Human Impact Project

Jhony Gonzalez Merino, a Mexican national from the Triqui Indigenous group, was arrested by ICE agents in Anchorage in February 2026 after dropping off his son at school. He had applied for asylum. After initial detention at the Anchorage jail, Gonzalez Merino was transferred to the federal immigration detention center in Tacoma, Washington, where he remains.

An Iranian couple seeking asylum in the U.S. was detained and interrogated by ICE/DHS agents at their apartment less than a week after U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran in late February 2026. The couple had entered the U.S. legally on tourist visas in November 2024 and filed for asylum after receiving threats from the Iranian government, holding pending asylum applications with work permits. The husband was held for three weeks at the ICE detention facility in California City before an immigration judge granted his release on bond. His pregnant wife was questioned for hours but not arrested due to her pregnancy. Immigration attorneys said the case reflects a broader pattern of heightened scrutiny of Iranians following the strikes.

A Venezuelan woman identified only as 'Flora' to protect her safety was arrested during a routine ICE check-in and remains detained, despite pending asylum and trafficking visa applications. Flora says she was trafficked to the U.S. in 2023 and subjected to sexual assault, forced labor, and physical abuse, and her lawyers say she had recently reported herself as a trafficking victim to federal authorities before her detention. She is now held at a facility in Monroe, Louisiana, while her two children, ages 18 months and four years, have been separated from her and remain in the care of volunteers at the Maryland church where the family had previously sought refuge. Her alleged trafficker remains free. Her legal team has filed a habeas corpus petition arguing her detention violates the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, noting that at least 41 other trafficking survivors have filed similar petitions since early 2025.

Jose Lozano, a 28-year-old Worthington resident with a valid temporary permit allowing him to remain in the U.S. for five years, was detained by ICE agents on February 1, 2026, while attempting to jumpstart his minivan. Lozano, who arrived from El Salvador as an asylum seeker ten years ago, was working as a mechanic and attending college when detained. He was being held in a Minneapolis detention center with a hearing scheduled for February 28, 2026, though an earlier bond hearing was possible.

Johanny Lacruz, a Venezuelan asylum seeker and fiancée of Juan Rodriguez, was detained by ICE at a Border Patrol checkpoint in February 2026 despite having valid work authorization and no criminal record. Rodriguez observed that U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz secured the release of Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar, a teenager in the same detention facility with similar legal status, but was unable to obtain similar assistance for his fiancée. Both Lacruz and Gámez-Cuéllar were detained during the Trump administration's deportation operations.

Omar Ramos Jimenez, 50, a Mexican national who has lived in Rochester since 2004 and co-founded the La Casa restaurant, was detained by ICE after being lured to the agency's Buffalo field office under the pretext of installing a new reporting app. He had been complying with ICE check-ins for five years while pursuing an asylum appeal. His attorney filed a federal complaint alleging denial of due process and seeking his immediate release or a bond hearing. A federal judge later denied his requests for release and a bond hearing, and he remains held at a federal detention facility in Batavia while appealing that decision.

Amir, a 1-year-old whose Russian parents Alsu and Azat fled Russia fearing persecution for opposing the war in Ukraine, was detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center for approximately four months after the family presented themselves at a legal port of entry. During detention, Amir developed speech delays and began hitting himself in the face. Staff allegedly forced his weaning from formula despite his age, leaving parents struggling to provide adequate nutrition; they resorted to hiding cereal in their clothing to prevent him from going hungry. The facility lacked age-appropriate toys and Russian-language books. Amir's speech development slowed to just two words—'mom' and 'dad.' After release in January 2026, now 2 years old, Amir is laughing more, speaking more, and has stopped hitting himself, though his parents report he seems to be recovering from the experience.

Nikita and Oksana, a Russian couple who fled Russia and requested asylum at the Otay Mesa port of entry in October 2025, were detained with their three children, ages 4, 12 and 13, at Dilley Immigration Processing Center for over four months, despite a federal court limit of 20 days for detaining minors. An asylum officer found the family had credible fear of persecution based on Nikita's activism against the Russian government. During detention, the children faced worms and mold in their food, inadequate medical care, and lights that never fully dimmed; 12-year-old Kamilla developed partial hearing loss after a poorly treated infection, 13-year-old Kirill developed anxiety and panic attacks and became suicidal after staff wrongly told the family they could leave and they spent $1,500 on plane tickets before being told they could not depart, and 4-year-old Konstantin became frightened of guards. They were released a day later with new tickets, but remained in detention until February 2026, when they were freed about a week after their attorney sought their release on medical grounds and five days after NBC News reported on their conditions; DHS had said it was legally required to hold the family pending their asylum claims but did not explain its reversal. Upon release, Kirill said he wanted a Subway sandwich, Kamilla wanted sushi, and Konstantin hoped to be reunited with a stuffed animal confiscated during detention, while their parents said they most wanted to feel safe at home.

Farah, a 21-year-old gay woman from Morocco, fled her country in early 2025 after her family attacked her for her sexual orientation and sought asylum in the United States. She was detained for nearly a year while her asylum claim was processed. In August 2025, an immigration judge issued a federal protection order prohibiting her deportation to Morocco due to danger to her life. However, three days before a scheduled hearing on her release, ICE agents detained her and placed her on a flight to Cameroon—a country where homosexuality is criminalized and where she had never lived. After she refused to remain in Cameroon, she was flown to Morocco, where she is now in hiding. She is among dozens of migrants reportedly deported to third countries by the Trump administration despite holding judicial protection orders.

