Human Impact Project

Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old Haitian immigrant and honor student who had just begun studying at Wright State University after being recruited to play soccer, died after being struck by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 70 near Springfield, Ohio, in what his family describes as a suicide. Bel hoped to study neuroscience and had a pending asylum claim with a hearing scheduled for October. His father said his son felt 'treated like an animal' after ICE required him to report to its Cincinnati office in August, where he was fitted with a GPS ankle monitor; in a July Instagram post, Bel wrote that wearing the device brought him 'shame and humiliation' he never imagined experiencing. Loved ones say he was deeply affected by bullying tied to the monitor. His death followed intensified ICE enforcement against Haitians in Springfield after many lost Temporary Protected Status, including the detention of two longtime Haitian pastors. Hundreds gathered in Springfield for his funeral, as Haitian families in the community remain afraid to leave their homes while deportation flights to Haiti continue.

Elder Chavez Carranza, an 18-year-old junior at Asbury High School in Albertville, Alabama, was detained by ICE on December 30, 2025, after a state trooper stopped him for speeding and driving without a license and contacted immigration officials. Chavez Carranza, originally from Copan, Honduras, fled violence and poverty and entered the U.S. at age 14, later being granted Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, though a separate deferred-action and green card application remains unresolved. He is held at Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana, where he says he has lacked adequate food and dental care, works as a painter earning $1 per day, and shares a room with 54 other men. His sister and legal guardian, Maryuri Chavez Carranza, a former teacher, said he calls her daily and misses his teachers, friends, senior year activities, and the birth of his nephew. By September 2026 he had spent more than 200 days in detention, as advocates including Angela Del Valle organized vigils across three states and raised concerns about conditions at Winn, where two detainees had died in less than two months.

Amy Lucia López Belloza, a 19-year-old Babson College freshman on scholarship, was detained by ICE at Boston Logan Airport in November 2025 while trying to board a flight to surprise her parents for a family Thanksgiving reunion. She was unaware a removal order had been issued against her in 2017, when she was 11, after an immigration judge denied her and her mother's asylum claims. A federal judge in Massachusetts ordered that she not be moved out of state or deported, but ICE transferred her to Texas and deported her to Honduras, a country she had not visited since leaving at age 8; the government later conceded in court that an agent had misread the judge's order and apologized, but argued the violation should not affect her case. When offered a return flight in February 2026, she declined after ICE indicated she would be redetained in Texas and deported again. Her habeas corpus lawsuit was dismissed in March 2026 for lack of jurisdiction. She is now continuing her Babson studies remotely while living with her grandparents in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, as her attorneys argue before the First Circuit Court of Appeals that she should be allowed to return to Massachusetts.

Deng Dhieu Kuach Deng, a 19-year-old freshman basketball player at Southern Connecticut State University from Aweil, South Sudan, was detained by ICE agents on September 4, 2026 while attempting to board a domestic flight at Tweed New Haven Airport to visit his girlfriend in North Carolina. A witness described the arresting officers as 'very aggressive.' Deng had a pending asylum application with a valid Employment Authorization Document and no criminal history; attorneys Glenn Formica and Steven Strom filed a habeas corpus petition alleging an officer falsely claimed he had violated Temporary Protected Status he never held, and that his Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights were violated. He was held at the Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island, which Formica described as involving 'hyper stress' conditions including sleeping on cement floors with foil blankets and broken toilets. Following advocacy from attorneys, university community members, and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, Deng was released on September 16. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called the detention unnecessary and illegal and sought an investigation into the regional ICE field office; SCSU said it remained in contact with him and was assisting where appropriate.

Nguyen Phuong Anh To, known as "Toph," was detained by ICE agents at Los Angeles International Airport around 9 a.m. on September 25 while getting coffee before boarding a flight to Miami for a conference. She is a UC Irvine student in the U.S. on a student visa and a beloved member of the Midwest, New York, and Los Angeles dance communities, including the Essence dance community. Friends describe her as "an utter light to anyone who crosses her path." She is being held at a detention center about two hours from Los Angeles, and friends, including Iman Brooks, have organized a GoFundMe to cover legal fees, filing fees, bond, and commissary funds, with support from legal services and consent from To's parents in Vietnam.

