Human Impact Project

Rogério da Silva Lima, 42, a Brazilian carpenter and painter living on Martha's Vineyard, was taken into ICE custody with his teenage son Nycolas during their first fishing trip together near Menemsha after the U.S. Coast Guard boarded their boat and transferred them to ICE at Woods Hole. His employer, Rory Moreis, called him a 'hard worker' who was 'determined, dedicated, no limit to the hours or days to work,' while family friend Andrea James described him as 'a hard-working man' and his son as 'the kindest kid on the planet.' DHS said the pair entered the U.S. without authorization in 2021, that da Silva Lima's asylum claim was denied and his appeal dismissed in 2024, and both had been issued removal orders in 2023. His attorney, Amelia Ritenour, filed an emergency habeas corpus petition, and a community GoFundMe raised more than $17,000 for legal aid. Nycolas was released after four days into his adult brother's care, and a federal judge, Indira Talwani, later ordered da Silva Lima's release, ruling ICE had missed the 90-day statutory window to detain and remove him. He remained under the removal order and ultimately departed the U.S. unshackled on a civilian flight paid for by ICE, saying, 'It was the worst feeling in the world. I love my sons, and I did not want to leave them behind.' His sons Nycolas and Nayran remain on Martha's Vineyard to continue school and work.

Federal immigration agents, supported by state and local law enforcement, conducted an operation at China Buffet restaurant in Greeneville, Tennessee on September 2, 2026. Homeland Security Investigations confirmed that several undocumented individuals were detained, with witnesses reporting that around 10 to 14 people, some of Mexican origin, were held. Photos and videos shared by nearby witnesses showed the detained individuals sitting on a curb and in the parking lot behind the restaurant while officers stood by. The restaurant, located in the Fairgrounds Plaza, closed early and remained closed that evening. ICE described the matter as an active, ongoing investigation and officials have not confirmed an exact number of arrests.

Milo Morales, a 27-year-old Indianapolis man, was detained by ICE agents Tuesday morning while working at an east-side job site. His sister, Dulce Morales, an active-duty servicemember, tracked his phone to a parking lot off 38th Street and confronted an ICE agent who confirmed multiple people had been taken into custody at the site but would not say if Milo was among them. Because Milo has no criminal record, he was not assigned a federal identification number, leaving his family unable to track his location. Dulce described him as a hard-working man who is soon expecting a child, and said she feels disheartened as a servicemember watching her family targeted.

A citizen of the Dominican Republic who has lived in Puerto Rico since entering the United States without inspection in 2008 was detained by law enforcement agents during an immigration enforcement operation at his place of work on September 1, 2026. He is married to a U.S. citizen, who had filed a relative petition on his behalf with USCIS that was approved in March 2023. Since his arrest he has been held at the GSA Guaynabo Detention Center and was reportedly denied a bond hearing. He filed a habeas corpus petition and an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order, arguing his detention falls under 8 U.S.C. § 1226 and that he is prima facie eligible for cancellation of removal. The court found he is likely entitled to a bond hearing under Section 1226(a) rather than mandatory detention under Section 1225, and held that he faces irreparable harm without one. The court granted the TRO, barring the government from transferring him outside Puerto Rico, ordered that he receive a bond hearing before an Immigration Judge by September 18, 2026, and held the underlying habeas petition in abeyance pending that hearing.

Noune Phompor, 47, a Laotian refugee who has lived in the U.S. since 1981 under indefinite refugee status, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents during his lunch break at the Chipotle where he has worked since May 2025. Phompor's family says he committed crimes in his 20s while struggling with methamphetamine addiction but has not committed a crime since at least 2014, completing his supervision requirements. He is the sole provider for his partner, Joanna Mabrey, and their 1-year-old son, and is now held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma awaiting removal proceedings with a deportation date of October 20. Friends, family, and Port Angeles Mayor Kate Dexter have been working to secure him legal representation and intervene with lawmakers.

