Federal officials are defending agents involved in an ICE daycare arrest after a viral video fueled claims that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers raided a Chicago daycare. The Department of Homeland Security clarified that officers pursued an illegal immigrant who fled into a nearby building, not a teacher working inside the facility.
The incident occurred Wednesday morning when ICE agents attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle registered to Colombian national Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano. Authorities said she had been released at the border in 2023 under previous immigration policies. When the driver refused to stop, the vehicle sped into a shopping plaza, where both occupants fled on foot.
According to DHS, Santillana Galeano ran into the vestibule of a Spanish immersion daycare named Rayito de Sol, prompting officers to follow. Officials said she never entered classrooms or interacted directly with children during the ICE daycare arrest. The video circulating online showed agents restraining the woman outside the building as she screamed and resisted arrest.
Critics quickly accused ICE of targeting a preschool teacher without a warrant. Representative Mike Quigley of Illinois claimed agents detained a legally authorized educator in front of children, calling it a disturbing abuse of power.
In response, DHS condemned Quigley’s statement as misleading and insisted that work authorization does not grant lawful residency. Officials said Santillana Galeano’s previous border release did not protect her from immigration enforcement.
Tricia McLaughlin, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, explained that both suspects tried to barricade themselves inside the building. She said their actions “recklessly endangered children” who were present at the daycare. Officers arrested Santillana Galeano in the entryway after confirming the interior doors were locked.
Authorities also revealed that she allegedly instructed her teenage children to cross the U.S. border unaccompanied last month. DHS suggested she may have played a role in human smuggling by coordinating their travel with outside individuals.
Officials said her children were later found near El Paso and placed in protective custody at a Chicago shelter for unaccompanied minors. Investigators are still seeking the unidentified male driver who fled the scene.
DHS emphasized that more than seventy percent of ICE arrests involve individuals with active criminal cases or convictions. The department reaffirmed its mission to uphold federal law and protect communities while dispelling misinformation about the ICE daycare arrest that ignited widespread outrage online.
