Human Impact Project

The South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, operated by CoreCivic, faced multiple documented problems affecting detained immigrant families and children. Emergency responders handled at least 11 medical emergencies since September 2025, including respiratory distress, seizures, and fever in infants and young children. Detainees reported finding worms, bugs, and mold in food, contaminated drinking water, and inadequate nutrition, leading to a confirmed measles outbreak in early 2026. Children experienced inadequate medical care, 24-hour lighting, and some were detained beyond the 20-day legal limit. A 13-year-old girl denied prescribed anxiety medications experienced a mental health crisis and attempted suicide before deportation. Following media coverage and a January protest, facility staff increased confiscation of art supplies, drawings, and personal items from detainees, and restricted communications with family and lawyers through Google services and video calls. A federal judge ruled some detentions unconstitutional, and medical advocates and congressional representatives called for facility closure.

An Indian citizen entered the United States on June 17, 2023, and was initially detained and released on conditional parole on June 19, 2023. Over the following two years, he complied with all ICE reporting requirements, attended scheduled check-ins, obtained employment authorization, and worked lawfully as a commercial truck driver. He also filed an asylum application in October 2023 with removal proceedings still pending. On February 25, 2026, after obtaining required ICE permission, he commenced a work trip. The next day, ICE officers approached him, claimed he had an ICE violation, and took his biometrics despite his assertion that he had prior authorization. He was transferred to Indio, California, where his phone and wallet were confiscated, then detained in El Centro for two days before being transferred to Imperial Regional Adult Detention Facility. He was never provided written explanation of the alleged violation, supporting documentation, or opportunity to contest his arrest. On April 1, 2026, he filed a habeas corpus petition claiming his detention violated the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause. The court granted his petition, finding that ICE's revocation of his conditional parole without a pre-deprivation hearing violated due process rights, and ordered his immediate release subject to the conditions of his preexisting parole.

Yubizay del Carmen Torrealba Linarez, a 20-year-old Venezuelan single mother, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on Wednesday while traveling to her job at Backyard Farms greenhouses in Madison. She fled political violence in Venezuela after her family experienced violent repression by the Maduro regime, including a 2024 home invasion where agents beat her husband and threatened her 2-year-old daughter. She was paroled into the United States in December 2024 and has been awaiting an asylum decision. Her attorney filed a habeas corpus petition in federal court challenging the legality of her detention; a judge ordered her kept in Maine pending review and ordered the government to respond by Wednesday. Since her detention, her sister has been caring for her 4-year-old daughter.

Carlos García, 42, the former mayor of Mérida, Venezuela, was detained by ICE agents on January 23, 2026, during what his wife Gaby Duarte described as a routine immigration check-in near their home in Butler County, Ohio. García fled Venezuela in 2017 after refusing government orders to suppress anti-Maduro protests, was removed from office, and was sentenced to prison by the Chavista-controlled Supreme Court; he crossed into Texas with his family in 2022, applied for asylum, received Temporary Protected Status, and worked as an Amazon delivery driver. His wife said he has no criminal record and fears torture if returned to Venezuela, where an arrest order remains against him. His attorneys filed a habeas corpus petition, but a February 10 hearing revealed DHS is instead seeking to deport him to Ecuador, a country where he has no family or support network. Duarte said, 'We are simply asking that he be allowed to defend his case where he formally requested asylum.'

Two Iranian Christian converts have been held by ICE since December after appearing for a routine immigration check-in, despite being vetted at the border, receiving work authorization, and volunteering at a Houston church. One man had evangelized to Muslims in Iran, an offense that can carry the death penalty under Iranian law, and now faces deportation back to the country. Both are currently held at the Houston Contract Detention Facility. The Department of Homeland Security has stated that both men crossed into the U.S. without authorization in 2023 and 2024 and were released under the previous administration.

