Human Impact Project

Jonathan Delgado was detained by ICE agents in a Food City parking lot in Mesa, Arizona, while his wife Cindy Mendoza recorded the encounter. Delgado is the primary breadwinner for his family and father of three children, including a 6-year-old son with autism who is nonverbal. According to Mendoza, she had only seconds to process the situation and say goodbye as her husband was taken into custody.

A Nicaraguan immigrant and his son were arrested by ICE at their home in Florida three weeks after attempting to claim a $1,000 lottery prize from a Mega 7 drawing. The family alleges that lottery officials retained the ticket and alerted ICE to their address. The father's license was expired due to the revocation of TPS (Temporary Protected Status) for Nicaraguan nationals, which prevented them from claiming the prize at the time.

David, a hardworking resident of Chicago who worked at La Mijikana, was arrested by ICE. He had been sending his paychecks home to support his family in Mexico, where his mother is facing a serious medical problem. With David now in ICE custody, his family is struggling to cover both his mother's medical treatment and legal fees.

Marcelino Gutiérrez, a pastor and church leader, was stopped during a traffic stop on July 10, 2026, and arrested for not having a valid driver's license. He had entered the United States legally with a visa on February 14, 2015, and has spent the last 11 years working, serving his church, and supporting his wife and four daughters. After his arrest, an ICE immigration hold was placed on him, and he was transferred to immigration detention. His family is raising funds for legal representation and to support his wife and daughters during his detention.

ICE agents conducted enforcement operations in Clark County on Wednesday and Thursday, detaining at least 28 people who are being held at Clark County Jail. The Clarksville Police Department headquarters served as a staging area for federal agents. Community members reported increased ICE presence at locations including a Home Depot parking lot in Clarksville where Latino workers typically seek employment, and immigrant services organizations said clients canceled appointments out of fear of leaving their homes. Noe Muñoz, owner of El Mañanero Breakfast Spot, closed his restaurant Thursday due to community fear after his brother was pulled over by a Corydon police officer in an unmarked vehicle on Wednesday during what appeared to be a pretextual traffic stop that resulted in no citation; Corydon, more than 20 miles from Clarksville, is reportedly the only police department in southern Indiana enrolled in a program allowing it to act on behalf of ICE. Local activism groups expressed concerns about the enforcement operation.

Owen Ramsingh, 45, moved to the U.S. from the Netherlands at age 5 in 1986 and held a green card for over 40 years while living in Columbia, Missouri with his wife Diana and daughter, working in property management and security at local music venues. He was detained by Border Patrol at Chicago's O'Hare Airport in September 2025 upon returning from visiting his father abroad, after authorities cited felony drug convictions from the 1990s and 2011 as grounds to revoke his green card. He spent about four and a half months in detention facilities in Chicago, Texas, and New Mexico before being deported to the Netherlands on February 8, 2026, and barred from returning to the U.S. Now reconnected with his father and learning Dutch, Ramsingh reports experiencing nightmares from his detention and remains separated from his wife and teenage daughter. Unable to find stable housing or viable visa options in the Netherlands, he and his family later relocated to Mexico to be closer to U.S.-based friends and relatives, while his wife pursues remote work.

Winston, an HVAC technician who has lived in Virginia for six years with his wife and 15-month-old son Luka, was detained by ICE agents in a Home Depot parking lot in New York while working on a maintenance contract along the East Coast. He studied and qualified as an HVAC technician in the United States to provide for his family. His detention has left his wife and young son without income and emotional support; his son searches for him each time the front door opens. His sister Bárbara is fundraising for legal representation costs (approximately $20,000), an immigration bond, and family support expenses while Winston remains detained and unable to work.

Sergio, a Mexican national who immigrated to the U.S. decades ago to escape crime in Chihuahua, was arrested by ICE at a gas station in Colorado Springs on July 9, 2026. He has worked in construction for nearly 40 years while managing partial blindness and medical issues, according to his 22-year-old daughter Inez. Three other men were also detained in the same operation at an unmarked DHS facility in downtown Colorado Springs. Inez said her father "just wanted the American Dream" and described the arrest as "our worst nightmare."

Robinson, a father with a serious congenital heart condition who underwent open-heart surgery in 2008, was detained by ICE on July 9, 2026 while traveling to work in upstate New York. During his arrest, he experienced severe chest symptoms and suffered a leg injury, and was hospitalized at UHS Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City, NY for approximately three days. His 18-year-old daughter drove four hours to the hospital but was unable to visit him or obtain information about his condition due to ICE's policies; hospital staff threatened to involve police if she did not leave. Robinson has U.S.-citizen children and has lived in the United States for many years. He has since been discharged into ICE custody at Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia, New York, where his family is concerned he receive prescribed heart medication and appropriate cardiology care while his immigration case proceeds.

A stay-at-home father of four young children, including a 4-year-old, was detained by five ICE agents in tactical gear from his front yard on July 9, 2026, while mowing his lawn. His wife was asleep inside and his children woke to find him gone without any opportunity for him to explain what happened. Neighbor Stephen Parish witnessed the arrest, which took only minutes, and noted the family's distress. As of July 10, the man remained in custody. His case exemplifies the dozens of ICE arrests reported across the Kansas City metro during an intensified enforcement surge in June and July 2026.

