Federal immigration enforcement operations in Chicago have sparked widespread outrage after agents raided a Spanish-language daycare center and a senior living facility, detaining several individuals and alarming families and community members.
On Wednesday, federal immigration agents stormed Rayito de Sol, a Spanish-language immersion daycare in Chicago’s North Side, in what witnesses described as a chaotic and traumatic scene.
According to local reports, agents wearing vests marked “Police” but without visible agency identifiers forcibly detained a teacher, identified as Diana Santillana, originally from Medellín, Colombia.
Video obtained by WGN-TV showed Santillana being dragged from the daycare’s front doors as she screamed that she had legal papers.
Staff and parents were left in shock as children cried and teachers looked on helplessly. “The children were crying, the parents were crying,” said Tara Goodarzi, a lawyer who was dropping off her child at the time. “This is a scene that we’re not going to forget.”
Parents described Santillana as a beloved caregiver. Laura Tober, whose daughter attends her class, said, “She’s kind and nurturing. On Monday, my daughter took her first steps and couldn’t wait to tell me.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) later stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers had pursued a Colombian woman and a man into the daycare following a “targeted traffic stop.”
However, local lawmakers criticized the raid’s conduct. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) condemned the operation, saying agents acted recklessly by confronting a teacher in front of infants and toddlers.
The daycare raid is the latest flashpoint in an expanding immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump’s administration in Chicago. Since September, DHS says more than 3,000 arrests have been made – including individuals with no criminal history and even some U.S. citizens.
Similar enforcement operations have spread to nearby suburbs. Last week, agents raided Westminster Place, a senior living facility in Evanston, Illinois.
Don Rogan, an 89-year-old retired teacher, said the experience reminded him of police actions during the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests. “It brought back that flash of memory – this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be,” he said.
In another troubling incident in Los Angeles, Border Patrol agents detained a U.S. citizen father at a Home Depot parking lot and temporarily took his toddler away.
DHS later claimed the man was armed and had attacked officers, though these claims have not been independently verified.
Civil rights groups and lawmakers are demanding an investigation into the agents’ conduct, arguing that these aggressive tactics threaten public trust and community safety.
For many Chicago families, however, the damage is already done – a sense of fear and disbelief now hangs over places once considered safe havens.
Source: US News