Judge Considers Releasing Hundreds Of Illegal Immigrants Nabbed By ICE In Chicago Raids
A federal judge in Illinois is weighing whether to order the release of hundreds of illegal immigrants apprehended during recent ICE raids in Chicago.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings is set to hold a hearing Wednesday that could compel immigration officials to let the detainees go under supervision, such as ankle monitors or other tracking measures, according to local reports. The detainees were rounded up in a series of enforcement actions that immigration advocates claim violated a longstanding consent decree governing immigration operations in the state.
Last month, Cummings ruled that ICE agents had breached that decree, which requires agents to establish probable cause before conducting warrantless arrests. ICE had previously agreed to abide by these limits in Illinois, including a provision that calls for evaluating whether an individual is likely to flee before detaining them without a warrant.
ICE has broad authority to conduct warrantless arrests across the country, though the Illinois agreement imposes tighter guidelines. Now, the court will decide whether agents went too far in their recent operations and whether those arrested should be released as a result.
Among the cases drawing attention is that of Colombian national Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, who sparked controversy after fleeing from a traffic stop and running into a Chicago daycare center to avoid arrest. Video of the incident went viral, prompting Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley to accuse ICE of unlawfully detaining a “preschool teacher without a warrant IN FRONT OF CHILDREN.”
The Department of Homeland Security swiftly pushed back, accusing Quigley of deliberately misrepresenting the facts. “ICE law enforcement did NOT target a daycare and were only at this location because the female illegal alien fled inside,” DHS said in a statement posted to social media.
According to DHS, Galeano crossed the southern border in 2023, and her children were recently smuggled into the country separately. During her arrest, officials said she attempted to conceal her identity and falsely claimed she didn’t know the man driving her vehicle, telling agents she had simply picked him up at a bus stop.
As the judge prepares to rule on the matter, immigration authorities and local advocates are clashing once again over the scope of federal enforcement and the balance between public safety and due process. A ruling in favor of mass releases could have national implications, potentially reshaping how ICE operates in jurisdictions with consent decrees or sanctuary policies.