Kristopher Rivas-Betanco, a Sevier County High School senior and soccer team captain from Honduras who has lived in Tennessee since 2019, was detained by ICE on September 17 alongside his mother, Gladys Betanco-Martinez, after local police stopped their vehicle while driving home from her job, with his two younger sisters also in the car. The two spent a night together in the Knoxville jail before being separated and sent to different facilities; ICE later said it determined Kristopher was still a minor, not 18 as prior records indicated, and released him on September 22, returning him to Tennessee into a guardian's care. He was back with family by September 23 but had not yet returned to school, while his mother remained held at a detention facility in Alabama. Friends and coaches described him as a polite, well-liked young man who hopes to play college soccer and become an engineer; the family's asylum case had been dismissed by a judge in 2024. Kristopher said returning home without his mother and sisters has been difficult, and family and friends started a GoFundMe and online petition to fund an immigration attorney and push for his mother's release.

Catherine came to the United States as an international student ten years ago, building a life and education in Utah. Her family says she was taken into custody on false charges and has been held for six months in a Louisiana ICE detention facility without receiving a trial or hearing. Family members describe her as a daughter, sister, friend, and student, and say she has been separated from her education and community throughout her detention. They are raising money to cover attorney fees, legal filings, transportation, and other costs as they pursue her case.

A college freshman and her father were detained by ICE agents on a Tuesday evening while she was on her way to college orientation and he was accompanying her. The family has a pending case with USCIS and says they were carrying up-to-date legal documentation, which agents refused to review before arresting them and sending them to separate detention centers. Relatives created a fundraiser to help cover immigration attorney fees and seek the family's release from detention.

Renatho Kemsley Casseus, a Haitian national described by San Diego City College as a student, was arrested by ICE agents on September 8, 2026, after unmarked vehicles boxed in his car near campus at 16th and C Street. A passenger, also said to be a student, fled on foot onto campus grounds, with agents pursuing him before retreating once they realized they had entered college property. DHS disputed that Casseus was a student, stating he entered the U.S. without authorization through El Paso, Texas, in May 2023 and was released into the country under the Biden administration, with his case now before an immigration judge. San Diego Community College District Chancellor Greg Smith denounced the incident, and officials said the college, district, and campus police do not cooperate with ICE enforcement. The college offered counseling and legal support to affected students, who organized a rally, and elected officials condemned the arrest.

Min Khant Zaw, a Rohingya and Kaman activist and asylum seeker from Myanmar, was detained by ICE officers at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in July 2026 while returning from a West Coast trip visiting his grandparents. He spent seven weeks at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Jena before being released on Sept. 9 on a $40,000 bond. Zaw, a computer science graduate researcher at Georgia Institute of Technology, fled Myanmar in 2019 after his family, who are Rohingya political dissidents, warned him not to return amid violence against the Rohingya, and he filed for asylum in 2020.

A Venezuelan student with a full scholarship to Washington and Lee University was detained by immigration authorities during a vehicle stop on Interstate 95 in Florida while his father drove him to campus for his sophomore year. His father, who was driving him because the family feared flying amid immigration enforcement at airports, was also detained. The two, who are asylum seekers, remain in ICE custody at Baker Correctional Institute in Florida, and the student never reached Virginia.

Joseph Andrey Londono Rodriguez, a six-year-old Deaf student at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, was detained by ICE along with his mother, Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez, and younger sibling during what the family believed was a routine check-in appointment in the San Francisco Bay Area. Rodriguez Gutierrez, an asylum seeker who fled domestic violence in Colombia, had lived in Hayward for four years working as a cleaner and child care worker with no criminal record. Instead of a routine visit, agents fingerprinted the family, pressured her to sign an unexplained document, and rushed them onto a deportation flight within minutes. Her attorney said she repeatedly pleaded with agents to let a relative bring Joseph's hearing aids and cochlear implants, but the devices were never provided and the family was deported without legal representation. California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and members of Congress have called for an investigation and humanitarian parole to allow the family to return so Joseph can resume school and services in American Sign Language. Joseph's case is one of more than 650 children detained by ICE in California during Trump's second term, 61% of whom were ultimately deported.

