On Wednesday, officials clarified that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were not specifically targeting a Chicago day care center. Instead, they were pursuing undocumented immigrants who had taken refuge inside the building. This announcement followed a viral video showing a teacher being forcibly removed from the premises.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that ICE agents arrested Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, a Colombian national, after she fled into a building during a traffic stop attempt. Interestingly, she had been released at the border in 2023 under the Biden administration’s policies.
While the arrest sparked public outrage, officials insisted that it did not occur within the day care. They accused Santillana Galeano of “recklessly endangering children” by entering the premises. The video captured two officers restraining her outside the Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center Lite de Sol, as she screamed and resisted. After her arrest, some individuals who appeared to be day care staff approached, including one holding a small child.
Rep. Mike Quigley (D) noted that Santillana Galeano works as a kindergarten teacher and is authorized to work in the U.S. However, DHS responded to Quigley’s claims, stating they represented a “deliberate misrepresentation of the facts.” Officials highlighted that she was targeted not as a teacher but as an illegal immigrant who had been released at the border in June 2023.
Authorities also mentioned her alleged history of endangering minors, pointing to an incident where she allegedly instructed her 16- and 17-year-old children to cross the border alone last month. DHS reports that thousands of unaccompanied minors arrive at the U.S. border annually, making them particularly vulnerable to exploitation.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin provided context, explaining that Santillana Galeano was arrested after the vehicle registered to her failed to stop for officers. The car supposedly crashed into a shopping plaza, prompting police pursuit. They claimed that Santillana Galeano and a male accomplice fled to the day care center and tried to barricade themselves inside, endangering the children present. Importantly, she was apprehended at the building’s entrance, not inside the facility itself.
During her arrest, it was reported that Santillana Galeano misled officers about her identity and denied knowing the driver, stating he was merely giving her a ride from the bus stop. Further details about the male driver have yet to be disclosed.
Finally, her children, who were smuggled into the U.S. from near El Paso on October 19, have been taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and placed in a shelter in Chicago.