An ACLU legal fellow visited the North Lake Processing Center in Michigan to meet with a detained Venezuelan woman seeking asylum. The author describes arbitrary security screening practices, including being required to remove her underwire bra, and documents severe detention conditions including inadequate food, limited outdoor access, medication costs passed to detainees, and a recent death at the facility. The detained woman, who entered the U.S. legally through CBP One screening and a port of entry, was separated from her 3-month-old infant after a false accusation by an abusive ex-partner and faces an impossible choice between deportation to Venezuela or relocation to Ecuador without her child.

On February 17, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained Sonia Espinoza Arriaga, a Mexican national, and her three children (ages 5, 16, and 18) in Soldotna, Alaska. The family had entered the United States in 2023 and declared themselves at the border seeking protection. Arriaga was married to a U.S. citizen and had been in regular contact with her immigration attorney, who believed no enforcement action would occur for 90 days. The detention followed Arriaga's missed immigration court hearing in January due to miscommunication about the date. Within 36 hours of detention, Arriaga and her two youngest children were deported to Tijuana, Mexico, while her 18-year-old son was transferred to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. An immigration attorney filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the legality of the detention, and the rapid deportation prompted an Alaska House Judiciary Committee investigation into ICE activity in the state.

Two Haitian girls, ages 4 and 5, were found dead in a septic tank at Casa Hogar Patos, a migrant transit center in Oaxaca, Mexico on February 24, 2026. The children had been admitted to the facility with their mother while awaiting immigration processing. The Support Group for Repatriated and Refugees (GARR) is demanding an investigation. Two officials have been dismissed but no one has been formally held responsible.

Jorfrank Lugo, a Venezuelan father of two young children detained by ICE on February 23, 2026 during a routine check-in appointment, filed a habeas corpus petition seeking his release. On April 29, 2026, a federal district court in Missouri denied the petition, ruling that he is subject to mandatory detention under federal law and that his continued custody during removal proceedings does not violate his due process rights. He and his wife Daniela remain asylum applicants, and his removal proceedings are now underway. His detention has left his wife, who cares full-time for their two young children, without their family's sole source of income while she tries to fund his legal defense.

Sebastian, a 16-year-old Ecuadorian asylum seeker and tri-sport athlete at Osceola High School, was detained by ICE agents in North Minneapolis in early-to-mid January while on a food run. He and his father, known as Manuel, had pending asylum applications and had relocated to North Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge seeking safety and resources. ICE misclassified Sebastian as an unaccompanied minor and moved him through multiple holding facilities, including a guarded hotel, before flying him to a youth shelter in Grand Rapids, Michigan, run by Bethany Christian Services. For over a week, his family, ICE's own attorneys, and federal authorities had no record of his location. His father and attorney conducted their own investigation to find him, eventually locating him and securing his release through legal action.

An Ecuadorian asylum seeker who entered the US in October 2023 was arrested by ICE on February 22, 2026 and detained at California City Detention Facility. He had been working as an electrician since 2025 with no criminal history. The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding his detention violated due process.

Ricardo del Pino Olivera, a 67-year-old Cuban man, was deported from the United States to Mexico on July 3, 2025, after serving a 17-year sentence. On July 31, he applied for refugee status in Mexico but struggled to find formal employment or access essential services. The Amparito shelter in Villahermosa began advocating on his behalf, after which he gained access to advanced medical treatment. He was repeatedly hospitalized beginning December 12, and by early January he was severely malnourished and still lacked legal documentation. Ricardo died on February 21, 2026. His death certificate listed his nationality as 'unknown.'

Angie Rodriguez, a 24-year-old Colombian asylum seeker, was detained by ICE in July 2025 following a routine immigration check-in and sent to the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield, California. She discovered she was pregnant while in custody but received no prenatal vitamins, medical care, or nutrition education for weeks afterward. Facility meals were inedible to her due to their appearance and smell, forcing her to rely on costly commissary items like instant ramen, chips, and candy. After experiencing brown discharge, she was transported to an off-site hospital where she miscarried, then placed in medical isolation before her eventual release. Her case is among more than a dozen documented by the ACLU involving pregnant women held without proper medical care in immigration detention. Rodriguez has filed a lawsuit alleging unconstitutional detention, arguing that the stress of her arrest combined with inadequate food and lack of prenatal care may have contributed to her miscarriage.

