Human Impact Project

John Doe 5, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in his country of origin, had stable mental health while living with family before detention. After being detained at North Lake Processing Center, his mental health sharply declined—a change noted even by the immigration judge assigned to his case. By December 2025, eight months into his detention, he became non-verbal and unresponsive to his surroundings. He was subsequently moved to a dedicated medical facility for additional care, confirming that North Lake was not equipped to handle his needs.

Jane Doe, who has had high blood pressure for 10 years, experienced a medical emergency consistent with a hypertensive crisis after being denied her prescribed blood pressure medication at North Lake Processing Center. When she signaled distress to staff, they mocked her by making hand gestures rather than providing aid. Her blood pressure reached 229/134, well beyond the threshold of a hypertensive emergency, and she was transported to the hospital in shackles. The ACLU of Michigan and Michigan Immigrant Rights Center documented her case as part of a broader investigation into dangerous medical neglect at the facility.

Yanquiel Lima came to the U.S. from Cuba in 2023 under a humanitarian visa program that Trump ended in 2024. He was arrested shortly after the program's termination and denied a bond hearing under ICE's mandatory detention policy. He spent 10 months at Pearsall detention facility in a room with 64 other detainees sharing two toilets and three showers. He reported being served spoiled food and hearing racist comments from guards. He was placed in solitary confinement for six days after complaining about conditions.

An Indian family of four — parents Jagdish and Gurwinder, and children Guri (12) and Manpreet (11) — were detained by ICE during a routine check-in appointment in February 2026 and held at the Dilley family detention center in Texas. The family fled Punjab, India, after Jagdish converted from Sikhism to Catholicism and faced persistent threats and violence. They arrived in the U.S. in 2022 seeking asylum and settled in Los Angeles. During detention, Guri developed bleeding in his stools without specialist referral, Manpreet lost 6 pounds after a week of vomiting she attributed to tap water, and Gurwinder's arthritis and diabetes worsened without proper medication — her daughter helps her out of bed each morning. Both children have shown behavioral changes: Manpreet is often angry, Guri has stopped listening to his parents. Manpreet celebrated her 11th birthday in detention with a makeshift cake from commissary snacks — she said if there had been candles, she would have wished for her family to leave Dilley. The family reported no meat-free options on the days their Sikh-Hindu faith requires vegetarian meals. Manpreet stopped attending classes because they were taught in Spanish, which she does not speak. Guri stopped attending after his mother's health declined.

Dylan Lopez Contreras, a 21-year-old Venezuelan student at ELLIS Preparatory Academy in the Bronx, was detained by ICE in May 2024 after attending a mandatory immigration court hearing in Lower Manhattan. He was transferred to Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania, where an immigration judge denied his asylum claim in September 2024 and ordered his deportation to Venezuela. After nearly 10 months in detention, Contreras was released on March 18-19, 2025, while his legal team pursued an appeal of the deportation order. He returned to school while applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, subject to an ankle monitor and ICE check-ins as his asylum appeal remains pending. Dylan Lopez Contreras, a 20-year-old high school student at Ellis Preparatory Academy in the Bronx, was arrested by ICE agents in May 2025 at a Lower Manhattan courthouse after attending a mandatory immigration hearing. He was held in federal custody for nearly 10 months before being released on March 18, 2026, on his own recognizance with an ankle monitor. His detention was notable as the first widely documented case of a public school student in New York City being detained by federal agents under the Trump administration. A teenager named Ricardo was held in ICE detention and spent time in solitary confinement, prompting outrage from the Chicago community. His mother, Martha Liliana, and community members organized a rally calling for his release. Dylan, a 16-year-old high school student in the Bronx, was arrested by ICE when attending a routine court date at an immigration courthouse in New York City. The arrest occurred as part of ICE's campaign of arresting people at mandated immigration court hearings and fast-tracking deportations. Dylan, a 20-year-old student from Ellis Prep High School, was detained by ICE in May during an asylum hearing. He remains in ICE custody. This case is part of a pattern of ICE detention of NYC public school students attending legal hearings.