Maryna Ishchenko, a Ukrainian asylum seeker from eastern Ukraine, was detained by ICE during a routine check-in appointment at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. She had previously been detained at the U.S.-Mexico border when she and her U.S. citizen husband, Asael Ramirez, presented her asylum case, but was released after he agreed to sponsor her. Despite being married to a U.S. citizen and complying with all required check-ins, she was detained again. She is experiencing abdominal medical issues exacerbated by anxiety and fear while in detention. Her husband has spent $15,000 on her case and is seeking a habeas corpus petition for her release.

Elena, a Venezuelan asylum seeker with a pending case and work authorization, gave birth prematurely in early January and was forced to remain at her infant daughter's hospital bedside for 13 days due to fear of encountering ICE agents during travel to and from the facility. While recovering from a C-section, she had little rest, coordinated rides from trusted community members for frequent follow-up appointments, and moved her own care to telehealth. Her husband was unable to work during this period; he later traveled to Wisconsin for two weeks to work as a rideshare driver to pay rent and afford groceries. The family continues to shelter in place and lives in fear of detention despite Elena's open asylum case and work authorization, having witnessed others with similar immigration status being detained.

A non-citizen who entered the U.S. without lawful admission in December 2021 was detained by ICE on January 30, 2026 after appearing at a scheduled appointment in Los Angeles. He had previously missed an immigration court hearing on January 12, 2026, resulting in a removal order. The court granted his habeas petition and ordered he receive a bond hearing within seven days or be released.

Sithy Yi, a Cambodian Genocide survivor who arrived in the U.S. in 1981, was released from ICE detention following a federal judge's order. Yi was detained at a routine immigration check-in in Santa Ana on January 8 and held at the Adelanto Detention Facility for almost two months.

Javier Gimenez Rivero is a high school student from Venezuela living in Orange County with a pending asylum claim and valid U.S. Employment Authorization. He was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol and held in Orange County Jail for 18 days without criminal charges, a notice to appear, a warrant, a hearing, or written notice of the basis for his detention, according to a federal judge's order. His attorneys, Phillip and Josephine Arroyo, say Rivero is devastated and traumatized. A federal judge ordered his release, stating "In this country, we don't enforce the law by breaking the law," and found numerous constitutional violations in his detention. Rivero now has a hearing scheduled for 2028 to review his asylum claim.

Diana Elizabeth Cartagena Hueso, a 29-year-old Salvadoran asylum seeker detained in New Jersey on January 27, 2026, was transferred five times despite a federal court order blocking transfers. A federal judge ruled her detention illegal and found the government had violated at least 72 court orders since December in similar cases, warning he would require prosecutors to testify under oath if violations continued. The judge noted the government's conduct was intentional misconduct and that Hueso's case was emblematic of the administration's illegal approach to immigration enforcement in the state.

Francoise Makuiza, a 32-year-old asylum seeker, was arrested by ICE on Friday morning while leaving for work at an assisted living facility in Portland. According to her attorney, Makuiza has no criminal history in Maine, has lived there for over 12 years, is the mother of a U.S. citizen, and was previously granted refugee status by Colombia after fleeing genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her detention is part of an ICE enforcement surge that has resulted in more than 200 arrests in Maine, including asylum seekers complying with immigration officials and immigrants married to U.S. citizens.

Elvis Tipan-Echeverria, an Ecuadorian citizen, and his 2-year-old daughter were taken into ICE custody on January 23, 2026, during a vehicle encounter at their home in Minneapolis. Despite a federal court order issued that evening requiring the child's immediate release, both were flown to Texas the same night. The toddler, who has lived in Minneapolis since arriving as a newborn and has a pending asylum application, was returned to her mother on January 24. Her father remains in ICE custody. The detention was part of a broader ICE operation in Minnesota that resulted in at least nine children being detained in January 2026, including a 5-year-old detained on his way home from preschool and several other minors ranging from elementary school age to teenagers. Federal judges ordered the return of several other children and parents to Minnesota after they were transferred to a detention center in Texas.

A Chinese citizen who entered the U.S. without inspection in July 2023 was re-detained by ICE on January 23, 2026, when he appeared for a routine check-in. He had been living freely in Los Angeles under an Order of Release on Recognizance since 2023 and filed an asylum application based on fear of political persecution in China. The court ordered his immediate release, finding his re-detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated his due process rights.

Three Venezuelan nationals with pending asylum cases were arrested by ICE agents on Friday morning in front of the Drachman Montessori Magnet School on 22nd Street and South 10th Avenue, with dozens of children on the playground nearby. According to a family member, the three—a husband, brother, and sister-in-law—had been regularly checking in with ICE every three months and had proper documentation showing they were legally present while their cases were being processed. One agent was carrying pepper spray during the arrest, and the sister-in-law was arrested after questioning an officer.

Arnoldo Tiul Caal, a Guatemalan asylum-seeker who had lived in Spokane since 2019, and his 10-year-old daughter Karla, a fourth-grader at Logan Elementary School, were detained by federal agents after a school drop-off on January 9-10, 2026. Border Patrol alleged the father had missed multiple required immigration check-ins while his asylum case was pending, though he held a valid work permit and had no criminal history. The pair were transferred to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, prompting condemnation from Washington state leaders who cited the family's community ties and a scheduled 2027 asylum court hearing. A federal judge ordered their release on January 23, 2026.