Human Impact Project

Cristobal S. was forcefully detained by ICE agents on November 10, 2024, at 7 a.m. when agents smashed the window of his truck and cut him while removing him from the vehicle. He is the sole breadwinner for his family, leaving behind three children and his mother. His family is seeking financial assistance through a GoFundMe campaign to cover bills, legal fees, food, and other basic needs during his detention.

Aurora, 24, and her six-year-old daughter were detained by ICE and sent to a family detention center in Texas. The daughter had arrived at the U.S. border alone and spent more than six months in a child migrant shelter before reuniting with her mother in late March. The detention occurred after the Office of Refugee Resettlement shared information about unaccompanied children, their sponsors, and household members with ICE.

A 14-year-old Brazilian girl with an expired visitor visa was detained by ICE agents on March 11 in a parking lot outside Bethel Presbyterian Church in Marlboro, Massachusetts, after a car was pulled over. Her attorney stated she was with her U.S. citizen brothers, though DHS disputed this account, claiming she was with two Brazilian men suspected of gang ties with no familial relationship to her. ICE said the men's vehicle was connected to an alleged attempted home invasion in Walpole. The girl was taken to the JFK federal building in Boston for 10 hours, then transported overnight to a children's detention facility in New York. At a hearing, Federal Judge Leo T. Sorokin expressed concern about the detention and overnight transfer, stating it was the first time in his 22 years on the bench that he had seen agents detain a juvenile solely because no appropriate person was available to release her to. He ordered her immediate return to Massachusetts, and she was reunited with her maternal aunt, a U.S. citizen, at the JFK building in Boston.

ICE agents, working with the U.S. Forest Service and Caldwell County Sheriff's Office, set up a checkpoint on the only road into Wilson Creek, a popular swimming spot in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina, detaining 13 people. Among them was Argenis Eduardo Torres Rosales, a 32-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker with a work permit and no criminal record, according to his aunt Wuendy Rosales; he is now held at a detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, far from his wife and stepson. ICE said many detained had criminal histories including DUI and illegal reentry charges, while Sheriff Kevin Bean denied reports that children were separated from families. Witnesses described the operation as terrifying, with some families separated during stops, including one left stranded roadside without cell signal after a father was taken into custody. Sandra Salazar, co-founder of Hands of Hope y Adventurous Latinos, said her cousin's partner was among those detained and that families with pending asylum cases were caught up in the action. Advocates called it the first known ICE raid at a national forest in North Carolina, and said it has discouraged Latino families from visiting the forest.

Two brothers from Mexico who worked as kitchen staff at El Nopalito restaurant in Haddonfield were arrested by ICE agents on July 20, 2026, while walking near their home in East Camden. The longtime employees sent money home to support family members, including children, and are believed to be detained at Delaney Hall in Newark. Local police confirmed they were not involved in the ICE operation. At the request of the brothers' families, Inkwood Books owner Julie Beddingfield organized a GoFundMe to help cover legal, travel and living expenses. By July 28, the fundraiser had surpassed its $15,000 goal, raising $26,742 from 478 donors, with funds supporting the brothers' needs in custody as well as their families' housing, food and utility costs while they remain out of work.

Ezzat Adel Abdalla Magly, an Egyptian national, is detained at the Western Tennessee Detention Facility pending removal proceedings. He filed a habeas corpus petition seeking release from custody or a bond hearing, along with a motion for temporary restraining order to prevent transfer outside the district. The court denied his motion for temporary restraining order, finding he failed to demonstrate irreparable harm from a potential transfer.

Elaine Miles, an Indigenous actor best known for roles in 'Northern Exposure,' 'Smoke Signals,' and 'The Last of Us,' was detained by four ICE agents at a bus stop in Redmond, Washington, while walking to Target. When she presented her tribal ID from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation—a form of identification recognized by federal agencies—the agents called it fake and claimed anyone could make one. Miles said the agents did not identify themselves when asked for names and badge numbers, and attempted to take her phone when she tried to call the tribal enrollment office to verify her ID. The agents left after a fifth agent whistled them back to their vehicles. Miles's son and uncle were also detained by ICE agents who initially rejected their tribal IDs before being released.