Luis Tenelanda, an Ecuadoran construction worker who lived in the United States for over 30 years, was detained by ICE and held at Butler County Jail in Ohio in June 2025. On June 8, 2025, Sgt. Corneal Rowe allegedly punched Tenelanda in the stomach after he joined other inmates in requesting their scheduled daily break, causing him to lose consciousness and sustain injuries to his stomach and arm. Witnesses report Rowe also used racial slurs against Tenelanda and other detainees. Jail staff allegedly failed to provide proper medical care following the assault. Tenelanda was deported to Ecuador in August 2025 and filed a federal civil lawsuit in May 2026 against Sheriff Richard Jones, Sgt. Corneal Rowe, and Butler County, alleging assault, civil rights violations, failure to train staff, and patterns of excessive force. An internal affairs investigation found Rowe used only "minimal force" but violated policy by not filing an incident report.

Yerlys Moreno López, a Venezuelan asylum seeker who entered the United States legally in 2024, was injured during an ICE enforcement encounter on May 19 after agents attempted to pull her over near her home on Detroit's eastside. According to her sworn statement and medical records, after crashing her SUV, she exited the vehicle and was tackled to the ground by ICE agents, sustaining a fractured kneecap, lacerations, head trauma, and injuries requiring emergency surgery. Medical records indicate she told hospital staff her injuries occurred after exiting the vehicle, contradicting ICE's account that she was injured in the crash itself. She was transferred to North Lake detention center despite doctors' recommendation for transfer to a Cincinnati ICE facility better equipped to meet her medical needs. Her attorneys filed a federal habeas corpus petition seeking her immediate release, citing inadequate medical care at the facility.

Angel Lemus-Linares, a 32-year-old from El Salvador seeking political asylum, was placed in solitary confinement at T. Don Hutto Detention Center in Texas for seven consecutive days after being beaten by ICE officers following an altercation with another detainee. He reported being locked in isolation without adequate medical care or bathroom access, and experienced multiple additional solitary confinement placements and prolonged lockdowns during his 28+ months in ICE custody. After an immigration judge denied his asylum claim in December 2025, Lemus-Linares was deported to Mexico and is now applying for refugee status.

Vivian Do's father was detained by ICE on March 5 at a GEO processing facility in Adelanto, California. Despite legal assurances and ICE's own notification that he would not be moved until June 5, he was transferred without notice on May 14, flown from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and deported to Vietnam the same day. The family had spent over $50,000 in legal fees seeking his release.

An uncle and aunt who had attended yearly ICE check-ins since the early 1990s were suddenly detained during a routine check-in and held for over four months. During detention, they were denied access to medications for serious health conditions, and the aunt was transferred to Florence, Arizona without family or attorney notification. Both are stateless individuals from the former USSR facing potential deportation to an unknown country. They were released on January 16, 2026, and are now pursuing a legal appeal.

Obi, who arrived legally on a visa and was in the process of obtaining a green card, was detained by ICE on October 20th without due process. He was held in a detention facility for ten days after a judge ordered his release and bond was posted. His wife, who relies on him as her caregiver due to chronic illnesses, was forced to attend their green card interview alone while he remained detained. He was released with conditions including GPS monitoring and travel restrictions.

Tuan Van Bui, a 55-year-old Vietnamese national who legally entered the U.S. in 1990 under the Amerasian Homecoming Act, died on April 1, 2026, at Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, Indiana while in ICE custody. Staff found him unresponsive, initiated CPR, and called emergency services; he was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. His autopsy ruled the death natural, caused by hypertensive arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Bui had been ordered removed from the country by an immigration judge in 2005 and was challenging his detention through a habeas corpus petition at the time of his death. His death was the second at the facility since October 2025, prompting the ACLU of Indiana to call for transparency and advocates to organize a statewide day of action on May 16, 2026, with over 70 protesters rallying at the Allen County Courthouse in Fort Wayne.

Justo Betancourt, a 54-year-old Cuban national who entered the U.S. in 1990 and held lawful status, was detained by ICE on October 29, 2025, during a routine annual immigration check-in. He was held for roughly seven months at the South Florida Detention Facility, known as Alligator Alcatraz, despite being unable to be readily deported to Cuba. During detention he was shackled up to 23 hours a day and denied adequate care for his diabetes, neuropathy, and heart conditions, leading to strokes, cardiac arrest, a diabetic coma from withheld insulin, significant weight loss, and lasting neurological damage including tremors and mobility impairment. His daughter Arianne organized weekly vigils outside the facility for 44 weeks advocating for his release. U.S. District Judge Kyle Dudek granted his habeas corpus petition on May 13, 2026, finding the detention erroneous and unlawful, and ordered his release within 48 hours; Betancourt was freed on May 14-15, 2026.

