Human Impact Project

Moises Velasquez, a Venezuelan asylum-seeker with a work permit and an upcoming December immigration hearing, was pulled from his car by ICE agents in Lakewood while waiting for his shift to start at a barbershop. Cellphone video shows agents smashing his car windows before dragging him out; his fiancé, who was eight months pregnant, heard his screams for help over the phone during the arrest. His attorney, Bart Klein, said ICE had been searching for a Mexican national but arrested Velasquez by mistake and sent him to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma even after realizing the error. Velasquez was released after his attorney filed a habeas corpus petition and has since returned to work.

Ana Kikabidze, a green card holder from Georgia, spent 58 days detained with her children, 11-year-old Lizi and 14-year-old Nikoloz, at the Dilley immigration detention camp in Texas. An immigration judge ordered the family deported after warning that appealing could mean months more in detention, so Kikabidze gave up her fight and accepted deportation rather than keep her children locked up. "It felt as though the decision to deny us had already been made in advance," she said, "and that nothing I said would have changed the outcome." Her case is one of more than 66,000 parents and children detained and deported since the Trump administration expanded detention requirements, and a federal judge has since appointed an independent monitor to oversee conditions for children at Dilley.

During Operation Metro Surge, ICE agent Christian Castro was involved in a shooting, and the Department of Justice initially charged two immigrants involved in the incident. The charges against the immigrants fell apart after evidence emerged that Castro and another agent had lied about the circumstances of the shooting. Castro has since become a fugitive from Minnesota authorities, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has resisted extraditing him, while the DOJ is now considering federal charges against Castro.

Matthew Petti, a reporter for Reason, was pulled into secondary inspection at a U.S. airport while returning from abroad with his newlywed foreign wife. CBP agents held him for roughly four hours without explanation, refusing to let him use a landline to contact a lawyer. When Petti pointed out that an American citizen cannot be held indefinitely, the agent at the desk simply replied, "We'll let you know." He was eventually cleared to enter the country but was never told why he had been detained. Petti later filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking records on his detention, and a source told him it was possible he had been flagged by an automated watch-list or itinerary alert.

Patricia, a 19-year-old Honduran woman living in Austin, was separated from her 8-month-old breastfeeding son after she called 911 to report abuse by her boyfriend but was instead arrested on an assault charge. Prosecutors later dismissed the charge, but ICE took her into custody and held her nearly six weeks at the South Texas Detention Complex, where she suffered painful, swollen breasts and pleaded for a breast pump while her son stayed with a family friend. Patricia said she fled Honduras two years earlier after being raped by a gang member who continued to harass her, and that she had sought asylum in the U.S. Attorneys with the nonprofit American Gateways sued for her release, and U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia in San Antonio ruled that the government had violated the Constitution by detaining her without a hearing, ordering ICE to release her within two days. She was reunited with her son, but still faces a deportation order that her lawyers are appealing.

Grace Stephanie Calero Cabanilla, 39, and her 19-year-old daughter Giulianna Mía Carriel Calero, Ecuadorian nationals who fled Ecuador three years earlier due to death threats, were taken into ICE custody at HCA Florida Poinciana Hospital near Kissimmee after a highway rollover crash. Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies, operating under a 287(g) agreement with ICE, ran a database check during the crash investigation and said it revealed the women had overstayed their visas, prompting ICE detainers. Grace, still sedated and in a cervical collar, was handcuffed at her bedside, while Giulianna, who has epilepsy, suffered a seizure and was handcuffed in her hospital gown and led out in front of other patients and staff. Family members said agents did not identify themselves or produce a warrant, and the family's attorney said both women had pending asylum claims with valid work permits and visas, though the Sheriff's Office disputed this, said neither had a criminal or gang history, and stated no state charges were filed. Video of the arrest circulated widely, prompting a press conference from local immigrant advocates, while Sheriff Grady Judd said he approved of how deputies handled the arrests. Fearing for her daughter's health in detention, Grace signed voluntary departure paperwork and the pair returned to Ecuador.

