Human Impact Project

More than 50 employees at Premier Packing, a seafood processing plant in Lynden, Washington, have been detained by ICE since March 2026 through a series of coordinated arrests designed to bypass a new state law requiring employers receive five business days' notice before I-9 inspections. The detentions have occurred through multiple methods: roadside stops and checkpoints on county roads using unmarked vehicles with flashing lights, arrests during employees' commutes, and on July 22-23, ICE agents posed as members of a religious organization handing out free water bottles across the street from the business to lure workers off the property before arresting at least two to four employees. Local volunteers documented an uptick in ICE detentions in Whatcom County, increasing from two to four individuals per week to approximately two arrests per day, with advocates estimating about a dozen of the detained workers have since been deported. The business owner acknowledged that while some detainees may have committed crimes, "a lot of people that haven't done anything wrong are getting picked up too," and said there is "a better way." Immigration advocates characterize the operation as a pattern of intimidation tactics designed to circumvent legal workplace raid procedures.

José de Jesús Cortez Delgado, a Mexican national, was detained on June 20 after federal marshals dressed as municipal electrical workers approached him in South Los Angeles, claiming they needed him to move his vehicle so they could work on a light pole. When Cortez Delgado moved his truck, armed agents emerged from unmarked vehicles and arrested him at gunpoint. According to DHS, Cortez Delgado had been wanted on a murder charge from December 2020 in Nevada and had remained in the United States without authorization since his tourist visa expired in October 1999. However, activist Ron Gochez reported that Cortez Delgado's wife claimed the charges had been dropped and her husband had no outstanding legal issues. After his arrest, Cortez Delgado was transferred to ICE custody.

A man was arrested after ICE officers disguised as electric company workers knocked on his door and asked him to move his pickup truck under the pretense of fixing streetlights. When he stepped outside, approximately eight additional officers emerged and apprehended him.

ZOR, detained for eight months at Camp East Montana, had three teeth broken after being beaten by another detainee while guards watched, and says a guard threw his crucifix in the trash and that he has not had enough food, causing recurrent respiratory and skin problems. Four days after arrival, officers shackled and drove him to the Mexican border, falsely claiming he had been granted asylum, without showing papers or allowing attorney contact, and officers have since attempted to deport him about six times despite a court order barring removal to his country of birth. ZOR and three other detainees, including Gerald Akari Angye and a man identified as Navdeep, have filed a class action lawsuit with ACLU representation against ICE and DHS in federal court in El Paso, alleging abuse, including beatings and isolation, at the detention center.

ICE agents disguised as contractors offered children $100 to perform yard work in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, then revealed themselves when the children arrived. Two minors fled and fell from a second-story balcony while being chased by agents, sustaining severe leg injuries. One minor was detained after being taken to an emergency room; the second minor, also with a leg fracture, avoided seeking medical care out of fear.

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.

A 23-year-old woman was detained at a Border Patrol checkpoint on State Route 94 after agents suspected her of smuggling undocumented migrants but found no evidence of a crime. An agent falsely told her he found "deleted evidence" on her phone; when she grabbed it back, agents twisted her arm and wrestled the phone from her. As she turned to walk into a holding cell, an agent Tasered her, striking her breast. She was pregnant with a 2-month-old baby at the time and was hospitalized to have the Taser prong removed; her breastmilk was bloody for weeks. Federal prosecutors charged her with assaulting a federal officer but dismissed the charge in August after body camera footage contradicted agents' allegations and her attorney argued agents violated her constitutional rights by arresting her without probable cause and using excessive force.

Elaina Aghayeva, an Azerbaijani national and senior neuroscience researcher at Columbia University, was detained by Department of Homeland Security agents at a university residential building on February 26-27, 2026. DHS agents entered without a warrant and falsely claimed to be searching for a missing child. DHS stated Aghayeva's student visa had been terminated in 2016 for failing to attend classes, though her attorney and the university stated she was a current student in good standing. After approximately nine hours in custody, Aghayeva was released following intervention by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who met with President Trump regarding the case. Aghayeva's attorney filed a habeas corpus petition in federal court, and the detention prompted student protests at Columbia University.

Ellie Aghayeva, a Columbia University General Studies student from Azerbaijan, was arrested by ICE agents early Thursday morning at her university-owned residence. According to University President Claire Shipman, federal agents impersonated New York Police Department officers to gain entry to the building. Aghayeva was released from ICE custody Thursday afternoon and posted on Instagram that she was "safe and okay." Her student visa had been terminated in 2016 for failing to attend classes.

A 23-year-old woman was detained at a Border Patrol checkpoint on State Route 94 near Dulzura and charged with assaulting a federal officer after agents accused her of pushing an agent and throwing a punch. Body camera footage revealed agents had falsely told her they found "deleted evidence" on her phone, twisted her arm behind her back when she tried to retrieve it, and Tasered her as she turned away to enter a holding cell. The Taser prong struck her breast; her breastmilk was laden with blood for weeks afterward. Federal prosecutors dismissed the charge in August 2025. Her case is one of 10 of 22 assault-on-federal-officer cases dismissed in San Diego during Trump's second term, representing a 45% dismissal rate compared to 8% in Biden's final year.

Jesus Flores, a Mexican mechanic and father of six children, was detained by ICE agents who faked car trouble outside his home in Columbia Heights, Minnesota on Thursday afternoon. Security camera footage shows two women pretending to have mechanical problems at the curb; when Flores came out to help, ICE agents in other vehicles surrounded the driveway and apprehended him. Two of Flores' children have autism and require special care. His family reports he was transferred to El Paso, Texas within 48 hours, allegedly in violation of a federal judge's order. Flores is undocumented and was previously deported approximately 16 years ago.

