers asked for identification. Because he was undocumented, he had nothing to show and was arrested. He was handcuffed and taken to Buffalo (Batavia) Service Processing Center before being transferred to Camp East Montana.

Alonso C., a 72-year-old Cuban man who had lived in the United States for over 46 years and had a valid work permit, was playing dominos outside a bodega in Miami when masked agents without visible name tags approached looking for a man called 'El Flaco.' Although Alonso said he did not know the person and produced his work permit, agents handcuffed and arrested him. 'They didn't have a warrant, they didn't even show their faces. They didn't care that I had my permit,' he said. He was taken to Krome North Service Processing Center and eventually transferred to Camp East Montana.

Marta Alicia Dominguez, 51, from El Salvador, was arrested by Dallas Police in May 2025 on a family dispute charge. After her criminal case was dismissed, ICE placed a detainer and transferred her to custody. She presented herself at the Paso del Norte port of entry in 2017 and was granted entry after a credible fear interview. A judge granted her asylum in October 2025, but DHS filed an appeal and continues to hold her in Eloy Detention Center. She has contracted Hepatitis A and B, lost 30 pounds, and her health has significantly declined while in detention.

A.D., a teenager from Guinea arrested by Suffolk County Police on May 16, 2025, has been held in adult ICE custody at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center for nearly two months, turning 17 during his detention. ICE has disputed claims that he is a minor, with a spokesperson saying he is not, and the agency has cited dental X-rays conducted June 17 and alleged forged Guinean identification documents to support its determination that he is an adult. His attorneys have presented a passport, birth certificate, New York Family Court records and federal HHS records all listing his birth year as 2009. Federal Judge Marilyn J. Horan has ordered ICE to transfer A.D. into the custody of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement while a new age assessment is conducted.

Edgardo David Campos, a 55-year-old Salvadoran man who has lived in the United States for 30 years, was arrested by ICE agents in tactical gear at a gas station in South Nashville in early May on his birthday. A Tennessee state trooper was present during the arrest, which was captured on video by bystander Dinora Romero, who helped locate his family and return his vehicle to his home. Campos is a construction and tire installation worker and devoted family man married with a wife. His cousin Laura Campos described him as "the first to arrive and the last to leave" at his church, always willing to volunteer and help others. The Nashville Catholic Diocese and local parishioners rallied around him, with a parish petition describing him as the "heart of our parish" who has faithfully served in multiple church ministries for years. The arrest was part of "Operation Flood the Zone," a coordinated week-long effort between Tennessee state police and ICE targeting Latino neighborhoods, during which over 600 vehicles were stopped and ICE claimed nearly 200 arrests. Campos was held at Putnam County Jail over the weekend with no charges filed, then transferred to Knox County Jail where charges remained unfiled. Spanish-speaking parishes in Nashville saw a 50% drop in Mass attendance following the operation.

Daniela Joly Serrano Landin, a 24-year-old Colombian asylum seeker married to an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, was arrested by ICE on May 12 after an ankle monitor malfunctioned, despite being granted parole. She was held at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia and later transferred to El Paso Processing Center. On Wednesday, she was released on a $10,000 bond after a hearing where her attorney argued her case.

A 37-year-old Guatemalan woman, identified in court papers as D.N.N., was arrested by masked ICE agents at a routine immigration check-in in Baltimore on May 7, 2025. She had previously been granted withholding of removal in 2012 after an immigration judge found she would likely face torture or persecution if returned to Guatemala, but ICE sought to deport her to Mexico as a third country. She was transferred from New Jersey to a tent facility in Texas and then to New Mexico, losing contact with her husband, young daughter, and lawyer along the way.

