Signs of Corruption and System Failures From The Stories of The Victims of Immigration EnforcemenT
Welcome to the ICE Files:
Juan Nicolás (2 Month Old Baby)- #0105
Detained with his mother at the Dilley facility, he became seriously ill after choking on his own vomit and suffering ongoing respiratory problems. Because the facility did not have a doctor available, he was finally rushed to a hospital after a late‑night medical episode. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro publicly warned that the infant’s life was in danger and criticized the detention center for lacking the medical capacity to care for him for weeks with no release in sight. The baby had spent nearly half his life in detention, prompting renewed calls for his release. It has been a month (⅓ of his life) that he has been jailed in a detention facility with no news on release. Update, according to his lawyer his family was deported and essentially left stranded in their deported country with him still being sick with what they believe is bronchitis.
#Children #InadequateConditions #Disabled/Sick
Ofelia Torres & Ruben Torres Maldonado- #0106
A Chicago high school student, died from stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive soft‑tissue cancer she had been fighting since late 2024. She advocated for her father’s release from ICE custody, posting videos and speaking out after he was detained violently. Her father was released about two weeks after her plea, and shortly before her death an immigration judge ruled he qualified for cancellation of removal. DHS claimed he was an illegal criminal alien, but he has no convictions, and a couple of traffic citations. In fact, lack of criminal history was cited for cancellation of removal.
#Caregivers #Released
"You guys are targeting the wrong people," Ofelia said back in October, per WLS-TV. "You are targeting hardworking fathers, mothers, kids. They don't deserve it." (2)
“We mourn Ofelia’s passing, and we hope that she will serve as a model for us all for how to be courageous and to fight for what’s right to our last breaths.” (1) (I included Ofelia as a victim because her limited and precious time with her father was stolen by an administration bent on punishing international people)
I want to leave this story with a quote from Ofelia: “To the ICE agents who smashed my dad's window, to the ICE agent who pointed a gun at my dad, I'm not mad at you... I just want you to know that that was not the right thing to do," (those words sound familiar- Rest in Peace Ofelia Torres and Renee Good). (3)
(1) https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/chicago-teen-called-fathers-release-ice-detention-dies-rare-cancer-rcna259151 (2) https://people.com/teen-ofelia-torres-who-called-for-dads-release-ice-custody-dies-rare-cancer-11907216 (3) https://abcnews.com/US/teen-called-dads-release-ice-custody-dies-cancer/story?id=130183175
Dmytro Kulyk- #0107
A Ukrainian father who legally entered the U.S. in late 2023 after fleeing Russian drone and missile attacks, was surrounded and detained by ICE agents in a Walmart parking lot in Minnesota. He told reporters he had followed all U.S. requirements and didn’t understand why he was being jailed. Kulyk had been working multiple jobs to support his family when agents described by witnesses as laughing during the arrest took him into custody. What the people are seeing is increasingly aggressive and dehumanizing enforcement.
Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna- #0108
A DoorDash driver in Minneapolis tackled by ICE agents on his way home. DHS claims they were in pursuit of an illegal Venezuelan, though this claim is made with no evidence. ICE officers claim they were brutally beaten by Aljorna, his cousin and a neighbor. This statement was made in a sworn statement. DHS stood behind these claims, amplifying that Minnesota is full of violent protesters by statements of Kristi Noem and Todd Blanche. These statements by ICE officers have been proven false by video evidence. This is the problem with DHS making unsupported claims before investigating. Still though, this claim of violence is on the DHS website.
#ExcessiveForce #LiesByICE#ExcessiveForce #LiesByICE
Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis- #0109
He was shot in the leg by an ICE agent during a chaotic enforcement operation. Federal officials initially claimed he had violently assaulted an officer and ambushed agents, but video evidence and witness accounts contradicted key parts of DHS’s story, showing major inconsistencies. A federal judge later dropped all charges against Sosa‑Celis after the Department of Justice revealed that ICE officers had made false statements under oath about what happened. His case has become central to a broader federal investigation into misconduct and misleading official accounts during ICE operations.
#ExcessiveForce #LiesByICE
Adonay Manica Rodriguez- #0110
He was detained by ICE near his home in New Jersey after stepping out briefly to pick up food for his 6‑year‑old daughter. His partner says he expected to return in minutes, but agents arrested him as part of a larger enforcement sweep. Meanwhile, his young daughter was found crying and wandering the hallway alone, asking “Where’s Papi?” after he didn’t come back. The incident left the family shaken and has drawn public concern about children being left without caregivers during immigration operations. He has no criminal record and arrived as a teenage refugee many years ago.
