A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit on Thursday issued an administrative stay that blocks a lower-court order requiring the release of hundreds of immigrants detained during the Trump administration's "Operation Midway Blitz" in the Chicago area.
The stay pauses U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings' Nov. 12 preliminary injunction.
Cummings ruled that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted more than 600 warrantless arrests between June and October 2025 in violation of a 2022 consent decree known as Castañon Nava.
That decree, stemming from a class-action settlement, sharply limits ICE's ability to make civil immigration arrests in the Chicago region without probable cause or a judicial warrant.
Cummings had ordered the Department of Homeland Security to release approximately 450 detainees classified as low flight risk on $1,500 bond with electronic monitoring by Nov. 21.
He also barred deportations of the affected group until that deadline and required DHS to turn over detainee lists and related documents by Nov. 19.
The Justice Department appealed immediately, telling the 7th Circuit the lower-court ruling contained "a bevy of legal errors" that would "cripple the government's renewed implementation of the nation's immigration laws" and threaten public safety, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Federal attorneys argued the injunction imposed "burdensome, costly and intrusive mandates, including training, documentation and reporting requirements" on ICE agents.
Hours before the first releases were scheduled to begin, the appellate panel granted the government's request for an administrative stay, describing Cummings' order as "overbroad."
The court set an expedited briefing schedule with oral arguments on Dec. 2.
"Operation Midway Blitz," launched in September 2025, resulted in more than 1,800 arrests across the greater Chicago region.
The case marks the latest clash between the Trump administration's immigration enforcement priorities and long-standing court restrictions in the Chicago area.
In a related ruling on Wednesday, the same court of appeals blocked a separate lower-court order that had restricted federal agents' use of tear gas and other anti-riot weapons during Chicago-area immigration protests.
The earlier order required agents to issue warnings before deploying chemical agents, barred arrests of journalists, and mandated body cameras and visible identification.
The appellate panel granted the government's emergency stay pending further review.
Jim Mishler ✉
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