HUMSI — Human Security Initiative

Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

We collect individual stories of people impacted by U.S. immigration enforcement from news reporting, court records, and community accounts into one searchable public database, updated daily and reviewed by our team. The Human Impact Project is run by the Human Security Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

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452 incidents with known locations

New Jersey restaurant owner remains detained as ICE and attorney dispute removal order

Oct 30, 2025Atlantic Highlands, NJMexico

Ruperto Vicens Marquez, a 38-year-old restaurant owner and father of three from Mexico, has been held at Newark's Delaney Hall Detention Facility since his October 19 arrest despite having work authorization valid until 2029. ICE says an immigration judge issued him a final removal order in July, a claim his attorney and the Atlantic Highlands mayor dispute. A judge has granted him a bond hearing within seven days, and more than 200 community letters have been submitted on his behalf. Vicens Marquez co-owns Emilio's Kitchen with his brother Emilio, after the two worked together for seven years at another local restaurant, Copper Canyon.

ICE arrests two men near Bellingham courthouses, violating state law

Oct 30, 2025Bellingham, WA

Federal immigration agents arrested two men, Adolfo Felipe Mendoza-Cruz on October 30 and Fabian Pablo Beltran-Flores on November 3, in apparent violation of Washington state law prohibiting immigration enforcement within one mile of courthouses. Mendoza-Cruz was detained in a courthouse parking lot after attending a DUI arraignment, while Beltran-Flores was arrested on a sidewalk outside City Hall after a court appearance. City officials reported both incidents to the Washington State Attorney General's Office.

10 anti-ICE activists arrested for violence during summer immigration enforcement protests in LA

Oct 29, 2025Los Angeles, CAMexico

Federal authorities arrested 10 anti-ICE activists, including Isai Carrillo, and charged them with violence and property damage during immigration enforcement operations in Southern California between June and July 2025. The charges stem from three separate incidents: a June 6 incident in the Fashion District where a protester allegedly used pepper spray against federal agents; a June 8 downtown Los Angeles protest at Civic Center where demonstrators allegedly threw objects at officers; and a July 10 protest at a federal operation in Camarillo where protesters allegedly blocked vehicles, threw rocks, and damaged federal property. Two members of VC Defensa, an organization prosecutors said operates a rapid response network to impede immigration agents, were among those charged. Federal authorities arrested the suspects on October 29, 2025, with charges including conspiring to obstruct federal law enforcement.

Protest at Durango ICE facility after father and children detained

Oct 29, 2025Durango, Colorado

Protesters gathered at the Durango ICE Facility after agents detained a father and two children (ages 12 and 15) following a traffic stop. The family possesses valid documentation and an active legal asylum process. During the demonstration, a federal agent allegedly pushed a protester. The City of Durango requested investigation by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, which declined the request.

ICE Enforcement in Chicago Escalates: Lawmaker Threatened, Families Separated

Oct 29, 2025Chicago, ILVietnam

Illinois state representative Hoan Huynh, a Vietnamese refugee, reported being confronted by ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents who pointed a gun at his head while he monitored immigration enforcement operations on Chicago's North Side. Huynh was documenting the agents' activities and informing residents of their rights when the incident occurred. ICE enforcement operations in Chicago have separated families from their communities. Gerardo Perez's mother was arrested and deported in June.

Masked Officer Throws Protester Down Hill Outside Colorado ICE Facility

Oct 28, 2025Durango, COColombia

An unidentified law enforcement officer placed a 57-year-old woman named Franci Stagi in a chokehold and threw her down a grassy embankment during a protest outside an ICE field office in Durango, Colorado on October 28. The incident was recorded on video. Hundreds of protesters had gathered at the location. The officer wore a black balaclava and tactical vest labeled with 'Police' or 'Police HSI' and was not identified as part of any specific law enforcement agency.

U.S. Citizens Detained by Feds at Aurora School Hospital

Oct 27, 2025Aurora, CO

U.S. citizens were detained by federal agents at an Aurora school hospital. Protesters confronted the agents at the scene. The detained individuals have since spoken out about their experience.

Federal agents deploy tear gas in Chicago Irving Park neighborhood

Oct 25, 2025Chicago, IL

Federal immigration agents deployed tear gas in the Irving Park and Avondale neighborhoods on Chicago's Northwest Side on Saturday, detaining multiple people including a landscaper, a tortilla delivery driver, and an elderly resident. Neighborhood protests occurred following the incident. The incident was alleged to violate a federal judge's temporary restraining order limiting tear gas use. Additional arrests occurred at O'Hare International Airport's rideshare lot the same day.

UCC pastor shot with pepper round by federal agents at prayer vigil

Oct 23, 2025Alameda, CA

Rev. Jorge Bautista, a United Church of Christ pastor, was shot in the face with a pepper round by an ICE agent during an October 23 prayer vigil at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, California. The vigil was organized by the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity to protest ICE operations in the Bay Area. Bautista approached an agent to help deescalate the situation, saying "We come in peace," but was immediately shot with no warning. He received medical treatment and recovered after several days of burning eyes and headaches.

