Welcome to the ICE Files:
Signs of Corruption and System Failures From The Stories of The Victims of Immigration EnforcemenT
Ed Higgins- #0150
Longtime Columbia Heights resident, was driving home when unmarked vehicles suddenly began following him. Only later did he learn they were ICE agents. Feeling unsafe, he pulled into the Columbia Heights Police Department parking lot, hoping officers there would protect him. Instead, ICE agents swarmed his car, ordered him out, and detained him in front of the station. He claims a police officer had to come to deescalate the situation to trust getting out of his vehicle. Higgins says he repeatedly asked why he was being stopped but received no explanation until after he was handcuffed. He was held for several hours before being released, and his attorney says he has legal status and no criminal record. The incident left Higgins shaken and raised concerns in the community about ICE’s aggressive tactics and the confusion created when federal agents operate in unmarked vehicles without identifying themselves.
#ExcessiveForce
Mubashir Hussen- #0151
A 20‑year‑old U.S. citizen, was walking to lunch in Minneapolis’ Cedar‑Riverside neighborhood when multiple masked ICE agents stopped and detained him without cause. Even as he repeatedly told them “I’m a citizen” and tried to show identification, agents refused to look at his ID, placed him in an SUV, and transported him to the Whipple Federal Building. There, he was shackled, fingerprinted, and processed before finally being released only after showing a photo of his passport card to another official. At no point did agents ask about his citizenship, identity, or background. His case is now part of an ACLU lawsuit alleging that ICE and CBP engaged in racial profiling and unlawful arrests during “Operation Metro Surge.”
#SolitaryConfinement/Restraints
(1) https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-sues-federal-government-to-end-ice-cbps-practice-of-suspicionless-stops-warrantless-arrests-and-racial-profiling-of-minnesotans (2) https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/02/18/judge-hears-arguments-in-lawsuit-alleging-ice-racially-profiling-somali-and-latino-residents
Kimberly’s Yaritza Menjiver Aguilar- #0152
A young mother from Minnesota, was deported to Honduras without her infant son, despite repeatedly telling ICE that her baby depended on her. Aguilar had gone to the ICE office for what she believed was a routine check‑in related to her asylum case, but officers instead detained her, transported her to Texas, and placed her on a deportation flight within days. This is despite having deferred deportation to arrange flights with her baby. Her baby, an American citizen, was left behind in Minnesota with relatives. Aguilar says she was given no chance to arrange care for her child, no opportunity to contact family, and no explanation for the sudden removal. Her attorney and advocates argue that ICE violated its own policy limiting the detention and deportation of nursing mothers, and her case has sparked outrage among immigrant‑rights groups who say the separation caused profound trauma and was entirely avoidable.
#Pregnant&Postpartum #CheckInDetainment #DefiedCourtOrder
Estela Baten & Nory Ramos- #0153
A 45‑year‑old mother who had lived in Los Angeles since fleeing gang violence in Guatemala in 2016, was abruptly detained during what she believed would be a routine immigration check‑in. Within five days, she and her teenage daughter Nory Sontay Ramos were rapidly deported to Guatemala on July 4, despite Estela’s fragile health, which included severe liver disease and high blood pressure. The sudden removal cut her off from the medical care she relied on, and ICE confiscated her medications during detention. Just nine weeks after deportation, Estela died from complications of liver cirrhosis, leaving Nory—who had spent most of her life in the U.S., orphaned in a country she barely knew and fearful of the same violence her mother had fled. Nory, who had been an honor‑roll student preparing for her senior year of high school, now lives with relatives she hardly knows, grieving her mother while navigating an unfamiliar and unsafe environment.
#CheckInDetainment #Disabled/Sick
Katie Paul- #0154
A 34‑year‑old woman from the U.K. living in California arrested by ICE during a green‑card appointment. She had arrived at the immigration office with her American husband and their baby, expecting to finalize paperwork — but instead, officers handcuffed her, took her into custody, and transported her to an ICE facility. Paul says she was given no explanation at first and was terrified she would be deported away from her family including her six month old baby. ICE later claimed she had overstayed her visa years earlier, despite her ongoing marriage‑based green‑card process. She was released just in time for Thanksgiving, shaken by the experience and fearful of future immigration interactions. Her case highlights how even applicants following the legal process can be swept into enforcement actions without warning.
#CheckInDetainment #Pregnant&Postpartum
“Jane Doe”- #0155
The woman identified as Jane Doe, an asylum seeker from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was abruptly deported by ICE to an undisclosed African country, despite having an active protection claim and a history of severe domestic and political violence. She had fled Congo after being forced into marriage as a teenager to settle a family debt and suffering years of brutal abuse, including rape and beatings, at the hands of her husband — a politically connected man who allegedly ordered her father’s killing and pursued her after she escaped. Advocates say ICE removed her without notifying her lawyers, confiscated her medications, and sent her back into the reach of the very people she fled, leaving her in immediate danger of being killed. Her legal team is now urgently fighting for her return to the United States, arguing that her deportation violated due‑process protections and placed her life at grave risk.
