Judge Orders Release of 600 Migrants in Major Blow to Trump’s Immigration Crackdown

A federal judge has ordered the release on bond of hundreds of undocumented migrants detained in Chicago under former President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign.

District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ruled on Wednesday that detainees who pose no security risk should be freed while awaiting the outcome of their immigration cases. The order applies to individuals arrested without warrants or probable cause during the Trump-era operation known as “Operation Midway Blitz.”

According to the Chicago Tribune, those eligible for release will be allowed to post a $1,500 bond and may be subjected to monitoring measures, including electronic ankle bracelets.

The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by the National Immigrant Justice Center and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which argued that the mass arrests violated due process and constitutional rights.

In a fiery response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) condemned the decision on X (formerly Twitter), calling Judge Cummings an “activist judge” and warning that releasing the detainees “puts the lives of Americans directly at risk.”

The judge’s decision marks another legal setback for Trump’s aggressive immigration agenda in Chicago — a Democratic stronghold and the nation’s third-largest city.

Trump had previously ordered hundreds of National Guard troops to Chicago to assist with crime and immigration enforcement, but those deployments were blocked by federal courts.

The Trump administration has since appealed to the Supreme Court to lift restrictions on National Guard deployments to Chicago. So far, the court has not ruled on the matter.

This latest ruling adds to a growing list of judicial challenges facing the former president’s immigration policies, many of which have been struck down or limited by federal courts across the country.