Human Impact Project

Diana Butnarciuc, a Moldovan immigrant who arrived in the U.S. legally in 2008, was arrested by ICE agents on February 13, 2026, during a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services interview for a permanent resident card in Las Vegas. Butnarciuc, who is married to Marine veteran Patrick Baja and has two children, has no criminal record, works, and pays taxes. Although she faced a 2018 deportation order after her asylum claim was denied, her marriage to Baja made her eligible for a green card. Her attorney stated that Butnarciuc entered the U.S. legally and should be entitled to permanent resident status. She is being held at Henderson Detention Center, and her husband is seeking her release.

A 10-year-old U.S. citizen named Dylan recounted fleeing during an ICE operation that began near his school bus stop in Lindenwold, New Jersey on Thursday morning. Children waiting at the bus stop panicked and ran when they saw ICE enforcement vehicles, with Dylan running home in fear. The Lindenwold School District said the presence of multiple enforcement vehicles caused significant fear and confusion among fourth- and fifth-graders.

A judge dismissed the deportation case of Narciso Barranco, an Orange County landscaper and father of three U.S. Marines, who was detained by Border Patrol agents in June 2025. Video showed agents pinning him to the ground and punching him during the detention in Santa Ana. The judge ruled Barranco is eligible for lawful status due to his three sons serving in the military, and his attorney is now working to secure permanent residency and a work permit.

Narciso Barranco, a Mexican landscaper who came to the U.S. in the 1990s without legal status, was arrested by masked Border Patrol agents outside an IHOP in Santa Ana in June 2025. His son, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, spoke out after witnessing video showing officers punching his father repeatedly as he lay on the ground; DHS claimed Barranco had swung a weed trimmer at agents. Barranco is the father of three U.S.-born sons who serve in the military. In February 2026, an immigration judge dismissed the deportation case against him, finding him eligible for legal permanent residency based on his sons' military service. The Department of Homeland Security announced it would appeal the decision.

Jesus Flores, a Mexican mechanic and father of six children, was detained by ICE agents who faked car trouble outside his home in Columbia Heights, Minnesota on Thursday afternoon. Security camera footage shows two women pretending to have mechanical problems at the curb; when Flores came out to help, ICE agents in other vehicles surrounded the driveway and apprehended him. Two of Flores' children have autism and require special care. His family reports he was transferred to El Paso, Texas within 48 hours, allegedly in violation of a federal judge's order. Flores is undocumented and was previously deported approximately 16 years ago.

Terez Metry, a 28-year-old dental assistant with no criminal record, was detained by immigration agents at a Department of Homeland Security office on Brick Church Pike in Nashville immediately after her I-130 petition was approved during what was meant to be a routine interview. Metry had fled Egypt as a teenager at age 13, when she received a removal order, and had been living and working in Nashville since 2018. She had submitted the I-130 as a step toward obtaining a Green Card, following procedures alongside her U.S. citizen husband, Dominique Flemister, whom she had been married to for three years. She was separated from her husband during the interview and detained, with her husband believing she was being transferred to Louisiana for removal proceedings. The couple said they believed they were following proper legal procedures throughout her immigration case.

Nicolth Hernandez-Lucero, a 24-year-old Colombian national, was detained by federal immigration agents on Wednesday night while driving home near St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Fort Lauderdale. Her husband, Noah Lazega, recorded the encounter as agents told her she would be detained. Hernandez-Lucero entered the U.S. legally at age 15 and has been in the country for nine years with no criminal record, working as a surgical technician at a local hospital and going through the asylum process with her family. She is now held at a detention facility in Pompano Beach, and her attorney has filed for a bond hearing.

Ramiro and his nephews Antonella and Andrés attended a scheduled immigration court hearing in Texas on February 12, 2026. After leaving the courtroom, they were detained by ICE and held at Karnes County Immigration Processing Center despite having no deportation order, no criminal record, and having entered the U.S. legally with a visa before applying for asylum. They were subsequently released but the family incurred approximately $17,500 in legal fees and bond payments.