#Deported #LawyerDenial
Sharareh Moghadam- #0156
An Iranian immigrant fleeing religious persecution was detained by ICE after attending what she believed was a routine in‑person immigration appointment, a meeting she thought would move her closer to U.S. citizenship. Despite holding a valid green card and having already passed her citizenship exam, she was taken into custody without warning and transferred to a detention center in Phoenix, leaving her husband, Hooshang Aghdassi, devastated and unsure why she was targeted. The couple, who run a small balloon shop in Studio City, has since relied on community support as they fight for her release, while her husband fears that a recent trip to Iran may have triggered the detention. DHS claims it is due to her criminal history (petty theft charge) but this should not matter for a current green card holder who is actively pursuing citizenship.
#CheckInDetainment #GreeenCardHolder
(1) https://abc7.com/post/studio-city-balloon-shop-owner-distraught-wife-detained-ice/17731899/ (2) https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/congressman-brad-sherman-studio-city-iranian-woman-detained-ice/ (3) https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/la-business-owners-wife-detained-ice-green-card-passed-citizenship-exa-rcna228550
Hernan Escobar- #0157
A Massachusetts construction worker and husband of a local attorney, was violently detained by ICE while driving to work in Malden, when masked agents surrounded his vehicle, smashed his car window, and pulled him out despite his wife hearing him say he was scared just moments earlier. According to his family and community advocates, Escobar has no criminal history and had a pending visa petition, yet agents claimed he “refused to comply” before breaking the window. His arrest sparked public outrage, leading to rallies calling for his release.
#ExcessiveForce
“‘I was just thinking about how angry everyone is, and how everyone in this country has a reason to be angry, but I would like everyone to put the anger aside and tap into the part that loves their family and their dogs and humanity and all of the good things,’ she [Escobar’s wife] said. ‘I would like you to tap into that side and have compassion for me and my husband. I know my husband is not angry.’” (2)
Rigoberto Soto Jiménez- #0158
A longtime Minnesota resident, was unlawfully detained by ICE during a statewide immigration crackdown and later won a court order requiring his immediate release in Minnesota with all of his identification documents returned. Instead, ICE released him in Texas, a place he didn’t know, without his driver’s license or any IDs, forcing him to spend a night in a shelter until his lawyer arranged travel home. A federal judge found the government in civil contempt, blasting the Justice Department for “flagrant disobedience” of her order and rejecting excuses about understaffing; she imposed a $500‑per‑day fine on the DOJ attorney responsible until the documents were returned. The case became a flashpoint in Minnesota’s overwhelmed federal courts, where judges say ICE has repeatedly violated release orders during the administration’s intensified detention practices.
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#DefiedCourtOrder
“Judges are no longer willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the federal government that they’re acting in good faith and with the integrity expected of government lawyers.” (!)
Jorge Moran- Rodriguez- #0159
He was wrongfully flown to Peru by ICE despite a federal court order prohibiting his transfer, an action the government later described as an “inadvertent administrative oversight,” though his attorney insisted officials knew they were not allowed to move him. Once in Peru, Moran‑Rodriguez chose to remain there, not because he wanted to abandon his life in the United States, his lawyer emphasized, but because returning would have meant being placed back into U.S. immigration detention. His case became one of several examples (50+ cases in NJ in the first 2 months of 2026) cited by federal judges who say the administration has repeatedly violated court orders in immigration cases, reflecting a broader pattern of detainees being transferred or removed without judicial permission amid an overwhelmed and strained enforcement system.
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#DefiedCourtOrder #InadequateConditions
Suhaib Mohammad- #0160
A Somali asylum seeker, arrived in 2022, expressed fear of returning to Somalia, and was released on an Order of Release on Recognizance. For more than three years he lived in Minnesota, complied with all supervision requirements, had no criminal history, held a work permit, and pursued asylum. In December 2025, ICE suddenly re‑detained him during a routine ATD check‑in, claiming they were subject to mandatory detention under § 1225(b)(2)—a statute that applies only to individuals still in the inspection process at the border. The court found this unlawful, noting that ICE had already released them under § 1226, placed them in full removal proceedings, and never revoked his release for any valid reason. The judge held that ICE could not retroactively reclassify them as an “applicant for admission” years later to justify detention. Because ICE lacked any lawful statutory basis to hold them, the court granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release under his original recognizance conditions, warning that ICE may not re‑detain them under the same rejected theory absent materially changed circumstances.
Garrison Gibson- #0161
A Liberian immigrant living in Minneapolis, was initially arrested when ICE agents broke down his door with a battering ram, despite not having a judicial warrant. A federal judge ruled the arrest unconstitutional and ordered his release. But the very next day, when Gibson went to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building to complete paperwork, ICE detained him again during the check‑in, creating a chaotic scene for his family. After several hours, ICE released him for the second time in 24 hours, now placing him under supervision with an ankle monitor. His case has become a high‑profile example of aggressive enforcement tactics and repeated violations of judicial orders. (He has a criminal history of a couple of misdemeanors and one felony charge from 2008, but all of this was considered when he was released by a judgement that was ignored. Also note that DHS has characterized him as a criminal with a long rap sheet, instead of as a father with a recently clean criminal history. It can be put two ways, but either way he is still due justice.)
#DefiedCourtOrder #ExcessiveForce #CheckInDetainment
(1) https://sahanjournal.com/immigration/minnesota-liberian-immigrant-released-redetained/ (2) https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2026/01/judge-orders-release-of-liberian-man-arrested-in-minneapolis-by-agents-with-a-battering-ram/#:~:text=Walz:%20Minnesota%20needs%20protection%3C/,%3E%2C%20who%20was%20shot%20Jan.