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#Caregivers
Rabbaitu Kuyateh- #0111
A 58‑year‑old mother, was detained during a routine annual ICE check‑in in Maryland. A judge ordered that she not be released to Sierra Leone where she had been tortured. After this she was not given the opportunity to request to stay, she was hastily flown to Ghana where she has never lived. She says her ankles were shackled the entire 10 hour flight back to Ghana. “‘There was another guy on the floor. That guy, they chained from the head. Down to the feet,’ Kuyateh said. ‘They said if you don't cooperate with us, that's how we're going to tie you.’ Kuyateh told the I-Team she and other deportees were sent to a hotel in Ghana. She said she was there for six days before video captured her being dragged. A bus arrived to take Kuyateh to Sierra Leone – though a U.S. judge had ordered that she could not be sent there. She told News4 she resisted. ‘That’s when they dragged me. So, they bumped the back of my head,’ Kuyateh said” (1). This viral video shows her being dragged by immigration officers, which her family says was traumatic and unnecessary. Her family is now publicly pleading for her return and speaking out about the treatment she received while in custody. (This woman withstood abuse to flee for a better life, become a contributing member of society like her children, and the system meant to protect her, ended up abusing her).
#Senior #CheckInDetainment #InadequateConditions #ExcessiveForce #SolitaryConfinement/Restraints
O. (As Identified in Court)- #0112
A 20‑year‑old asylum seeker with valid work authorization and no active removal case, was violently seized by men in an unmarked car who never identified themselves, then held in filthy conditions and denied meaningful access to his attorney. ICE repeatedly transferred him between states to obstruct legal contact, even after a federal judge ordered his immediate release on the fifth day, but they kept him detained for 18 days in clear violation of the court order. During this time, officers misled his lawyer about his location, restricted phone access, and pressured him to “self‑deport,” offering money and telling him he had no chance of returning to Minnesota. His experience reflects a series of serious legal violations, including unlawful seizure, denial of due process, interference with counsel, obstruction of court access, and defiance of a federal habeas ruling.
#InadequateConditions #ExcessiveForce #LawyerDenial
In the Judge’s opinion: ““The Constitution does not permit the government to arrest thousands of individuals and then disregard their constitutional rights because it would be too challenging to honor those rights”
J.J.B.(As Identified in Court)- #0113
A 20‑year‑old refugee who was seized outside his home by roughly twenty ICE agents who surrounded his car and prevented him from alerting his mother. He was taken to the Whipple facility, where he was held in severely overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, a cell built for about twenty people held around one hundred, with overflowing toilets, no beds, and detainees forced to sleep standing or in handcuffs. Throughout his three‑day detention, he was shackled with restraints so small they caused him pain, denied meaningful access to counsel, and allowed only brief, non‑private phone calls after begging officers. Agents ignored his refugee status, refused to let him contact a lawyer before signing documents, and ultimately pressured him to sign a form labeled “OUT” without explanation. He was released without ever being told why he had been detained, why he was freed, or that an attorney had tried to see him—leaving him traumatized, afraid to leave his home, and fearful he could be detained again.
#InadequateConditions #ExcessiveForce #LawyerDenial
J.I.B.C.(As Identified in Court)- #0114
A 19‑year‑old with pending Special Immigrant Juvenile and asylum applications, when a car hit his vehicle and ICE agents suddenly surrounded him, pulled him out, and threw him to the ground when he reached for his phone. Although he tried to show his immigration documents, agents refused to look and left them in his car. He was taken to the Whipple facility, where he was allowed only one brief, non‑private phone call before being transferred to Texas the same day. During a week in detention, he was permitted only two calls, pressured to sign voluntary self‑deportation papers, and told he would be held longer if he fought his case. An attorney had secured a court order for his immediate release five days into his detention, but ICE ignored the order and refused to tell the attorney where he was. Days later, officers abruptly told him he was “leaving” without saying where; he only learned he was being flown back to Minnesota when a flight attendant told him. Back at Whipple, he was given English‑only documents to sign, which he could not understand, and then released. He suffers severe stress, trauma, and fear of being detained again.
#InadequateConditions #ExcessiveForce #DefiedCourtOrder
L.H.M.(As Identified in Court)- #0115
A Honduran single mother of three with a pending asylum case, was detained at a check in. She fainted from shock, explained she had recently undergone brain surgery, and was accused of faking her reaction; officers also refused her request to speak with her lawyer. She was taken to the Whipple facility, where an officer slammed her head against a wall during intake—an injury her doctor later said likely caused a concussion—and she was denied medical care despite repeated requests. Her phone access was tightly restricted, her attorney was twice refused visitation, and she was given no food for her first 24 hours. Over several days she was shuffled between Whipple, a Wisconsin facility, and a Minnesota county jail, where she finally received medical attention. When she was released, ICE failed to return her belongings, including her daughter’s U.S. passport, her state ID, work permit, and nearly $800 in checks.
