SCOOP: Legal Stay Keeps Hundreds of Chicago Migrants in ICE Detention Amid Court Battle
After ordering release of migrants from inhumane detention, a new legal stay injects uncertainty into the future of detainees caught in Operation Midway Blitz.
WASHINGTON — In a surprising development in the ongoing enforcement litigation involving Operation Midway Blitz, the court issued the stay on the last page of the docket in the Castanon Nava et al v. Department of Homeland Security case.
This ruling puts a pause on the earlier court mandate that ordered ICE to release up to 615 migrants detained in warrantless arrests during the enforcement sweep in the greater Chicago area.
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The stay effectively keeps those migrants in detention for now, halting the planned largest single-day release of ICE detainees in Illinois in recent years. This move comes days after Judge Jeffrey Cummings’ previous landmark order declared most detentions were without proper warrants or probable cause, ordering alternatives to detention for eligible migrants and criticizing the conditions at the Broadview facility.
The stay creates immediate uncertainty for detainees, legal advocates, and immigration enforcement authorities navigating the fallout from the sweep. Advocacy groups had hailed the prior order as historic, opening the door to widespread release of those arrested under questionable circumstances unless flagged for removal or public safety risks.
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Further filings and court hearings are expected in coming days as the litigation unfolds. The government is required to submit detailed detainee lists by November 19, and legal teams anticipate renewed motions addressing detention status in light of the stay.
This stay order marks a significant judicial intervention amid heated immigration enforcement and legal battles over the limits of detention authority and immigrant rights.
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