CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago day care center employee, Diana Santillana Galeano, who was detained by immigration agents while children were being dropped off at work, has been released, according to her attorney.
Galeano was taken into custody on November 5 at the Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center. A video captured the moment when officers apprehended her as they exited the premises. Her legal representation announced her release on Wednesday night from a detention center in Indiana.
We are thrilled that Ms. Santillana was released, and has been able to return home to Chicago where she belongs, said attorney Charlie Wysong in a statement. We will continue to pursue her immigration claims to stay in the United States. We are grateful to her community for the outpouring of support over these difficult days, and ask that her privacy be respected while she rests and recovers from this ordeal.
The situation emphasizes the aggressive enforcement tactics employed by immigration authorities during the Trump administration. Her detention at a child care facility was particularly noteworthy, even amid the broader “Operation Midway Blitz,” which has led to more than 3,000 immigration arrests in the Chicago region since early September. Notable operations by ICE agents have included high-profile raids involving helicopters and significant force.
In a statement following her release, Santillana Galeano expressed gratitude: 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.
The Department of Homeland Security clarified that Santillana Galeano, originally from Colombia, entered the United States illegally in June 2023 but later received work authorization under the Biden administration. The DHS denied that the day care center was a target of their operations.