#InadequateConditions #ExcessiveForce #Released #Disabled/Sick
Mariela Sobrero- #0116
A 31‑year‑old mother of three, detained at Dilley at her scheduled immigration appointment, despite recently undergoing tests for possible breast cancer and having a biopsy scheduled. Inside detention, her health deteriorated: she reported that staff frequently withheld her medication, her breast became painfully swollen and beet red, and she was denied the ability to let her 2‑year‑old stay with his father even when she was in severe pain. Her sister‑in‑law described the conditions as inhumane, noting that Mariela’s toddler has become distressed and aggressive in ways he never was before. DHS and ICE declined to answer questions about her medical care or why she was prevented from seeking outside treatment. Although a judge later extended her time to fight her case, the court said it could not intervene in her medical situation, leaving responsibility to the detention center.
#InadequateConditions #Children #Disabled/Sick #CheckInDetainment
Gina Christ- #0117
A 55‑year‑old business manager, drove to observe a protest after Border Patrol agents allegedly tried to arrest two Latino teenagers. She said she parked legally and wasn’t obstructing anyone when agents suddenly surrounded her car, yelled at her to move, smashed her window, dragged her out, and held her facedown on the pavement while tear gas burned her eyes and throat. Agents zip‑tied her wrists, took her to a federal building, shackled her arms and legs, and processed her as if she would be charged with assaulting an officer, taking her fingerprints and a DNA swab, before releasing her four hours later without filing any charges. Although she initially sought legal help, she was told suing the government would be extremely difficult.
#ExcessiveForce #Released
Ayman Soliman- #0118
An Egyptian‑born imam and hospital chaplain in Cincinnati, was detained by ICE for 72 days after the government abruptly revoked his asylum status and accused him of terrorist activity, these claims his attorneys said were baseless and would have put him at risk of “almost certain death” if deported to Egypt. He was arrested during a routine ICE check‑in and held in an Ohio county jail, where he described the conditions as “just as brutal” as the torture he previously endured in Egyptian prisons. After intense public pressure from interfaith religious leaders and national advocacy groups, the federal government dropped its case, fully reinstated his asylum status, and released him.
#LiesByICE #InadequateConditions #CheckInDetainment
“The jail and its abuse was the least of my worries. My main fear was being put on a plane to Egypt and being tortured until I die. It never left my mind,” he says. “Every day in jail, I felt I was getting closer to that.” (1).
Jemmy Jimenez Rosa- #0119
A mother of four and lawful permanent resident, was detained for 10 days by ICE after returning from a family vacation, because of a decades‑old minor marijuana possession charge that had long since been pardoned and is no longer a crime in the state. Federal agents refused to tell her husband or lawyer why she was being held until shortly before her release, and during detention she was hospitalized twice, transferred to a male detention facility, and denied access to her legal team. Her attorney called the case “outrageous” and warned that even old, pardoned offenses can trigger detention under current federal enforcement practices. Additionally, she was consistently denied medical care during detainment which led to her hospitalization. Jemmy was ultimately released without charges, but only after her family spent days fearing she might never come home.
#LawyerDenial #InadequateConditions #Caregivers #Released #Disabled/Sick
Linda Davis- #0120
A man fleeing ICE officers in Savannah caused a deadly crash that killed 53‑year‑old special education teacher Linda Davis, according to Georgia authorities. Officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Oscar Vasquez‑Lopez, who sped away; moments later, he collided head-on with Davis’s car, killing her at the scene. Vasquez‑Lopez was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide, reckless driving, and other offenses. The incident has shaken the local community and intensified scrutiny of ICE’s pursuit tactics after a routine enforcement stop escalated into a fatal chase, especially in a county which prevents its own law enforcement from high speed chases.
#ExcessiveForce #Death #Caregivers
Brian & Brandon Naraten- #0121
These teens were confronted by ICE agents and said an agent nearly hit them with a vehicle, then followed them to a Walmart parking lot, where officers pointed a gun at Brandon, dragged both brothers from their car, and pinned 19‑year‑old Brian to the pavement with knees on his back. Despite Brian being a U.S. citizen, agents handcuffed him, told him “we own you now,” and took him to a municipal court for questioning, where he felt pressured to confess to a crime he didn’t commit. His girlfriend repeatedly told officers he was a citizen, but he was only released after being detained and interrogated. Both brothers described the encounter as traumatic, saying the force used was unnecessary and that the experience will stay with them for life.
#ExcessiveForce
Ariana Velasquez (14 Year Old)- #0122
A 14 year old who had been held with her mother for about 45 days inside the Dilley family detention center in Texas when a reporter met her. She appeared withdrawn and exhausted, sitting in a government‑issued sweatsuit and barely touching the cafeteria food provided during the visit. Ariana has lived in the U.S. since age 7, helping care for her younger siblings in New York, but detention left her anxious and fearful about being sent back to Honduras. Her story illustrates how prolonged confinement was affecting children’s mental health and sense of stability inside the facility. Ariana was released suddenly in January, but mother was fired due to having an ankle monitor. (Her teacher welcomed her back stating, “we missed you”- all of these people have their people who miss them, that stay up late praying for relief, we should all collectively miss these people and mourn what has happened to allow this to occur).