Jianxian Yu, a 52-year-old asylum seeker from China who has lived in the United States since December 2019, was arrested by ICE immediately after attending a scheduled interview on his pending asylum application at a USCIS office in Tustin, California on April 9, 2026. He had entered lawfully on a B-2 visitor visa, filed for asylum in 2021, and was granted employment authorization while his case remained pending; during his time in the U.S. he started his own business, held a valid driver's license, paid taxes, and became an active member of his church, being baptized in 2025. He had no criminal convictions and had complied with all immigration appointments. His arrest was based on a claimed foreign warrant referral from Chinese authorities, though the government never submitted the warrant or supporting evidence, and his notice to appear listed only a visa overstay. An immigration judge denied him bond on April 29, 2026, citing flight risk, after which he was transferred to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. Yu filed a federal habeas petition arguing his detention violated due process, and on August 21, 2026, a magistrate judge granted the petition, ordering his immediate release and barring re-detention without prior notice and a hearing; the case was then dismissed with prejudice.

Heriberto 'Eddie' Reyes-Ochoa, a 34-year-old marine construction worker who came to the U.S. from Minatitlán, Veracruz, Mexico as an unaccompanied 14-year-old and has lived in the country for 20 years, was detained after a minor traffic accident near Kiln, Mississippi. A Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper cited him for following too closely and driving without a license, then informed him of an immigration warrant and determined he lacked legal status; he was taken to Hancock County jail before ICE took custody and transferred him to Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez. Reyes-Ochoa had been in the final stages of obtaining a green card through consular processing and was awaiting a visa interview when detained. He has been married for over a decade to U.S. citizen Catherine Cool, who is pregnant with their first child due in January. DHS initially claimed he had been charged with felony hit and run, a claim Hancock County officials disputed. His wife and attorneys are pursuing a habeas corpus petition seeking his release on bond.

Chidozie Wilson Okeke, a Nigerian immigrant, was arrested by ICE agents in Bushwick, Brooklyn, in early May after agents mistook him for a Mauritanian man they had an administrative warrant to arrest, describing him as having 'the same build and likeness.' Agents ran the New Jersey plates on the car he was driving and found he had overstayed a tourist visa, then trailed him for several blocks before pulling him over; during the arrest he was beaten and appeared to have been tased. He was taken to Wyckoff Hospital, where a counterprotest and standoff with police and ICE agents formed outside. DHS initially claimed Okeke had prior arrests for assault and drug possession, though ICE's own arrest record stated he had no known criminal history.

Pedro Joaquin Aviles-Mena, a Nicaraguan citizen, was detained at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022 and subsequently released on parole. After living and working in the United States for more than two years, he was re-detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a scheduled check-in. He filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus and sought a temporary restraining order, arguing his re-detention violated procedural due process under the Fifth Amendment and that mandatory detention under the expedited removal statute no longer applied to him once he had been paroled into the country. A federal judge granted the temporary restraining order and later a preliminary injunction ordering his release, finding he had raised a serious question on the merits and enjoining the government from re-detaining him. On August 20, 2026, the court granted his habeas petition on the merits, ruling that he may not be re-detained without notice and a hearing before a neutral decisionmaker absent a material change in circumstances.

Camila Toro de Paula, a 25-year-old transgender woman from Venezuela, has been held for nearly a year at a men's ICE detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, after being arrested during a routine immigration check-in at ICE's New York City office in August 2025. She fled Venezuela after suffering childhood abuse, including repeated rape by relatives and a homophobic stabbing attack by police, and sought asylum in the U.S. two years ago. Toro de Paula says she has been assaulted, threatened, placed in solitary confinement, denied water, and deprived of the hormone therapy she had received for years, after a policy protecting transgender detainees was eliminated in February 2025. She told The New York Times, "I'm afraid of dying here," and says she has resisted pressure to voluntarily return to Venezuela. Immigration officials cited felony assault and weapons charges as justification for her detention, though both charges were later dismissed and sealed.