Juan Tobay Roble- #0162
An Ecuadorian man detained during Minnesota’s sweeping immigration crackdown, became the center of a major federal court confrontation after ICE repeatedly violated judicial orders in similar cases. Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz, frustrated by what he called ICE’s “extraordinary” pattern of disobeying court directives, took the rare step of ordering acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to personally appear in his courtroom unless Juan was released. Shortly after the order, the U.S. attorney’s office notified Juan’s lawyer that he had been freed from a Texas detention center, prompting cancellation of the summons.
#Released #DefiedCourtOrder
Carlos Guerra Leon- #0163
A 18‑year‑old from Honduras who had been living in Louisiana since childhood, was detained by ICE after a traffic stop, despite having been protected under the federal Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) program, which is meant to shield young people who were abused, abandoned, or neglected. According to the reporting, he had already been approved for SIJS and was awaiting his green card, yet ICE still took him into custody and transferred him to the Winn Correctional Center, a facility known for harsh conditions. His lawyers argued that ICE’s actions violated federal protections for SIJS recipients, who are not supposed to be detained or deported while their immigration status is being finalized. After public pressure and legal advocacy, Guerra was ordered to be released. Upon this order, his attorneys drove to pick him up where they tried to coordinate his release, but were turned away despite the release order, and where officers called the sheriff on them. Finally, he was released the next day.
#InadequateConditions
"Carlos is an 18-year-old who wanted to go home to his mom," said Bridget Pranzatelli, staff attorney at the National Immigration Project. "There was no basis for him to be detained in the first place. Even with a team of attorneys and a federal court order requiring his immediate release, Carlos was forced to spend another night in jail. This is just another example of how immigration enforcement that targets everyone without regard to legal limits and failure to immediately act on court orders is harming our community members in irreparable ways." (1)
Evelin Mena Alvarez- #0164
A Honduran woman who has lived in the U.S. since 2014, was arrested by ICE without a warrant in January 2026 despite having no criminal history and a still‑pending appeal of her 2018 removal order. She filed a habeas petition arguing that ICE wrongly classified her under § 1225(b)(2)—a statute that mandates detention only for people seeking admission at the border—rather than § 1226, which governs noncitizens already living in the country and provides access to a bond hearing. The court agreed, noting she was detained while “already in the country” and that ICE failed to produce the required administrative warrant, leaving her detention without any lawful basis. The judge granted her petition, ordered ICE to return her to Minnesota, and required her immediate release within 24 hours.
Sandra Hernandez- #0165
A longtime U.S. resident with cirrhosis and diabetes, was detained by ICE in Carpinteria on July 10 and moved through multiple detention facilities despite her serious medical needs. According to her niece, she was shackled at her hands, feet, and waist, given only cold burritos and a bottle of water, and then expelled to Tijuana, where Mexican authorities gave her 2,000 pesos to travel to her home state of Guanajuato. Her family says she had spent most of her life working in the United States. In response to the broader ICE raids that swept the area, Carpinteria city officials allocated emergency funds for affected residents and publicly affirmed support for the city’s immigrant community, which makes up nearly a quarter of its population.
#InadequateConditions #Disabled/Sick #SolitaryConfinement/Restraints
Debbie Brockman- #0166
A WGN employee and U.S. citizen, says she was walking to a bus stop on Chicago’s North Side on October 10, 2025, when she was suddenly and violently detained by Border Patrol agents who were operating in the city with ICE. She was taken to the ground, battered, handcuffed, and partially exposed as her pants were pulled down, all while bystanders recorded the incident. Brockman, who mentioned her workplace only so someone might notify her employer that she wouldn’t arrive at work, was held in federal custody for about seven hours before being released without charges. Through her attorneys at the People’s Law Office, she denies any allegation that she assaulted agents and asserts that she was the victim of an unprovoked attack that left her fearing for her life. DHS claims she threw items at officers, though evidence has not been released. Her legal team condemned the incident as a disturbing example of federal overreach.
#ExcessiveForce
Williams Javier Toro Enamorado- #0167
A critically ill 27‑year‑old with end‑stage kidney failure, was arrested by ICE during the Charlotte immigration sweep while on his way to a lifesaving dialysis appointment. After being taken into custody, he was denied dialysis, a treatment he requires every 48 hours to survive. According to his family, ICE officers told him he would not receive medical care unless he signed a voluntary deportation order, effectively pressuring him into agreeing to removal while in a medically fragile state. His relatives say he signed the order out of fear he would die in custody without treatment. His case has drawn national attention as an example of how medically vulnerable immigrants were swept up in the Charlotte raids and allegedly subjected to coercive tactics.
#InadequateConditions #Disabled/Sick #Deported
Maria Piza Huerta- #0168
An Ecuadorian mother who has lived in the U.S. since 2013 and has sole custody of her two children, was arrested by ICE on December 22, 2025 without any warrant. She is a survivor of domestic violence and intends to seek a U visa, and she is also eligible for cancellation of removal and asylum. ICE argued she was subject to mandatory detention under § 1225(b), but the court rejected that interpretation, explaining that § 1225 applies only to people currently seeking admission at the border- not to long‑time residents like Maria. Because she was detained inside the U.S. and ICE failed to produce the required administrative warrant, the court found her detention unlawful. The judge granted her habeas petition and ordered her immediate release, requiring ICE to free her no later than January 23, 2026. (Court documents show her case has been extended February 20).