#Children #InadequateConditions
Alexander Perez (15 Year Old)- #0123
A 15‑year‑old from the Dominican Republic, said that “school” inside the Dilley detention center consisted of mixed‑age classes capped at 12 students, lasting only an hour, and offered on a first‑come, first‑served basis. The lessons were mostly basic worksheets meant for much younger children, and he stopped attending after an instructor turned a social‑studies class into what felt like an interrogation about immigration policy—an especially painful topic because his mother was appealing a denied asylum claim. Alexander, his mother, and his 14‑year‑old brother had been detained for four months after immigration agents stopped their bus during a trip from Los Angeles to Houston. Their boredom and frustration echoed letters from other detained children, including a 12‑year‑old Venezuelan girl who wrote that she had been held far beyond the promised 21‑day limit, was fed the same repetitive meals, and was told to “drink more water” even though she believed the water itself was making people sick.
#Children #InadequateConditions
Valery (13 Year Old)- #0124
Valery’s family was detained in South Florida and taken to Dilley on December 13 after fleeing Colombia, where the girls’ father had sexually abused her and her younger sister. When their asylum claim was denied in January, the family faced deportation, and Valery, already depressed after months in detention, attempted suicide out of hopelessness with a knife from the cafeteria. Despite this, the only treatment she reportedly received was a prescription for sleeping pills. After the incident, Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s office opened a congressional inquiry on the family’s behalf, but ICE has not explained why Valery received no meaningful mental‑health care.
#Children #InadequateConditions #MentalHealth/Sick
(1) https://www.thebulwark.com/p/kids-arent-alright-in-dilley-immigrant-children-detention-deportation?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share (2) https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/why-detaining-children-harmful (3) https://apnews.com/article/children-immigration-detention-dilley-trump-administration-ice-8ab12c9357ff3b8d400cfa2b2dbe85ed
Diana Crespo (7 Year Old)- #0125
“A 7-year-old Venezuelan girl named Diana Crespo was living in Portland, Oregon, when she and her parents, Darianny Gonzalez and Yohendry Crespo, were detained outside a hospital where they’d taken Diana for emergency care. The family had been granted humanitarian parole after entering the United States in 2024 and then applied for asylum when Trump revoked the parole program, saying that Biden had used it to allow immigrants to pour into the country at record levels. She said their active asylum case didn’t stop the immigration agents who intercepted them outside the emergency room from detaining them” (1).
#Children #Disabled/Sick
Gustavo Santiago (13 Year Old)- #0126
“The 13-year-old boy who’d been living in Texas, said he has been sick several times since he and his mom were detained on Oct. 5 of last year at a Border Patrol checkpoint. His mom, Christian Hinojosa, said that when Gustavo had a fever, the medical staff told her he was old enough for his body to fight it off without medication, so she sat up with him all night, draping him in cold compresses. She had to take him to the infirmary for a skin rash that she believed was caused by poor water quality at the center. She said he has also experienced stomach pain and nausea, which she blamed on unsanitary food preparation.” (1) - he has been there for over four months.
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#Children #Disabled/Sick #InadequateConditions
(1) https://www.propublica.org/article/life-inside-ice-dilley-children (2) https://www.aol.com/nyc-high-school-student-detained-152221601.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJjp_C4TfYaapdMm_1OF-59Rd99_tuxpdQS72Pz2_hkkXfRqT1DN75k5j2nPhR_QL2PeIniEhWAqxmefYbQUnwiGXHnufcjSwd0H9zleifDU89P99-cI6l1MschTamxlCzAtPVdxRg8S25qmf13awG5e-Bre3n_w-E_Wf99FXAzj
Maria Antonia Guerra (9 Year Old)- #0127
A 9‑year‑old from Colombia, and her mother were detained by ICE for four months after arriving in the U.S. for what was supposed to be a Disney World vacation. Stopped at Miami International Airport, they were taken first to a holding cell and then transferred to the Dilley family detention center in Texas. There, Maria described crowded conditions, constant boredom, and the emotional strain of being confined for so long. She has written letters about crying at night, missing school, and feeling as though being detained was her fault. Her story, along with accounts from other detained children, highlights the prolonged confinement, fear, and uncertainty families experienced inside Dilley.
#Children #InadequateConditions
Gaby M.M. (14 Year Old)- #0128
“A 14-year-old Colombian girl, who signed her name Gaby M.M. and who a fellow detainee said had been living in Houston, wrote a letter about how the guards at Dilley ‘have a bad manner of speaking to residents.’ She wrote, ‘The workers treat the residents unhumanly, verbally and I don’t want to imagine how they would act if they were unsupervised.’” (1)
#Children #InadequateConditions
Narciso Barranco- #0130
A federal immigration judge has terminated the deportation case against Narciso Barranco, a longtime Orange County resident and father of three U.S. Marines, whose violent arrest by federal agents in June 2025 drew national outrage. Barranco, a landscaper who has lived in the U.S. for more than 30 years and has no criminal history, was pinned down, struck repeatedly, and forced into an unmarked SUV outside a Santa Ana IHOP, an incident captured on video and widely shared. With the case now dismissed, Barranco is no longer in removal proceedings. Did he get an apology from the administration? No. (In summary again: a man that raised three men who valiantly served our country, and was a law abiding resident, was beaten and jailed and then was taken to court by his assailant).