Nayra Guzmán, a 22-year-old Mexican asylum seeker and U-visa applicant living in Cicero, Illinois, was detained by ICE agents while driving to visit her premature newborn daughter in the NICU, about 15 days after an emergency C-section complicated by preeclampsia. Her mother and brother were also detained despite presenting valid work permits and documentation showing they had lived in the U.S. since 2022 after fleeing cartel violence. Guzmán, who has Type 1 diabetes and was suffering postpartum pain and a breast infection, was held for roughly 34 to 36 hours at the Broadview Processing Center, a facility that has faced allegations of overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and limited medical care. During her detention she was denied postpartum care, a breast pump, medical assessment, adequate food, water, and blankets, while still trying to produce breast milk for her daughter, who remained unable to eat or breathe independently. Her detention occurred amid the Trump administration's Operation Midway Blitz enforcement campaign in the Chicago area. Lawyers petitioned for her release citing health concerns, and a federal judge ordered Guzmán and her family released on conditional bail, preventing their scheduled transfer to out-of-state facilities.

Liam Azizi and his wife Hananeh Alikaram, Iranian converts to Christianity fleeing religious persecution, were separated after only Azizi received asylum approval. Alikaram's asylum request was denied and she is being held in Louisiana awaiting deportation to Iran, where she faces prosecution for her religious conversion.

Nikita, Oksana, and their three children—fleeing Russia due to Nikita's outspoken opposition to President Vladimir Putin—were released from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center after more than four months in federal custody, exceeding the 20-day limit for holding minors set by federal court settlement. The family reported enduring worms and mold in food, hourslong waits for medicine in bitter cold or rain, repetitive and sometimes inedible meals, and nonexistent schooling. Their daughter Kamilla suffered a recurring ear infection that, compounded by what parents described as lax medical care, resulted in partial hearing loss. The family was freed following legal intervention by their attorney, a Columbia Law School professor, and media coverage by NBC News, which documented their case. After their release, other detainees erupted in applause and celebration in the dining hall.

Ludovic Mbock, a 38-year-old competitive gamer from Cameroon, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on February 17, 2026, during a routine work permit renewal check-in at the Baltimore ICE office. Mbock legally entered the U.S. as a teenager and has lived in Maryland for 18 years. He was transferred across multiple states during 25 days in detention. His lawyer and family fear deportation to Cameroon, where same-sex activity is criminalized and he faces danger as an openly gay man. A federal judge ruled he will be held for 10 days pending a bond hearing in Immigration Court.

A Cameroonian asylum seeker who fled persecution by the military presented himself at the U.S.-Mexico border on February 16, 2026, and was placed in immigration detention. He received a positive credible fear determination and was granted withholding of removal under the Convention Against Torture, but an Immigration Judge found him inadmissible and denied asylum. After 17 months in detention and two failed removal attempts (to Canada and Equatorial Guinea), the court ordered his immediate release under supervision, finding removal no longer reasonably foreseeable.

Juan, a 21-year-old from Guatemala seeking asylum, was pulled over by Olathe Police Officer Todd Boyer on February 16, 2026 for speeding and driving without a license. Boyer violated department policy by calling an ICE hotline and providing the exact stop location, leading to Juan's detention and subsequent deportation to Guatemala. Police Chief Mike Butaud confirmed the policy violation. As of June 2026, Boyer remained employed at the Olathe Police Department.

A Cuban citizen who entered the U.S. in 2021 and filed for asylum in 2022 was arrested by Lee County Sheriff's Office in Florida on February 14, 2026 for disorderly public intoxication and property damage. This encounter with police prompted ICE to arrest and detain him at California City Immigration Processing Center. The federal court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered the government to provide him a bond hearing within 14 days.