Case Summary:

The case originated from a class-action lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s use of pretextual traffic stops and warrantless arrests during immigration enforcement operations in the Chicago area.

A 2022 consent decree resulting from the litigation required Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to follow specific protocols for warrantless arrests, including documenting a "likelihood of escape" and providing individualized probable cause.

In early 2025, plaintiffs alleged that ICE resumed making "collateral" warrantless arrests and conducting pretextual stops in violation of the existing settlement agreement.

The factual record includes evidence from "Operation Midway Blitz," during which plaintiffs claim ICE agents carried blank administrative warrants and filled them out only after de ...