A Mexican national who re-entered the U.S. without inspection in 2021 and was living in Redwood City with his partner and three children was detained by ICE officers in his driveway on July 9, 2026, while taking his two-year-old child to daycare. Officers claimed to have an arrest warrant but only showed a zoomed phone screen and did not allow inspection. The warrant later produced was signed in June 2025 with handwritten markings added after arrest. The court found the warrant invalid because no basis for probable cause was checked, and the officers made no individualized determination that he was a flight risk as required by law. The court granted a temporary restraining order, ordering his immediate release and prohibiting re-detention pending an evidentiary hearing.

Karina Alvarez San Juan, a Mexican national who has lived in the U.S. since age 12, was arrested during a traffic stop in Florida on May 6, 2026, for an allegedly broken taillight. She is the mother of four U.S. citizen children and was nursing her youngest child, born on January 7, 2026, at the time of her arrest. ICE transferred her to South Louisiana Processing Center in Basile, Louisiana, where she remained detained for over three months. Her attorney Michelle Borton reported that conditions at the facility were inadequate, with detainees lacking sufficient clean water for basic hygiene including bathing and flushing toilets. San Juan alleged due process violations, including a cancelled bond hearing and a denied emergency motion without explanation. On July 8-9, 2026, U.S. District Judge David C. Joseph, a Trump appointee, ordered ICE to release her within five business days after finding that the agency violated its own Directive 11032.4, which prohibits detention of postpartum and nursing mothers unless release is prohibited by law or exceptional circumstances exist. ICE officials stated they had no additional evidence to justify her continued detention.

Micaela Mendez Sandiz, a 16-year-old from Chiapas, Mexico, contacted her family on July 8 to report that she and her cousin were traveling through the desert. She was abandoned in serious health condition, reporting lack of water and inability to continue. Her cousin is reportedly detained. The family is seeking information about Micaela's whereabouts.

Maisa Lopes Eliaser, a 32-year-old Brazilian national with no criminal record, was detained by ICE on July 8, 2026, during a scheduled green card adjustment-of-status interview in Montgomery, Alabama. She is married to Staff Sergeant Alexis Jaramillo, an active-duty Army soldier of 11 years. Lopes Eliaser legally entered the U.S. on June 18, 2019, with authorization to remain until December 2019, but overstayed her visa. She had previously applied for asylum and later sought permanent residency through marriage; her green card petition had been approved before her detention. Immigration officials indicated she missed a biometrics appointment related to her asylum case, resulting in a removal order from an immigration judge on April 15, 2026. She is currently held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, Louisiana. Jaramillo stated he feels "betrayed" by the detention, believing the family was completing the legal process for her permanent residency. The detention has caused panic attacks for Jaramillo and emotional distress for their young stepson. Her case is now before the Board of Immigration Appeals.

A landscaper identified in the article as Luis was arrested during an ICE enforcement operation on July 8 in Marietta while working at a construction site. He is the father of a 5-year-old son. His family struggled to cope with his sudden absence and the lack of information about his whereabouts or status. His family members have faced difficulty accessing resources and information about him, and are uncertain about his future.

Jovanny de Jesús Pineda left his home early on July 8 to go to a landscaping job with two colleagues when immigration agents stopped him. His wife, Luz Tagle, said a neighbor alerted her that immigration was in the area and she tried to warn him by phone. "The second he picked up he said, 'Immigration caught me,'" Tagle told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in Spanish. Pineda is now detained at ICE Stewart Detention Center in South Georgia.

Cindy, a mother of four from Honduras, was detained by ICE for seven months following a routine traffic stop. After her release, she faced compounding legal and financial hardship: unable to pay a traffic ticket during her detention, she missed a court appearance and a warrant was issued. With legal assistance, the warrant was resolved, but ICE seized her documentation, requiring her to spend additional funds obtaining copies to resume work. Seven months of lost income left her family in severe financial distress.

A man was detained by ICE during a late-night traffic stop on Collins Hill Road in Lawrenceville, Georgia, while returning home with his teenage daughter Evelyn. Officers provided no explanation for the detention and left Evelyn, a minor, unattended at the scene. Evelyn describes her father as a hardworking provider who supports the family's bills and daily expenses. The family is seeking financial assistance to secure his release.

Federal immigration enforcement in the San Antonio region has intensified, with ICE data showing nearly 1,500 arrests since January 2025. The arrests include approximately 900 people with criminal convictions, over 400 facing pending criminal charges, and about 140 accused of other immigration violations. Local families report increased pressure and concern, particularly after recent enforcement operations at Hardberger Park and plans for a new ICE detention facility on the East Side. One woman described her husband's arrest after he and coworkers were stopped while leaving a city work site, noting that workers have become targets at job locations.

Galo Suárez, a Nicaraguan asylum seeker with a valid work permit, was arrested by ICE agents on Milwaukee's South Side near El Rey Food Market after unmarked vehicles boxed in his car and agents broke his window with guns drawn. His fiancée, Reyna Elizabeth Garcia, 25, and her brother, Teodoro Rafael Garcia, 37, were also detained; agents allegedly called Garcia a "dog" and pushed her against the car. Suárez said an agent claimed his work permit was forged, despite his and his fiancée's eligibility for work authorization as asylum applicants. He was released the same day, but Garcia remains in custody in Kenosha County and her brother's whereabouts are unknown. Speaking through Voces de la Frontera at a press conference, Suárez described the arrest; the organization said it had corroborated 26-28 ICE detentions across Wisconsin during a broader three-day enforcement surge that saw nearly 60 arrests, including cases involving medical conditions and at least one person with a pending U-Visa application.