Human Impact Project

Jose Pineda, a Salvadoran man with Temporary Protected Status working as a landscaper in East Boston, was stopped by ICE officers while on his way to work. Despite presenting valid Social Security and work authorization cards, agents refused to accept his documents and detained him for nearly two days in an overcrowded holding cell at the ICE Boston Field Office with approximately 50 other people where conditions were poor—he could not sit or sleep and received minimal food and water. His $600 in rent savings was not returned. The detention caused him frequent headaches, anxiety, memory loss, and worsened gastritis. His absence from work resulted in a demotion from lead foreman to assistant. He now experiences recurring nightmares and sleeps separately from his wife out of fear of harming her. He has filed a tort claim against the federal government.

Dolores Bustamante Romero, a 54-year-old apple picker and farmworker advocate from Wayne County, New York, was detained by ICE on April 22, 2026, during a mandatory check-in appointment at the Buffalo office without notice that her supervised release was being revoked. A Mexican national who fled gender violence in 2003 and arrived in the U.S. seeking asylum, Bustamante has lived in upstate New York since 2012 and was a well-known advocate for migrant farmworkers and member of Alianza Agricola. She was instrumental in securing New York's Green Light Law and an executive order banning State Police from inquiring about immigration status. She had no criminal record and had attended four previous check-in appointments without incident while enrolled in an alternatives-to-detention program under the Biden administration. U.S. District Judge Meredith Vacca ordered ICE to return her to Western New York and held an evidentiary hearing on May 26, 2026, to review whether ICE violated her due process rights by detaining her without proper notice.

Marvin Suazo, 43, self-deported to Honduras on May 25, 2026, after ICE agents raided his workplace and deported six of his employees earlier in the year. Suazo had lived in the U.S. undocumented since 2014, after fleeing violence and economic hardship in Honduras and seeking asylum, but a prior deportation made him ineligible to stay legally. His wife Maribel and daughters, including Samantha, who became a U.S. citizen in 2025, and 11-year-old Zhoe, remained in the country. Before his departure, the family took a final trip together, visiting Washington, D.C., Orlando and Miami, following Samantha's graduation from Yale University, with photojournalist John Moore documenting their farewell at the Miami airport.

An ICE enforcement operation targeting the Dover family occurred in a New Jersey residential neighborhood. The Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center documented the incident and issued a statement condemning what they characterize as a violent enforcement action that separated families and created fear in immigrant communities.

On May 18, 2026, ICE agents detained 31-year-old DACA recipient and community organizer Karla Toledo at her Tucson home without presenting a judicial warrant, despite her maintaining valid DACA status since age 1 and having no criminal record. ICE agents were reportedly searching for someone else when they arrested Toledo. DHS alleged Toledo assaulted a federal officer and illegally entered the U.S. in October 2024—claims she disputed using video footage showing her compliance and asserting she had legally used advance parole authorization available to DACA recipients. During the arrest, agents allegedly used force to prevent the door from closing and denied her attorney access. Her mother, Veronica Ortiz, held a press conference pleading for her release, and attorney Mo Goldman stated allegations of assault were fabricated, with surveillance footage supporting Toledo's account. Following community protests and statements by U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva, Mexican consulate representatives, and local nonprofits, Toledo was approved for a $1,500 bond and released from Eloy Detention Center. One day after dismissing an earlier deportation case, DHS filed a second notice to appear in immigration court against Toledo.

Daniel Romero, 18, a Colombian national and recent graduate of Ooltewah High School in Tennessee, was taken into ICE custody on May 18, 2026, during what his family believed was a routine appointment related to an immigration program. ICE cited missed check-ins and failure to submit required weekly photos as reasons for detention. Romero's family disputed the allegations, claiming the check-in app malfunctioned for four weeks and provided documented evidence of the technical error, but officials did not allow Romero to present this proof before his arrest. Records provided by the family indicated compliance with program requirements. He was held at Etowah County Jail in Alabama before being transferred to a detention center in Louisiana, where no bond, video calls, or visitation were allowed.

