Human Impact Project

Jorge, an Ecuadorian national living in Queens, was arrested by ICE agents at 26 Federal Plaza while attending a required check-in, with his pregnant wife Jessica waiting outside. He was deported to Ecuador before meeting his newborn daughter, Maite Cristina, who was born shortly after his arrest. Jorge had fled Ecuador after his brother was killed by gang members and was in the process of resolving his immigration status after marrying Jessica, a U.S. citizen, wearing an ankle monitor at the time of his detention. Jessica, an elder care worker, has since struggled financially and emotionally, losing the family's apartment to eviction and caring alone for Maite, her 9-year-old son Dylan, and Jorge's children from a prior relationship. Friends pooled money so Jessica and the children could travel to Ecuador to meet Jorge in person, while the family awaits approval of an I-130 petition that attorneys say could take years to resolve.

Saúl Zermeño, a 45-year-old with deferred action status who had lived in the U.S. for 36 years, was deported to Mexico on October 3 after attending a routine ICE check-in appointment. He had been the sole caregiver for his 15-year-old U.S. citizen son, Damian, a 10th grader with autism, ADHD, neurofibromatosis Type 1, epilepsy, and one kidney, since the boy's mother chose not to be involved in his life. Damian learned of his father's deportation from an aunt after returning home from school and said he initially didn't believe it, retreating to his room and losing his appetite. Since then, Damian, who doesn't drive and has limited cooking skills, has had to navigate daily life largely alone, experiencing depression, anxiety, academic decline, and withdrawal from activities.

Mario Guevara, an Emmy-award-winning Spanish-language journalist who lived in Atlanta for nearly 22 years with a valid work permit, was arrested on June 14, 2025, while live-streaming a 'No Kings' protest in DeKalb County, Georgia, and charged with obstruction, unlawful assembly, and improperly entering a roadway. Though a judge granted him bond, ICE placed a hold on him and he spent over 100 days in detention, including up to 22 hours daily in solitary confinement, separated from his wife and children. A federal judge questioned the legality of his detention, and the ACLU and his attorneys argued it violated his constitutional rights to free speech and due process, while the government claimed broad discretion to detain him and denied targeting him for his journalism, citing a decade-old removal order. The Bureau of Immigration Appeals ordered his removal on September 19, and he was deported to El Salvador on October 3, 2025, after which he continued working as a journalist, reporting from Central America and speaking at international press freedom conferences.

Oscar Polanco was detained at a biometrics appointment in October and deported to Guatemala, a country he had not lived in for 20 years. His wife Geraldine, a dentist from Peru who sought asylum after robberies at her practice, witnessed his arrest; Oscar had filed paperwork to be included in her asylum case. The couple, who met at a church in West Adams and married in 2023, were separated for nearly three months before reuniting in Peru. They now plan to relocate together and rebuild their lives in Guatemala.

Multiple Haitian nationals deported from the United States described arriving in Haiti with little money and missing property. Reginald Dorvilma, 36, arrested in Orlando after a fight with his roommate, said a friend disappeared with his banking password and money, leaving him with less than $40 and no way to pay for a dangerous trip home through gang-controlled territory. Dikenson Gerard, 29, said his hometown of Gressier had become so dangerous his family fled, and he feared being killed trying to reach them. Natacha Antoine, 42, a former nurse's aide who lived in Indianapolis for four years and cared for 10 patients, was deported after being accused of a sham marriage, which she denies, and said she was shackled during the flight and never had her $600 passport returned. Ribeneks Dorvil, 29, detained at a Marion County immigration court hearing after five years in Indianapolis, said his iPhone worth up to $2,000 went missing from his returned property. Bruno Chery, 34, arrested at a Massachusetts court hearing while carrying more than $6,000, said authorities never gave him access to the money after moving him between detention facilities, saying, 'I lost everything.' A Human Rights Watch report released in September, based on interviews with 44 deportees, found the U.S. has deported more than 470 people to Haiti since July, with flights landing in Cap-Haitien because the Port-au-Prince airport is considered too dangerous; the city's population has tripled to more than 1 million as it absorbs new arrivals. Interviewees said they went hours without food or water and days without bathing while in U.S. detention, and that documents and money were not returned upon arrival. One 38-year-old man interviewed for the report had lived in Florida since 2019 working at the same hotel for six years before being deported, leaving behind his wife and 5-year-old U.S.-citizen son.

