Seventh Circuit Stay of ICE Detention Releases under Castañon Nava Consent Decree Prolongs Detention and Family Separation for Hundreds of Chicagoans
CHICAGO (November 20, 2025) -- The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) and Roger Baldwin Foundation of ACLU, Inc. (ACLU of Illinois) issued the following statement in response to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeal’s decision to delay the release of hundreds of Chicago-area community members who have been arrested without warrants or probable cause, in violation of the Castañon Nava federal consent decree.
“We are deeply disappointed by today’s decision to delay the interim release of hundreds of people on bond and alternatives to detention who the Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged were likely arrested and detained without warrants, without probable cause, and in violation of a consent decree and federal law. The Seventh Circuit stay means that Chicago-area families will face, at minimum, weeks more separation, and people will continue to languish in inhumane immigrant detention centers, at risk of deportation without due process. This is especially sad given that families already have been separated from loved ones for weeks.
“But this is not the end. The Seventh Circuit will hear oral argument on whether a longer term stay is appropriate on December 2. We will now focus on preparing for that argument. We believe we still have the opportunity to free our neighbors and reunite families who have been deeply traumatized by the Trump administration’s unlawful actions in our communities."