Human Impact Project

A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper stopped a white Volvo truck on Interstate 35 in Webb County on May 18 during Operation Lone Star and discovered 20 undocumented immigrants—16 adults and 4 minors from Mexico and Guatemala—hidden in the truck's sleeping compartment. The driver, 25-year-old Miguel Angel Velazquez Chavez, a Mexican national, fled on foot but was arrested and charged with evading arrest and smuggling people. All 20 migrants were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol.

Ernesto, a construction worker, was detained by ICE on December 10 while traveling to his job in Washington, DC. He was transferred to a detention center in Texas, leaving his wife Ana and their three children (ages 3, 7, and 8) without their primary source of income. Ana now works nights as a university cleaner and relies on a moped for transportation while struggling to afford rent, groceries, medical bills, and legal fees.

Wendy Hernandez Reyes, a 29-year-old undocumented immigrant and domestic violence survivor with no criminal record, was detained by Baldwin County sheriff's deputies in Alabama on January 8, 2026, during a traffic stop. After ICE was contacted, Hernandez repeatedly requested her release to care for her 2-year-old U.S. citizen son, Orlin, but was denied. She was deported to Honduras on January 26, 2026, without her son and was forced to leave him in the care of her brother-in-law, Samuel Maldonado Erazo. On March 4, 2026, Orlin died from multiple blunt force traumas inflicted by Maldonado, who was charged with first-degree murder. A federal court reopened a case against the Department of Homeland Security alleging ICE officials failed to follow safety protocols during separation and lacked a reunification plan, while ICE blamed Hernandez for leaving her son with the relative.

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested 52 people under Operation Checkmate in Arizona's Yuma Sector between May 11-15 for residing illegally in the United States. Thirty of those arrested were Indian nationals, with 36 total detainees driving commercial semi-trucks. Three of the Indian nationals lacked valid driver's licenses. All individuals arrested during the operation face deportation proceedings.

On March 14, 2026, Gerardo Gonzalez Reyes, 44, and his 17-year-old son Esteban were arrested during a traffic stop in San Marcos after police responded to a false report. Police confirmed no crime had occurred. Esteban was released, but ICE placed a detainer on Gonzalez Reyes based on prior DWI convictions from 2004 and 2005 and transferred him to T. Don Hutto Detention Center. Despite over two months of community advocacy, vigils, and petitions to drop criminal charges by his family—including U.S. citizen children and a disabled wife who depends on him as a caretaker—an immigration judge ordered his deportation to Mexico in May 2026. His family plans to appeal.

A Mexican citizen who entered the United States via Arizona in 1998 without inspection and has lived in the U.S. for 28 years. On May 15, 2026, while in Utah, he was stopped by local law enforcement during a traffic stop for a broken taillight and was subsequently placed in immigration detention at Mesa Verde Detention Center. ICE argued he could be detained under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2), but the court rejected this argument, finding it inconsistent with prior precedent establishing that individuals who entered without inspection and were not apprehended upon arrival are not subject to mandatory detention. The court granted his petition for writ of habeas corpus on June 29, 2026, finding that his detention violated his procedural due process rights. The court ordered his immediate release and enjoined respondents from re-detaining him without providing notice and a pre-detention hearing before an immigration judge.

Edual Rafael Ulloa, 25, of Framingham was arrested by Brookline Police on Thursday. After being released on bail that evening, ICE agents detained him near Boylston and Eliot streets in Chestnut Hill, citing an outstanding warrant from Natick District Court. Video showed agents forcibly placing him into a vehicle as he shouted for help and asked for water, claiming he had asthma and needed a hospital. ICE called 911 for assistance during the transport after Ulloa became disruptive, but Brookline officers who responded only monitored from a distance, citing a 2017 department policy against participating in federal immigration enforcement, according to Police Chief Jennifer Paster. Ulloa remains in ICE custody.

Julio was detained by ICE while traveling to work. He has no criminal history and was actively pursuing naturalization. His detention has left his wife Maria managing household expenses and bills on a single income while facing legal fees and bond expenses.

Two undocumented men fled from their vehicle during an ICE operation in Thousand Palms. One man was apprehended inside a business. Both men were confirmed to be undocumented; one had prior arrests for driving under the influence and drug possession, the other had two prior DUI arrests.

Federal agents stopped a man in Cathedral City, California and attempted to forcibly remove him from his vehicle despite his attempts to show valid driver's license identification. Agents dismissed his ID as fake and proceeded to pull him from the car. He was released only after his wife arrived with additional documentation. The man's hand was left bruised and bleeding during the encounter. The Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice reports this is part of a pattern of targeting individuals based on appearance.

