Authorities have clarified that the viral video depicting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at a Chicago daycare did not involve targeting a teacher, as initially claimed. Instead, the incident centered on Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, a Colombian national who was arrested after fleeing into a building following an attempted traffic stop. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) emphasized that the arrest did not take place inside the daycare itself, and that Santillana Galeano was not a teacher or a staff member of the facility. The confusion stemmed from the viral video, which led to public outcry and criticism from local representatives. DHS and ICE have condemned any misrepresentations of the event, clarifying that the individual was an undocumented immigrant who had been previously released under Biden administration policies.
The viral video showed two officers forcibly restraining Santillana Galeano as she screamed and struggled during her arrest outside the Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center Rayito de Sol. Other apparent daycare employees could be seen trying to reach her after she was placed in the ICE vehicle, with one holding a small child. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill, claimed that Santillana Galeano was a preschool teacher and was legally authorized to work in the United States. He criticized ICE for taking a preschool teacher without a warrant in front of children in his district, stating, “ICE isn’t going after the worst of the worst.” However, DHS sources denied these claims, stating that Santillana Galeano was not targeted as a teacher but as an undocumented immigrant who had previously been released under Biden administration policies in June 2023.
DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin clarified the situation, noting that Santillana Galeano was arrested after officers attempted a targeted traffic stop on a vehicle registered to her. The car was being driven by another man, who refused to comply with the officers’ commands, even as they activated sirens and emergency lights. The vehicle reportedly sped into a shopping plaza, where the incident unfolded. McLaughlin explained that Santillana Galeano and the male driver fled into a daycare and attempted to barricade themselves inside, recklessly endangering the children within. She added that Santillana Galeano provided false information about her identity and claimed not to know the male driver, stating she had ‘picked him up from a bus stop.’ Authorities have not yet released additional information about the male assailant, and DHS, ICE, and the Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center did not immediately respond to the request for further comment.