Democratic candidate indicted for ICE facility protests in Illinois

Oct 23, 2025Broadview, IL

Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh was indicted along with five other protesters for allegedly blocking vehicles outside a federal ICE processing facility in Broadview, Illinois. Abughazaleh faces charges of conspiracy and forcibly impeding a federal officer. She and other defendants will self-surrender to authorities following the indictment filed on October 23.

ICE Claims Immigrant Rammed Car, Witnesses Dispute

Oct 22, 2025Avondale, ArizonaHonduras

ICE agents engaged in an hours-long standoff with Honduran immigrant William Hernandez outside his home in Avondale, Arizona, following a car incident. ICE claims Hernandez rammed an agent's vehicle, while witnesses and his wife report that ICE agents rammed his car. Hernandez, who has lived in the U.S. for a decade with no criminal record, was detained along with his uncle Abel Ochoa and another family member Marcos Ochoa.

Pickup truck tried to hit CBP agents' car in Cicero

Oct 22, 2025Cicero, Illinois

A driver in a blue GMC pickup truck allegedly attempted to ram a Customs and Border Protection vehicle carrying federal immigration agents in Cicero on Wednesday morning. The truck instead struck a gray Toyota Corolla at an intersection. No injuries were reported, and the driver was taken into federal custody.

Illinois state rep reports armed CBP encounter during community patrol in Chicago

Oct 22, 2025Chicago, IllinoisVietnam

Illinois State Representative Hoan Huynh, a Vietnamese refugee and congressional candidate, reported an encounter with federal agents on October 22, 2025, near Montrose and Kimball avenues in Albany Park on Chicago's Northwest Side. Huynh stated he was in the area to warn residents of their rights following ICE enforcement activity when Customs and Border Patrol agents surrounded his vehicle. According to Huynh, an agent pointed a gun at him and threatened to break his car windows before lowering the weapon when he began recording. DHS stated Huynh was stopped twice for stalking law enforcement and attempting to interfere with operations. The incident also occurred amid reports of a vendor employee being detained by federal agents outside a Rogers Park school.

ICE remotely disables community watcher's vehicle in Santa Ana

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Oct 21, 2025Santa Ana, CA

ICE agents were conducting operations in Santa Ana near Birch Street and Andrew Place early in the morning. Community watchers and legal observers responded to monitor the incident. An ICE agent pepper sprayed the area despite no one being near, and later remotely disabled a legal observer's vehicle engine while stopped at a red light on Main Street and Edinger Avenue.

ICE agent points gun at pregnant woman during arrest

Oct 21, 2025Berwyn, IL

A pregnant woman in Berwyn, Illinois was confronted by an ICE agent who pointed a gun at her car window while she was honking her horn to alert people to the presence of ICE officers conducting an enforcement operation. The woman, Lesly Guevara, said she was attempting to warn her community about the agents' presence. A DHS spokesperson stated the agent acted to protect himself and showed restraint, and characterized Guevara's actions as aggressive and threatening.

Residents report health impacts from tear gas near Portland ICE facility

Oct 20, 2025Portland, OR

As protests continue outside the ICE facility in South Portland, Oregon, residents and local leaders are reporting health impacts from federal agents' use of tear gas and other chemical crowd control munitions. Area residents report symptoms including nausea, headaches, and respiratory issues. State lawmakers have expressed concerns about documented health effects including chemical burns and respiratory failure. Federal agents have deployed tear gas multiple times over recent weeks, with chemicals seeping into nearby apartments and affecting residents regardless of protest participation.

Blind protester alleges dragging, handcuffing by federal agents at Portland ICE facility

Oct 20, 2025Portland, OR

Quinn Haberl, a blind protester, said federal agents at Portland's ICE facility dragged and handcuffed him twice during separate protest incidents. The first incident occurred Tuesday night when agents picked him up and dropped him on the ground. During the second incident on Saturday, agents dragged him across the driveway and held him for about an hour with pressure applied to his back and neck. Haberl was taken to the hospital where doctors documented bruising on his shoulders, hands, and arms.

Chef at Atlantic Highlands Mexican Restaurant Detained by ICE

Oct 19, 2025Atlantic Highlands, NJMexico

Ruperto Vicens Marquez, head chef at Emilio's Kitchen in Atlantic Highlands, was detained by ICE on October 19, 2025. According to ICE, Marquez is from Mexico and has a final removal order, though his lawyer disputes this claim and states he has a pending merits hearing scheduled for 2028. Marquez has valid work authorization through 2029 according to Atlantic Highlands Mayor Lori Hohenleitner, and his wife and three children remain in the U.S. A protest was held in support of Marquez, and a GoFundMe campaign has raised $85,000 to cover legal fees.

Canadian retiree denied entry after DNA sample taken at border

Oct 18, 2025Port Huron, MICanada

Kevin Larson, a 68-year-old Canadian retiree with no criminal record, was stopped at the Blue Water Bridge on October 18, 2025, while attempting to enter Michigan to attend a No Kings protest against Trump's policies. After three hours of questioning, fingerprinting, a phone search, and a DNA cheek swab collected under threat of jail time, Larson was denied entry and returned to Canada. Border agents told him he was turned away due to the nature of his planned protest activity.