#Veteran&Family #ExcessiveForce #Released
(1) https://www.firstalert4.com/2025/07/22/father-marine-veteran-released-after-being-beaten-arrested-by-ice-agents/ (2) https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/us/deportation-case-us-mexico-marines-barranco.html (3) https://ktla.com/news/orange-county/deportation-case-ends-for-narciso-barranco-father-of-3-u-s-marines/
Yunseo Chung- #0131
Federal immigration agents used a misleading “harboring aliens” accusation to obtain a search warrant and enter Columbia University housing as a pretext to arrest two students—Yunseo Chung, a longtime green card holder, and Ranjani Srinivasan—because of their alleged pro‑Palestinian activism. After agents failed to access their residences without a warrant, Homeland Security Investigations claimed it was investigating Columbia for harboring undocumented immigrants, a justification attorneys say was fabricated solely to gain entry. Chung later sued, arguing the warrant was obtained under false pretenses, and has since received temporary protection from deportation, while Srinivasan left the country to avoid arrest. The episode reflects a broader Trump‑era effort, led in part by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to revoke visas and green cards of student activists, raising civil liberties concerns about the government’s expansive and aggressive use of the “harboring” statute.
#LiesByICE #GreenCardHolder
Juan David Mendoza (17 Year Old Baby)- #0132
A 17‑year‑old Morristown High School senior from Honduras, was arrested by ICE on Sunday while doing his laundry, one of 11 people detained in what DHS called “routine immigration enforcement actions.” His family and community said he was injured during the arrest and taken to the Elizabeth detention center. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin ordered his immediate release, ruling that he had been unlawfully detained and that federal authorities cannot re‑arrest him without proving he is a danger or flight risk. Mendoza, who came to the U.S. alone seeking family and enrolled in Morristown High in 2024, had an upcoming hearing for special immigrant juvenile status.
#Children #ExcessiveForce
C.H. (As Identified in Court)- #0133
(Trigger warning- SA) Victim of sexual abuse at Lousiana ICE detention facility. David Courvelle, 56, entered a plea agreement for sexually abusing C.H., a Nicaraguan detainee. As a correction officer, he claims he had a “personal romantic relationship” with C.H. from May to July. He agrees he was in a position of control over this woman and yet he continued this for months. He would organize other detainees to guard watch during sexual acts. Other staff found him exiting a janitor’s closet July 16 with the detainee, and transferred him to another unit. He resigned July 30th and allegedly came in for a voluntary ICE hearing September 12, where he originally denied the “relationship” then admitted to it. He claims he gave her “gifts” including pictures of her child during this relationship. (We will likely never know the full extent of this story which is devastating. But it brings up a question: was it truly consensual? Why was he not interviewed upon staff finding them? Why was he not called in for a mandatory meeting? Would this have been found out without him turning himself in? What is being done to ensure no further sexual abuse continues? Is a system that allows a man in power to sexually abuse someone likely desperate to see their child really something anyone should protect?) Also, please note, he is out on a $10,000 bond, the average bond for detainees is between $1,500-$15,000 (as I have seen). C.H. could end up paying more to be released than her abuser for abusing her.
#Caregivers
(1) https://www.wdsu.com/article/former-ice-officer-lafayette-guilty-sexually-abusing-detainee/69882122 (2) https://www.newschannel10.com/2025/12/29/detention-officer-admits-sexually-abusing-detainee-ice-facility/ (3) https://www.klfy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2025/12/courvelle-plea-agreement.pdf
Job Garcia- #0134
A 37‑year‑old U.S. citizen, was violently arrested by ICE agents while filming an immigration raid outside a Home Depot in Los Angeles. Agents tackled him, threw him to the ground, pinned him with a knee on his back, and detained him for more than 24 hours, even though he had no immigration issues and was simply recording the operation. Garcia later said he feared for his life during the takedown. Videos of the arrest went viral, and witnesses confirmed the force used against him. He is now suing the Department of Homeland Security for $1 million, arguing he was unlawfully arrested and assaulted while exercising his right to record law enforcement. He claims they took him with no reasoning, and while being detained, they were debating what they could charge him with first with assault of a federal officer until video footage came out and they released him.
