Human Impact Project

Emerson Colindres, a 19-year-old high school graduate and soccer player from Cincinnati, was detained by ICE on June 4, 2025, during a routine check-in appointment at an Intensive Supervision Appearance Program facility in Blue Ash, Ohio. Colindres arrived in the U.S. from Honduras at age 8 with his family after they fled gang violence and sought asylum. His asylum case and appeal were denied in 2023, with a final removal order issued. Despite having no criminal record and regularly checking in with ICE as required, he was deported to Honduras on June 17. After learning of her son's deportation, his mother Ada Bell Baquedano Amador—who had been ordered to wear an ankle monitor in April 2025—obtained passports and plane tickets. On June 24, Baquedano Amador and Colindres' sister self-deported to Honduras to reunite with him. The detention sparked protests from his soccer teammates and community members.

Caroline Dias Goncalves, a 19-year-old University of Utah nursing student from Brazil, was detained by ICE on June 5, 2025, following a traffic stop by a Mesa County Sheriff's deputy on Interstate 70 near Fruita, Colorado. The deputy shared information about her in a group chat used for drug interdiction efforts, which ICE agents then used to target her for immigration enforcement. Goncalves, who immigrated to the U.S. at age 7 and has a pending asylum application, was held at an ICE facility in Aurora, Colorado for 15 days, where she reported receiving poor quality food and confusing schedules, and observed differential treatment based on English proficiency. She was released on bond on June 20, 2025, and became a named plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against ICE leadership.

A man was arrested by ICE on June 15, 2025, in Anaheim, California, while entering a store. He has been detained for over 7 months despite being in the process of obtaining residency through USCIS and having no criminal record. He has suffered serious health complications including hospitalization for oxygen deprivation, legal injustices including attorney abandonment, and needs funds for legal representation before his final asylum hearing in June.

Sayed Naser, an Afghan national who worked as a translator and contractor for U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, was detained by ICE agents in June 2025 during a hearing at a San Diego immigration court, after entering the U.S. legally in July 2024 under humanitarian parole while his asylum case was pending. On September 26, federal judge Gonzalo Curiel ordered his release from Otay Mesa Detention Center, ruling that the government violated his due process rights by revoking his parole without notice and placing him in expedited removal despite his pending case. Video of his arrest went viral, prompting veteran-run nonprofits Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and AfghanEvac to launch “Battle Buddies,” a program in which over 1,000 veterans now accompany Afghans to immigration hearings. Naser, reunited with friends and family after his release, said he remains hopeful because of the support he received from Americans.

A mass protest occurred at Spokane's ICE facility after former City Council President Ben Stuckart called for people to prevent two asylum-seeking immigrants from being transported to a Tacoma detention center. Federal Homeland Security Investigations agents used physical force against protesters, while Spokane police later arrived and employed dialogue-based tactics. Three protesters—Bajun Mavalwalla II, Justice Forral, and Jac Archer—were charged with conspiring against ICE agents, and their trial examined the differing enforcement approaches.

Valentina Galvis, a Colombian asylum seeker, went to Chicago Immigration Court on June 5, 2025, expecting a hearing after her husband Camilo had been granted asylum in the same court two weeks earlier; the couple had fled far-right paramilitary violence in Colombia in 2022, and Galvis had survived a brutal assault by the group. Instead, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss her case, and plainclothes agents detained her immediately after she left the courtroom. Galvis and her seven-month-old son Naythan, a U.S. citizen, were taken by ICE contractor MVM Inc. to a Sonesta hotel near O'Hare Airport, where they were confined to a two-room suite for five days under constant guard, with the phone removed and no information given about their whereabouts. ICE's online locator falsely showed Galvis being held more than 700 miles away in Washington, D.C. Her attorney filed a habeas corpus petition, and a judge ordered she not be removed from Illinois, but ICE did not inform her of this. She was released on the fifth day to ICE's Intensive Supervision Appearance Program office and fitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet; her asylum case dismissal is now on appeal with a new case pending.

Federal immigration officials conducted a raid targeting day laborers in the parking lot of a Home Depot in Santa Ana on Monday. A 50-year-old man from Peru was detained after agents arrived and began taking workers into custody, but was released after producing asylum seeker documents. The man said agents pointed guns at the group and took several people into custody in front of the store on MacArthur Boulevard.

Jesus, a Venezuelan seeking asylum, was detained by ICE while on his way to work in Southeast Portland. He has no criminal record and has complied with asylum process requirements. His detention has left his Guatemalan partner, who is pregnant and caring for a 9-year-old son, without her partner and primary breadwinner.

Dzhakhar Aslambekov, a 27-year-old Russian citizen, entered the US in February 2024 and was initially released on parole in March 2024. In June 2025, ICE re-arrested him through a targeted enforcement operation after he had been working as a delivery driver and complying with immigration proceedings. The court ordered his immediate release, finding his re-detention without a hearing violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights.

