Human Impact Project

U.S. District Judge Gary R. Brown, appointed by President Trump, ruled that ICE agents illegally arrested Angel Jesus Almonte during a May operation in the Bronx targeting Dario Santos-Amarante, despite striking physical differences between the two men. Brown's 28-page opinion found agents falsified arrest paperwork, including a "substantially false" administrative warrant prepared after Almonte's detention, and gave testimony about alleged drug transactions that bore "all the hallmarks of coordinated fabrication," while official records showed only motor vehicle charges. A supervisor testified that five database searches had initially returned negative results before the warrant falsely claimed biometric confirmation. The same operation also led to the violent arrest of U.S. citizen Jeury Concepcion, who suffered head injuries requiring stitches after being mistaken for the target; Brown provisionally granted Almonte's habeas petition and ordered the government to explain within 21 days how it will address the problems identified, while considering possible sanctions.

Jeury Concepcion, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen from the Bronx, was tackled by ICE agents near East Gun Hill Road and Hull Avenue after being mistaken for a man with a removal order. Cellphone video showed masked agents with guns drawn forcing him to the ground and handcuffing him outside a barber shop while a bystander yelled 'Why you kidnapping?!' Witnesses said Concepcion repeatedly told agents he was a U.S. citizen as he was restrained and left bleeding from a head wound. Agents later checked his ID, realized they had the wrong person, apologized, and dropped him off bloodied at an unfamiliar park, where his mother and grandmother, Ivelisse Garcia Santana, eventually found him and took him for treatment; he received a concussion diagnosis and seven stitches. A DHS spokesperson said ICE did not arrest him, claiming he was briefly detained for matching a description and refusing to identify himself. Judge Gary R. Brown later reviewed video of the incident, calling it 'extremely violent' and ruling the arrest illegal, citing 'significant injury to a U.S. citizen.' Concepcion's case is among more than 500 U.S. citizens ProPublica identified as having been detained by immigration agents during the Trump administration.

A man walking to a pharmacy in Evanston, Illinois, to fill a prescription was tackled and detained by federal agents believed to be ICE after being mistaken for a fugitive near Dodge Avenue and Howard Street. Witnesses, including Miguel Angel Olivares, recorded video showing agents using force, pinning him down and appearing to strike him as he repeatedly stated he was a U.S. citizen. He suffered injuries to his head, neck and teeth, bled at the scene, and was taken by Evanston Fire Department ambulance to St. Francis hospital for treatment. A paramedic and police officer at the scene expressed shock that agents drove away while he lay in the street. DHS said the man was uncooperative and declined assistance, while an ICE supervisor told Evanston police agents left because protesters began gathering. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss confirmed the detention and release, while local police, eyewitnesses, and the group Sanctuary Evanston disputed DHS's account, calling it a violent assault. Evanston police, Illinois authorities, and the FBI are investigating, with body camera footage and 911 audio being reviewed.

Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a 24-year-old Venezuelan man living in north Minneapolis, was shot in the leg through his front door by ICE agent Christian Castro during a January 2026 raid tied to Operation Metro Surge. His partner, Indriany Mendoza Camacho, said agents threw tear gas into the home, which had children present, before entering to detain him; the bullet also traveled into a child's room. Federal prosecutors initially charged Sosa-Celis and his cousin/roommate Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna with assaulting officers with a shovel and broom, but surveillance video contradicted the officers' sworn testimony, and the charges were dismissed after the Justice Department acknowledged agents had lied under oath. ICE's Acting Director Todd Lyons said two officers may have lied and placed them on leave. Hennepin County prosecutors later charged Castro with four counts of second-degree assault and falsely reporting a crime; he was arrested in Texas by DHS agents and Texas Rangers. Texas Governor Greg Abbott refused to extradite Castro, prompting a lawsuit from Minnesota's attorney general, and the Justice Department subsequently charged Castro only with making false statements. An Assistant U.S. Attorney who objected to that decision was fired and is now under investigation for allegedly leaking case information.

A Guatemalan man working a landscaping job for Tommy Builders near Everett Community College was pulled from a work truck by six to eight masked ICE agents in tactical vests on a Monday morning in north Everett. Homeowner Jennifer Gordon recorded video showing the man shouting for help in English and Spanish, saying 'They don't have a warrant' and 'I can't breathe' as agents leaned over him; a second man working with him fled the scene. Gordon said the agents wore no badges or identification, used unmarked vehicles, refused to show a warrant when asked, and later photographed her house and address, which she said felt intimidating. ICE declined to confirm his identity, but DHS later said he had a criminal history and had been issued a final removal order in 2003 that was reinstated in 2011 and 2016 after alleged unauthorized reentry, and said officers used lawful, minimum-necessary force after he refused commands. A neighbor said an agent claimed the man was wanted over a murder allegation in his home country, which ICE did not confirm.

