US District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ruled Wednesday that the detentions violated a 2022 settlement agreement restricting warrantless arrests in the Chicago area.
A federal judge in Illinois has ordered the release of hundreds of immigrants who were detained as part of the Trump administration’s large-scale immigration enforcement operation in the state.
US District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ruled Wednesday that the detentions violated a 2022 settlement agreement restricting warrantless arrests in the Chicago area, CNN reports. The ruling, which sided with the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) and the ACLU, marks a major setback for ongoing federal efforts to detain and deport undocumented immigrants.
The case states that between June and October, the ICE-led Operation Midway Blitz saw more than 3,000 people arrested, according to court filings.
Those who remain in custody are now required to be granted bond by noon on November 21, unless they have already been deported or left the country voluntarily.
“All of this, all of the tactics of [senior Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino], all of the tactics of ICE have been unlawful in the vast, vast majority of arrests,” said NIJC attorney Mark Fleming during a press conference after the decision.
Fleming said his organization estimates that around 1,100 of those detained have already departed voluntarily, while about 615 people remain in federal custody across the country. He argued that ICE and Border Patrol had ignored the terms of previous agreements meant to prevent unlawful arrests and racial profiling.
Bovino, 55, became a key figure in President Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement campaign, which deployed federal officers to several Democratic-run states and cities regardless of local resistance.
The ruling comes amid renewed debate over immigration enforcement tactics and the balance between federal authority and constitutional protections. Civil rights groups have accused immigration agents of targeting individuals outside courthouses, at workplaces, and during traffic stops — methods they say lead to racial profiling and wrongful detentions.
One of the arrests that drew national attention involved Diana Galeano, a teacher at a Chicago daycare. A video of ICE agents storming the facility and pulling her from the front doors circulated widely online, prompting outrage from parents and local officials.
Fleming called the ruling a “significant victory for basic rights,” while federal authorities have not yet commented on how many detainees will ultimately be released.
The Department of Homeland Security has until next week to comply with the court order and determine who qualifies for immediate release.
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