The Marshall Project

ICE Detained Them, and Then They Vanished

Under Trump, the U.S. increasingly sends immigrants all over the nation with little warning, leaving families and attorneys unsure where they are.

Written by Aala Abdullahi and Geoff Hing

AD: Marci Suela

2026

Process

Concept sketches

For the main and spot illustrations, I wanted to depict a visual representation of time passing and feelings of confusion, dread, and unease.

I played with motifs of silhouetted figures, scattered papers, and crossing lines to illustrate these abstract concepts.

Keywords:
- Shuffling cards
- Pulling strings
- Mirror maze
- “Now you see me..”
- Shell game