Judge to release hundreds detained by ICE in Chicago area
Hundreds of ICE detainees could be set free after judge's order
A federal judge on Wednesday said he could order the release of hundreds of people detained by ICE in the Chicago area in the coming days. Their attorneys argue they were unlawfully detained.
CHICAGO - A federal judge on Wednesday said he could order the release of hundreds of people detained by ICE in the Chicago area in the coming days, yet another legal setback to Operation Midway Blitz.
The judge ordered 13 detainees be released by this Friday, with hundreds more who could be let out under home confinement.
What we know:
Attorneys with the National Immigrant Justice Center and the ACLU argued that ICE detained hundreds of individuals who had no serious criminal history and therefore should not have been detained.
"Folks who do not have criminal histories or are a risk of danger to the community, who were unlawfully arrested without probable cause should be released," one attorney said during a news conference on Wednesday. "
The issue stems from a class action lawsuit filed back in 2018 in which ICE was accused of detaining undocumented immigrants without a warrant, violating a consent decree.
The agreement states that immigration agents cannot make "collateral arrests" through traffic stops or without a warrant.
The ruling applies to hundreds of people who have been detained even though they don't have a prior criminal history.
"I think it will show that this whole operation for the last two months, the terrorizing of our neighborhoods, the brutalizing of people here has all been unlawful. That’s what it’s gonna show," said attorney Mark Fleming.
Attorneys said they are pushing for the release of more people who have been detained by federal immigration agents and did not have a prior criminal history. They also said that 85% of individuals detained by ICE have no prior criminal conviction.
The individuals who were ordered released are being held all over the country, attorneys said, so ensuring they are released could prove difficult.
The Trump administration is also expected to provide an even larger list of people whom the plaintiffs believe should also be released. Attorneys for the plaintiffs believe that list could extend "into the thousands."