Chaos at Chicago Daycare: Armed ICE Agents Storm Preschool and Detain Teacher in Front of Children

Armed federal immigration agents chased a daycare worker into a Chicago preschool on Wednesday morning and detained her as parents dropped off their children, in what witnesses described as a traumatic scene that left students, teachers and families in tears.

The arrest at Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center marks a dramatic escalation in immigration enforcement tactics, with agents entering a facility that until this year would have been considered off-limits.

The incident unfolded around 7am when at least three Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents followed the woman, identified as Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, a 33-year-old Colombian mother of two, as she drove to work. According to witnesses and local officials, the agents pursued her into the building's vestibule, where video footage shows them detaining her whilst she screamed 'I have papers' in Spanish.

Conflicting Accounts of What Happened

'It's some of the most chilling video footage I have ever seen, certainly in my time in office', said Alderman Matt Martin, who represents Chicago's 47th Ward. 'We had agents with guns who were walking around the facility with teachers inside, with children inside'.

The Department of Homeland Security offered a different account, claiming agents attempted a traffic stop after the vehicle Santillana Galeano was travelling in refused to pull over. 'They ran into a daycare and attempted to barricade themselves inside the daycare, recklessly endangering the children inside', the DHS statement read.

However, local officials who reviewed security footage disputed this characterisation. US Representative Delia Ramirez said the footage shows agents entering the building multiple times and going into multiple rooms 'asking and looking for teachers whilst children were present'. Security video also allegedly shows agents questioning another worker and escorting them to their locker to 'prove she has papers'.

US Representative Mike Quigley said the detained woman had a work permit and a pending asylum case, and that agents entered without a warrant. School officials confirmed that Santillana Galeano, who worked with infants, had authorisation to work in the daycare and had undergone a background check.

A Return to 'No Safe Spaces' Immigration Policy

The policy change has had far-reaching consequences. In July, agents confronted a man in the parking lot of his child's preschool in suburban Portland, Oregon, with many preschoolers looking on. In Los Angeles, agents handcuffed a disabled teenager outside a high school campus, later releasing him when they discovered they had the wrong person.

Nationwide, one in five childcare workers are immigrants, most of them Latinas. In Chicago, it's one in four. The increased enforcement has created significant fear amongst workers, some of whom have stopped showing up to work for fear of being caught.

By Wednesday evening, hundreds of people gathered at Northcenter Town Square to protest the morning's arrest. 'No hate, no fear. Everyone is welcome here', their voices rang out as children in the crowd ran and played. The school remained closed for the day whilst the community processed what had occurred.