César, a hardworking father with no criminal record, has been detained by ICE for six months, far from his wife and three young children, ages 6, 4, and 2. His wife has struggled to cover attorney fees, send him money for food and phone calls, and meet the family's basic needs while caring for their children alone. Described by his partner of ten years as responsible and dedicated, César previously worked to support his family and help others in need.

Djeniffer Ribeiro-Semedo, a 22-year-old from Cape Verde who came to the U.S. in 2015 under her mother's lawful permanent resident status, was detained by ICE agents on February 11 after appearing at Brockton District Court. While roughly 24 weeks pregnant, she was held at the Burlington ICE field office—a facility not designed for long-term detention—where her condition "deteriorated rapidly," and she was hospitalized at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, with a treating doctor determining her detention put her at higher risk of dangerous pregnancy complications. She was released from ICE custody last week after her attorney, Carl Hurvich, filed a habeas petition challenging the legality of her detention.

Jimmy Paz, a Georgia man with a valid work permit and no criminal record, was detained by ICE agents during a traffic stop in January despite presenting valid identification documents. Paz, who has lived in the U.S. for 21 years and was approved for temporary protected status in 2022, is being held at the ICE Processing Center in Folkston. His family expresses concern about his health, as he had a heart transplant four years ago, and hopes he will be released to continue his asylum process outside of custody.

Jose Manuel Cordova Lopez, a Mexican citizen who had overstayed an H-2A visa, was taken into custody by federal agents following an hours-long operation at a home in Lower Providence Township/Trooper area of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Agents reportedly pursued him after he allegedly resisted an attempted traffic stop, deploying over 20 unmarked vehicles and masked officers who broke down doors at the residence while two minors and other family members were present. Family members claimed an agent struck a relative in the face during the operation, and local elected officials said the raid disrupted the neighborhood, caused distress to children, and prevented a school bus pickup.

High school students in Clovis, California walked out of class on February 10, 2026 in response to Trump administration immigration enforcement. The action followed the death of an ICU nurse during an immigration raid. The Clovis Police Department announced it was investigating up to six adults, including Fresno Resistance co-founder Alfred Aldrete, for potentially violating state law by inducing student truancy, though no arrests or charges have been filed. The LAPD also issued similar warnings to adults in Los Angeles who helped organize school walkouts, but only Clovis publicly named its investigation.

Adelso Bravo, a 39-year-old painter from Guatemala who had lived in Syracuse for over 20 years and ran his own painting business, was detained by ICE agents near his home on February 10. He spent 18 days at the Batavia immigration detention center before receiving a court hearing. With support from his wife, community members, and lawyers using a habeas corpus petition strategy, and with friends and supporters raising $18,000, Bravo was released after 21 days in custody on a $5,000 bond with an ankle monitor. The habeas corpus strategy used in his case has been applied nationally in response to Trump administration policies mandating detention for immigrants who entered the country without authorization.

Brothers Ben Luhmann, 17, and Sam Luhmann, 16, of West Chicago traveled to document federal immigration enforcement operations, uploading footage to a public Google Drive folder for public use. They arrived in Minneapolis the day after federal agents fatally shot Renee Macklin Good, and later witnessed the aftermath of VA nurse Alex Pretti's shooting death by Border Patrol agents, who shot him as he recorded them and tried to help a woman who had been shoved to the ground. Their footage has captured Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino throwing a tear gas canister into a crowd, agents slipping on ice, and an agent pepper spraying a restrained man at close range. In Shakopee, Minnesota, they witnessed agents arrest a man in front of his children. The brothers say Minneapolis enforcement has been far more intense than what they previously documented in Chicago, and that their observations contradicted public statements from the Department of Homeland Security.

Roberto was arrested and detained by ICE while driving to work nine days after the birth of his son in mid-February 2026. He was held in detention for two months at an unknown location, then deported to Guatemala. His partner María was left alone to care for their newborn without support or knowledge of his whereabouts.

