Chicago Judge Orders Release of 615 ICE Detainees, Rebukes Donald Trump's Immigration Policy

Judge Jeffrey Cummings halted a sweeping immigration crackdown in Chicago by ordering the release of up to 615 people detained during a federal enforcement campaign that targeted long-term U.S. residents without bond hearings.

The ruling, issued Wednesday, directly pushes back on a Trump administration policy shift that eliminated bond hearings for many immigrants with deep roots in the country.




The Chicago Sun-Times reports Cummings determined that hundreds of those arrested during "Operation Midway Blitz" between June 11 and October 7 were likely held unlawfully.




"It seems highly likely to me that at least some of those individuals are among the 615 detainees who are not subject to mandatory detention," Cummings said during the hearing.




According to court documents, many of the detainees were working-class individuals, including 20 landscapers, four ride-share drivers, and others detained while commuting or shopping at places such as Home Depot and Menards.








The judge's order stems from the Castanon Nava settlement, which limits warrantless arrests by ICE and related agencies in Illinois and nearby states.




The decision could eventually affect hundreds more cases if additional arrests made between June and November are found to violate the same legal standard.




Cummings criticized the nature of the arrests, pointing out that 54 people were taken from job sites, 20 while commuting, and nine while shopping. Seven were picked up at immigration hearings and 11 more in public spaces like parks, gas stations and even a Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru.




He dismissed the notion that these individuals were dangerous, saying they were not "assorted other ne'er-do-wells" or the "worst of the worst."




The ruling impacts a larger pool of roughly 1,800 people arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Chicago area.




Of those, only about 750 remain in the country, with 135 having final removal orders or criminal convictions, according to Mark Fleming of the National Immigrant Justice Center.




The case drew national attention through stories like that of Ruben Torres Maldonado, whose detention interfered with his daughter's cancer treatment. A separate judge, Jeremy Daniel, had already ordered a bond hearing for Maldonado.








The Department of Justice requested a delay in the release order, which Cummings granted until November 21.




That pause gives the federal government time to consider an appeal, though more than 100 judges across the country have issued similar rulings challenging the administration's interpretation of mandatory detention.




Immigration advocates argue the law only applies to "noncitizens who recently arrived at a border or port of entry," not individuals who have lived and worked in the U.S. for years.




Cummings previously extended the Castanon Nava agreement through February, continuing to restrict ICE operations in the region. His latest order follows a review of numerous petitions from detainees contesting their detention status.




The judge's decision lands amid an aggressive federal immigration presence in Chicago, where recent raids have drawn criticism from local officials and civil rights groups who say the tactics violate constitutional protections.


































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