#ExcessiveForce #Released
Angela Gonzalez#0135
A Texas mother, was detained by ICE moments after hugging her autistic teenage son goodbye outside their home. She had stepped outside briefly to see him off when ICE agents approached, questioned her, and took her into custody. Her family says she has no criminal record and had been living a quiet life focused on raising her children. The sudden arrest left her son distraught and the community shaken, with neighbors describing the incident as traumatic and unnecessary. ICE has said only that the arrest was part of its enforcement operations, while the family is now fighting for her release. She has been here since age 11, returned to El Salvador for a short period, where she had her first son at age 14, she fled back to America, and assumed she would be back in her home in a couple of days after showing legal papers. That did not happen.
#Caregivers
Vilma Palacios- #0136
A 22‑year‑old recent nursing graduate from LSU Health New Orleans, has spent six months in ICE detention after being arrested in June while simply trying to get a routine vehicle inspection sticker. Palacios, who came to the U.S. from Honduras at age six, had no criminal record, had applied for asylum as a child, and was awaiting renewal of her work permit when ICE agents, arriving in an unmarked vehicle, took her into custody. She was denied bond and told she might have to return to Honduras while her immigration case proceeds. From inside the Basile, Louisiana detention center, she described severe emotional strain, lack of access to personal belongings, and difficulty obtaining basic hygiene items like shampoo and menstrual pads. DHS insists her detention is lawful and disputes claims about poor conditions. Her family, classmates, and immigration advocates have protested for her release, emphasizing her contributions to the community and the nursing workforce , especially at a time of national shortages.
#Caregivers #InadequateConditions
“The only thing now that I want is my freedom back,” Palacios told the outlet. “I don’t want to be enclosed in a space where everything is controlled. I have no power to do anything. I feel hopeless all the time. And nothing is moving to help me.” (1)
Jose Flores- #0137
A 47‑year‑old father originally from Nicaragua, was arrested by ICE outside his home while buckling his 8‑year‑old daughter into the car for school, part of an early‑morning enforcement operation. Flores had been living and working legally while his immigration case was being adjudicated. The incident sparked outrage, a large community fundraiser, and legal challenges, with his attorney arguing that shifting federal enforcement priorities, not any criminal conduct, led to his detention. Flores was later released and reunited with his family, though his long‑term status remains uncertain. During his detention, ICE was nearly impossible to contact and get questions answered.
“She was screaming, ‘I want my dad,’ ” Hariett Flores said. Lily fell asleep with a photo of her dad hugged to her chest, her mother said. (1)
“We’re also human beings,” the sister said through an interpreter. “They shouldn’t define us for our appearances. We’re all equal. A legal status does not define anyone.(1)
(1)
His State Representative is calling for ‘systematic reforms and accountability and guardrails around ICE conduct,’ as well as greater congressional oversight” (2).
Alberto Castañeda Mondragón- #0138
A Mexican immigrant living in Minnesota, was hospitalized with eight skull fractures after an encounter with ICE agents during a January arrest, prompting a joint investigation by the FBI and St. Paul police. Castañeda says agents pulled him from a friend’s car, threw him to the ground, and repeatedly struck him in the head with a steel baton, leaving him with memory loss so severe he initially couldn’t remember he had a daughter. ICE has claimed he injured himself by falling while trying to flee, but hospital staff have said his injuries are inconsistent with a simple fall. Authorities are now examining whether excessive force was used during the arrest. (Was overstaying a visa, a misdemeanor, really just grounds for leaving a man with a concussion, memory loss, and no apology for this result?)
#ExcessiveForce #LiesByICE
Judge Joseph McBurney Intern- #0139
ICE surrounded Superior Court Judge Joseph McBurney’s car, threatened to break windows in pursuit of an alleged undocumented individual- who they claimed was a high school intern. This high school intern was detained and was only released due to the Judge’s insistence they had the wrong person. After checking records, they realized their error. “Trump and his team’s tactics are jeopardizing public trust and public safety. Innocent people are being wrongfully targeted. We should not accept a bunch of masked armed individuals running rampant, ignoring the rules, and threatening innocent students and judges as routine law enforcement.” (1)
#ExcessiveForce
“This egregious incident underscores both the community’s and the Judiciary’s concerns about how ICE is conducting its operations in Rhode Island,” R.I. Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul A. Suttell said.” (2)
“If they had the wrong person, then they didn’t know who they were looking for, which calls into question whether they had the legal right to seize anybody,” Weizenbaum said. “It’s very frightening.” (2)
Jean-Pierre Obiang- #0140
18 year old asylum seeker taken by ICE in the first wave of ICE operations in Westbrooke, Maine. He was in a minor accident and after trading insurance information, he was detained by ICE. He claims he was not given the opportunity to call a lawyer in the first few days. His mother says they arrived three years ago fleeing persecution, with legal applications and documents. She says Jean-Pierre is reserved and smart, graduating early at age 16, he does accounting work for a hotel. He was detained for weeks before being released in early February.