Despite border czar Tom Homan's announcement that Operation Metro Surge would end on February 12, Minnesota residents and officials report ICE continues operations in Twin Cities suburbs. Agents are using disguised vehicles, smaller groups, plain clothes, and deceptive practices including posing as environmental canvassers. Community observers document ICE presence at hotels, bus stops, apartment complexes, and interactions with those documenting enforcement activities.

In December 2025 and January 2026, federal agents posing as utility company employees lured residents out of their homes in Gresham, Oregon, leading to the detention of at least three people, according to state Rep. Ricky Ruiz. Ruiz said agents used the ruse to get one man to leave his house before taking him into custody, and he later contacted NW Natural and Portland General Electric after hearing of similar incidents. Both utilities have since issued customer guidance—NW Natural's published in seven languages—explaining that their employees wear uniforms and badges, never demand immediate home entry, and typically only need yard access to reach meters. ICE did not respond to requests for comment on the incidents.

Benny, a 30-year-old musician from Guinea who arrived in the U.S. in 2011 on an H1B visa as a dance instructor, was detained by ICE on December 15, 2025, after going to a police station in Vineland, NJ to file a harassment report. An ICE agent at the station gave him a deportation form while falsely claiming it was a harassment report; Benny, who did not understand the legal language, signed it and was taken into custody. Over the past 12 years, Benny has built a life in the U.S., working in restaurants, getting married, renovating a house in Queens, and starting a farm in New Jersey where he raises goats. He has a 1-year-old daughter and has collaborated with an audio engineer to record over 100 songs together, becoming fluent in nine languages. As of the fundraiser, Benny has been incarcerated for 225 days at Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center, has lost over 50 pounds, and his next hearing is scheduled for September 1, 2026. Despite his own food insecurity, he has shared his meals with other detainees.

Omar Ramos Jimenez, 50, a Mexican national who has lived in Rochester since 2004 and co-founded the La Casa restaurant, was detained by ICE on Wednesday after being lured to their Buffalo field office under the pretext of installing a new reporting app. Ramos Jimenez, who has an ongoing appeal for asylum and has been complying with ICE check-ins for five years, was arrested upon arrival. His attorney filed a federal complaint alleging denial of due process and seeking his immediate release or a bond hearing.

Jose Argueta, a 37-year-old Maryland resident, was detained by ICE for approximately one month after D.C. police called him to pick up his recovered stolen vehicle at the Fifth District police station. According to his attorney, D.C. police coordinated with federal immigration agents to lure Argueta into custody, which violates the city's Sanctuary Values Act. The incident is under investigation by both D.C. police internal affairs and the Office of Police Complaints.

Carlos, a Venezuelan man with temporary protected status, was detained by ICE at a New Mexico immigration office in December 2025 after being called for what he believed was a reunification meeting with his 14-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter. Federal officials had previously vetted Carlos and told him his custody case was complete. When he arrived at the ICE office, officers attempted to force him to sign documents he did not understand. After refusing to sign, officers stripped his clothes, seized his belongings, and chained him by the neck, waist, and legs. Carlos said he felt "tricked" and that ICE "used my children to grab me." His two children had been in a federal shelter in Texas for nearly a year after crossing the border to reunite with him. According to reporting, the Trump administration's Office of Refugee Resettlement has begun coordinating with ICE to arrest parents and caregivers seeking custody of unaccompanied migrant children, reversing Obama-era restrictions on data sharing between the resettlement office and immigration enforcement.

Five plainclothes federal agents arrested a 26-year-old barber from Venezuela at Rockstar Fadez barbershop in Brighton Park. One agent had posed as a construction worker and customer earlier that morning without identifying himself as law enforcement. The agents threw the barber to the ground and carried him away in a pickup truck while threatening to detain anyone who intervened, and no warrant was presented before the arrest.

Vicente (a pseudonym), a 60-year-old Cuban baseball coach who trained players who went on to the professional ranks, left Cuba for Venezuela in 2009, where he met his wife and raised his children. After receiving threats from Cuba's Interior Ministry investigators, who called him "a traitor" and warned his family would "pay the price," he crossed the Darién Gap and the Rio Grande in 2023, hoping to build a better future for his nine-year-old son. After months in detention at Port Isabel and the Geauga County Safety Center, he was released and reunited with his wife and son in Ontario, California, on Christmas Day 2023. He never missed an ICE check-in while working with a lawyer toward legal residency. Around August 2025, at what he believed was a routine check-in, an agent led him to a separate room where four officers handcuffed his hands, legs, and feet. "It was all a lie. A set-up," he said. He was held in an overcrowded Los Angeles basement holding room with more than 80 people, bused to Arizona and then to Camp East Montana in El Paso, and deported to Villahermosa, Mexico, in August 2025. He now lives in a 15-square-meter concrete-block house, volunteers coaching a youth baseball team, and has built an incubator to raise Japanese quail. "There's nothing I've done that justifies why I was separated from my family," he said. Last Christmas his family sent him a photo of the stockings on their fireplace in Ontario, including one embroidered with his name.

Ramiro G., a 45-year-old Cuban man detained at Camp East Montana, was twice subjected to attempted forced expulsion to Mexico. On September 22, 2025, he was woken at midnight, chained, and bused with about 15 mostly Cuban men to the border. Guards told them to cross into Mexico. Ramiro refused, saying he was Cuban, had no ties to Mexico, and had previously been kidnapped by a cartel there. Some men crossed; Ramiro and three others refused and were returned. On December 15, guards tried again, this time telling him he was being transferred to another facility. When he overheard guards mention the Santa Teresa port of entry, a guard admitted the transfer was being carried out 'in secret.' He began shaking uncontrollably. Other detainees banged on doors in protest until he was returned to his cell. Guards had told him: 'Your country won't take you; leave now or we'll lock you up for life.'