Marie Ange Blaise, a 44-year-old Haitian woman, died on April 25, 2025, at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, Florida, while in ICE custody. She had been detained since mid-February after being stopped at Saint Croix International Airport for attempting to board a flight without a valid visa, and was issued an expedited removal notice before being transferred through multiple facilities including San Juan, Krome North Processing Center in Miami, and a Louisiana facility. Fellow detainees said Blaise had complained of chest pains for hours; staff checked her blood pressure, found hypertension, gave her pills, and told her to rest. She later began shaking and screaming, and when other detained women cried out for help, guards reportedly ignored their pleas, with one officer approaching, looking at her, and walking away. It took roughly eight minutes for a medical provider and 15 to 20 more minutes for a rescue team to arrive; she was pronounced dead at 8:35 p.m. Facility staff reportedly told the women afterward to stop discussing what they had witnessed.

Amilcar Lisser-Posadas, a 29-year-old Honduran national and former DACA recipient with two U.S. citizen daughters, was apprehended in Shelby County, Tennessee in March 2025 for driving with an expired license and transferred to ICE custody. He was moved between multiple detention facilities over four weeks and filed a legal request citing fear of persecution in Honduras, which received no response. At Alexandria Staging Facility, he was detained for approximately 12 days in overcrowded conditions with inadequate sanitation, food, and medical care—arriving sick with chest congestion, fever, and ear infection but receiving no medication until the final two days. On April 23, 2025, he was deported to Honduras on GlobalX charter flights despite his pending legal request. He was later apprehended again at the southern border in May 2025 attempting to reunite with his family and is now facing deportation again from a federal prison.

A 52-year-old Chinese woman died by suicide while detained at the Yuma Border Patrol station in Arizona after overstaying her B-1/B-2 visitor visa. She was initially detained in California and transferred to Yuma. Surveillance footage documented the incident, showing she created a noose. CBP records indicate required welfare checks were not properly conducted or were falsely documented, and medical intervention did not occur for nearly two hours after she was found unresponsive. Representative Pramila Jayapal called for accountability regarding CBP's failure to follow detainee safety procedures.

A Nicaraguan asylum seeker is a citizen and national of Nicaragua who has lived in the United States since September 2021. He is married and living with his wife in California. He fled Nicaragua after police beat him for participating in anti-government protests, fracturing his arm. He was detained by DHS upon arrival in the US but released in October 2021 on reporting requirements to ICE, which he never missed. On September 14, 2023, he applied for asylum and received work authorization. In April 2025, he reported for a routine ICE appointment and was detained without notice or hearing despite full compliance with check-in requirements. He was transferred between multiple detention facilities where he suffered inhumane conditions, including excessive heat in transport vehicles, contaminated food and water, and injury from handcuffs. An immigration judge released him on a $5,000 bond in June 2025, and he was placed in ICE's Intensive Supervision Appearance Program. On July 13, 2026, the immigration judge denied his asylum application and ordered removal to Nicaragua. He timely appealed. The federal court granted his preliminary injunction, prohibiting ICE from re-detaining him without a pre-detention hearing where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that he is a flight risk or danger.

ICE transferred 20-year-old Cristofer Ortega from New Jersey to a detention center in Louisiana despite having an approved legal pathway to citizenship through Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Ortega, who arrived in the U.S. at age 9 and has no criminal record, was detained after an encounter while completing his HVAC certification. ICE is planning to deport him to Honduras before he can apply for his green card.

Franyeli Carolina Zambrano Manrique, 30, a Venezuelan with Temporary Protected Status, was arrested on February 8, 2025 during a traffic stop in Utah with her husband. Despite having valid TPS status, ICE officers accused them both of gang membership based on tattoos and refused to accept their denials. She was transferred to Henderson detention center in Nevada, then deported on March 15, 2025 despite a federal judge's order halting deportations. She was told she was being flown to Venezuela but was instead taken to El Salvador, where she was kept on the plane and sent back to the United States the same day. She was later deported to Venezuela on April 5, 2025, but her husband remains detained at CECOT in El Salvador.

Ricardo Navarrete, an 18-year-old Chicago high school senior, and his mother Liliana were detained outside Chicago Immigration Court on March 16 after being told to come sign papers. Both had active asylum cases and no criminal records. They were from Colombia and arrived in the U.S. in 2022. Ricardo has been transported multiple times between facilities and placed in solitary confinement; he and his mother are currently separated in different facilities in Kentucky.