Human Impact Project

A long-time U.S. resident who arrived in the country at age 3 in 1991 was detained by ICE on November 7, 2025 during a scheduled check-in at the San Francisco ICE Field Office. ICE alleged he violated his GPS monitoring terms by visiting Stinson Beach on Labor Day, though he claims he had permission from his ISAP officer. The court ordered his immediate release and prohibited re-detention without a hearing before an immigration judge.

Victor Cruz, a 55-year-old Hillsboro business owner and grandfather with legal work authorization and temporary protected status, was arrested by ICE on October 14 after agents pulled him over claiming he was wanted on DUI and hit-and-run charges. His family says the arrest stemmed from mistaken identity, as agents allegedly confused him with another man of the same name despite a photo mismatch. Cruz was transferred to the Northwest Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, where he spent more than three weeks and described cold conditions, limited food, and crowded facilities. An immigration judge initially denied bail, but a federal district court judge released him on bond on November 7. Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, local Democratic leaders, his family, and his attorney had pushed for his release and protested the detention as unlawful, though his immigration case remains ongoing.

A detainee identified as K.U. in court filings alleged he was not receiving proper medical care for numerous life-threatening health conditions while detained at Batavia. An independent physician reviewed his case and expressed extreme concern that he was not receiving the standard of appropriate medical care. A judge ordered his release in August 2025. ICE officials have not yet addressed his medical claims in court.

On November 5, 2025, ICE agents detained Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, a teacher at Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center in Chicago's North Center neighborhood, during morning drop-off hours. According to DHS, officers conducted a traffic stop that led to a vehicle pursuit ending at the daycare facility. Agents entered and forcibly removed Galeano in front of children and parents, searching the facility. Galeano claimed to have work authorization and a pending asylum case, while DHS identified her as undocumented from Colombia. A federal judge subsequently ruled her mandatory detention illegal and ordered a bond hearing before an immigration judge. The incident prompted a rally of hundreds of community members and local officials demanding ICE stay out of schools and daycares.

Nazario Radilla Valdovinos, a Mexican citizen, was taken into ICE custody on November 3, 2025 and detained at Adelanto ICE Detention Center pending removal proceedings. ICE issued a custody determination continuing his detention without providing an opportunity for bond or release. The court granted his habeas petition in part, ordering that he receive a bond hearing within seven days under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a).

A man detained at the California City Processing Center filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus challenging his detention there. He is seeking release from custody through habeas corpus proceedings and a temporary restraining order. On May 7, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California issued an order consolidating the habeas petition with the temporary restraining order motion, requiring respondents to file a response within three calendar days and prohibiting deportation or removal from the district while the petition is pending.

A man who had lived in the United States for more than 24 years and is the husband and father of U.S. citizens was detained by ICE on November 1, 2025, and taken to Adelanto Detention Facility. He had previously been released on bond in 2013 after an earlier detention, received work authorization, and had been checking in with ICE regularly without missing appointments. The court granted a temporary restraining order ordering his immediate release, finding his re-detention violated due process since he was not informed of changed circumstances that would justify revoking his bond.

A Mexican father caring for his 7-year-old son with kidney disease, hypothyroidism, and chronic respiratory failure requiring a feeding tube and ventilator was detained by ICE for 22 days. While he was detained, his son's medical care fell entirely to his mother. A federal judge ordered his release in November.

A Mexican citizen who has resided in the United States since 1995 has been detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center since November 2025. She is the mother of three U.S. citizen children and has no criminal history. She was denied bond during immigration proceedings based on alleged flight risk, and the court denied her motion for temporary restraining order seeking release.

Monica, an Ecuadorian child care worker seeking asylum, was pushed to the ground and shoved into a wall by an ICE agent outside a Manhattan immigration court on September 25, 2025, while agents detained her husband Ruben. The incident, which occurred in front of the couple's two young children and journalists, was captured on video and circulated widely on social media. Monica said she feared Ruben's deportation would amount to a death sentence. The officer, who reportedly had a history of aggressive conduct at the same location, was temporarily relieved of duty after DHS called the conduct unacceptable, but was reinstated days later following a preliminary review despite political calls for felony charges. In late October, a federal court ordered Ruben's release after finding he had been detained without explanation. The family of four has since been reunited, though their asylum cases remain pending.

Arthur Berto, a 13-year-old Brazilian asylum seeker living in Everett, Massachusetts, was arrested by local police on suspicion of making a violent threat at school. When his mother, Josiele Berto, went to the police station to retrieve him, she learned ICE had taken him into custody instead, without informing her of his whereabouts or next steps. Authorities later transferred Arthur to a juvenile detention facility in Winchester, Virginia, without notifying his family or attorney. The Everett police chief said this was the first such incident in the city, and local officials disputed DHS claims that Arthur had an 'extensive rap sheet' and a firearm, stating no gun was found. His mother, whose family has a pending asylum application, has only been able to reach him through brief phone calls. A federal judge ordered the government to justify the arrest or provide a bond hearing, and a federal court petition has been filed arguing the detention violates due process.