#LawyerDenial
(1) https://www.pressherald.com/2026/01/21/ice-detains-18-year-old-usm-student-in-westbrook/ (2) https://www.masslive.com/politics/2026/01/ice-in-maine-what-we-know-so-far.html (3) https://mainemorningstar.com/2026/01/23/a-dragnet-approach-lawful-residents-detained-in-first-week-of-ice-operation-in-maine/
Stephanie Kenny Velasquez- #0141
Wife of an Army Black Hawk pilot was detained at a routine check-in. She came to the U.S. in 2021 to seek asylum, was unexpectedly detained despite having no criminal history and a court date already scheduled for 2027. Her husband said she had complied with every requirement, attended yearly ICE appointments, and had nothing negative on her record, leaving the family confused and distressed about why she was taken into custody. He has said in posts recently that Stephanie has lost over twenty pounds since her detainment. DHS put out a statement saying she came into the U.S. illegally and will have her day in court. (To thank a Veteran service member, they have nothing else to say than this?)
#Veteran&Family #Disabled/Sick #InadequateConditions
Fernando Ramirez- #0142
A longtime Michigan resident and father of three, was detained by ICE for months at North Lake detention center before finally being released on January 10, 2026. His family described the experience as traumatic and destabilizing, saying he lost weight, struggled emotionally, and feared he might never come home. He says he was transferred to the section for detainees with diabetes, due to his kindness to detainees and the family he created in the center. He said “conditions in that pod [for detainees with diabetes] were colder and dirtier, and he received his meals later in the day, which stressed his blood sugar levels. After his release, the family decided to channel their ordeal into action by creating a mutual‑aid network to support other immigrants still detained in Baldwin. They now provide rides, translation help, financial assistance, and emotional support to families navigating the same system, hoping to ease the isolation and confusion that they themselves endured.
“Like Fernando, 86 percent of detainees at North Lake do not have criminal records, according to ICE’s own data” (2).
#InadequateConditions
(1) https://michiganadvance.com/2026/02/18/family-of-ice-detainee-offers-mutual-aid-for-fellow-immigrants/ (this story from Michigan Advance is incredibly heartbreaking but heartwarming at the same time- I recommend reading) (2) https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/michigan/baldwin-ice-facility-medical-neglect/69-6d81bb64-26c1-40e7-b391-8ecf4b9b82e6
Cynthia Olivera- #0143
A Canadian mother who has lived in the U.S. for 35 years, was detained by ICE during what was supposed to be a routine green card interview, leaving her Trump‑supporting family stunned and feeling betrayed. Olivera, who was brought to the U.S. as a child and later re‑entered the country legally in 1999, had raised three U.S.‑born children and maintained long‑term work authorization, but an old deportation order resurfaced under the Trump administration’s stricter enforcement policies. Her husband, who had supported Trump’s immigration agenda, said the family felt blindsided as she now faces removal to Canada.DHS said this: “A judge issued her a final order of removal in 1999, and she was deported to Canada. That same year, she reentered the country illegally AGAIN,” the post read. “Reentering the county after being deported is a FELONY. She will remain in ICE custody pending removal to Canada” (2).
#CheckInDetainment
(1) https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/06/trump-voting-family-canadian-mother-detained-immigration-status (2) https://www.huffpost.com/entry/canadian-mom-detained-by-ice_n_686c2a37e4b01aab259c5b30 (3) https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/who-is-cynthia-olivera-and-why-was-the-canadian-mother-detained-by-ice-in-california-101751840766149.html
Nenko Ganchev- #0144
A 56‑year‑old Bulgarian man who had lived in Chicago for three decades, died in ICE custody at the North Lake Correctional Facility in Michigan. Although DHS initially described his death as likely due to natural causes, his wife and friends say he had been seriously ill for months, suffered from diabetes, and repeatedly reported inadequate medical care and improper diet while detained. Ganchev had briefly been ordered released on bond after a judge found his arrest potentially unlawful, but an appellate court blocked the order. His wife, who learned of his death on their wedding anniversary, is demanding accountability, while advocates and lawmakers point to his case as part of a broader pattern of medical neglect in what has become the deadliest year on record for deaths in ICE custody. DHS states he refused to take medication, and administered CPR upon finding him. However, detainee Fernando Ramirez contradicts this saying they operated with little to no urgency after calling guards when Ramirez found Ganchev. He also states he was denied medication inside the same facility.