Nepthalí Zozaya Saucedo and Cinthia Saraí Cardona Otero, assistant pastors at Comunidad Cristiana Emanuel Assemblies of God in Edinburg, Texas, were detained by ICE on July 23, 2026, at McAllen International Airport while traveling with their church to a marriage retreat hosted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association—their first trip away from their three U.S. citizen children. The couple, who have served the church for over a decade, said agents mocked them and pressured them to sign voluntary deportation papers by threatening to separate them from their children at a Border Patrol processing center. DHS said the pastors had overstayed a visa that expired in 2022, but church leaders and faith organizations, including the Assemblies of God and the Latino Christian National Network, disputed this, saying the couple held valid R-1 religious worker visas. They were released on Saturday, July 25, and spoke publicly during a Sunday worship service and press conference. They must report to ICE in person every six months and call in monthly while their immigration case proceeds before a judge.

Erika and Edgard, a married couple and parents of two with a granddaughter, were removed from their car by ICE officers without explanation. Erika was injured during the arrest, sustaining bruises to her hands and arms. The couple have lived in the country as taxpayers with no legal problems and have worked to build a better life for their family. Their daughter Valeria is seeking legal representation funds to help them fight detention and reunite the family.

Boanerges Flores-Bravo and his wife Alba Matamoro-Hernandez came to Missouri from Nicaragua in 2022 seeking asylum, saying it was unsafe to return because Flores-Bravo had worked for the Nicaraguan government. Both worked for the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District, where staff described them as model employees, and their 8-year-old daughter attends school in the same district. The couple attended every scheduled ICE check-in, but during a routine appointment on May 18, 2026, agents detained Flores-Bravo despite assurances he would not be arrested, while Matamoro-Hernandez was placed on an ankle monitor under the Alternatives to Detention program. He was transferred from a Missouri detention center to Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana, where Rep. Wesley Bell said he was coerced into signing voluntary self-deportation paperwork after being threatened that his family would be detained if he refused. He was deported to Nicaragua in June 2026, and Matamoro-Hernandez later signed up for voluntary departure, planning to leave with their daughter in summer 2026. Court records show no criminal history for either of them, and Matamoro-Hernandez said their daughter has struggled with the separation.

A man described by a St. Louis Archdiocese spokesman as living a devout Catholic life was arrested by ICE after helping his daughter enlist in the U.S. Army. The spokesman said he has been treated poorly despite being 'just like the rest of us.' Further details on the man's background and legal status were not provided.

Alexander Jarquin-Jarquin, a Nicaraguan asylum seeker with a valid work permit and driver's license, was arrested on July 26, 2026, while on his way to work with no stated reason. He entered the U.S. in 2021 through the southern border, was released by ICE under parole, and has since obtained legal work authorization and worked 12-hour days supporting his elderly father in Nicaragua and his wife in the U.S. He has no criminal history. He is now in immigration custody with his case before an immigration judge, and his family is raising funds for legal fees and bond to secure his release and demonstrate community ties.

A man was pulled over while driving to work and subsequently detained by ICE on an immigration hold, leading to his deportation. He is described as a devoted husband, father of three, and caregiver to his nephew whom he helped raise. He spent decades building his life in the United States and worked to support his family. His family is raising funds to cover immigration attorney costs, household expenses, and other urgent needs during this crisis.

Jesus Carrion, a 63-year-old asylum seeker, was detained by ICE on July 26 during a routine check-in at the Malta facility after receiving a text instructing him to bring his paperwork and family members. His wife, Jean Aurilio, an American citizen and teacher, accompanied him expecting a standard interview but was told Carrion would be taken into custody and transferred to the detention center in Batavia, with a possible court appearance in two weeks. Aurilio said they had been following all requirements and rules, and she remains waiting for information about his status and when she will hear from him.

