Overview
- U.S. District Judge Jeffrey I. Cummings directed DHS to provide records on 615 suspected warrantless arrests and to deliver an updated list of ICE and CBP arrests in Chicago by Nov. 19.
- He ordered the immediate release of 13 detainees and set a Nov. 21 deadline to release on bond at least 313 people into monitoring programs, excluding anyone deemed a public‑safety or flight risk.
- Justice Department attorneys said compiling the required documents is a significant challenge and identified at least a dozen individuals as high‑risk; the court also issued a short stay to halt removals of the covered group.
- The case, brought by the ACLU of Illinois and the National Immigrant Justice Center, targets arrests made during Operation Midway Blitz, with advocates saying their list of potential violations tops 3,000 and about 1,100 people may already have been deported or agreed to deportation.
- The Castañon Nava decree requires probable cause of unlawful presence and likely escape before warrantless arrests, and government lawyers have not ruled out appealing the judge’s directives.