#Caregivers
Sophie Watso- #0169
A Mdewakanton Dakota woman, was detained by ICE for 48 hours after agents smashed the windows of her truck and pulled her out while she was observing immigration activity in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. She described being shackled at her wrists, waist, and ankles, even when taken to the bathroom, and said conditions inside the Whipple Detention Center felt “like a concentration camp.” She was later moved to Sherburne County Jail before being released without charges. Upon being released, she headed in the wrong direction where she was allegedly detained again, lying and claiming she juped the fence. Watso’s detention has become one of the most visible examples of how the crackdown has collided with Native sovereignty, community safety efforts, and long‑standing mistrust of federal policing.
#ExcessiveForce #Released #InadequateConditions
Radule Bojovic- #0170
A Hanover Park, Illinois police officer originally from Montenegro, was arrested by ICE during a federal enforcement operation after agents alleged he had overstayed a B‑2 tourist visa that expired in 2015. In a public statement DHS claimed he was hired illegally. Throughout the incident, the police depatment maintained that Bojovic had been federally authorized to work as a police officer, and after his release, and because ICE did not contest his bond, the Hanover Park Police Department returned him to full duty. He had work authorization and been approved by the Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives as recently as January 5, 2024 to carry a firearm. DHS has not rescinded their statement or apologized to Bojovic. He resumed work in early December 2025 and was granted back pay for the period he was placed on leave.
#Released
Jhoselin Katherine Encalada Saquichagua- #0171
A five‑months‑pregnant Ecuadorian woman, was living in the U.S. under ICE supervision after entering the country in August 2023. In January, ICE officers pulled her from her vehicle at gunpoint, threw her to the ground, and re‑detained her, despite her pregnancy. She filed a habeas petition arguing that her detention was unlawful because she had never received a meaningful individualized custody determination. ICE argued that a new Fifth Circuit decision, Buenrostro‑Mendez, required dismissal, but the court rejected that argument, noting that the ruling addressed only statutory issues and did not resolve due process claims. Because her detention lacked the procedural protections required under the Constitution, the court found a procedural due process violation. The judge ordered ICE to either provide her a bond hearing by February 20, 2026, at which the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that she is a danger or flight risk, or release her under reasonable supervision. The court warned ICE that a denial of bond based on “lack of jurisdiction” would not satisfy the order and would require her release.
#Pregnant&Postpartum #ExcessiveForce
Karen Newton- #0172
A 65‑year‑old British tourist, grandmother, and retired administrative assistant for the school system, was detained by ICE for six weeks despite holding a valid B‑2 tourist visa. She and her husband attempted a same‑day trip into Canada during their U.S. vacation, but Canadian officials turned them back because of a vehicle‑registration mismatch. When they re‑entered the U.S., border officers discovered that her husband’s visa had expired and handed both of them over to ICE, even though Newton’s documentation was in order. She was shackled, held in locked cells, slept on the floor, and transported overnight for 12 hours to a detention center. She signed self deportation papers which can ban them from re-entry for 10 years, because she wanted the fastest route home. She spent over a month sleeping on a thin mattress, disoriented by constant lighting and lack of windows, cut off from her family, and repeatedly told nothing about when she would be released, until ICE abruptly freed her six weeks later and sent the couple home with their belongings still missing.
#Tourist #Senior #InadequateConditions #SolitaryConfinement/Restraints
Fabian Schmidt- #0173
A German green‑card holder, was detained by ICE for two months after returning from a vacation in Europe but provided no reason initially. He claims he was held in a tiny steel‑doored cell, fed inedible food, deprived of sunlight, and left anxious and depressed while his fiancée paid thousands in fees for basic necessities. He eventually learned he’d been detained over a 2015 misdemeanor drug charge that had already been resolved; once lawyers reopened and dismissed that old case, an immigration judge threw out his case in minutes and ordered his release.
#GreenCardHolder #InadequateConditions
Rebecca Burke- #0174
A British tourist trying to fly home from the U.S. was stopped at the airport while trying to fly home, she was shackled, transported like a prisoner, and held in an immigration detention center, where she says she was treated with suspicion and given almost no information about why she was there. Inside, she endured cold, cramped conditions, constant surveillance, and the fear of being trapped in a system she didn’t understand. She described feeling humiliated, frightened, and powerless, especially as officers dismissed her explanations and kept her in custody despite her valid travel documents. By the time she was abruptly released, she was left shaken and disoriented, struggling to comprehend how an ordinary tourist trip had turned into a days‑long ordeal in U.S. immigration detention. DHS claims she was taken for a “violation of terms and conditions of her admission,” but provided no further context.
#Tourist #InadequateConditions
(1) https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2025/03/20/tourist-visa-violations-us-british-traveler/82565875007/ (2) https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/05/i-was-a-british-tourist-trying-to-leave-america-then-i-was-detained-shackled-and-sent-to-an-immigration-detention-centre (3) https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/03/10/becky-burke-detained-by-ice/
Cesar Caicedo- #0175
Andrés Caicedo’s father, Cesar Caicedo, was detained by ICE while working a delivery job in San Bernardino. Andrés, a Riverside City College student, has been struggling to support himself and keep up with school since the arrest. Cesar has lived in the U.S. for years and was in the process of renewing his work permit. He was taken into custody without warning, leaving the family without its primary income just weeks after buying a home. Andrés has been juggling classes, work, and mounting financial pressure while trying to advocate for his father’s release. He told reporters he’s terrified of losing both his education and the stability his family worked hard to build, saying the situation has left him “emotionally drained” and unsure how long he can keep going.