Nixon Giovanni Pérez Paz, 43, and his wife Glendy Marisol González de la Cruz, 25, were found bound and shot dead in a sugarcane field in Guatemala weeks after González de la Cruz self-deported to rejoin her husband. Pérez Paz was arrested by ICE agents in an unmarked vehicle near his home in Overland, Missouri in March 2025 while driving to work with his brother; he and his brother were undocumented immigrants who had fled violence and poverty from Central America. González de la Cruz had an active asylum case but worked two manual labor jobs while raising their three young daughters, including a newborn born in June 2025. Fearing detention and separation from her children, she chose to self-deport to be with Pérez Paz in Guatemala. Their 14-month-old daughter was found crying beside her mother's body and showed signs of dehydration; she was taken to a medical center and is recovering. Her brother-in-law is now caring for the three orphaned children.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican citizen who had lived in Houston for nearly 35 years and worked as a homebuilder, was fatally shot by an ICE agent on July 7, 2026, while driving his construction crew to a job site after federal agents in unmarked vehicles pursued him. He had no criminal record and was reportedly close to completing the process of obtaining legal status. DHS and ICE claimed he rammed an ICE vehicle and ignored commands and said without evidence that he was undocumented, but passengers in his van and his family dispute this, saying he was shot through the passenger window while parking with no officer in danger. The FBI suggested bags found in his van contained drugs, but the Harris County district attorney later said they did not; his family said the substance was salt. His sons said they learned of their father's death from a social media video rather than from authorities and later testified at a congressional hearing demanding accountability. His death came within 24 hours of ICE fatally shooting another man, Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, during a traffic stop in Maine, prompting DHS to briefly pause most ICE traffic stops before Trump ordered agents to resume the practice. The shooting also prompted sustained protests in Houston, diplomatic complaints from Mexico, and a Harris County grand jury investigation of the agent who fired.

José Arturo Vilchez, a Venezuelan national, was detained by police during a traffic stop in Austin, Texas and transferred to ICE. According to his sister, Vilchez was stopped while driving his daughter to a heart specialist appointment; the child was born with a heart condition. His sister stated that Vilchez has no prior legal problems, has never been a public charge, and even paid for his sister-in-law's delivery expenses. She characterized the stop as racially motivated and said the family is now without their primary source of support.

Four U.S. citizen siblings—Eliza, 21; Jessica, 18; Romeo Jr., 15; and Cynthia, 13—have been living on their own in Florida since last fall when both their parents, who are from Guatemala and undocumented, were detained by ICE. Their father was held at Alligator Alcatraz and then transferred to a detention center in Georgia, while their mother was held at a federal facility in Arizona. Eliza dropped out of college to take over the family landscaping business and pay rent, while the children await the outcome of their mother's deportation hearing. According to the Brookings Institution, approximately 205,000 children—including 145,000 U.S. citizens—have likely had a parent detained in the past year and a half due to immigration enforcement actions.

Prisciliano Trejo Ricano, a 29-year-old Mexican national who had lived in Durham, North Carolina since age 3, died July 24 from an aggressive form of leukemia while effectively in ICE custody. He was arrested June 19 and transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia, where he began feeling ill on July 6, reporting coughing up blood, severe pain, and a bruise that would not heal. Advocates say ICE failed to provide treatment for over a week despite his requests for care; he was hospitalized July 13 and fell into a coma by July 15, at which point ICE formally released him before he died. His father and cousin described him as previously healthy, with his father saying he could not understand how his condition deteriorated so quickly. His name does not appear on ICE's official list of in-custody deaths, and the agency will not investigate due to a policy change eliminating reporting requirements for deaths within 30 days of release. Advocacy groups including Detention Watch Network, Project South, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, El Refugio, and Carolina Migrant Network called for investigations into medical neglect at Stewart Detention Center, while the ACLU reports at least 57 deaths in immigration detention since the start of the second Trump administration, more than double the prior four years combined.

Carlos Hugo Betancur, a 52-year-old Colombian national, was detained by ICE on July 8, 2026, while pumping gas at a Marathon station in Doral on his way to work. An immigration officer approached him from behind, asked for identification, and detained him after he provided his Florida driver's license. Betancur had filed a political asylum application in January 2023 and possessed both an employment authorization card and a Florida driver's license. He spent 8 days at the Miramar Processing Center and 8 days at Krome Detention Center before being released on electronic monitoring. At Miramar, he described severe overcrowding, with 93 to 104 detainees held in a single room with insufficient space for everyone to sit or sleep simultaneously. His daughter, Maria Alejandra Betancur, disputed the detention, noting he had valid asylum and work authorization documents. He is now required to wear an ankle monitor while his immigration case proceeds before an immigration judge.