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A federal judge in Chicago ordered Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release more than 600 undocumented immigrants held at a suburban detention center, accusing the agency of “repeated material violations” of a court-approved consent order that limits who can be detained under U.S. immigration law.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ruled that more than 600 detainees held at the prison Broadview ICE object must be released “on bail and through ICE's Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program” by November 21, citing what he called a “pattern of unlawful arrest and detention.”
The order stems from Margarito Castañon Nava's class action lawsuit against DHS, which alleges federal agents illegally detained hundreds of migrants who were not subject to mandatory detention or eventual removal, in direct violation of a 2021 Biden-era order inherited by the Trump administration.
In the ruling, Cummings accused DHS of detaining migrants in “unsafe and unsanitary” conditions, saying detainees were held in overcrowded quarters “next to overflowing toilets.” The judge further stated that the department's recent change in detention authority represents a “180-degree change” from previous legal interpretations.
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A federal judge has ordered the release of more than 600 illegal immigrants from an ICE facility in Illinois. (Jamie Kelter Davis/Getty Images)
This decision could lead to the largest single-day release ICE Detainees in Illinois years, releasing hundreds of those arrested during the “Operation Midway Blitz“, Trump's enforcement actions that immigration activists say have traumatized communities across Chicago.
“Today was a good day as the court ordered the immediate release of 13 people who were illegally arrested and detained federal immigration officials“More than 600 people could soon be released as the court enforces our agreement with the federal government—a step toward accountability for years of wrongful arrests.”
But DHS officials harshly condemned ruling accusing the court of undermining national security and law enforcement.
Police detain two people as tear gas fills the air after it was fired by federal law enforcement agents who clashed with community members and activists for reportedly shooting a woman in the Brighton Park neighborhood on October 4, 2025 in Broadview, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“At every step, activist judgessanctuary politicians and violent rioters actively tried to stop our law enforcement officials from arresting and taking away the worst of the worst,” Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, told Fox News Digital.
“Now an activist judge is putting American lives in immediate danger by ordering the release of 615 illegal immigrants into society.”
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Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on October 28. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Cummings ordered DHS to identify detainees considered a “high risk to public safety” who may remain in custody and submit a compliance report by Nov. 24.
