Mothers detained at protest over ICE daycare raid

A group of mothers and protesters were detained by police outside the Broadview ICE processing center during a sit-in protesting a recent immigration arrest at a Chicago-area daycare that left children distressed and stirred community outrage. Demonstrators, many suburban parents, said the daycare arrest—where federal agents removed a teacher in front of children—crossed a line by bringing immigration enforcement into a sensitive space and prompted them to act against what they called a campaign of “terrorising” patrols under Operation Midway Blitz.

Witnesses and advocacy groups described the daycare incident as traumatic: the detained teacher, reported to be a Colombian national, told agents she “had papers” as she was taken from the facility; observers said no warrant was visibly presented and that children and staff were visibly upset. The incident prompted condemnation from local lawmakers and immigrant-rights organizations, which argued the enforcement action violated longstanding norms discouraging raids at schools and childcare sites and called for greater oversight of ICE operations in the Chicago area.

At the Broadview protest, mothers sat together in a large circle on Beach Street before being zip-tied and removed by law enforcement; Cook County Sheriff’s deputies confirmed the detentions, with charges still pending. Protesters said they were calm during arrests but expect to face legal consequences for their civil disobedience. Organizers framed the demonstration as an effort to raise awareness and demand an end to immigration sweeps that they say have terrorized neighborhoods, prompting parents to alter routines—such as walking children to school for perceived safety.

Legal observers cautioned that those arrested at the sit-in could face federal or state charges such as trespass or obstruction, while advocacy groups prepared to pursue legal challenges to the daycare raid on the grounds it may have violated protections for schools and childcare settings. The events have intensified scrutiny of Operation Midway Blitz, a campaign that has led to thousands of arrests in the region and sparked mounting opposition in Chicago communities.

Authorities and activists now brace for parallel legal battles: prosecutors deciding on charges for protesters, and civil-rights and immigrant-advocacy organizations assembling potential challenges to the daycare operation and broader enforcement practices. The clash has underscored deep tensions between federal immigration enforcement priorities and local demands for protections of children, schools and family spaces, while galvanizing community resistance and renewed calls for policy review and accountability.