#InadequateConditions
“He tells me that the food is bad. A lot of people come and go every day…If he wants to eat protein, I have to send him money." (1)
Monica Moreta-Galarza #0176
Monica was at a New York immigration courthouse when ICE agents detained her husband, and in the chaos she tried to reach him. A federal officer, Victor Mojica, is seen shoving her into a wall and then slamming her to the floor as her two young children watched, in a captured video that has been widely shared online. ICE later confirmed the officer had been “relieved of his current duties” while the agency reviewed what happened. Monica said she was left shocked and terrified by the assault, describing the officer as having shown no compassion as she pleaded for her family. Please note, ICE did not release his identity or explain what would happen to ensure justice further than being relieved of duties. With no clarification on what this meant, the public found out he was quietly allowed to return to enforcement duties even while the excessive‑force investigation was still active. According to reports, this same officer had been involved in multiple force incidents within just a few months, raising concerns about oversight and accountability inside the agency. Internal records and interviews showed that ICE’s disciplinary system is often slow and inconsistent, allowing officers under investigation to continue making arrests.
#ExcessiveForce #LiesByICE
(1) https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/26/us/new-york-federal-agent-woman-confrontation-ice-hnk (2) https://www.npr.org/2025/12/24/nx-s1-5650773/ice-immigration-agent-leave-oversight#:~:text=ICE%20officer%20accused%20of%20excessive,to%20work%20despite%20active%20probe&text=In%20the%20span%20of%20less,back%20to%20his%20old%20job.
Paramjit Singh- #0177
A 48‑year‑old U.S. green‑card holder battling a brain tumor and a heart condition, has been detained by ICE for more than two months after returning from a trip to India, despite having lived legally in the U.S. since 1994 with a U.S.‑citizen wife and children. Immigration officials are holding him over decades‑old, already‑resolved cases, including a 1999 unpaid‑phone‑call conviction for which he served 10 days and paid a fine, and a supposed 2008 forgery case that his family says does not exist- a private investigator found no record of it. His family says ICE is using these old or mistaken charges to block his release and deny him the medical care he urgently needs, delaying his scheduled brain‑tumor surgery. Singh was held at O’Hare Airport for five days before being transferred to a detention center, where communication is difficult and his health is deteriorating. The case has intensified fears within the Sikh community amid a broader immigration crackdown that has swept up people with long‑settled lives and no active criminal issues.
#Disabled/Sick #InadequateCare #GreenCardHolder
Patty O’Keefe & Brandon Siguenza- #0178
These friends were legally observing ICE operations, an activity protected under long‑established First Amendment rights. Despite this, ICE agents attacked their vehicle with pepper spray, smashed their windows, and dragged them out at gunpoint, arresting them for “obstruction” even though they had their hands raised and repeatedly stated they were not interfering. The two were detained for eight hours without charges, and O’Keefe was never permitted a phone call. After his release, Siguenza was forced through an area where tear gas was deployed and was shot with paintball rounds, adding to the violence of the encounter. Both observers say they conduct these patrols to slow ICE operations and protect community members from being targeted, effectively acting as an unarmed civilian protection force, something they argue they should never have been forced to become.
#LawyerDenial #ExcessiveForce
Leonela Liliana #0179
A 27‑year‑old asylum seeker who is eight months pregnant, was detained by ICE in Los Angeles while waiting for an Uber after a prenatal medical appointment. Immigration advocates and attorneys spent days trying to locate her because she did not appear in the ICE or DHS system, raising fears about her safety and medical care. Her husband later received a brief phone call from her, using another detainee’s phone, saying she had been pressured into signing deportation papers after agents told her they could not accommodate someone so far along in pregnancy. She said she was already being sent back to Nicaragua. Gomez‑Hernandez had lived in the U.S. for three years and missed a recent court date because she feared being detained and deported on the spot due to her pregnancy. Advocates note this is the second recent case in which detainees were allegedly pressured to sign “self‑deportation” orders immediately after being taken into custody, and in both cases families could not locate their loved ones in DHS systems until they called from outside the country.
#Pregnant&Postpartum
Carlos Chavez- #0180
A taco vendor in North Hills, was selling food outside a church when he saw ICE agents chasing people and stepped onto church property for safety, only for agents to follow him and detain him. His wife later said he asked for medical help for his bronchitis while in custody and was allegedly told he could receive treatment only if he signed a document that turned out to be a self‑deportation order; he was soon sent back to Mexico. Church leaders described the incident as frightening for families on the property, while DHS insisted agents were not targeting the church and claimed Chavez fled from law enforcement and had been previously deported in 2016. (If church property is so holy that reporters, like Don Lemon, are not welcome, then why is it not so holy to protect the meek from men with guns? - to be clear I do not endorse the arrest of Don Lemon.)
#Disabled/Sick #InadequateConditions #Deported
(1) https://abc7.com/post/religious-leaders-demand-answers-taco-vendor-carlos-chavez-taken-federal-agents-north-hills-united-methodist-church/18530767/ (2) https://abc7.com/post/religious-leaders-demand-answers-taco-vendor-carlos-chavez-taken-federal-agents-north-hills-united-methodist-church/18530767/
Micheline Ntumba- #0181
A Portland mother of four and longtime U.S. resident from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was detained by agents wearing police‑marked tactical vests shortly after dropping one of her children at Portland High School. Agents followed her home, took her phone and wallet, ended her call with her daughter, and arrested her without explanation, according to witnesses. Ntumba has no criminal record and has a pending asylum case, yet her family has been unable to locate her in any detention system, adding to community alarm amid a large ICE sweep in Maine. Neighbors described the arrest as calm but traumatizing for the building’s residents, and advocates say they received an unprecedented surge of calls reporting similar enforcement actions across the area.