José David Murcia Valdez, a 30-year-old Honduran refugee, fled Honduras six years ago after a machete attack cost him a finger and left scars across his arms and shoulders. He settled in Monterrey, Mexico, and worked for three years at a recycling plant until Mexican authorities arrived to check employees' papers and deported him back to Honduras. Unable to remain in Honduras because of the earlier attack, he returned to Mexico and joined a migrant caravan called Sueños sin Fronteras, attempting to bike more than 1,000 miles back to Monterrey in search of work.

Sergio Zárate, a father of six who has lived in the U.S. since 2002, was detained by immigration agents in Yakima, Washington, while he was in the state for work. He had traveled there from his home in Oakley, California, in search of employment. His daughter, Yisleth Zárate, said he has long been the family's main provider and is well regarded by his community and church. He is now being held at a detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, hundreds of miles from his family, who say the detention has caused emotional and financial strain and are seeking help covering legal costs.

A 36-year-old father who worked in a factory in Indiana and has two U.S.-citizen daughters was detained by ICE during his lunch break in early August 2026 and deported to Haiti on August 27 after the Supreme Court allowed the administration to end temporary protected status for Haitians. He fled Haiti in 2023 after criminal groups killed his parents, and he had lived and worked in the U.S. under TPS with a pending asylum application. He told a Human Rights Watch researcher he cannot return to his Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Carrefour-Feuilles: "Criminal groups control it. If I go back, they will kill me too."

A Danbury, Connecticut construction worker, identified by family as Edel Hernandez Cervantes, was tackled, kicked, and repeatedly tased by ICE agents on August 27, 2026, after he and coworkers noticed an ICE vehicle following them on their way to a job site and turned back home. Neighbors' video and a 911 call showed as many as five agents surrounding the vehicle, pinning him face-down, and shocking him with a Taser while he complained of hypertension and was reported to be convulsing. Family described him as an expert baker who once owned a bakery in Mexico known for bread made for Día de los Muertos and Three Kings Day, and who always kept the radio on and loved to sing. He was taken by ambulance to Danbury Hospital, where staff and ICE denied his family and an attorney access to him, telling them there was no record of him as a patient. Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves said he had already been transferred to ICE custody in Hartford before officials could intervene, and his whereabouts and condition remained unclear for days afterward.

Two men were detained by ICE agents in a Home Depot parking lot in Tacoma, Washington, after officers broke the window of their car. A bystander, Lance Braunwart, told N+ Univision that when he tried to record the license plates of the agents' vehicles, one agent appeared to try to hit him with the car even though there was enough room to leave. Braunwart said he and another couple stayed at the scene, located the wife of one of the detained men, and helped bring the men's truck and construction materials to her home. According to Braunwart, the two men had only gone to the Home Depot to pick up the last materials for a job they were completing.

Katherine Sanchez-Bonilla, known to friends as "Kathi," was arrested by ICE agents while traveling to Rochester, New York, and has since been moved between several detention facilities before landing in El Paso, Texas. Her attorney, Nour Chammas, says she has no criminal record and had a pending asylum application after leaving Costa Rica, and notes that such arrests have become more common, with ICE detaining an average of more than 1,580 people daily in July. Friends, including Nicole Velez, describe her as an ethical and conscientious person who held a Real ID, paid taxes, worked multiple jobs, and attended school while working with a lawyer for years to resolve her immigration status; family members say they have been left to track her transfers online without being able to offer in-person support. The Department of Homeland Security said ICE acts in accordance with current law and that a person's legal status determines enforcement action. Sanchez-Bonilla was expected to appear before an immigration judge on September 3, while her 12-year-old son remains with family in another city.