Armando Garcia Picazo, detained by ICE in August without legal status, was ordered released by federal judge Leonard Strand after being denied bond approved by an immigration judge. Garcia Picazo was held at Woodbury County jail for over two months before filing a habeas corpus lawsuit. He was required to post $6,000 bond and will continue his immigration case on a non-detained docket.

A Mexican mother of a 10-month-old was arrested by ICE agents while driving her taxi near O'Hare International Airport and detained at the Broadview facility. She lacked access to a lactation room to pump breast milk for her daughter. A federal judge ordered her release on October 31, the day after her habeas case was filed.

Chanthila "Shawn" Souvannarath, 44, was deported to Laos despite a federal court order issued the day before blocking his removal so he could pursue a claim of U.S. citizenship. Souvannarath was born in a refugee camp in Thailand but has lived most of his life in the United States and had been granted lawful permanent residence before his first birthday. A federal judge had directed ICE to keep him in the country while his citizenship claim was reviewed. DHS said the court order was not received until after the deportation had already taken place, according to attorneys.

A Mexican citizen who has lived in the United States since 1970 and entered lawfully with a valid B1/B2 visitor visa in August 2009. He was arrested on October 27, 2025, and has been held in immigration detention at the Desert View Annex facility in Adelanto, California for nearly ten months. Petitioner has no prior criminal history. After an immigration judge denied his bond on May 6, 2026, and again on June 15, 2026, following an individualized hearing, Petitioner filed a habeas corpus petition seeking to prevent his removal from the United States and the Central District of California. He is experiencing health complications related to high blood pressure during his continued detention. On August 7, 2026, the federal court granted Petitioner's emergency motion for a temporary restraining order, enjoining respondents from deporting him or removing him outside the district while his petition is pending. The court scheduled oral argument on the preliminary injunction for August 13, 2026, and referred the case to the Federal Public Defender for consideration of appointed counsel.

Silvia Reyna Mendoza, who has lived in the United States for 40 years and is a mother of 8, reported sexual misconduct by an ICE contractor. A judge issued an order prohibiting her deportation. ICE deported her the following day. She is currently in ICE detention in Kern County while her family pursues her case.

Andrea Guadalupe Velez, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen and Cal Poly Pomona graduate, was detained by ICE agents in downtown Los Angeles on June 24, 2025, when she was dropped off at work during a street sweep operation targeting vendors. Agents arrested her after she stepped into the path of an officer attempting to apprehend another individual. Velez was charged with assaulting a federal officer and reported being denied water for 24 hours while held at a detention center and unable to contact the outside world for much of her detention, which lasted more than two days. A federal judge ordered her released on $5,000 bond. The Justice Department later dismissed her case without prejudice. On August 20, Velez filed a federal tort claim alleging racial profiling and wrongful arrest; she is one of six claimants represented by the Carrillo Law Firm alleging similar misconduct by ICE and Border Patrol in Southern California.

Zia S., a 36-year-old Afghan immigrant who served as a U.S. military interpreter, was detained by ICE on July 16, 2025, during a routine USCIS appointment in East Hartford, Connecticut, for biometric processing related to a Green Card application. Despite having lawful parole status until October 2026, no criminal convictions, and approval for humanitarian parole due to Taliban threats, he was moved to a detention facility in Plymouth, Massachusetts. A federal judge issued a 72-hour stay to prevent his deportation, and after nearly three months in custody, a second immigration judge ordered his release on a $15,000 bond on October 9, 2025. The government's subsequent motion to reverse the release was rejected on October 21, 2025. Zia was reunited with his wife and five children in Connecticut. His son Rihan was also detained by ICE in Plymouth during this period.

A Mexican immigrant father of five, who has lived and worked in the U.S. for two decades without a criminal record, was detained during an Oct. 19 ICE raid on a horse track near Wilder, Idaho, that swept up more than 100 people. He has since been held in Wyoming's Uinta and Sweetwater county jails, and his attorney is petitioning a federal judge for his release or a bond hearing while his immigration case proceeds. His daughter, a U.S. citizen who witnessed the raid while caring for her baby, said her father 'works his butt off' for the family and that her younger siblings, ages 15 and 11, were handcuffed with zip ties for hours and traumatized by the operation. A federal judge has since ordered the government to provide the man a bond hearing within seven days or release him.

A Cuban national who presented himself at Miami International Airport in December 2022 seeking asylum was placed into immigration custody on October 16, 2025, after completing a criminal sentence in Pennsylvania. He had been charged and convicted of crimes in Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania, receiving a 163-day to one-year sentence. An immigration judge ordered his removal to Ecuador on December 23, 2025, and the removal order became final on January 23, 2026. The court denied his habeas petition and temporary restraining order, finding his post-removal detention of less than six months presumptively reasonable.