Sebastian Jimenez Peroza, a 17-year-old Venezuelan senior at Gainesville High School who plays football, soccer and baseball, was detained by ICE agents along with his mother Antmary Peroza Barrios, stepfather, and sister Fabiana Morillo Peroza at their Gainesville apartment complex days before the school year began. The family had fled Venezuela due to his mother's activism against the government and had been pursuing asylum after their visa expired. Football coach Ashour Peera rallied community support, describing Jimenez as 'a remarkable young man' who 'lights up a room' and a teammate who checked in on others; students displayed a Venezuelan flag with his jersey number, and a GoFundMe raised more than $20,000. After two weeks at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, Sebastian and his mother were released on $5,000 bonds each and flew back to Jacksonville, where they were greeted by his coach and classmates; his stepfather was released separately on a $6,500 bond, his location undisclosed. His sister's case remained open, with a bond hearing scheduled for Sept. 9, and ICE has not explained why the family was detained.

Luis Alejandro Olarte Gosling, a 19-year-old Washington and Lee University sophomore attending on a full QuestBridge scholarship, and his father Luis Felipe Olarte Lugo, 55, were detained by ICE and Border Patrol agents during a traffic stop on Interstate 95 in St. Johns County, Florida. The two were driving from Orlando to Virginia so Luis Alejandro could begin his sophomore year, having chosen to drive rather than fly due to fears about ICE activity at airports. The family are Venezuelan asylum seekers with a pending immigration court case who say they held valid work permits, attended every required appointment, and have never been arrested. Their car was towed, and both remain held at Baker Correctional Institute in Sanderson, Florida, where they have reported extreme heat and insufficient food. A GoFundMe was set up by the family to support them, and Washington and Lee University said it is 'aware of the situation and concerned for the individual and his family.'

An 18-year-old Honduran student was traveling by bus from Houston to California to begin university studies on a scholarship when he was deported to Honduras instead. His mother is now searching for answers about what happened to her son during the trip.

Emmanuel Nelson, 18, a senior linebacker for Port St. Lucie High School's football and wrestling teams, was pulled over for driving 45 mph in a 20 mph school zone and is still in ICE custody more than a week later. Police found he was not a U.S. citizen and contacted ICE, which placed a detainer on him; he was first held at the St. Lucie County Jail and is now at the Broward Transitional Center. ICE says Nelson entered the U.S. legally in January 2016 but violated the terms of his admission, while his family says he came through the Haitian Family Reunification Program and has a pending residency petition from a U.S. citizen step-parent, and had held a valid work permit, Social Security number and driver's license. His coach and teammates have said they hope to welcome him back to the team.

Juan Quim, 19, was deported to Guatemala on August 9, less than two weeks after being detained during a traffic stop in Littleville, Alabama, and transferred to ICE custody under a 287(g) agreement. Quim came to the U.S. from Guatemala at age 10 and grew up in Russellville, where he graduated with honors from Russellville High School, excelled in the welding program, volunteered at his church, and worked at a local restaurant. The Department of Homeland Security said Quim had an outstanding final order of removal over three years old due to his failure to appear at immigration hearings. An advocate who organized a GoFundMe for Quim said he is now safe with relatives, and he is described as deeply missed by his parents and two siblings.

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.

Dr. Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral fellow and peace scholar at Georgetown University, was arrested without a warrant by ICE agents in March 2025 after expressing pro-Palestinian views on social media. He was held in multiple detention facilities for nearly six weeks and subjected to conditions including denial of religious accommodations. A federal court ordered his release on bail. The Trump administration attempted to re-detain him, arguing federal courts lacked jurisdiction to review his case. In July 2026, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the administration's re-detention attempt, upholding habeas corpus protections that allow immigrants to challenge their detention in federal court.

Luis Andrade-Garcia, 20, a Texas Christian University student from El Salvador who arrived in the U.S. at age 3, was arrested on June 28 in Arlington after police spotted his parked vehicle near Meadowbrook Park and he drove away. He was charged with disorderly conduct and fleeing from a police officer, later pleaded down to a class C misdemeanor, and paid approximately $200 in fines. An immigration hold was placed on him while in custody at Tarrant County Jail. ICE took him into custody on July 10 and deported him to El Salvador on July 22. Andrade-Garcia was a double major in accounting and business information systems at TCU, graduated as valedictorian from Sam Houston High School in 2024, ran cross country, received multiple scholarships, and mentored young Latino students in the community. Members of his fraternity, Lambda Theta Phi, described him as 'genuine, hardworking, selfless, honest, dependable and humble.' According to ICE, Andrade-Garcia had entered the U.S. in 2009 and was ordered removed by an immigration judge in March 2010 but remained in the country. His fraternity chapter launched a 'Lambda Week of Action' and created a GoFundMe that raised over $11,000 to assist him and his family.