Carlton Junior Burke, a 25-year-old Jamaican national, was arrested by ICE at his home in Madison, Wisconsin on October 1, 2025, after overstaying a B2 tourist visa he entered on in 2021. Burke says his passport and driver's licenses were taken during detention and not returned to him, disputing DHS's claim that ICE does not confiscate documents. He had built a life in the U.S., married, and was attempting to adjust his immigration status when arrested. Burke was transferred through multiple detention facilities over several months, including county jails and a correctional facility in Indiana, where he raised concerns about food quality, limited medical assistance, and inadequate family communication. He was granted voluntary departure on January 7, 2026, and ultimately left the country on January 28, 2026, leaving his wife and young child behind in the United States.

Jean, a 33-year-old Haitian, was deported from the United States to Mexico in late October 2025. He was transferred by bus to Villahermosa, then relocated to Cancún, where he was left without official assistance or resources. He submitted an asylum application to COMAR in mid-November but has not received confirmation of receipt. Jean cannot work because he is undocumented, cannot leave Quintana Roo state where he filed his application, and cannot access banking services or receive money from relatives.

Michael James Garcia, a 39-year-old marine engineer with a valid crew visa, was interrogated by CBP agents aboard a Viking Ocean Cruises ship docked in Charleston on October 1, 2025. Agents claimed his email was linked to child pornography but never provided evidence or filed charges against him. Without a formal criminal proceeding or due process, his visa was revoked and he received a 10-year ban from entering the United States.

A Chicago couple was arrested during Operation Midway Blitz just eight days after getting married. The wife was deported to Mexico while the husband remained in detention in Michigan. Despite being named in a federal lawsuit alleging unlawful arrests, a judge ordered the husband's removal to El Salvador.

Catalina 'Xóchitl' Santiago, a 28-year-old DACA recipient and community organizer from El Paso, was detained by Border Patrol agents on August 3, 2025, at El Paso International Airport while traveling for work with her wife, Desiree Miller, a U.S. citizen whom Santiago married earlier in 2025. Despite holding valid DACA status since 2012—renewed seven times with her current renewal expiring in April 2026—Santiago was subjected to deportation proceedings. Originally from Mexico, Santiago has lived in the U.S. since age 8. On October 1, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone ruled that Santiago's arrest and detention violated her Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights and ordered her release from the ICE El Paso Service Processing Center. Judge Cardone found that the government presented no evidence that Santiago endangered anyone during her twenty years at liberty, including her thirteen years under DACA, and failed to articulate any individualized reason for her detention. Santiago's brother Jose said the family was deeply affected by her detention and expressed relief at her release.

An unnamed Iranian man in his 40s, who participated in the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests against mandatory hijab laws, fled Iran in 2024 with his wife and another couple. He arrived at the U.S. border later that year; his pregnant wife was released on parole but he remained in ICE custody. On September 30, 2025, despite his resistance and pleas that he would be killed if returned, he was placed in a restraint jacket and forcibly deported on a flight from Alexandria, Louisiana. After the plane arrived in Tehran, ICE handed over his belongings—including his cell phone and communications with his lawyer—to Iranian authorities. The man, who is Kurdish, fled over 300 miles west to Iraqi Kurdistan that first night. His wife and newborn child, who remain in Kentucky, have not seen him since.

Miguel Ángel García, 31, died after being removed from life support following a shooting attack at an ICE field office in Dallas. García was among detainees in an ICE transport van when a gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop in an attack federal investigators said was intended to target immigration officers.

West Africans deported from the United States to Ghana under a deportation agreement were subsequently transferred to Togo without proper documentation or identification papers. Between six and ten individuals, including nationals from Nigeria, Liberia, Gambia, and Togo, arrived in Ghana via U.S. military plane in shackles after being detained in U.S. facilities. Despite some having legal protections against deportation, they were transferred across the border to Togo and left on the street. Their lawyers pursued legal cases arguing rights violations, though some legal challenges against Ghana's government were withdrawn.