ICE agents detained four people working for tree removal companies in Stamford, part of enforcement operations that continued across the city Monday through Wednesday and extended to Danbury and Bridgeport, with a total of at least 21 people detained, according to CT Students for a Dream. Agents were reported operating near locations including Home Depot, Richmond Hill Avenue, Lockwood Avenue, Wilson Street, Harbor Point and the Stamford train station, and some detained individuals were later released after showing documentation. Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons said she was "horrified by the cruelty" of the actions, stating that the city's streets should not see people "randomly removed" with their rights violated, and reaffirmed Stamford as a welcoming city for immigrants. ICE said it does not discuss specific operations for security reasons.

A father detained by ICE while at work in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 21st was the subject of a habeas corpus petition filed in federal court. On September 28, 2026, a U.S. District Court judge in New Mexico ruled that his continued detention without a bond hearing violated his due process rights and ordered immigration officials to release him within 48 hours. His daughter had started a fundraiser to cover potential bail, which the family's lawyer said could range from $5,000 to $10,000, plus legal fees. The family describes him as 'the pillar' of their household.

ICE agents detained a Cambodian man Tuesday morning while he was working at Veranda Asian Market in Woodfords Corner, Portland, Maine. His name has not been publicly released, but Khmer Maine, a nonprofit in contact with him, described him as "quiet, kind and a hard worker." Marpheen Chann, executive director of Khmer Maine, said the arrest has sparked fear in local Asian immigrant communities and is "hurting Maine's local economy and making our communities feel less safe." Khmer Maine says it is working with his family and immigration advocates to ensure transparency. ICE has not released statistics on its recent operations in Maine, though national ICE detention numbers reached a record high of more than 65,000 last month.

Two workers at Raymond's restaurant in Montclair, New Jersey were detained by ICE on a Wednesday morning while on their way to work, according to co-workers and public records. Both men are currently being held at Delaney Hall, a detention facility in Newark. ICE confirmed the detentions were among six in the area, prompting local statements of condemnation and concern from community members. A local reverend has discussed ways residents can offer support.

Jun Qiu, a Chinese national who runs Fantasy Nails on Low Street in Newburyport, was detained by ICE agents who entered the salon "with guns drawn," according to Mayor Sean Reardon. Eyewitnesses reported the operation left customers shaken, and the mayor called it "incredibly frightening and traumatic," adding that the city does not condone the manner in which the operation was carried out. DHS said Qiu is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings; he had been arrested days earlier by local police on misdemeanor harassment and threat charges and had pleaded not guilty. The city said it did not participate in or receive advance notice of the ICE operation, and Reardon said officials are continuing to gather information from those involved or who witnessed the incident.

A group of construction workers was detained by ICE agents at a job site in the Texas Heights residential development in Weslaco, Texas. A video recorded by a bystander shows workers telling agents they were on private property while officers restrained and detained several of their coworkers. "We couldn't do anything for our coworkers," one worker said.

A construction worker was detained by ICE agents while on the job at a construction site near Esperanza Homes in the Texas Heights area of Weslaco, Texas. A coworker told the agents he was from the area, but agents ignored him, entered the property without a warrant, and took the worker away. As the coworker filmed the encounter, agents reportedly threatened to accuse him of 'impeding' for documenting the incident.

Wilbert Jean Baptiste was chased down and apprehended by law enforcement near a car wash at the Southern Village Shopping Center in Springfield, according to bystander videos posted to social media in which an officer identified himself as being with ICE. He is currently incarcerated at the Butler County Jail on an ICE hold, under the jail's agreement with ICE to house suspected noncitizens.

ICE agents entered a business near SW Sedgwick Road and Sidney Road SW in Port Orchard around 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 15 and attempted to arrest a person working inside who was wanted on an immigration warrant, prompting the person to flee on foot with agents in pursuit. A customer called 911, and Port Orchard Police Department officers responded to verify the agents' credentials but were not notified before the operation and did not assist, citing the Keep Washington Working Act. ICE agents wore tactical attire marked "Federal Officer Fugitive Detention Police" and drove an unmarked black SUV with emergency lights; no one was injured.