Three men arrested by ICE in mistaken identity operation in Staten IslandThree men in Staten Island, including a father of two U.S. citizen children who had lived here nearly two decades, were wrongly arrested in a stakeout for other targets.Feb 2026·Port Richmond, NY·Guatemala·The Guardian📦
Andy S.: Indonesian man detained at airport without explanation after 18 years of complianceAn Indonesian man who had complied with a supervision order for nearly 18 years was detained at an airport without explanation. A court ordered his immediate release after he challenged the detention.Feb 2026·Adelanto, CA·Indonesia·CourtListener📦
Lily: Three-year-old separated at border held over five months in shelterLily, a three-year-old separated from her family at the border, was held in a South Texas shelter for over five months before a habeas filing freed her, reuniting her with her father.Jan 31, 2026·South Texas·ABC News📦,Instagram📦
Alberto C.M.: Mexican roofer suffers skull fractures and brain hemorrhages in ICE custodyAlberto Castañeda Mondragón, a 31-year-old roofer and business owner supporting a daughter in Mexico, suffered eight skull fractures in ICE custody; a judge ordered his release and the FBI is investigating.Jan 31, 2026·St. Paul, MN·Mexico·CBS News📦,Los Angeles Times📦,Associated Press,CourtListener+1📦,Sahan Journal+1📦,Star Tribune📦,Post Bulletin📦,Winnipeg Free Press📦,Info News,KRIS TV📦,KTVQ📦,ABC7 Chicago📦,KSBY📦,Instagram+1📦
Liam R.: Five-year-old boy detained by ICE with father at DilleyLiam Ramos, a five-year-old pictured in a bunny hat, was detained with his father at the Dilley family facility until a judge ordered their release.Jan 31, 2026·Dilley, TX·Newsweek,Scripps News📦,WVXU📦,FOX 7 Austin,TPR
Michael P.R.: Man detained by ICE after attending scheduled appointment in Los AngelesA man who entered the U.S. without authorization in 2021 was detained in Los Angeles after missing a January court hearing. A judge ordered a bond hearing within seven days or his release.Jan 30, 2026·Los Angeles, CA·CourtListener📦
Sithy Y.: Cambodian genocide survivor held nearly two months in ICE detentionSithy Yi, a Cambodian Genocide survivor who came to the U.S. in 1981, was detained at a routine check-in in Santa Ana and held nearly two months before a judge ordered her release.Jan 29, 2026·Santa Ana, CA·Cambodia·PACER Monitor,Long Beach Post📦,LAist📦,Philadelphia Inquirer📦,Reeves Immigration📦,CourtListener,Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund📦,Instagram📦
Gaston L.G.: Mexican man in U.S. 28 years held by ICE without bond hearingA Mexican man who has lived in the U.S. for about 28 years was held without a bond hearing after a January drunken driving arrest. A federal court ordered him given a bond hearing or released.Jan 28, 2026·St. Joseph County, IN·Mexico·CourtListener📦
Javier G.R.: Venezuelan high school student held 18 days without charges, asylum pendingJavier Gimenez Rivero, a Venezuelan high school student with a pending asylum claim, was held 18 days without charges or a hearing before a federal judge ordered his release.Jan 28, 2026·Orange County, FL·Venezuela·FOX 35 Orlando📦,U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida📦,Clearinghouse,CourtListener,CFPublic
Hagop C.: Surfer who could not be deported held 4 months by ICEHagop Chirinian, a surfer held four months after accidentally trespassing on a beach, was freed when a judge ruled ICE wrongly detained him since Lebanon refused to accept him.Jan 28, 2026·San Diego, CA·Lebanon·KPBS+1📦,The Inertia📦,Miami Herald📦
