People with disabilities whose families were not told
These documented cases describe people with intellectual, developmental, or serious medical disabilities detained or deported by ICE and CBP without their families being informed, including in Los Angeles, Houston, Denver, Chicago, Buffalo, Fort Wayne, and Miami. Some were later found hospitalized abroad, held for weeks before relatives located them, or died in custody or after release, including from hypothermia and untreated medical conditions. First documented February 2025, recurring monthly since October 2025, this pattern is a smaller share of recent reported cases than at its February 2025 peak.
First documented Feb 2025, recurring since Oct 2025. A smaller share of recent stories than at its peak.
Share of each month's well-documented stories, Jan 2025 to Oct 2026. Volume is not shown: coverage grew over the record, shares did not have to.
11 stories in 7 states. What accompanies this practice →
California
Daniel: Severely disabled man deported by ICE, back with family after nine monthsDaniel, who has an IQ of 47 and severe intellectual disabilities, was deported without his family's knowledge while collecting recyclables, and was found hospitalized in Tijuana nine months later before being allowed to return.Los Angeles, CA · Jun 18, 2026 · Newsweek, Internet Archive, The Guardian- Will K.: Ph.D. candidate held over a week at airport by CBPTae Heung "Will" Kim, 40, a Texas A&M Ph.D. candidate studying infectious disease, was held at San Francisco Airport for over a week without a lawyer after returning from his brother's wedding. He now faces a September 4 deportation hearing.San Francisco, CA · Jul 21, 2025 · Korean Quarterly, Seattle Times, Law & Crime
Colorado
Florida
Genry R.G.: Honduran man with schizoaffective disorder dies in ICE custody after seizuresGenry Ruiz Guillén, a 29-year-old Honduran man with schizoaffective disorder, suffered seizures and fainting spells while held at Krome before dying in December 2024. Experts have questioned the official cause of death.Miami, FL · Feb 24, 2025 · Physicians for Human Rights, MuckRock, La Nación +8
Diabetic British man with heart disease denied medications in ICE detention, collapsesA 56-year-old British man with diabetes, pancreatitis and heart disease was shackled for hours and denied consistent medication across three Florida facilities, later collapsing and being hospitalized under a false name.Miami, FL · February 2025 · Human Rights Watch
Illinois
Indiana
New York
Texas
Emmanuel G.G.: Missing autistic 15-year-old handed to ICE by Houston policeEmmanuel González Garcia, a 15-year-old with autism, went missing from his mother's Houston fruit stand and was later handed to ICE instead of reunited with her. He now faces emergency appendix surgery in federal custody.Houston, TX · Oct 11, 2025 · KVUE, FOX 26 Houston
Emmanuel G.G.: Missing Houston teen with intellectual disability handed to ICE, held 48 daysEmmanuel González García, 15, has an intellectual disability and partial deafness. He was held 48 days after agents failed to link him to his mother's missing-person report, undergoing emergency surgery in custody.Houston, TX · Oct 4, 2025 · 19th News, The Barbed Wire, Houston Chronicle +4