LT, a 30-year-old Haitian woman, fled her home country after supporters of an opposing political party burned down her house, kidnapped her, and raped her, and after her sister was later murdered. She arrived in Miami by boat in 2019 and sought asylum, later giving birth to a daughter. LT was detained at the Dilley detention center in Texas, roughly 1,500 miles from her 13-month-old daughter, who remained in Florida with LT's mother. The child has food allergies and sensitivities causing vomiting when fed formula, and the government denied LT's requests to pump and mail breastmilk or to bring the child into detention, citing a policy against holding US citizen children at immigration facilities. LT's mother struggled to work full time while caring for the infant's medical needs. LT's asylum case was ultimately denied after three months in detention.

Loba, a transgender woman from El Salvador, was detained at California City ICE detention center for six months in 2025. She experienced sexual harassment and intimidation from guards while housed in male dormitories. Due to the traumatic conditions and lack of support for LGBTQ+ detainees, she signed voluntary departure paperwork and self-deported to El Salvador.

Arbella "Yari" Rodríguez Márquez, a green card holder, was arrested at a border checkpoint in Nogales, Arizona in February 2025 and detained at Eloy Detention Center. She has chronic lymphocytic leukemia that was in remission before her detention but has since returned and worsened while in custody. Her health has significantly deteriorated, with symptoms including weight loss (55 pounds), anemia, vomiting blood, and the development of new chronic conditions requiring a walker. Over a year into her detention, state legislators, members of Congress, civil rights organizations, and advocacy groups including Trans Queer Pueblo have called for her humanitarian release. ICE denies allegations of medical neglect, stating she has received 13 medical appointments during detention.

Allan Dabrio Marrero, a gay asylum seeker from the Cayman Islands, was detained by ICE on November 24, 2024, immediately after attending a marriage-based green card interview at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City with his U.S. citizen husband Matthew. Although USCIS approved his marriage petition, ICE agents arrested him outside the building after discovering a 2022 removal order that Marrero claims he never received—he states he was in a rehabilitation center when the hearing occurred. Advocates and faith leaders, including Make the Road New York and Middle Collegiate Church, called for his release, citing ICE's failure to provide prescribed medication for anxiety and depression and the lack of notice regarding the original hearing. A motion to reopen his deportation case paused removal proceedings but did not secure immediate release. A judge granted Marrero release on $6,000 bond on January 27, 2026, finding no flight risk given his clean record and marriage to a U.S. citizen. However, ICE refused to accept the bond payment and continued his detention across five facilities. Marrero was finally released on May 15, 2026, reuniting with his husband at Middle Collegiate Church after nearly five months in custody.

Suzy Gerónimo, a transgender activist and founder of Fuerza y Unión Múltiple in North Carolina, was detained by ICE following a traffic stop in Franklin County in March 2026 and transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. She reported being housed in a male unit despite being a transgender woman, and faced harassment, unsafe conditions, lack of Spanish-speaking staff, and inadequate privacy. During her April 28 bail hearing, her legal team announced plans to file an asylum application. A judge ordered DHS to provide accommodations, though implementation has been inconsistent. The community organized support funds and legal defense for her case.

A 33-year-old man from the Middle East was detained by ICE in December 2024 after a scheduled check-in with immigration officials. While held in solitary confinement, he experienced panic attacks and chest pains, and repeatedly struck his head against a door. According to his brother, he is a Christian who fled religious persecution in his home country and has no criminal record. An ICE officer informed him he could be deported to Uganda. Facing indefinite detention, he chose to voluntarily depart the United States rather than continue in custody.

Seven people believed to be immigrants from Mexico and Honduras died from heat stroke while being smuggled in a sealed Union Pacific boxcar in South Texas. Six bodies were discovered inside the boxcar at a rail yard in Laredo on May 10, 2026, when temperatures reached 97–105 degrees. The victims ranged in age from 14 to 56, with three from Mexico and three from Honduras. A woman inside the container called her sister reporting dangerous heat and physical distress, prompting a police response. A seventh body was found near railroad tracks in Bexar County, approximately 150 miles north of Laredo, on May 11 and is believed connected to the incident. Authorities attributed the deaths to heat-related illness and contacted the Department of Homeland Security, with federal officials leading the investigation into the human smuggling operation.