#Disabled/Sick #InadequateConditions #LiesByICE #Death #Senior
(1) https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/michigan/baldwin-ice-facility-medical-neglect/69-6d81bb64-26c1-40e7-b391-8ecf4b9b82e6 (2) https://serbiantimes.info/en/bulgarian-from-chicago-dies-in-immigration-custody-ice-his-wife-demands-an-urgent-investigation-he-was-ill-and-they-treated-him-like-an-animal-photo/ (3) DHS Statement: https://www.ice.gov/doclib/foia/reports/ddr_ganchev.pdf
“Jane”- #0145
A Swiss teacher traveling to New York on a valid ESTA for a birthday trip, was detained at JFK Airport after border officers accused her, without evidence, of intending to work illegally in the U.S. Despite her explanations, officials confiscated her phone, demanded access to her social media and banking accounts, interrogated her for hours, and repeatedly told her she was lying. When she refused to falsely admit she came to work, officers denied her entry, restrained her in a chair with a leg shackle, subjected her to a full‑body search, and placed her in handcuffs and a waist chain before transferring her to a New Jersey detention facility. She describes the experience as dehumanizing, frightening, and physically painful—an ordeal she attributes to the Trump administration’s intensified border enforcement, which has led to a rise in European travelers being detained or turned away despite valid travel documents.During her detainment she alleges that the centers were overcrowded, and “treated them like animals” (3). She claims she was given one pad for her period during her 13 hour detainment before being sent back to JFK to return home.
#SolitaryConfinement/Restraints #Caregivers #Tourist #InadequateConditions
“First, I was scared, but then, these girls, so kind, so nice, so empathetic,” Jane said. “I told the girls when I left, ‘Girls, I will try to use my voice, I don’t know how yet, but I will try to use my voice to show America what is going on behind closed doors.’” (1)
(1) https://www.nzz.ch/english/you-have-no-right-to-be-here-a-swiss-womans-harrowing-tale-of-arrest-and-detention-at-the-us-border-ld.1889535 (she is referred to as “Lara in this story, but going through the stories they seem the same) (2) https://www.wwlp.com/news/national/woman-denied-entry-at-jfk-describes-nightmare-stay-at-nj-ice-facility/ (3) https://pix11.com/news/local-news/woman-denied-entry-at-jfk-describes-nightmare-stay-at-nj-ice-facility/
William Vermie- #0146
A 39‑year‑old Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, was tackled, arrested, and detained by ICE agents in Minneapolis after he stood on a public sidewalk filming and observing officers detaining two young men in his neighborhood. He says agents beat, cuffed, and jailed him, then held him in a cell for eight hours without allowing him to call a lawyer or his family, despite his repeated requests and his explicit refusal to answer questions without legal counsel. ICE later claimed he had assaulted an officer, a charge Vermie denies.
#Veteran&Family #ExcessiveForce
Djeniffer Benvinda Semedo- #0147
A six‑months‑pregnant Myanmar refugee, was held by ICE for three days in a cramped temporary facility. She was detained by ICE after appearing in court to address an old domestic‑battery warrant she says she didn’t know existed for a previous partner. Although the state judge released her without bail, ICE immediately took her into custody and held her for three days in the Burlington detention facility, where she says she slept on concrete benches, received only mac and cheese for every meal, and was given no meaningful medical care. Her health deteriorated rapidly, and on February 13 she was rushed to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with severe abdominal pain, where ICE agents guarded her hospital room until she was released on her own recognizance. She now faces immigration and federal court proceedings while recovering from what she describes as a frightening and unsafe detention experience.
#Pregnant&Postpartum #InadequateConditions #Disabled/Sick
(1) https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/18/pregnant-nursing-ice-detainees-00784683?utm_campaign=d66713b798-19th-newsletters-daily-0218&utm_medium=email&utm_source=The+19th&utm_term=0_-be3d85c373-383016382 (2) https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/pregnant-woman-hospitalized-boston-after-ice-detainment/QABCUCPKMVHT7FQ3E72X4TBZQQ/
Christian Vaca- #0148
Ecuadorian immigrant living in Biddeford, Maine, recorded an ICE agent at his front door during a statewide enforcement sweep. In the video, the agent presses his face to Vaca’s glass door and warns, “We’re gonna come back for your whole family.” Vaca, who says he has a valid work permit and an upcoming immigration hearing, told reporters he was terrified, especially because his young son was inside the home during the encounter. The incident occurred amid a new ICE operation in Maine and quickly went viral, raising concerns about intimidation tactics and the treatment of immigrants during the raids.
Cecil Elvir-Quinonez- #0149
A pregnant mother from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was detained by ICE in Louisiana despite being in her third trimester and experiencing serious medical complications. She reported bleeding, severe abdominal pain, and repeated pleas for medical attention that went unanswered for days while she was held in a crowded, poorly equipped facility. According to her account and court filings, ICE officers dismissed her symptoms, delayed hospital care, and at one point told her she was “fine” even as her condition worsened. When she was finally taken to a hospital, doctors said she should have been brought in much earlier. Her case has become emblematic of a broader pattern of pregnant women being detained under the Trump administration despite a policy meant to sharply limit such detentions, prompting federal judges to question whether ICE is following its own medical‑care rules and whether women like Cecil should have been detained at all. Her family says her youngest baby has gotten sick multiple times during her detainment, which could be partially due to the lack of breast feeding.
Pregnant&Postpartum #InadequateConditions #Disabled/Sick