CHICAGO (WLS) — Attorneys for the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) have argued in court that federal agents working for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) violated the law when they detained a family of four this past weekend in front of the Crown Fountain at Millennium Park.

The arrest took place on Sunday when U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino, along with tens of masked, armed agents dressed in camouflage, were seen patrolling the streets of downtown Chicago in a show of force aimed at advancing President Trump’s massive deportation agenda. The local effort has been codenamed **”Operation Midway Blitz.”**

According to a Tuesday court filing by attorneys with the NIJC, agents arrested two parents and their two young children, ages three and eight, “without warrants or any flight risk determinations.” The filing states the family simply wanted to enjoy the warm Sunday afternoon in Millennium Park at their daughter’s insistence.

“Now, DHS has already transferred [one parent] to detention in Texas, and [the other parent] and children are detained in a room at O’Hare airport,” the filing adds.

A video posted on Instagram by the account Arab Chicago, which was included as an exhibit in the court filing, shows the family of four being marched out of Millennium Park, escorted by federal agents. The filing notes, “Based on available video, the DHS officers appear to rely on the parents’ young daughter to translate for them.”

“With Mr. Bovino in charge of immigration enforcement operations in Chicago, defendants are taking an equally aggressive, cavalier and unlawful approach to their enforcement here,” the attorneys argue.

### Alleged Violations of the Castanon Nava Settlement

Attorneys with the NIJC contend that ICE agents in this case, and many others, are violating a 2022 settlement agreement known as the **Castanon Nava settlement**. According to that agreement, ICE agreed to certain conditions for arresting someone in the Chicago area without a warrant. These conditions include pre-determining whether there is probable cause to believe the person is in the U.S. illegally, and assessing whether they are a flight risk — requirements immigrant advocates say have been ignored since the start of the second Trump administration.

The Chicago area of responsibility covers Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kentucky, and Kansas.

### Court Proceedings and Statements

The NIJC’s immigration enforcement concerns were also addressed during a July hearing in the Northern District of Illinois federal courthouse. There, plaintiffs and the U.S. Department of Justice argued their case in front of the Honorable Jeffery Cummings.

“Many things [are] troubling me about these situations. We don’t know the magnitude of this problem,” Judge Cummings said during the hearing. “It’s impossible to tell.”

Among the allegations made in court was that agents at the ICE Academy were trained and instructed to carry blank I-200 DHS arrest warrant forms. These could be filled out on the spot during an enforcement action, with supervisor approval, thereby bypassing the court-ordered “warrantless” requirements.

Lawyers for the Justice Department countered that in cases of collateral arrests—where agents did not initially have a warrant—warrants were eventually obtained. They also argued it may be burdensome to assess flight risk immediately at the scene.

### DHS Response and Next Steps

The Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the Millennium Park enforcement action. The government has previously maintained that all arrests were lawful and did not violate the settlement agreement.

Judge Cummings has yet to rule on whether ICE violated the terms of the Castanon Nava settlement.

A status hearing for the case was scheduled for this Friday but has since been canceled due to the federal government shutdown. In a Wednesday court docket posting, Judge Cummings stated he “will issue a written ruling in the coming days to address plaintiffs’ motion to enforce the [Castanon Nava] settlement agreement.”

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**SEE ALSO:**
– [Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates](#)
– [4 detained by federal agents at Bronzeville shelter, 37 arrested at South Shore apartment building](#)

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