On a crisp autumn morning in Crestwood, Illinois, the Cabrera family’s world changed in the blink of an eye. Surveillance footage, later shared with ABC7 Chicago, captured federal agents in fatigues stepping out of a white van and swiftly detaining Ramiro Cabrera, a father of four who had lived in the United States for over two decades without legal permission. The operation, part of a broader enforcement initiative dubbed "Operation Midway Blitz," left his family reeling. "You see on social media other videos of people getting taken by ICE, and you’re like, ‘Wow, this is insane,’" Fernanda Cabrera told ABC7 Chicago. "And then, seeing a video and saying, ‘That’s my father. That’s my dad.’ He was at work. It was pretty heartbreaking. It felt very unreal."
Ramiro Cabrera’s arrest on October 3, 2025, was not an isolated incident. Across the country, immigration enforcement actions have surged, often drawing sharp criticism from local officials and immigrant advocates. Just weeks later, on October 21, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted a dramatic raid on Canal Street in New York City. According to CBS News, nine immigrants from Senegal, Guinea, Mali, and Mauritania were taken into custody during what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as a "targeted, intelligence-driven enforcement operation" focused on criminal activity related to selling counterfeit goods. The men, DHS said, had criminal histories including robbery, burglary, domestic violence, and assaulting law enforcement.
Back in Illinois, the Cabrera family’s ordeal was compounded by what their attorney, Jennifer Peyton, called a "black hole" of detention at the Broadview ICE processing facility. Peyton, a former assistant chief immigration judge who was fired in July 2025, sprang into action, filing a habeas petition in federal court to prevent Cabrera’s transfer to a distant facility. She alleged that Broadview was so overcrowded that detainees were "sleeping inside the bathrooms, on the floors," and were "not offered showers," with "no access to counsel." In her words, "My client that was taken there told me that (Broadview is) so overrun with detainees that they’re sleeping inside the bathrooms, on the floors. They’re not offered showers. They’re held there for multiple days, people upon people upon people, with no access to counsel."
When Cabrera was finally able to call home, his daughter Mariana described his voice as "just so shaken." The family received only a brief one-minute call, leaving them anxious and in the dark about his well-being. "There’s so many people in there trying to get phone calls that, I mean, still today, we’re struggling to get phone calls," Mariana said. Eventually, Cabrera was transferred to an ICE detention facility in Indiana, but the pain of his absence lingered. "His absence is definitely felt," Fernanda said. "He has his, like, specific spot on our couch at home. And seeing it empty every night, it’s heartbreaking."
Allegations of poor conditions and lack of transparency at Broadview have drawn the attention of Democratic lawmakers. U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin were denied access to tour the facility on October 10, 2025. "We just want to go in and look at this facility, and see what the conditions are. And they will not let us in," Duckworth said. Durbin echoed her concerns: "I’ve never had this kind of stonewalling by any presidential administration. Something’s going on in there that they don’t want us to see." The Department of Homeland Security, however, rejected claims of "subprime conditions," asserting to the ABC7 I-Team, "ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens... All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members."
Meanwhile, in New York City, the Canal Street operation unfolded with military-style trucks and heavily armed federal agents—a spectacle that quickly drew the ire of local leaders and activists. Protesters gathered at 26 Federal Plaza, disturbed by what they saw as excessive force and a threat to community safety. "The manner in which ICE is going into areas and just wreaking havoc, causing unsafe communities—it’s very obvious that this isn’t making anyone safer," one protester told CBS News. City officials were quick to distance themselves from the federal action. "New York City does not cooperate with federal law enforcement on civil deportations, in accordance with our local laws," Mayor Eric Adams stated. Governor Kathy Hochul added, "You don’t make New York safer by attacking New Yorkers."
Attorney General Letitia James took a proactive stance, urging residents to submit videos or documentation of ICE enforcement actions to her office’s new online portal. "Every New Yorker has the right to live without fear or intimidation," James said. "If you witnessed and documented ICE activity yesterday, I urge you to share that footage with my office. We are committed to reviewing these reports and assessing any violations of law. No one should be subject to unlawful questioning, detention, or intimidation."
The fallout from these enforcement actions is not just local but national in scope, thanks to a recent seismic shift in immigration law. On September 5, 2025, the Board of Immigration Appeals issued a decision titled "Matter of Yajure Hurtado," which, for the first time, ruled that immigration judges can no longer grant bond for immigrants who entered the U.S. without authorization. This move, according to ABC7 Chicago, all but guarantees mandatory detention for those detained. A DHS spokesperson called the ruling "a big win for our ICE attorneys securing our ability to detain illegal aliens until they are deported." Legal analysts, like ABC 7 Chief Legal Affairs Analyst Gil Soffer, described it as a "monumental decision," explaining, "Obviously, the effect of it is to make it impossible for people to post and be released on bond. Whereas in the past, there wasn’t that automatic rule. So, it’s a very significant change, and I think we’re going to see a real fight over it."
For advocates and attorneys like Peyton, the decision represents a "total sea change." As she told ABC7 Chicago, "It overturned decades of case law, of regulations and laws indicating that for someone who is here without authorization, that they are entitled to a bond if they can show that they are not a flight risk or danger to the community. For someone who is here without authorization, the only remedy now is to go to federal court."
As Cabrera’s court date approaches on October 23, his family holds out hope for a reunion. "I have two kiddos with another one on the way," Mariana said. "It’s been heartbreaking for the oldest three, and for us to go to abuelo’s house and to not see abuelo." Across the nation, the debate over immigration enforcement, due process, and the rights of detainees continues to spark passionate responses—from courtrooms to city halls to the streets themselves.