#Caregivers
Juan Sebastian Carvajal-Munoz- #0182
A Colombian civil engineer in Portland on a valid work visa, was forcibly detained by masked agents during a morning ICE sweep. Witnesses say an unmarked SUV cut him off, agents immediately tried to pry open his car window, then smashed it and dragged him out even though he had his hands up and wasn’t resisting. They drove off with him in under two minutes, leaving his car running in the street with his belongings inside and his phone on the ground. ICE described the operation as targeting “the worst of the worst,” but background checks show Carvajal‑Muñoz has no criminal record, raising serious questions about why he was targeted.
#ExcessiveForce
The Mbizi’s- #0183
Marine Balenda Mbizi and her children Olivia, Joel, and Estefania, were detained by federal immigration agents at the Canadian border, leaving two Portland high‑school students suddenly absent from Casco Bay and Deering High Schools. The family had been returned to the U.S. by Canadian authorities after being denied asylum and was then taken into DHS custody, ultimately transferred to Texas, where Mbizi and her 19‑year‑old daughter Olivia remain detained. The two younger teens do not appear in federal tracking systems because juvenile information is not publicly listed. The detentions have shaken the school community, with local groups and teammates rallying to prevent the family’s deportation and raising funds for legal representation.
#Children
"’Learning that they were detained was a surprise for me,’ said Douglas Mpay, an ordained minister, who said he helped support the family when they first arrived at the church. He said they've been valued members of the congregation.” (2).
Jorge Willy Valera Chuquillanqui- #0184
A 47‑year‑old Peruvian asylum seeker, was seized by ICE immediately after a court hearing in San Francisco and held for four days in a bare eighth‑floor field‑office cell with six other detainees- no bed, little food, and no real medical care. “It was hell,” he said, describing how he eventually needed hospital treatment after feeling pain from a prior stroke. He was transferred to the El Valle Detention Facility in Texas, and then abruptly disappeared from the ICE database, leaving his family unable to locate him. His father searched for news of deportation flights, only to learn later that the Trump administration had secretly sent 238 Venezuelan detainees to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega‑prison, where Gutiérrez was among those taken. His name appeared on a CBS list of deportees, and federal officials confirmed his transfer only after journalists began investigating. His lawyers say he was deported based on charges that were never pursued, and insist he has no tattoos or gang ties, contradicting the administration’s claim that deportees were linked to the Tren de Aragua gang. (The American people may have a difficult time believing an institution that continues to lie)
#Disabled/Sick #DefiedDueProcess #Deported #InadequateConditions
Jack Randmaa & Doug Hayes- #0185
ICE agents in Santa Barbara violently arrested 27‑year‑old observer Jack Randmaa due to suspicion of slashing tires, triggering a chaotic confrontation with bystanders. As people shouted and tried to document the arrest, 80‑year‑old attorney Doug Hayes approached the agents, calling them “cowards” and demanding they identify themselves. When Hayes bent down to pick up Randmaa’s backpack, an agent pepper‑sprayed him in the face and shoved him to the ground, leaving him stunned and needing help from bystanders. The eight‑minute video of the encounter shows agents threatening the crowd with pepper spray before backup arrived; local police later said they had not been notified about the ICE operation. (Please watch all videos. There are multiple accounts, and while Doug “interferes” I want to point out the desperate pleas that the ICE officer get up or move. Many bystanders were worried he would be killed. Upon these cries, he applies more pressure. I have never known an officer fighting for justice to enjoy inflicting pain. Where have laws brought us as a society that they protect the abuser instead of the victim? Even if he slashed tires, it is not cause for him to die, and it is for the courts to decide, not ICE. We made checks and balances for a reason, but it seems that ICE continues to operate with the idea that they have full sovereignty and can fully abuse it– I apologize this is my longest tangent yet.)
#ExcessiveForce #Senior
Yamile Alcantu- #0186
A Miami small business owner who once supported Donald Trump says he will never vote Republican again after ICE detained his Cuban fiancée, Yamile Alcantu, during a routine check‑in she had completed for decades. Although Alcantu has lived legally in the U.S. for 25 years, an old 2008 deportation order tied to three prescription pills found during a traffic stop led to her being shackled, transferred to Louisiana, and held for more than eight months without seeing a judge. Her partner, Wayne DeMario, says the emotional and financial strain has been devastating and that the administration’s broad immigration enforcement betrayed their expectations.
#CheckInDetainment
Juan Martin Espinola Ramirez- #0187
A Nashville man with legal work authorization and a pending green card, was stopped by ICE on his way to work and arrested despite showing agents his work permit. Witness videos captured officers breaking his van windows, after which he fled in fear, later saying agents hit him and mocked him. Espindola, who has no criminal record and has lived in the U.S. since age 17, received a U visa after surviving an attempted murder and has been legally employed for years. His partner, Juana Bautista, says ICE ignored his valid documents and treated him disrespectfully, even as the couple had just welcomed a newborn son. While ICE later claimed he resisted arrest and highlighted past citations for driving without a license, his employer and attorneys describe him as exactly the kind of hardworking, law‑abiding immigrant the system is supposed to protect (please note, the citation charges were dropped in both instances). He remains in ICE custody awaiting immigration proceedings.
