Human Impact Project

Monsy Hernández, a DACA recipient who arrived in South Carolina as a child, self-deported at age 19 in 2017 after her mother was detained by ICE. Now living in Germany, she founded Onward, an organization supporting undocumented immigrants considering voluntary departure. The organization's membership increased during Trump administration deportation efforts.

Carlos Martín Gonzalez, 26, and his older brother Óscar Alejandro Gonzalez, 30, were detained on July 7 after Carlos was pulled over by Florida Highway Patrol in Orlando for a traffic violation (tinted windows and invalid registration). Óscar Alejandro, who was visiting on a valid tourist visa and married to a U.S. citizen, was also detained under unclear circumstances when he arrived to help his brother. Carlos had legally entered on a tourist visa following their mother's death in October. After three days in county jail, both brothers were transferred to the Everglades immigration detention center, known as "Alligator Alcatraz." Their father, Martín Gonzalez, reported that the facility's conditions were inhumane—constant artificial lighting made it impossible to distinguish day from night—and that the brothers were held without case numbers or legal representation, unable to access their lawyer or consulate staff. Mexican consular officials warned of potential civil rights violations. After approximately 20 days in detention, both brothers were released without being charged with any crime and returned to Mexico through diplomatic intervention by Mexican consulates in Orlando and Miami, working with immigration attorneys and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

A family facing ICE enforcement operations decided to self-deport but were unable to bring their 6-year-old German Shepherd, Draco, on their flight due to airline size restrictions. The family surrendered the dog they had raised for over five years to the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control. Pet surrenders from families affected by recent immigration enforcement operations have occurred in Southern California.

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.

Rakesh Rakesh, an Indian national detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, was granted voluntary departure to India. On May 31, 2025, ICE officers escorted him to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and mistakenly placed him on an Alaska Airlines flight to Sitka, Alaska instead of his intended connecting flight through New York to India. Flight attendants alerted ICE officers to the error, but officers directed his boarding anyway. Upon landing in Sitka, the Alaska Airlines captain assisted Rakesh and arranged his return to Seattle. However, ICE re-detained him upon arrival rather than allowing him to continue to India. He remained in the Tacoma detention center for 16 additional days, during which he undertook a hunger strike, before being released and facilitated to depart for India on June 17, 2025.

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking ICE from detaining a severely disabled man with an IQ of 47 upon his return to the United States after he was deported to Mexico. The man, who has lived in the U.S. since the early 1990s under the care of a conservator, was taken by ICE agents in an unmarked vehicle on June 17, 2025, and removed to Mexico on June 24 under voluntary departure, despite appearing unable to meaningfully consent to removal due to his cognitive impairments and lack of understanding of English-language documents. Court filings show no removal proceedings were ever initiated against him and he never appeared before an immigration judge, and the court found his caretakers were not notified before his removal.

Justin Chung, who moved to the U.S. from South Korea at age two, was detained by ICE agents at his home despite having agreed to voluntarily depart and having purchased a ticket for June 13. He had been granted clemency and parole after serving time for a youth offense, married his wife Neftali, a U.S. citizen, in October 2023, and had since worked mentoring at-risk teens. ICE notified him on June 12 to prepare for deportation before detaining him, and Neftali, who is six weeks pregnant, is seeking funds for legal assistance and support.

Douglas Menjivar, a 50-year-old Salvadoran immigrant and activist who exposed sexual assault in immigration detention, was arrested by ICE in June 2025 during a routine check-in despite being married to a U.S. citizen and having a reopened legal case. After being detained at Montgomery County ICE facility and struggling with mental health issues, Menjivar and his wife decided he would voluntarily depart to Spain rather than face deportation, leaving behind his wife who had lived in the U.S. her entire life.

Patricia Vázquez Topete, a DACA recipient who lived in California for 20 years, left the U.S. in May 2025 amid uncertainty over DACA's future and immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. She had come to the U.S. at age 12 after fleeing abuse in Mexico, was raised by an uncle in the Central Valley, worked in the strawberry fields of Salinas, and earned a scholarship to Fresno Pacific University before building a career in global banking. She has since settled in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, and is preparing to pursue a master's degree in international business in Spain.

Loic Adandedjan, manager of Dottie's Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield, decided to self-deport to Benin in late April after living in the U.S. for a decade without permanent legal status. His decision was prompted by intensified anxiety over ICE enforcement, particularly after his coworker was detained by ICE on April 22. Adandedjan had initially come to the U.S. on a tourist visa for medical treatment and was working toward a green card when he chose to leave.

Alfredo Linares, an undocumented immigrant, and his American wife Raegan Kline relocated to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico after 20 years in the United States. Linares had worked as a cook at a Michelin-star restaurant and operated a catering business with his wife. The couple left the United States due to concerns about ICE detention and deportation under President Trump's immigration enforcement policies.

An undocumented Maryland mother whose teenage son died of cancer while she was in ICE custody has requested deportation to Mexico. Officials did not release Martinez-Carrada in time to see her son before his death in late January, though she was permitted to attend his funeral.

Eliezar was detained by ICE on March 13 while returning home from work. After being held in an ICE detention center for weeks, he decided to self-deport to Guatemala. His wife Josselin and three children (ages 11, 6, and 16 months) were left without their sole income provider.

Quebec Vasquez, a DACA-protected mother of three U.S. citizen children, announced plans to self-deport to Mexico due to fears about rapidly changing immigration policies under the Trump administration. Despite being protected from deportation through DACA for 10 years, she cited uncertainty and fear about her family's future as reasons for considering leaving the United States.

Dora Reynosa, an undocumented immigrant and former DACA recipient who goes by the artist name ByZeneth, self-deported to Mexico in January 2026 to live with family. The muralist, who has over 8,000 Instagram followers and has been commissioned by the Texas Rangers and the Adolphus Hotel, faced verbal and physical assault while painting in South Dallas in February 2025, which she cited alongside rising ICE enforcement as factors in her decision. Her recent work includes large protest banners reading "No estan solos," "Solidarity" and "Resist" that have been used at Dallas demonstrations against ICE. Reynosa plans to continue creating art addressing immigrant issues from Mexico, saying she will have greater freedom to speak out without fear of detention or deportation.