Carlos Lool, owner and chef of La Granja Rotisserie and Fuego Rotisserie in South Los Angeles, was detained by ICE agents on May 10, 2026, while picking up supplies for a catering event. According to witnesses, masked agents followed their vehicle and forcibly removed Lool with guns drawn, placing him on the floor at gunpoint. The detention followed a report from a former employee claiming a firearm was kept at the restaurant in violation of Lool's parole conditions. Lool, originally from Guatemala and raised in Connecticut, has a criminal conviction from approximately 30 years ago for which he has already served his sentence. He now faces deportation proceedings while his children, employees, and businesses remain in the U.S., with supporters launching a GoFundMe campaign to cover legal expenses.

Buenos Dias Coffee, a Latin-owned coffee shop in Rossville, Georgia, is closing after three years in business following the ICE detention of its owner and operator. The owner was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a traffic stop and is facing deportation. Her family, who co-own the business, announced the closure on Facebook and decided to sell the cafe and relocate to Mexico to reunite with and support the detained mother while she remains in custody.

Miguel was detained by ICE on May 10, 2026, while sitting parked in his car. He has three children who are experiencing emotional distress from his absence. His family is fundraising for legal representation to fight his case and prevent his deportation to Mexico.

Roman Husar, 37, a Ukrainian artist who arrived in the U.S. in 2023 with his wife, son, and cat under a Biden administration Ukrainian sponsorship program, was arrested in Texas in September for marijuana possession while driving home from Burning Man. After ICE detained him, authorities attempted to deport him to Ukraine despite his conscientious objector status and risk of imprisonment or death if forced to return to the war zone. Husar was denied a bond hearing and assigned to an immigration judge with no immigration experience. Despite holding letters of support from U.S. citizen relatives and church pastors, and despite his attorney's assessment that he had a strong asylum case, Husar withdrew his asylum application and accepted voluntary departure to Turkey or Poland.

Humberto Cruz, a 19-year-old San Diego Padres pitching prospect ranked No. 5 in the organization, pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge of accessory after the fact to improper entry related to a human smuggling operation in Arizona. Cruz was arrested on October 28 near Lukeville while driving a BMW with Mexican license plates and transporting two undocumented Mexican citizens, having been paid $1,000 per person to transport them. After his guilty plea in November, Cruz self-deported to Mexico and was placed on the Padres' restricted list with his salary suspended.

Caden Hawkins, 23, was detained at the Port of Palomas Border Crossing in Columbus, New Mexico after accidentally driving into Mexico while following GPS directions on a work assignment. Mexican authorities discovered a licensed pistol and ammunition in his vehicle. After spending nearly a year imprisoned at Cereso Estatal No. 3 in Juarez, Hawkins was released and returned to his family in Hallsville, Texas on May 10, 2026.

Juan Tablante, father of Atlanta United midfielder Moisés Tablante, was detained by ICE during a traffic stop while traveling from Orlando, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia. Tablante has been an asylum applicant since 2016, holds a valid work permit and driver's license, and has no criminal record. He remains in immigration detention despite his pending asylum status.

Kevin González, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen with stage 4 colon cancer, pleaded with immigration authorities to release his parents so he could see them before his death. His parents, Mexican nationals Isidoro González Avilés and Norma Anabel Ramírez Amaya, were arrested near Douglas, Arizona on April 14, 2026, after attempting to reenter the U.S. following denied humanitarian and B1/B2 visa requests. They had been previously deported in 2011 and 2024, and were reported chained during court appearances while detained for weeks. A federal judge in Tucson ordered their release on May 8, 2026. They were deported to Mexico that day and traveled to Durango, where they reunited with Kevin on May 8. Kevin died on May 9, 2026, one day after the reunion.

Lourdes Minerva Coronado, a North Texas resident who had lived in the United States for more than 30 years, was arrested after a Flower Mound traffic stop for driving with a suspended license and no registration, and was subsequently detained by ICE. Her daughter, Karen Gonzalez, said Coronado had just been approved for a work permit and had no criminal history when she was detained. An immigration judge denied her bond request in July, classifying her as a flight risk, and on September 8 ordered her removed to Mexico; she has until October 2 to appeal while her family works to find and pay for an attorney. ICE said Coronado entered the country without legal status, and that it does not carry out removals while a timely appeal is pending; her arrest also came months after Denton County expanded its cooperation agreement with ICE to allow trained deputies to detain people suspected of immigration violations.

A long-term undocumented resident of the United States was detained by ICE officers on May 8, 2026, after fleeing from law enforcement during a traffic stop of a vehicle in which he was a passenger. Officers pursued him on foot for 5-10 minutes before detaining him pursuant to an administrative arrest warrant. He has lived in the United States for an unspecified extended period without having been admitted. He is currently detained at Mesa Verde Detention Facility. The court granted his petition for writ of habeas corpus and motion for temporary restraining order, ordering respondents to provide him a bond hearing before an immigration judge within 14 days pursuant to 8 C.F.R. § 1236.1(c)(8), where he must demonstrate he is not a flight risk or danger to community safety. If respondents fail to provide the hearing within 14 days, he shall be immediately released.