Jose C.S.: Man put under ICE monitoring despite court order barring any conditionsA man with no prior immigration encounters was unlawfully detained, then released with monitoring conditions despite a court order barring any. The court voided those conditions, criticizing the agency's defiance.Jan 27, 2026·New Jersey·CourtListener📦,Times West Virginia📦
Elvis T.E.: 2-year-old flown to Texas despite order to release herAn Ecuadorian father and his 2-year-old daughter were detained in Minneapolis and flown to Texas despite a judge's order to release the child. She was returned the next day; her father remains held.Jan 24, 2026·Minneapolis, MN·Ecuador·CNN+1📦,Newsweek📦,Fox 9📦,MPR News+1📦,CBC📦,KSTP📦,Sahan Journal📦,Star Tribune📦,MEAWW📦
Elvis T.E.: Two-year-old and father flown to Texas by ICE despite court orderA 2-year-old who has lived in Minneapolis since birth and her Ecuadorian father were detained and flown to Texas despite a court order; she was returned the next day while he remains in custody.Jan 24, 2026·Minneapolis, MN·Ecuador·CNN📦,Fox 9📦,MPR News📦
Cong Y.: Chinese asylum seeker fearing persecution re-detained by ICE at routine check-inA Chinese asylum seeker who had lived freely in Los Angeles since 2023 was re-detained during a routine ICE check-in. A judge ordered his immediate release, citing a due process violation.Jan 23, 2026·Los Angeles, CA·China·CourtListener📦
Arnoldo T.C. and Karla: 10-year-old girl and asylum-seeking father detained by Border Patrol in SpokaneArnoldo Tiul Caal, a Guatemalan asylum-seeker in Spokane since 2019, and his 10-year-old daughter Karla, a fourth-grader, were detained after school drop-off and sent to a Texas family facility. A judge ordered them released January 23.Jan 23, 2026·Spokane, WA·Guatemala·Spokane Public Radio📦,KHQ📦,KUOW+1📦,Spokesman-Review📦,Yakima Herald📦,KXLY📦,Instagram📦
Zharick B.O.: Eight months pregnant asylum seeker deported to Colombia in medical distressZharick Daniela Buitrago Ortiz, 21 and eight months pregnant, was deported to Colombia in medical distress; a judge's order blocking her removal arrived about three hours after her flight left.Jan 22, 2026·Atlanta, GA·Colombia·The Guardian📦,Law360📦,FOX 11 Los Angeles📦,19th News📦,The Columbus Dispatch,The Atlanta Journal-Constitution📦,Instagram📦
Ecuadoran asylum seeker with epilepsy suffered seizures after ICE took her medicationAn Ecuadoran asylum seeker held in Maine for five months was transferred without her epilepsy medication, shackled without food or bathroom access, and suffered seizures; a judge ordered her released and the government to pay her legal fees.Jan 22, 2026·Portland, ME·Ecuador·Bangor Daily News📦,The Maine Monitor📦
Dozens of Mainers held weeks by ICE, many losing their jobsEvaristo Kalonji, an Angolan church organist, was among dozens of Mainers detained in a January 2026 ICE operation and moved between out-of-state facilities. Judges later ordered about 35 released.Jan 22, 2026·South Portland, ME·Angola·Bangor Daily News📦,Press Herald📦,CourtListener
Yanick C.: Angolan asylum seeker detained by ICE at routine check-in in ScarboroughYanick Joao Carneiro, an Angolan man with no criminal record, was detained during a routine immigration check-in in Scarborough despite having filed for asylum. A judge ordered ICE to explain the detention and temporarily blocked his deportation for 72 hours.Jan 21, 2026·Scarborough, ME·Angola·The Maine Monitor📦,Press Herald📦,WGAN📦
Pablo M.B.: Man in U.S. 18 years held by ICE without bond hearingA man who has lived in the U.S. for eighteen years was detained in January and held in Aurora, Colorado. A judge ordered a bond hearing within seven days, ruling the government must justify his continued detention.Jan 20, 2026·Aurora, CO·CourtListener📦