#ExcessiveForce
"Maria"- #0188
A Salem resident and U.S. citizen, was pulled over by masked federal agents in unmarked vehicles who demanded her “papers,” shattered her car window before she could retrieve them, and violently pulled her from her van. Agents slammed her against the vehicle, injuring her, and searched her car until they found her U.S. passport, at which point they abruptly left, one telling her not to forget to renew it. Maria was left on the roadside with a concussion, a torn rotator cuff, and extensive bruising. She says the agents ignored her attempts to explain she was a citizen and treated her with unnecessary aggression, leaving her terrified and shaken. Local officials and her union have condemned the incident and called for accountability.
#ExcessiveForce
(1) https://13wham.com/news/nation-world/salem-resident-us-citizen-says-federal-agents-shattered-her-car-windown-and-injured-her-american-united-states-residents-violence-aggression-federal-immigration-customs-enforcement-ice-customs-border-patrol-protection-oregon-portland-capital (2) https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2026/02/911-call-describes-woman-screaming-to-ice-agents-that-shes-a-us-citizen.html (3) 911 call reporting this incident: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF9MGPzD3F4
Elvis Tepin & Chloe Renata Echeverria (2 Year Old)- #0189
Elvis and his 2 year old daughter were stopped by ICE in south Minneapolis while driving home from the grocery store and were taken into custody without agents presenting a warrant, according to the family’s attorney and local officials. Both father and daughter have active asylum claims, but ICE alleged he had committed felony reentry and accused him of refusing commands during the stop. As neighbors gathered in protest, agents broke his car window, detained him, and took Chloe as well. Despite a federal judge’s emergency order that the pair not be removed from Minnesota and that the toddler be returned to her attorney that same night, ICE had already placed them on a flight to Texas. Chloe was reunited with her mother the next day, while Tipan‑Echeverria remains detained. The family’s lawyers say the transfer appeared to defy the court’s authority, calling it an unprecedented act involving a 2‑year‑old.
#Children #DefiedCourtOrder #ExcessiveForce
Fernando Jaramillo-Solano- #0190
ICE agents mistakenly detained Fernando Jaramillo‑Solano and his two children while they were driving to school, despite later admitting they had been looking for someone else. Held for three weeks in a Texas detention center, the family, who has an active and compliant asylum case, endured such severe psychological and emotional trauma that they ultimately signed paperwork to voluntarily return to Colombia. Their detention sparked community protests and drew bipartisan condemnation from Colorado lawmakers, who continue to demand answers and accountability from federal officials.
#Deported #InadequateConditions #Children
"’Fernando the father, is exhausted after being held in detention for almost a month. His decision to stop fighting from inside detention isn't about giving up, it's about getting his children out of jail, where no child should ever have to languish,’ said Matt Karkut, Executive Director of Compañeros Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center.” (2).
Franci Stagi- #0191
A 57‑year‑old Durango resident, was protesting outside a local ICE facility after agents detained a Colombian father and his two children on their way to school. While she was filming a masked agent and questioning his actions, he suddenly grabbed her phone away, and when she instinctively reached toward him, he threw her to the ground, grabbing her by the hair and putting her in what she described as a chokehold. Video shows multiple agents involved as bystanders shouted in alarm. Shaken and bruised, Stagi said she was most worried about the detained children and joined the protest simply to show solidarity, saying she hoped others would do the same if her own child were taken. (I recommend watching the video a few times, Stagi admitted she knew it was wrong for her to grab the phone, but is this the level of professionalism and protection we should expect from a federal officer?)
#ExcessiveForce #Senior #USCitizen
Dennis Guillen- #0192
ICE agents entered a private surgical center in Ontario, California, to arrest 30‑year‑old Honduran landscaper Dennis Guillen, prompting a tense confrontation with clinic staff who demanded to see a warrant and recorded the encounter. Despite their objections, Guillen was taken into custody and has since been unreachable except for one brief call. DHS later accused staff of obstructing the arrest, though the publicly available video shows no assault on officers. Advocates say the arrest appears unjust and possibly based on racial profiling, noting Guillen has been supporting his mother in Honduras, who relies on him financially. His family is now trying to locate him and raise funds for legal representation, while ICE has released no information about his current whereabouts. DHS made a statement that he fled arrest, and was being arrested for obstruction and assault. (Seeing as they potentially lied that hospital staff was violent, what is to stop them from lying about Dennis?-Feel free to watch the video and see the statement by ICE.)
#LiesByICE
Yeonsoo Go- #0193
A 20‑year‑old Purdue University student and daughter of an Episcopal priest, was unexpectedly detained by ICE after leaving a routine immigration hearing in Manhattan. Agents handcuffed her on the sidewalk and transferred her to a detention center in Louisiana. ICE publicly claimed she had overstayed her visa, but her attorney confirmed her R‑2 religious visa was valid through December 2025. The detention sparked swift outrage from faith leaders, elected officials, and the Scarsdale community, who emphasized that she had no criminal record and was fully compliant with immigration requirements. After five days and mounting national attention, Yeonsoo was released without explanation and reunited with her family. She later said she had held onto faith that she would be freed and expressed gratitude for the community that rallied around her.
