A federal judge orders release of hundreds of migrants arrested in Chicago immigration raids on $1,500 bond with electronic monitoring
WASHINGTON: A federal judge has ordered the release on bond of hundreds of undocumented migrants arrested in Chicago during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ordered the release of detainees not considered security risks while they await immigration proceedings.
The judge’s order applies to migrants subject to warrantless arrests conducted without probable cause, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The newspaper reported detainees would be released on $1,500 bond with monitoring including electronic ankle bracelets.
The detainees were among thousands arrested during Chicago-area immigration raids dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.”
Many of those taken into custody have already been deported or agreed to leave the country voluntarily.
The Department of Homeland Security condemned the judge’s ruling in a social media post.
“At every turn activist judges, sanctuary politicians, and violent rioters have actively tried to prevent our law enforcement officers from arresting and removing the worst of the worst,” DHS said.
“Now an ACTIVIST JUDGE is putting the lives of Americans directly at risk by ordering 615 illegal aliens be released into the community.”
The judge’s ruling responded to a lawsuit filed by the National Immigrant Justice Center and the American Civil Liberties Union.
The lawsuit alleged the wave of migrant arrests were unlawful.
The decision represents the latest setback to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in America’s third-largest city.
Trump ordered hundreds of National Guard troops to the Democratic-run city to combat crime and aid immigration efforts.
The deployment has been blocked by federal courts.
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court last month to lift lower court rulings blocking National Guard deployment in Chicago.
The Republican president has sent National Guard troops to three Democratic-led cities this year including Los Angeles, Washington and Memphis.
His efforts to deploy soldiers in Portland and Chicago remain tied up in the courts. – AFP