Newly released internal ICE emails show the agency coordinated closely with Iranian officials, who requested last-minute additions and changes to deportation lists, as the U.S. sent more than 100 Iranian nationals back to Iran on three charter flights in September and December 2025 and January 2026. Deportees included political activists and religious minorities who feared persecution, and one man reportedly attempted suicide before ICE agents physically forced him onto the plane. The emails, obtained by the National Iranian American Council, show the flights proceeded even as ICE officials acknowledged Iranians were fleeing the country after its 12-day war with the U.S. and Israel, marking a reversal of longstanding U.S. policy that had generally allowed Iranians to remain due to persecution risks.

Esteban Rios, a Mexican national who immigrated to the U.S. over 30 years ago, was detained by ICE agents on September 28, 2025, at Camp Pendleton while attempting to visit his pregnant daughter with his wife Luisa Rodriguez. Initially released with an ankle monitor, he was detained again when he checked in with ICE days later and was deported on Friday, October 10, 2025. The family has pending green card applications sponsored by his son, U.S. Marine Steve Rios, and says they have no criminal history.

Ian Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools and a native of Guyana, was arrested by ICE on September 26, 2025, on a fugitive warrant after living in the U.S. illegally following a federal immigration judge's removal order. Roberts entered the country on an F-1 student visa in 1999, and his work authorization expired in 2020; he had falsely claimed U.S. citizenship when hired by the district in 2023. During the arrest, authorities found him in possession of a loaded handgun, a hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash, and he reportedly fled in a school-provided vehicle before being apprehended with state patrol assistance. He has prior weapons charges on his record and is expected to plead guilty to federal charges of making false statements on employment verification forms. Roberts is no longer serving as superintendent of the district.

Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian-born imam and hospital chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, was detained by ICE on July 9, 2025, during a routine immigration check-in appointment after USCIS terminated his asylum status. Authorities alleged he provided material support to terrorists through involvement with an Egyptian charity organization. During approximately 10 weeks in custody at Butler County Jail, Soliman was held in freezing conditions, placed in isolation, and denied access to his attorney. The Department of Homeland Security subsequently withdrew its deportation case after court filings documented errors and inconsistencies in the government's evidence. Soliman was released in mid-to-late September 2025, his asylum status was reinstated, and his green card application was revived.

Miguel Angel Garcia-Hernandez, 32, died from injuries sustained in a sniper-style shooting at a Dallas ICE facility on September 24. He was shot at least eight times and had been in critical condition at Parkland Hospital before being removed from life support. Garcia-Hernandez was the second victim to die from the attack, leaving behind his wife and four children.

ICE agents pointed guns at and smashed the window of a car carrying a couple and their 1-month-old baby in Alamosa on September 24, 2025. The agents arrested Jose Aguilera, 33, from Mexico, who was returning from a court hearing with his partner and infant son. The arrest violated a 2020 Colorado law prohibiting ICE arrests of people going to or coming from courthouses.

Vicente (a pseudonym), a 60-year-old Cuban baseball coach who trained players who went on to the professional ranks, left Cuba for Venezuela in 2009, where he met his wife and raised his children. After receiving threats from Cuba's Interior Ministry investigators, who called him "a traitor" and warned his family would "pay the price," he crossed the Darién Gap and the Rio Grande in 2023, hoping to build a better future for his nine-year-old son. After months in detention at Port Isabel and the Geauga County Safety Center, he was released and reunited with his wife and son in Ontario, California, on Christmas Day 2023. He never missed an ICE check-in while working with a lawyer toward legal residency. Around August 2025, at what he believed was a routine check-in, an agent led him to a separate room where four officers handcuffed his hands, legs, and feet. "It was all a lie. A set-up," he said. He was held in an overcrowded Los Angeles basement holding room with more than 80 people, bused to Arizona and then to Camp East Montana in El Paso, and deported to Villahermosa, Mexico, in August 2025. He now lives in a 15-square-meter concrete-block house, volunteers coaching a youth baseball team, and has built an incubator to raise Japanese quail. "There's nothing I've done that justifies why I was separated from my family," he said. Last Christmas his family sent him a photo of the stockings on their fireplace in Ontario, including one embroidered with his name.