On Wednesday (12/11/2025), a federal judge ordered the release on bail of hundreds of illegal immigrants who were arrested in Chicago during the immigration campaign launched by the Donald Trump administration, in a new setback for the Republican in the third largest city in the United States.
District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ordered the release of the detainees, who do not pose a security risk in the country, while they await the outcome of their immigration proceedings.
The judge’s order applies to immigrants who are arrested without a court order and without probable cause, according to the Chicago Tribune, a major newspaper in this northeastern city.
The newspaper said that the judge will allow the detainees to be released on bail of $1,500 with some type of monitoring, including electronic ankle bracelets.
The detainees were among thousands of immigrants arrested during immigration raids in Chicago. Many of them have already been deported or agreed to leave the country voluntarily.
The Ministry of Homeland Security expresses its dissatisfaction with the court’s decision
The Department of Homeland Security condemned the judge’s decision.
“At every turn, activist judges, sanctuary city politicians, and violent protesters have desperately tried to prevent our officers from arresting and deporting the worst of the worst,” DHS said on Network X.
The judge’s ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by the National Immigrant Justice Center and the American Civil Liberties Union, which claimed the wave of immigrant arrests was unlawful.
Trump ordered the deployment of hundreds of National Guard forces in this democratic city under the pretext of combating crime and supporting his strategy against illegal immigration.
He also ordered its implementation in three other Democratic-led cities this year: Los Angeles, Washington and Memphis.
But his efforts to station soldiers in Chicago, as well as in Portland, were blocked in court.
JC (AFP, Chicago Tribune)
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