Javier Anibal Melgar was detained by ICE officers on May 15, 2026, while sitting in his vehicle at 1259 Park Avenue in Bridgeport, Connecticut, as he prepared to take his 16-year-old son to school in New Haven. ICE described the arrest as part of "targeted operations" and said Melgar is from El Salvador, entered the country illegally in 2005, and had a final removal order issued by an immigration judge in October 2006. Officers allowed Melgar to contact his wife, who arrived to pick up their son before he was taken into custody. Connecticut lawmakers, including State Rep. Christopher Rosario, condemned the arrest as a violation of ICE's sensitive location policies, and groups including Make the Road Connecticut and the Bridgeport Rapid Response Network are now supporting the family.

Clara Linhares, a 17-year-old high school student, says her mother, Rita Linhares, 46, was detained by ICE shortly before Clara's graduation and is now held at the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey, awaiting resolution of her immigration case. Clara told Status Coup's Jordan Chariton, and later a Brazilian outlet, that she has experienced worsening hair loss from alopecia, which she attributes to the stress of her mother's detention, and removed her wig on camera to show the condition. She said she lives with constant worry about her mother's health, as Rita has reported struggling to receive medication for glaucoma, anemia, high blood pressure, and circulation problems in custody, though DHS says she received adequate medical care. Clara also said she fears her father could be detained during a routine ICE check-in scheduled for the same day as her graduation.

Sofia, 35, an undocumented woman with no criminal record who was brought from Ciudad Juárez to El Paso as a child, was surrounded by masked ICE officers pointing guns at her outside her Central El Paso workplace on May 22, 2026, while leaving during a shift break. She was handcuffed and taken to the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico, where she was held for about 50 days before being released on bond with a GPS monitor and required check-ins with a deportation officer. Her mother said Sofia is now raising her two children, ages 11 and 16, after her husband died in a car accident six months earlier, and that the family cannot afford a private attorney for her upcoming removal hearing.

A Venezuelan man who fled to the United States in November 2021 was granted humanitarian parole and settled in Ennis, Texas with his wife and child, where he applied for asylum and temporary protected status. On May 22, 2026, ICE officers detained him after he was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily injury, a charge that remains pending. He was offered a custody redetermination hearing on August 14, 2026, but allegedly refused to sign the hearing request form. He filed a habeas corpus petition and motion for a temporary restraining order in federal court seeking release, arguing he was denied due process before his parole was revoked. The government argued his detention was governed by a different statute in light of recent Ninth Circuit precedent and that a material change in circumstances justified his continued detention. The court found he has a protected liberty interest but concluded that, given the pending assault charge, a post-deprivation bond hearing rather than immediate release was appropriate. The court ordered that he receive a substantive bond hearing within 14 days, with the government bearing the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that he poses a danger or flight risk.

Andry Hernández Romero, a gay makeup artist from Venezuela, legally entered the U.S. in August 2024 and passed a credible fear interview for asylum. In March 2025, the Trump administration deported him to CECOT, a maximum security prison in El Salvador, under the Alien Enemies Act as part of a broader deportation of 237 Venezuelan migrants. Authorities cited tattoos allegedly linking him to gang activity, which his family disputed as relating to a local cultural festival. Hernández Romero was detained in CECOT for over four months before being released in July 2025 as part of a prisoner swap. He was subsequently returned to Venezuela rather than allowed to remain in the U.S. His case became part of a class-action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act for deportations. A Venezuelan makeup artist was deported to El Salvador and subsequently traveled to Spain to seek asylum. The person states they feel safe in Spain and is pursuing asylum protection there.

Yenniffer Natalia England, a 32-year-old DACA recipient and nurse's assistant with valid work authorization through 2027, was detained by Texas state troopers on February 16, 2026, after a traffic stop for a suspended driver's license stemming from an unpaid speeding ticket. She was arrested while driving her brother and daughter to get tacos. ICE agents were tipped off by county jail staff and transferred her to El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas. During her nearly three-month detention, her two daughters, ages 12 and 14, remained without her care. Her brother Francisco De La Rosa stated: "This is just tearing us apart. She's like the glue that keeps our family together." Community supporters from La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) organized protests calling for her release. An immigration judge initially denied her bond and issued a deportation order despite her legal DACA status and 28-year residence in the United States. On May 21, 2026, a federal judge granted England a writ of habeas corpus, ordering her release on the condition of wearing an ankle monitor.

