ICE Raid at Chicago Daycare Condemned as 'Domestic Terrorism'

A parent at Rayito de Sol, a Spanish immersion daycare center in North Center, Chicago, summarized what took place there Wednesday when armed immigration agents entered the facility and arrested one of the childcare providers.

"What has happened today is domestic terrorism," said Maria Guzman said at a press conference held by federal and local lawmakers and "traumatized" members of the community. "It is a violation of our rights, it is a violation of these children's rights, it is a violation of these teachers' rights, who have a right to work in this country and care for our most vulnerable kids."

Guzman spoke alongside Democratic US Reps. Mike Quigley and Delia Ramirez, who represent communities in the Rayito de Sol vicinity, after at least three armed federal agents arrived at the center at about 7:00 am Wednesday when the worker, Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, was arriving at work along with parents and children.

Alderman Matt Martin told Block Club Chicago that the agents had followed Galeano to her job and chased her into the building, where they "tore her away" from the children and pushed her coworkers as they tried to intervene. They then dragged her outside with her hands pulled behind her back, before at least one agent reentered the building and, according to Ramirez, went from room to room and demanded to see evidence that other teachers were legal residents.

Galeano's arrest and the raid took place in front of children and parents. The center closed for the day as other teachers expressed fears about coming to work.

"This is what's happening right now via that force of terror called Homeland Security under [Secretary] Kristi Noem," said Ramirez. "I went into the daycare this morning as part of rapid response and I see teachers, I see parents crying. They're wondering, how could it be that the place where I send my children for eight hours when I go to work has been broken into by these masked agents with guns, running through the daycare?"

Parents and officials said Galeano, who has children of her own, has permits to work in the US.

At the press conference, Quigley demanded Galeano's release and condemned President Donald Trump for ending protections that had been in place under the Biden administration which kept US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from conducting enforcement operations at schools, daycares, churches, hospitals, and shelters. He rejected claims by Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin that the agency "did not target a daycare."

"They can say they aren’t targeting a daycare, but that’s where they were this morning,” Quigley said. “They’re supposed to be going after the 'worst of the worst,' if they’re now trying to tell us that what’s left of the worst of the worst is someone with papers who’s educating kids at a daycare, then I think everything they say comes into question.”

"We need ICE out of our schools and out of Chicago!" added Quigley.

Jonathan Cohn, political director of Progressive Mass, said ICE "should be rightly called child abusers" for conducting a raid while children were present.

"It's bad on its own for its brutality toward adults, but they are traumatizing kids," he said.

Rayito de Sol parents organized a GoFundMe fundraiser to help with Galeano's legal fees; as of Thursday morning it had raised more than $64,000.

Alderperson Andre Vasquez called on all community leaders to join in local grassroots efforts to fight against ICE's raids across the Chicago area, in which the Department of Homeland Security has said more than 1,500 people have been detained since the Trump administration began its mass deportation campaign in the city, "Operation Midway Blitz."

"We're all crossing our fingers and hoping for elections to change things, but we don't have that time right now," said Vasquez. "If you're anybody here in the city of Chicago and you don't have a whistle around your neck and you're not out here doing school patrol, please find time to do so. We need everyone here."