Leftists march through Chicago to protest ICE as judge rules 22 illegal immigrant arrests 'unlawful'

A judge has ruled that some arrests made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Chicago were unlawful. This comes as the Trump administration has deployed National Guard troops to the Democrat-run city, and leftist anti-ICE demonstrations have been taking place. 

On Wednesday evening, giant groups of anti-ICE and left-wing protesters and agitators took to the streets in opposition to ICE. There were reports of arrests taking place on Wednesday in the streets amid the protests. 

A ruling filed this week from US District Judge Jeffrey Cummings has stated that ICE has violated a Biden-era consent decree that had been placed on law enforcement in the Chicago area, because he argued that the agency was "conducting warrantless arrests" of illegal immigrants. These arrests have been commonly called "collateral arrests," or the detainment of other illegal immigrants when ICE is in pursuit of detaining who they know of that is in the country illegally. The judge ruled that there were 22 arrests that were unlawful and in violation of the consent decree. 

The tactic has been a major part of the Trump administration's illegal immigration crackdown, and the same goes for "Operation Midway Blitz," the effort concentrated in Illinois. Cummings has also required that there be limits on "collateral arrests" as part of the consent decree cited. 

Department of Homeland Security's Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement about the arrests in an email, "DHS complies with all lawful court orders and is addressing this matter with the court," per ABC7.  

The Castañon Nava consent decree, which the judge also ruled to be extended to February, 2026, ordered that ICE meet conditions in order to detain illegal immigrants in Chicago without a warrant, such as the pre-determination of probable cause, as well as if those who would be arrested are a flight risk.  

Over the past few weeks, there has been increasing anti-ICE action done by far-left agitators in Chicago, including the blocking of vehicles on the street as well as impeding the law enforcement agency during operations.