A Chicago daycare worker whose arrest by federal agents sparked widespread outrage has been released from custody. Diana Santillana Galeano was freed from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre in Clay County, Indiana, on Wednesday night, following a federal judge's ruling that her arrest was unlawful.
US District Judge Jeremy Daniel ruled on Wednesday that Galeano had not received a preliminary bond hearing, ordering the government to provide one by 18 November. He noted that several courts, including his own, had found mandatory detention unlawful. The judge also required a status report by 20 November 2025 on Galeano's release status and bond hearing outcome.
Galeano expressed gratitude in a statement: 'I am so grateful to everyone who has advocated on my behalf, and on behalf of the countless others who have experienced similar trauma over recent months in the Chicago area. I love our community and the children I teach, and I can't wait to see them again.' Her lawyers hailed the ruling, saying it recognised that she and others should not be held indefinitely.
Galeano's arrest last week sparked outrage after video showed federal agents dragging her from the Rayito de Sol daycare centre in Chicago's North Side. Witnesses reported agents slamming her face against glass doors and pinning her against a car, while she said in Spanish, 'I have papers.' The arrest occurred in front of children as part of ICE's 'Operation Midway Blitz'.
City and state lawmakers denounced the arrest. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin denied the daycare was targeted, stating officers were conducting a 'targeted traffic stop' of Galeano, whom she described as an illegal alien from Colombia.
