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Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

Story details

Children left alone

Children were left without a parent at home, at school, or in a car when the parent was taken, or went into foster or emergency care.

Documented in 28 states. Every well-documented story coded this way, grouped by state. See what accompanies it →

Alabama

Alejandro A.R.: 5-year-old left alone in parked car after ICE detains father in AlabamaA 5-year-old boy was left alone in a car at an Alabama church parking lot after ICE detained his father, Alejandro Alvarado Ramírez, on Highway 59. An agent let the child call his mother using his father's phone.Mobile, AL · Jun 17, 2026 · AL.com, Libero
Marlyn: Asylum-seeking mother deported by ICE without her 2-year-old sonMarlyn, a mother with a pending asylum case and work permit, was detained on a grocery run and deported without her 2-year-old son, who is now cared for by another woman.Mobile, AL · Feb 2026 · The Atlantic

Arizona

Rosa B.: Teen cares for siblings with autism after ICE detains parentsRosa Barrera, 18, now cares for her three younger siblings, including a sister with autism, after ICE detained their parents at work. She is fundraising for legal help to reunite the family.Phoenix, AZ · Jan 28, 2026 · NBC News, Latin Times, WGBH +1

Arkansas

Ezequiel P.: 14-year-old left alone on I-5 after ICE arrests father near ChehalisEzequiel Pacas Sr., a 37-year-old contractor and father of four, was arrested at gunpoint during a traffic stop on I-5, leaving his 14-year-old son alone at the scene.Little Rock, AR · Jul 21, 2026 · KGW, Spot On Idaho, Amelica +1

California

Colorado

Gladys C.T.: Venezuelan mother with TPS deported to El Salvador, beaten in detentionGladys Yoleida Caricote Tovar, 28, a mother of three, was arrested in front of her children, had them placed in foster care, then deported despite a court order. She was later beaten in a Texas detention center.Colorado · Mar 15, 2025 · El País, USA Today, ABC News +1

Connecticut

Nancy M.: Mother handcuffed by ICE in front of her children, deported to MexicoNancy Martinez, 37, a factory worker in New Haven for 15 years, was handcuffed in front of her children, including her autistic son, then deported to Mexico. She now sues ICE while calling her kids daily from abroad.New Haven, CT · Oct 11, 2026 · CT Insider, NBC Connecticut, CT Mirror +6

Florida

Idaho

105 detained in Idaho racetrack raid that separated children from parentsA raid at an Idaho horse track detained 105 undocumented people, including children separated from parents. Some say they were coerced into deportation without contacting family or lawyers.Wilder, ID · May 6, 2026 · Boise State Public Radio, KTVB, KIVI TV +3

Illinois

Kansas

Kentucky

Ciceli M.: Honduran mother deported by ICE, four children left behindCiceli Martinez, a mother of four with no criminal record, was detained at a routine ICE check-in and deported to Honduras after 12 years in Louisville, leaving her children in her 20-year-old son's care.Louisville, KY · Mar 10, 2026 · WDRB Wave, WKYT, WBKO

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Minnesota

Missouri

Nixon P.P. and Glendy G.C.: Missouri couple shot dead in Guatemala after ICE arrest, three daughters orphanedGlendy Marisol González de la Cruz, 25, self-deported to Guatemala to reunite with her husband after he was arrested near their Missouri home, and both were later found shot dead, leaving three young daughters orphaned.Overland, MO · Jul 26, 2026 · St. Louis Public Radio, Soy 502, KCUR

Nebraska

Nevada

Diana R.P. and Jairo A.E.: Asylum-seeking parents of two detained by ICE at Las Vegas airportA Colombian couple with Spanish citizenship were detained at the Las Vegas airport while traveling to celebrate a birthday, then separated into facilities in different states, leaving their two children with relatives.Las Vegas, NV · Aug 1, 2026 · Infobae, El Frente, Univision +1

New Jersey

New Mexico

Edgar C.M.: Father with U visa detained by ICE while driving daughter to doctorEdgar Chacon-Miranda, 45, a father with legal custody of his children, was detained by ICE while driving his daughter to a Santa Fe clinic for care. His daughter was left in the parking lot until a family member arrived.Santa Fe, NM · Sep 27, 2026 · KOB, KOAT, Tri City Record +5

New York

North Carolina

Allison B.C.: ICE raided wrong home, held nursing student six monthsAllison Bustillo Chinchilla, 20, a nursing student caring for her autistic sibling, was held six months in unsanitary conditions before agreeing to leave for Honduras.Charlotte, NC · Aug 26, 2025 · Charlotte Observer, Reuters Connect, Enlace Latino NC

Ohio

Ingrid M.: Guatemalan mother detained by ICE, toddler placed in foster careIngrid Mejia, a 25-year-old Guatemalan farmworker, was jailed for driving without a license and then held over four months in ICE detention, while her 3-year-old U.S. citizen son was placed in foster care.Greenville, OH · Feb 25, 2025 · theyoungcenter.org, Reuters, The Straits Times +1

Oregon

Jackie M.: Portland mother detained by CBP, separated from four U.S. citizen childrenJackie Merlos, a Honduran mother and longtime Portland business owner, was detained by CBP during a family picnic, separating her from her four U.S. citizen children. She remains held in Tacoma.Portland, OR · Jul 10, 2025 · Seattle Times, Rolling Stone, Bellingham Herald +3

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia

Washington

Location not tied to one state