Two Venezuelan men, identified only as C. (36) and A. (45), said they were deported from the United States to Liberia and remained chained hand and foot for the roughly 15-hour flight. C. had lived and worked legally in the U.S. for five years under a renewable temporary residency permit, selling cars by day and delivering food at night, but was detained for eight months after a routine immigration check-in and moved through nine detention facilities before being deported; he missed the birth of his now five-month-old son and can only see him by video call. A. had worked in the wind energy sector and said he and his wife, who both had protections against being sent back to Venezuela, went together to a routine immigration appointment where she was released but he was detained and later deported after passing through four facilities without his attorney being informed. Both men were part of an initial group of 20 people sent to Liberia under an agreement between the Trump administration and the Liberian government to accept about 1,200 deportees over one year; six of the 20 refused to disembark and were instead sent to Equatorial Guinea, while the rest were taken to a hotel in Marshall, near Monrovia.

Alex Pereira-Alves, a Brazilian immigrant who has lived in West Hollywood for nearly a decade working as a security guard and personal trainer, was detained by ICE after reporting to a downtown Los Angeles facility for what he believed was a routine check-in; officials told him he was 'deportable' and handcuffed him. He entered the U.S. legally in 2010, overstayed his visa, and in 2018 received a final removal order along with a grant of withholding of removal protecting him from being sent to Brazil. DHS first indicated he would be deported to Guyana, then Equatorial Guinea, countries he has no connection to, before a federal judge temporarily blocked the Equatorial Guinea deportation. His attorney, Jane Oaks, says he can no longer be sent to Brazil, deported to Equatorial Guinea, allowed to designate another country, or released, and she is filing an emergency habeas corpus petition arguing he was denied due process. His friend Jeff Markwardt, who is covering legal costs and caring for Pereira-Alves' dog Bella, said Pereira-Alves is 'terrified' and no longer feels safe in detention, and friends say the phone calls and legal filings supporting him are costing thousands of dollars.

Aminata (Amina) Seck, a 26-year-old graduate student and basketball center for Kentucky State University from Dakar, Senegal, was detained by ICE on Aug. 7 at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport while preparing to fly with her team to an HBCU tournament in New York. Seck entered the U.S. on a student visa in 2019 and was ordered removed after missing an immigration hearing; her attorney, Sadiqa Reynolds, said Seck never received notice of the hearing and missed the deadline while recovering from back surgery and an ACL injury. Wearing a leg brace at the time of her arrest, she has since been moved between at least four detention facilities in Kentucky and Chicago as well as a hospital over 48 days, reportedly experiencing seizures and limited access to phone calls, visitors, or basic medical care. Seck started most games last season, averaging more than 11 points and 7 rebounds, and earned All-Conference and SIAC Elite 16 academic-athletic honors. Her head coach, Amani Williams, has advocated on her behalf, and U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey said he is monitoring her situation.

Eduardo Aguirre Esparza, a 53-year-old Mexican national and small business owner who has lived in the United States for over 20 years, was arrested by ICE on July 23, 2026, while working on a home remodeling project in West Seattle. Approximately 20 ICE agents in unmarked vehicles surrounded him, allegedly physically pushing him and threatening him when he refused to sign a voluntary departure form; he requested his lawyer instead. Without appearing before a judge or having contact with his attorney, Aguirre Esparza was transferred between multiple ICE facilities over three days and flown to El Paso, Texas, where he is detained at ERO El Paso Camp East Montana. His wife, Stacey Fitzpatrick, a U.S. citizen attorney, disputes ICE's claim that he has a 2005 DUI arrest from Kansas, noting he has never lived in Kansas and background checks show only a resolved 2015 traffic citation. Aguirre Esparza has a pending green card application and is married to a U.S. citizen with deep community ties. Community members organized rallies and fundraisers in West Seattle to raise awareness and support for his family, and Senator Patty Murray called the arrest "fundamentally wrong and un-American."