Angel and Alex Tixe, Ecuadorian brothers-in-law working on a roofing crew repairing Mary Richards' 160-year-old farmhouse in Cornwall, Vermont, were detained on Aug. 8, 2026, after ICE agents in three unmarked SUVs surrounded the property. Reporting indicates the stop began when a passing ICE agent spotted the crew on the roof. Agents did not present a warrant or identify themselves despite Richards' repeated demands, handcuffing one worker in the yard while others fled, some hiding in a tree, before the men were taken out of state to a detention facility in Massachusetts. Angel, whose wife Maria Tixe has a pending asylum case, was released on bail after 15 days in custody and returned to Vermont. Alex, Maria's 30-year-old brother and father of an 18-month-old son, remained detained, with his sister-in-law saying she was still fighting for his release. "We aren't criminals," Tixe said. "We came to work and to help our children get ahead." State Sen. Ruth Hardy, who visited Richards and spoke with the crew manager, said the arrests appeared to reflect racial and ethnic profiling and called the incident traumatic. Migrant Justice and Addison County advocates organized support, and a GoFundMe for the men's families and legal defense raised over $7,600.

Ivan, 27, a construction worker from Guatemala who has lived in Minnesota since 2019 with no criminal record beyond minor traffic violations, was arrested on September 11 after ICE agents ran his work vehicle's plates at a Columbia Heights gas station and followed him to a Menards parking lot. A federal judge later granted his habeas petition, but when he arrived at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis for release, five federal agents were already waiting and took him into custody at Freeborn County Jail. "I didn't even make it to see the sun," Ivan told MPR News by phone from the jail, speaking in Spanish. His attorney, Steven Appelget, had argued agents lacked probable cause or a warrant for the initial arrest.

ICE agents arrested Welington Leonel Almara-Diaz at Meriden Superior Court in Connecticut after Judicial Marshal Services received a Warrant of Removal/Deportation stemming from a final removal order issued in October 2023, following his apprehension by Border Patrol near Hidalgo, Texas, in September 2022. Witnesses said about ten agents, some masked, entered the courthouse around 1 p.m., and video showed marshals blocking advocates as a woman fell to the ground during the confrontation. Advocates, including Middlesex Immigrant Rights Alliance member Miguel Castro, gathered outside after learning ICE was near the courthouse, and at least one person was injured during the chaotic scene. ICE said marshals impeded the arrest and protesters blocked officers' exit, prompting agents to use their training to 'gain control of the situation.' Connecticut officials and the ACLU are investigating whether the arrest violated state law restricting civil immigration arrests on courthouse grounds without a judicial warrant and rules on mask use by officers.

Adrián Higareda Ceja, 43, originally from Michoacán, Mexico, was surrounded and taken into custody by ICE agents last Friday while dropping off his two children at Edison Elementary School in Phoenix. His children, ages 7 and 8, witnessed the arrest, with his young daughter reportedly pleading with agents not to take her father. His wife said she believes agents may have targeted the wrong person. The school district confirmed the detention occurred outside the campus. Higareda Ceja is currently held at the Florence detention center in Arizona.

Frank Duran, a Cargill meat plant worker in Dodge City, and his 20-year-old daughter Guadalupe Navarrete, who works at National Beef in Liberal, were pulled over by an ICE vehicle with sirens while driving home from work in southwest Kansas. An officer approached Navarrete, who was driving, demanding identification but did not respond when she asked if he had a warrant or why they were stopped. Both are U.S. citizens who have lived in Kansas their entire lives, and Navarrete was left shaking and crying after the officer scanned her identification. She told her father, "We're both born here in Kansas. We're legal citizens, Dad. They profiled us." Duran said he believed they had been racially profiled. They were not detained and were allowed to leave after the stop, which occurred amid a broader ICE enforcement action targeting meat processing plants in the region.

Brian José Morales García, a 25-year-old HVAC worker from Austin born in Denver, Colorado, was riding in his employer's truck near Fredericksburg, Texas, on April 3, 2026, when a state trooper stopped them for an alleged window-tint violation. He repeatedly told officers he was a citizen and offered his birth certificate, Social Security card, and baptismal record, but said they refused to accept them; he was held by the Gillespie County Sheriff's Office before Border Patrol took custody. He said agents mocked his citizenship claim and pressured him into signing paperwork admitting illegal entry, which he did only to avoid prolonged detention and reunite with his pregnant wife in Mexico. He was deported four to five days after the stop, missing the birth of his daughter and spending nearly five months with relatives in Mexico. His attorneys, including Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, filed a federal lawsuit alleging coercion and racial profiling, submitting his Colorado birth certificate, hospital records, baptismal certificate, and witness affidavits, while DHS disputed his citizenship claim. A federal judge called the case 'highly unusual' and ordered discovery; the Department of Justice agreed to let him return to Austin on August 30, 2026, with his lawyer picking him up in Laredo. His civil rights lawsuit continues, and he said his fear of being wrongfully targeted again will stay with him.

