NEWS FLASH
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— Hundreds of people swept up in Chicago’s immigration crackdown could soon be walking free.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ordered the full release of 13 detained individuals, ruling their arrests ran afoul of a 2022 consent decree that limits how federal agents can make warrantless arrests. And that, attorneys say, is just the beginning.
Cummings gave government lawyers until Friday to comb through a list of 615 people detained at county jails and federal facilities nationwide and determine who qualifies for alternatives to detention — like an ankle monitor — while their immigration cases proceed. He said he would issue an order for their release next week, and in the meantime he temporarily paused deportation proceedings for people who might qualify for bond.
Those without criminal histories or prior removal orders could be released on a $1,500 bond. The order also bars the government from pressuring detainees to agree to voluntary deportation while their cases are pending.
Attorneys for the detainees hailed the move as a win — and said they plan to bring more cases.
“All of the tactics of ICE have been unlawful in the vast majority of arrests,” said Mark Fleming, a lawyer with the Chicago-based National Immigrant Justice Center. “We’re concerned they have no access to counsel and no understanding of what their situation is.”
The stakes are enormous. More than 3,300 people suspected of immigration violations have been arrested in Chicago and its suburbs since Operation Midway Blitz began in September — and many have already been deported or left on their own.
Justice Department attorney Will Weiland pushed back, telling Cummings that at least 12 people on the list of 615 were “high risk” and shouldn’t be released into communities. “Nothing has been easy with this case your honor,” he said.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as the release order takes shape.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