#LiesByICE
Jesus Jose Carrero-Marquez- #0194
Jesus was violently arrested by ICE in Albuquerque as his wife and 5‑year‑old daughter watched agents pull him from his car, throw him to the ground, and pin him with their feet before taking him away without explanation. He was hospitalized afterward, and agents told staff he was a violent gang member, a claim his wife strongly denies and that is not supported by any criminal record beyond a traffic ticket. Jesús is an asylum seeker from Venezuela who was injured during protests there, and his appeal is still pending. After briefly calling his wife from detention in El Paso describing severe pain, he disappeared from ICE’s public records, which listed only “Texas,” leaving his family and lawyers unable to locate him. Advocates say his case reflects a new pattern of mass detentions with little transparency. This lead to finding out he had been deported without a final removal order being issued and without notifying family.
#ExcessiveForce #Deported #LawyerDenial
Marcos Gaspar-Da Silva- #0195
A Brazilian asylum seeker living in Maine and applying for a green card through his U.S.‑citizen wife, was arrested by ICE on his way to work and has since been transferred through five different detention facilities in multiple states in under three weeks. His wife, Alessia, says ICE’s detainee locator repeatedly showed him disappearing and reappearing, making it nearly impossible to track his whereabouts. Despite a federal judge’s order not to move him out of Massachusetts, ICE flew him to Louisiana and then to Arizona, where he has reported overcrowded, unsanitary conditions (such as no change of clothes, having to carry buckets of water for needed bathing, not enough toilets, etc.) and prolonged shackling.
#DefiedCourtOrder #InadequateConditions #SolitaryConfinement/Restraints
Makengo Nzenzo- #0196
An asylum seeker from Angola living legally in Saco, Maine, was pulled over at gunpoint by ICE agents while driving home from the hospital just days after his wife underwent an emergency C‑section. Agents detained him and transported him with other detainees to a crowded holding site in Burlington, Massachusetts, where he spent six days sleeping on a cold floor with 40-45 people in one room and limited food. He was then transferred to another facility in Plymouth for two more weeks before a judge allowed his release on a $2,000 bond. After three weeks in custody, he returned home to his family and newborn daughter, calling the experience brutal and bewildering given that he has no criminal record and is actively pursuing asylum. His church community rallied around his family, and he is now preparing to continue his asylum case while returning to work.
#InadequateConditions
Napoleon Magaña- #0197
A 20‑year‑old asylum seeker from Mexico, was arrested by ICE during a raid on a Gresham apartment even though agents were searching for someone else. Video of the incident shows officers breaking into the wrong bedroom while calling out for a man named “Israel,” who was not there. Despite telling agents he had no criminal record and had an active asylum case with a scheduled court date, he was taken into custody and transported to the Tacoma ICE facility, where he spent two weeks in overcrowded, chaotic conditions. Magaña says cells held up to 70 people, many with pending cases and no criminal history, and that detainees were given little information about their situation. He was eventually released but placed under ICE’s intensive supervision program while he awaits his next court hearing.
#Released #ExcessiveForce
Matondo Andre Mateus- #0198
An asylum seeker from Angola living in Maine, was detained by ICE and rapidly transferred through multiple states, first to Massachusetts, then flown to Louisiana, and later moved again to Arizona, even after a federal court issued orders prohibiting their transfer. Her attorney filed a habeas petition while she was literally in the air, and the court quickly issued a stay, but ICE did not receive or act on the order until after she had already landed in Louisiana. The judge found that Mateus was being detained under the wrong statutory authority and that ICE’s transfers violated court orders and due‑process protections. The court granted her habeas petition and emergency restraining order, directing ICE to return her to within 72 hours and either release her or provide a prompt bond hearing. The ruling emphasized that any continued detention must be justified with clear reasons and that ICE must comply with judicial oversight.
#DefiedCourtOrders
“Haitian Women”- #0199
Four Haitian women who had been detained and deported from Puerto Rico were later found dead and beheaded in Haiti under extremely violent circumstances. According to the report, the women had originally been part of a group of migrants intercepted near Puerto Rico and were removed from U.S. custody despite expressing fear for their safety if returned. After being sent back to Haiti, a country facing severe instability, gang violence, and widespread insecurity, the women disappeared. Their bodies were later discovered, and authorities confirmed they had been killed. (Their identities have not been released due to fear of continued gang violence for family).
#Deaths #Deported
"Leave these people alone. Deporting them is condemning them to death," claimed a local community leader (2).
Dayanne Figueroa- #0200
A Chicago mother and U.S. citizen, was driving in Arizona when a Border Patrol vehicle collided with her car during a traffic stop. Although she was the one hit, agents immediately treated her as a suspect, handcuffing her on the roadside and accused her of running into them. Body‑camera footage later showed that she repeatedly asked for help and explained she was injured, but agents focused on interrogating her instead of providing medical care. She was taken to a hospital and then booked into jail, where she spent several days before being released without charges. The incident raised serious questions about Border Patrol’s conduct, the accuracy of their initial claims, and the agency’s treatment of U.S. citizens caught in enforcement actions.
#InadequateConditions #LiesByICE
(1) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-a-collision-with-border-patrol-led-to-a-chicago-womans-arrest-60-minutes/ (2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEAEBppr8c4 (I recommend watching this 7 minute video from 60 Minutes)