Luis Ochoa, a 17-year-old U.S. citizen, and his friend JC were detained by ICE agents in Alamo, Texas, after stopping to film an immigration enforcement action near Santos Livas Elementary School. The teens said they were on their way to meet with a Marine Corps recruiter when agents pulled Ochoa from his vehicle, breaking his wrist, pepper-sprayed both boys, and struck JC in the face despite their stating they were U.S. citizens. Video of the encounter showed the strikes to JC's face before Ochoa was taken into custody; Ochoa said an agent told him 'don't resist' though he was not resisting, and another reportedly said, 'I don't give a damn... Your parents can't help you now.' Ochoa's mother, Teresa Ochoa, said she went about eight hours without information about her son, calling it one of the most frightening moments of her life, and said the ordeal made both teens reconsider plans to enlist. DHS disputed the account, describing the teens as 'anti-ICE agitators' who became combative and said two officers suffered minor injuries. The Alamo Police Department forwarded the teens' complaint to the DHS Office of Inspector General, and Teresa Ochoa was deported days after speaking publicly about the incident.

Alejandro, 33, from Mexico, works in Minnesota to support his family back home and has a pending asylum appeal after his initial claim was denied. He had been held in custody since May — first by local law enforcement, then ICE — until a judge ruled on Sept. 22 that his arrest was unlawful and ordered his immediate release. On Sept. 25, after being given back his belongings at the Whipple Federal Building, Alejandro made it just outside the front doors before plainclothes immigration agents handcuffed him again, with one agent telling him through translation that "just like they could release me, they could arrest me again."

A 42-year-old Kashmiri filmmaker known for directing Saffron Kingdom was detained by ICE agents at Washington Dulles International Airport on September 24 while traveling with filmmaker Tara Dorabji from San Francisco to an 'Art as Resistance' event at Busboys and Poets in Washington DC. Dorabji said plainclothes agents pulled him aside on the jetway and took him to the tarmac without showing a warrant, even as he presented his immigration paperwork. The filmmaker, whose father disappeared in 2003, entered the U.S. legally on a student visa to pursue graduate film studies at Georgia State University and has a pending immigration application. On October 6, an immigration court granted him bond, and he is expected to be released from the Caroline Detention Facility in Bowling Green, Virginia, on October 8.

Stoyan Stoyanov, who has lived in the U.S. for 10 years while navigating his immigration case, says he was unlawfully arrested by ICE and held in detention for three months. He says he lost 24 pounds and developed health issues after being underfed in the detention center, and fell behind on rent and credit card payments as a result. He has started a GoFundMe to help cover legal fees, overdue bills, and medical costs stemming from his detention.

A woman was detained by ICE agents outside her daughter's home while on her way to work, surrounded by three ICE vehicles with no warrant. She has lived in the United States for over 18 years and is described by her family as a hardworking mother who ensures her children are fed and attend school. She is currently held at a detention center in Otay, California, and her family is raising funds for legal fees.

Ariel Arias, a husband, father, and grandfather, was taken into custody by ICE agents in Houston on the morning of September 23, 2026 as he was leaving for work in his residential parking lot. His family says the arrest was unlawful and were unable to locate him within ICE's standard 24-48 hour processing window. Arias has a heart condition and relies on sublingual medication to prevent a heart attack, and his family is urgently trying to confirm his location so he can access it. They have appealed to Representatives Sylvia Garcia, Greg Casar, and Joaquin Castro for help.

A Medford man testified in federal court that immigration officers surrounded his vehicle when he arrived at work in June, broke a window and handcuffed him before releasing him after determining he was not the person they were seeking. He told the court he had an active asylum application at the time. His testimony was presented as evidence in a hearing where lawyers argued ICE officers failed to comply with a February court order requiring individual assessments of flight risk before warrantless arrests.

Retired Wayne County judge Michael Callahan said a convoy of eight armed ICE officers arrived at his metro Detroit home in August, falsely claiming they only intended to place an ankle tether on his foster son, a Congolese refugee who had lived in the U.S. for more than seven years, attended every required ICE check-in, had no criminal record and worked full-time as a truck driver. The officers had no warrant or court order, according to Callahan, and took the foster son into custody once he stepped outside. DHS disputed that officers used a ruse, saying they identified themselves as law enforcement, and a federal court declined to block the deportation after the government cited a 2019 final removal order. About two weeks after his arrest, he was flown to Cameroon, a country where he has no known ties, despite having been granted protection from return to his native Democratic Republic of Congo, which he had fled due to violence tied to his father's political opposition activity.

A New Bedford man from Guatemala, who arrived in the U.S. four years earlier and had work authorization while his asylum application was pending, was detained by ICE agents on Tuesday while on break from his job at an auto repair shop. According to his brother, identified only as Nicolás for fear of being targeted himself, the man did not immediately open his car door when agents approached, so an agent smashed the window to pull him out. Nicolás said his sister had also been arrested during a 2007 immigration raid in New Bedford. He later spoke with his brother by phone, who was being held at ICE's facility in Burlington, Massachusetts.