Denis Isaías Anariba Herrera, a 24-year-old Honduran, was deported on Christmas Eve 2025 and died of heat exposure while attempting to return to his one-year-old daughter and wife in the United States. He had lived in Houston for five years before his deportation. After spending approximately two months in Mexico, Anariba boarded a Union Pacific freight train in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, headed toward Texas in May 2026. He died inside a railroad container along with six other migrants from extreme temperatures while trapped in the car. His mother, Denia Herrera, recalled his last message to her: "Never forget my little girl, always go see her, visit her." His father, Isaías Anariba, a 47-year-old farmer and construction worker, had emigrated to the U.S. when Denis was a child. His aunt Lilian described him as hardworking and quiet. His family is raising funds for his funeral, planned for May 21 in Houston.

Jose was detained by ICE on May 21, 2026 without a warrant while taking his 3-year-old daughter to school and transported to Aurora ICE detention facility. He had a pending immigration case since 2024 to adjust his immigration status and was awaiting USCIS office response at the time of detention. His family is facing emotional and financial hardship as a result.

Etinosa Osahon, a 49-year-old Nigerian lawful permanent resident who came to the U.S. in 2002, was granted protection under the Convention Against Torture in 2012 after an immigration judge found Nigerian officials had tortured him, tying him to a tree, beating him, hanging him from a ceiling and forcing him to stare at the sun. He lived in California with his U.S. citizen wife and three U.S. citizen children and complied with ICE supervision for 14 years. In May, he was detained by ICE at what he believed was a routine check-in at the agency's Los Angeles field office and deported through Ghana toward Nigeria. After Ghanaian officials said he would be sent on to Nigeria, he fled into hiding in neighboring Togo, where his attorneys say he has contracted malaria and lacks legal status or medical care. A federal judge found the government likely acted in "flagrant violation" of his due-process rights and its own regulations by removing him without revoking his supervision or torture protections, and ordered officials to disclose his location and detail steps to bring him back.

Three undocumented immigrants—Ignacio Sosnava Rodriguez, Miguel Angel Gomez Alvarado, and Alejandro Villegas Angel—were detained by ICE after police stops in Taylor, Texas between November 2025 and February 2026. All three had lived in the U.S. for 14-22 years with no criminal records and were held without bond hearings. Federal judges ruled their detention violated due process rights and ordered their release. The Trump administration appealed, and their cases are now before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which will decide whether undocumented immigrants have constitutional rights to challenge their detention.

Rafie Ollah Shouhed, a 79-year-old U.S. citizen and owner of Valley Car Wash in Van Nuys, California, was physically assaulted by immigration agents during a September 9, 2025 raid on his business. When Shouhed questioned the operation and attempted to vouch for employees being arrested, masked agents forced him to the ground. Surveillance footage shows an agent striking him while three agents tackled him as he pleaded for an ambulance, stating he had recently undergone heart surgery and couldn't breathe. One agent pressed a knee on his neck while applying additional physical force. The incident resulted in broken ribs, an injured elbow, and post-concussive symptoms of a traumatic brain injury. Shouhed was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center and held for 12 hours without medical attention before being released without charges. He filed a $50 million civil rights lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A teenager's father was arrested by ICE. The mother, who works as a cleaner and does not drive, now bears sole financial responsibility for the household, including $2,500 monthly rent, utilities, and legal fees. The family launched a fundraiser to help cover expenses.

Karla Soriano's husband was arrested and deported to Honduras five months prior to the article publication. Left to support two sons alone, Soriano has struggled to find stable employment—one employer threatened to call ICE when she asked to be paid. She is considering self-deporting to avoid potential detention, fearing she could be held in a detention center for five to six months.

ICE agents stopped a blue sedan in the area of 11th Street and Jackson Street in North Chicago on Wednesday morning around 8:20 a.m. and detained the driver while a child was present in the vehicle. The detention was part of continued ICE enforcement activity across the Lake County area, with agents also conducting operations in Waukegan on the same day.