Children detained at the Dilley family detention center in South Texas have continued to face poor conditions, including inadequate medical care, contaminated food, overcrowded spaces, and limited legal access. The facility, reopened for family detentions under the Trump administration, has held more than 3,500 people, including over 1,700 children, with about 300 held beyond the legal 20-day limit; documented cases include 5-year-old twins held for eight months and a young girl who attempted suicide after a bond denial. In July 2026, pediatrician Dr. Anita Patel, visiting with a congressional delegation led by Rep. Joaquin Castro, said at least seven children have died in ICE custody or shortly after release and described conditions as child abuse and human rights violations, citing cases such as 5-year-old Alexander, found with a cord around his neck, and 9-year-old Kinec, whose autism worsened under confinement. As of the visit, 539 people were held at Dilley, including 84 families, 112 children and four pregnant women, up from 96 children in May.

Amalia, an 18-month-old girl, was detained with her parents, Kheilin Valero Marcano and Stiven Arrieta Prieto, Venezuelans who fled persecution for opposing President Nicolás Maduro, after being arrested in El Paso and transferred to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. Her parents repeatedly sought help at the facility's clinic as she grew feverish and lethargic, receiving only Tylenol, until she lost consciousness and was hospitalized at a children's hospital in San Antonio for over a week with respiratory failure, COVID-19, an ear infection, pneumonia, bronchitis, and RSV. After her January 28 discharge, she was returned to Dilley, where her parents say she was denied access to prescribed medication despite medical warnings that she remained vulnerable to reinfection. Following a federal lawsuit and emergency habeas corpus petition, the family was released from detention on February 7, 2026, after roughly two months in custody.

Amalia Arrieta, an 18-month-old from Venezuela, was detained with her mother Kheilin Valero Marcano following an ICE appointment in El Paso on December 11, 2025, and transferred to Dilley Immigration Processing Center. Over weeks, Amalia developed severe respiratory symptoms including high fevers, persistent cough, and dangerously low blood-oxygen levels (dropping to the 50s). On January 18, 2026, she was hospitalized at Methodist Children's Hospital in San Antonio for 10 days, diagnosed with pneumonia, COVID-19, RSV, and respiratory distress. Upon discharge on January 28, doctors prescribed her a nebulizer, respiratory medications, and nutritional supplements. When ICE returned her to Dilley, detention staff allegedly confiscated her prescribed medications and breathing equipment. Her parents were forced to wait in daily outdoor lines to request treatment, often being denied. After lawyers filed an emergency habeas corpus petition in federal court, the family was released on either January 31 or February 7, 2026.

Amalia, an 18-month-old Venezuelan girl, arrived in the United States with her parents Kheilin Valero Marcano and Stiven Arrieta Prieto through the CBP One appointment system and was living in El Paso while awaiting asylum processing. On December 11, 2024, the family was arrested during a routine ICE check-in despite complying with all immigration requirements and checking in regularly. They were detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas. In early January 2026, Amalia developed a high fever, vomiting, and breathing difficulties. Despite her parents' repeated requests for medical care at the facility's clinic, staff provided only Tylenol. On January 18, her oxygen levels dropped critically to the 50s, and she was rushed to Methodist Children's Hospital in San Antonio, where she was hospitalized for 10 days and diagnosed with pneumonia, COVID-19, RSV, and viral bronchitis. After discharge on January 28, doctors prescribed nebulized breathing treatments and nutritional supplements. ICE returned Amalia to Dilley detention instead of her prior community, where staff confiscated her nebulizer, albuterol, and nutritional supplements. Her parents were forced to wait daily in an outdoor 'pill line' and were frequently turned away without her prescribed medications. After her attorneys filed an emergency federal habeas corpus petition, the family was released in February 2026. Upon release, they were transported to a shelter in Laredo without her medications, birth certificate, vaccination records, or money for travel. Amalia developed behavioral changes after detention, crying when separated from her mother. Her case is one of more than 500 infants and toddlers under age three detained by ICE since January 2025, according to documentation by MS NOW and The Marshall Project.