Chicago daycare worker freed after judge rules ICE arrest unlawful

A Chicago daycare worker whose arrest by federal agents last week sparked widespread outrage has been released from custody. On Thursday, Diana Santillana Galeano’s attorney said she was released from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Clay county, Indiana, on Wednesday night. Her release followed a federal judge’s ruling earlier in the day that her arrest was “unlawful” as she had not had a preliminary bond hearing. In his ruling on Wednesday, US district judge Jeremy Daniel wrote: “The government acknowledges that several courts, including this one, have found mandatory detention … unlawful.” He ordered the government to provide Galeano with a bond hearing by 18 November. Daniel further added that “the parties shall submit a status report on or before November 20, 2025, that addresses the petitioner’s release status, including when the petitioner received a bond hearing, the result of the bond hearing, and any findings made by the immigration judge.” Following her release, Galeano said in a statement: “I am so grateful to everyone who has advocated on my behalf, and on behalf of the countless others who have experienced similar trauma over recent months in the Chicago area … I love our community and the children I teach, and I can’t wait to see them again.” Meanwhile, Galeano’s lawyers hailed the court’s ruling, saying: “The Court has recognized that Diana and scores of others like her should not be in custody indefinitely. This is an important step on Diana’s path to returning home where she belongs,” the Chicago Tribune reported. Galeano’s arrest last week sparked widespread outrage after federal agents were caught on video dragging her out of the Rayito de Sol daycare center in Chicago’s North Side. At one point, the agents appeared to slam her face against the daycare’s glass doors before pinning her against a parked car and handcuffing her. Witnesses reported hearing Galeano say in Spanish “I have papers,” adding that the arrest unfolded in front of children. City and state lawmakers had quickly denounced Galeano’s arrest, which came amid ICE’s “Operation Midway Blitz”, a series of aggressive immigration crackdowns that have swept across the Chicago area in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Tricia McLaughlin, the homeland security department spokesperson, denied last week that the daycare itself had been targeted, saying instead: “Officers attempted to conduct a targeted traffic stop of this female illegal alien from Colombia.” The Guardian has reached out to DHS for comment.