A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the release on bond of hundreds of undocumented migrants who had been detained in Chicago as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ruled that detainees not considered security threats could be released while their immigration cases proceed.
The order specifically affects migrants who were arrested without warrants and without probable cause, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The newspaper reported that detainees would be allowed to leave on $1,500 bond under monitored conditions, which could include electronic ankle bracelets.
These migrants were among thousands detained during raids in the Chicago area, known as “Operation Midway Blitz.”
Many of those arrested have already been deported or voluntarily agreed to leave the country.
The Department of Homeland Security criticized the ruling in a post on X. “At every turn activist judges, sanctuary politicians, and violent rioters have actively tried to prevent our law enforcement officers from arresting and removing the worst of the worst,” DHS said.
“Now an ACTIVIST JUDGE is putting the lives of Americans directly at risk by ordering 615 illegal aliens be released into the community.”
Judge Cummings issued the ruling in response to a lawsuit brought by the National Immigrant Justice Center and the American Civil Liberties Union, which claimed that the wave of migrant arrests was unlawful.
The decision marks another obstacle to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts in Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city.
Trump has deployed hundreds of National Guard troops to the Democratic-led city to support law enforcement and immigration operations, but courts have blocked the deployment.
In October, the administration asked the Supreme Court to overturn lower court rulings that prevented the National Guard from being sent to Chicago.
This year, the Republican president has sent National Guard personnel to three other Democratic-led cities, Los Angeles, Washington, and Memphis, while efforts to deploy troops in Portland and Chicago remain tied up in legal battles.