Randy Mesa Padrón, a 30-year-old Cuban barber, was detained by ICE on June 3, 2025, immediately after an immigration judge dismissed his asylum case without hearing his attorney's arguments. Mesa had entered the U.S. legally in February 2022 with an I-220A parole form and attended all required appointments. ICE officers were waiting in the courthouse hallway and arrested him as he left, transferring him first to a detention center in Pompano Beach where he was pressured to sign a voluntary deportation order within 24 hours, which he refused. He was later moved to Adams County Correctional Center in Mississippi. His wife launched a GoFundMe campaign that raised over $5,000 for legal defense, while his attorney pursued an appeal and habeas corpus petition challenging the detention. As of June 2025, Mesa remained in custody over a year after his initial detention.

An 11th grade student from Queens was detained by ICE agents outside a local courthouse while attending a scheduled immigration court hearing to seek asylum. The student's whereabouts remain unknown to their family, causing significant distress. NYC Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles Ramos confirmed the detention and reaffirmed the school system's commitment to maintaining schools as safe spaces for all students.

ICE agents arrested multiple immigrants at the San Antonio Immigration Court on May 29, 2025, as they appeared for scheduled court hearings. At least one individual, possibly a minor, was detained using a zip tie. The arrests included a family with four children and were witnessed by staff from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained several migrants outside San Antonio Immigration Court on Thursday, including at least three families with seven people arrested in less than an hour. Activists confirmed that a 3-year-old child was loaded onto a bus with his mother and taken away by ICE. The detentions occurred as families appeared for court hearings.

Marina Lopez, a woman seeking asylum from Guatemala, was detained by ICE on June 4, 2025, during a routine check-in appointment and spent seven months in a Kentucky detention center. The federal government provided no evidence or explanation for her detention, and she was released on December 23, 2025, after a judge found the government had no record justifying her continued imprisonment. During her detention, her church community provided extensive support to her family, organizing fundraising, childcare, and daily assistance.

A 50-year-old El Salvador citizen who has lived in the U.S. for approximately 20 years was detained by ICE agents during a traffic stop in North Hills, California on June 3, 2025. ICE agents pulled over his vehicle, asked for documentation, and took him into custody after he could not establish lawful immigration status. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release from the Adelanto ICE Processing Center where he had been held for over 10 months.

A 24-year-old transgender asylum seeker from Mexico was detained by ICE officers outside a Portland immigration courtroom on June 2, 2025, after appearing for a scheduled court hearing. The woman, who fled Mexico after being raped and threatened by cartel members, had applied for asylum in February 2025 and was arrested in the courtroom lobby without being offered legal counsel or opportunity to be heard before detention.

Yasmir Marquez, a Venezuelan man with a pending asylum claim and work authorization, was detained by ICE agents outside the Richard C. White Federal Building in El Paso immediately after his immigration hearing on May 29, 2025. Agents presented a Department of Justice document stating his notice to appear had been "improvidently issued" and that circumstances had changed, allowing for his removal proceedings to be reinitiated. A friend who witnessed the arrest said agents initially called him by the wrong name before detaining him. Marquez is currently being held at the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico.

A Guatemalan national identified as O.C.G. who was deported to Mexico has been returned to the United States following a federal judge's order. O.C.G. had sought asylum after experiencing violence in Guatemala and during border transit. He is now in ICE custody while his case challenging third-country deportations proceeds through the courts.

Marta Alicia Dominguez, 51, from El Salvador, was arrested by Dallas Police in May 2025 on a family dispute charge. After her criminal case was dismissed, ICE placed a detainer and transferred her to custody. She presented herself at the Paso del Norte port of entry in 2017 and was granted entry after a credible fear interview. A judge granted her asylum in October 2025, but DHS filed an appeal and continues to hold her in Eloy Detention Center. She has contracted Hepatitis A and B, lost 30 pounds, and her health has significantly declined while in detention.

ICE agents arrested multiple individuals outside the Phoenix immigration court on Tuesday, May 21, 2025, including at least two people immediately after their court hearings. One documented case involved a Venezuelan man in his 20s who had entered through the CBP One program and was preparing for a credible fear interview. Attorneys noted that some individuals whose cases appeared to be dismissed were taken into custody. The arrests followed a January DHS directive that reversed protections for courthouse arrests, a policy that had previously restricted ICE enforcement in sensitive locations. Similar enforcement actions occurred at immigration courts across the country, with agents in Los Angeles positioned to coordinate notifications when cases were dismissed. The Trump administration has expanded immigration enforcement by enlisting agents from multiple federal agencies including the U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, ATF, and FBI.

A Guatemalan-born mother, identified by the pseudonym Maria Perez to protect her identity, was detained by ICE at her Nashville residence on May 19 while preparing to take her children to a doctor's appointment. At the time, Perez was breastfeeding her infant daughter and caring for another young daughter who has Down syndrome and other health complications. Her attorneys say her detention at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center violated ICE Directive 11032.4, which discourages detaining pregnant, postpartum, or nursing people, and that she has no criminal history despite ICE's claim she previously faced charges for falsely claiming citizenship. Perez was released on Aug. 14 after nearly three months in custody, during which her ability to breastfeed ended, and she was reunited with her daughters at the home of a neighbor who had cared for them; her eldest daughter reacted with anger, believing she had been abandoned. Civil rights groups have filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General alleging the detention violated ICE policy on visitation with minor children, and Perez's partner remains detained at a facility in Oklahoma as she continues pursuing her asylum application on electronic monitoring.