"A Day Care Raid That Left a Family Shaken":
Adam Gonzalez's ordinary morning turned extraordinary when he pulled up to the Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center in Chicago's Roscoe Village neighborhood. What started as an innocuous drop-off had quickly become a traumatic encounter. Two unfamiliar cars with men in black body armor – some masked – were outside the school, sending Gonzalez's heart racing. His 17-month-old son was oblivious to the chaos unfolding before him.
As Gonzalez watched, his day care teacher, Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, was dragged out of the building by ICE agents with her arms behind her back. In a harrowing video recorded by Gonzalez, Galeano can be heard yelling "tengo papeles" – Spanish for "I have papers." The scene was one of utter chaos, with parents and staff screaming in protest as Galeano was taken away.
The raid occurred just weeks after the Trump administration's Operation Midway Blitz, a nationwide crackdown on immigration enforcement that has seen ICE agents deployed in multiple cities. Videos have surfaced showing aggressive enforcement tactics, including guns drawn during raids and toddlers being left unattended in cars.
Gonzalez described the scene as "beyond traumatic," with Galeano's arrest leaving parents crying and young children confused. The day care center was once a safe haven for Gonzalez and his family, but that changed in an instant. According to Gonzalez, parents are now grappling with a daunting decision: do they send their kids to school knowing ICE may be present, or stay home to ensure safety?
The emotional toll of this encounter is being felt far beyond the day care center. Childcare workers like Alice Dreyden at a Head Start center in Chicago report seeing young children becoming increasingly fearful and anxious after exposure to such traumatic events. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network notes that witnessing a parent being handcuffed can be particularly overwhelming for young children.
Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a psychologist based in California, warns that early childhood is an especially formative period, and exposure to hostile or fear-inducing events can have lasting effects. When a child's teacher is taken away, they may feel abandoned, scared, and unsafe – a sense of instability that can be deeply damaging.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has denied targeting schools or day care centers, claiming Galeano was arrested inside the school building itself. However, parents are skeptical, given the disturbing pattern of ICE enforcement tactics in recent months.
For Gonzalez and other families affected by this incident, the experience is a harsh reminder that safety is no longer guaranteed – not even at what should be a safe haven like day care. As one parent confided, "You have to make the decision every day: do I go to work or stay home? It's a constant source of fear for our community."
Adam Gonzalez's ordinary morning turned extraordinary when he pulled up to the Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center in Chicago's Roscoe Village neighborhood. What started as an innocuous drop-off had quickly become a traumatic encounter. Two unfamiliar cars with men in black body armor – some masked – were outside the school, sending Gonzalez's heart racing. His 17-month-old son was oblivious to the chaos unfolding before him.
As Gonzalez watched, his day care teacher, Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, was dragged out of the building by ICE agents with her arms behind her back. In a harrowing video recorded by Gonzalez, Galeano can be heard yelling "tengo papeles" – Spanish for "I have papers." The scene was one of utter chaos, with parents and staff screaming in protest as Galeano was taken away.
The raid occurred just weeks after the Trump administration's Operation Midway Blitz, a nationwide crackdown on immigration enforcement that has seen ICE agents deployed in multiple cities. Videos have surfaced showing aggressive enforcement tactics, including guns drawn during raids and toddlers being left unattended in cars.
Gonzalez described the scene as "beyond traumatic," with Galeano's arrest leaving parents crying and young children confused. The day care center was once a safe haven for Gonzalez and his family, but that changed in an instant. According to Gonzalez, parents are now grappling with a daunting decision: do they send their kids to school knowing ICE may be present, or stay home to ensure safety?
The emotional toll of this encounter is being felt far beyond the day care center. Childcare workers like Alice Dreyden at a Head Start center in Chicago report seeing young children becoming increasingly fearful and anxious after exposure to such traumatic events. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network notes that witnessing a parent being handcuffed can be particularly overwhelming for young children.
Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a psychologist based in California, warns that early childhood is an especially formative period, and exposure to hostile or fear-inducing events can have lasting effects. When a child's teacher is taken away, they may feel abandoned, scared, and unsafe – a sense of instability that can be deeply damaging.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has denied targeting schools or day care centers, claiming Galeano was arrested inside the school building itself. However, parents are skeptical, given the disturbing pattern of ICE enforcement tactics in recent months.
For Gonzalez and other families affected by this incident, the experience is a harsh reminder that safety is no longer guaranteed – not even at what should be a safe haven like day care. As one parent confided, "You have to make the decision every day: do I go to work or stay home? It's a constant source of fear for our community."
. Who knew schools were supposed to be safe havens? 
. Imagine showing up at your kid's daycare center with a happy morning, and then being told that the teacher you trust might not be there because she doesn't have the right papers 
. It's like, what even is going on? And now parents are having to make this super tough decision every day - do they send their kids to school knowing ICE could show up or stay home to protect them? 
what if the teachers didn't have papers?! ICE agents showing up with guns and dragging people out like that is insane 
I feel for Adam Gonzalez, his kid was just dropped off at daycare and suddenly this chaos erupts 
parents are right to be scared now, wondering if they should even send their kids to school knowing there might be ICE agents lurking around 
this isn't just a daycare issue, it's a child welfare crisis 
. I mean, what if the next time it happens the teachers are actually, like, taken away by ICE while you're watching from your living room? That's a great way to spend a Tuesday afternoon, right? 