Brayan Omar Sánchez, a 26-year-old Honduran truck driver and owner of a pressure-washing and painting business who had lived in South Florida for nearly a decade after fleeing gang violence that killed his father and other family members, was detained by ICE agents on May 13 while heading to a job site. He was transferred through detention centers in Colorado, Arizona, California and Texas before being flown roughly 21 hours to Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, on July 30 along with five other men — Cuban nationals Omar Rodríguez, Arístides Fernández, Yasmany Moreno and Daniel Lázaro Fuente, and Ecuadorian Mauricio Alvarado. Sánchez said he never signed deportation paperwork, believed he had asylum protection and a court order preventing removal, and said an ICE officer threatened the group with violence the night before if they refused to board the plane. He described arriving with only $20, which was confiscated by customs, and said he and the others are being held at a hotel in Bangui fearing for their safety. Sánchez is asking the Honduran government and members of Congress to help secure his return to the United States.

The Guardian's investigation found at least 10 cases since January 2025 in which ICE subjected detained immigrants to involuntary force-feeding through nasogastric tubes. Three cases are detailed: an Afghan man force-fed daily for nearly six months at Port Isabel in Texas starting September 2025, after a federal judge ordered the treatment eight days into his hunger strike without a hearing or his input; a Ukrainian man with severe bipolar disorder, whose attorney intervened to stop his force-feeding at Krome Service processing center in Miami after 44 days on hunger strike; and a Saudi Arabian woman who went on hunger strike in Louisiana in June 2025 and was transferred to Texas, where ICE sought permission to force-feed her before she broke her strike. A doctor overseeing the Afghan man's case described him as frail and using a wheelchair after months without food, said he was restrained by a use-of-force team during feedings, and called the continued treatment "medically necessary." In six of the 10 cases reviewed, detained immigrants lacked legal representation during court proceedings.

Jose Eliezer Martinez-Andino, a 20-year-old Honduran who came to the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor in 2020 and held Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, was detained by immigration officers in March while traveling through Montana for his job as an auto mechanic in Raleigh, North Carolina. Despite holding legal status that should have protected him from removal, he was held across multiple detention centers for over 10 days without access to his attorneys and was coerced into signing voluntary departure paperwork he says was never properly explained. He was deported to Honduras on April 10, separating him from his young U.S. citizen daughter. Federal Judge Beryl Howell found he had likely been denied due process and ordered the Trump administration to facilitate his return. He was flown to McAllen, Texas in August but was then held for weeks by CBP and ICE at the Port Isabel Detention Center before his lawyers reached a settlement securing his release, allowing him to return to Raleigh to reunite with his family.

Esteban Rios Sosa, a Mexican national who has lived in Oceanside, California since 1988, was detained with his wife by ICE at the gate of Camp Pendleton while visiting his pregnant daughter, who lives on base with her active-duty Marine husband. Rios Sosa's son, a former Marine Sergeant, said the family held deferred action status tied to his wife's pending U visa petition and had valid work permits that should have shielded them from enforcement. After being fitted with ankle monitors and told to report for a routine ICE check-in, Rios Sosa was instead taken to a federal building basement and deported to Mexico within 24 hours, without notice that his status had been revoked. His son has accused ICE and DHS of discrimination and false accusations of criminal activity, and the family sued the agencies for violating federal law and due process rights. A federal judge later ordered the government to immediately facilitate Rios Sosa's return to the U.S. and restore his immigration status.

Jose Eliezer Martinez-Andino, a 20-year-old mechanic from Raleigh, North Carolina, and father to a U.S.-citizen daughter, was deported to Honduras in April after agents detained him in Montana, denied him contact with attorneys for about ten days, and had him sign a voluntary-departure form despite his Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and work permit. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell found the removal denied him due process, calling the circumstances "coercive," and ordered the government to return him; he said he had been afraid in Honduras due to childhood abuse by his father. He flew back to Texas on Aug. 5 after about five months abroad, was held in CBP custody, and was then transferred to ICE custody at the Port Isabel Processing Center, where he awaits a bond hearing to determine whether he can continue proceedings closer to Raleigh. DHS has disputed his account, saying he entered the country without authorization and was released by the Biden administration, and denies he was blocked from contacting legal counsel.