An immigration court judge in Chicago ordered six children to be deported on Wednesday, according to attorneys representing the minors. The removal orders were issued during a hearing in the Loop, drawing local elected officials to observe the proceedings.
Chicago Immigration Court Orders Removals
The children impacted by the Wednesday ruling range in age from 12 to 17, according to Laura Smith, the executive director of the Children’s Legal Center. Smith stated that her legal team prepared the minors ahead of the hearing for the possibility of removal orders that would send them back to countries where attorneys claim no safe adult is available to care for them. “Today, the Chicago Immigration Court ordered six of our children removed from the United States without due process,” Smith said.
According to the legal team, the children were between the ages of 12 and 17 and Smith believes all of them qualify for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, a federal protection established by Congress to provide a pathway to citizenship for unaccompanied minors who fled dangerous conditions in their home countries. Smith noted that the affected minors include children who have survived severe trauma, stating they are “children who have been kidnapped, children whose parents have been killed and who have been completely abandoned by their family.”
These six removal orders follow two similar rulings issued in July for other children represented by the same center, bringing the total number of Chicago-area children facing deportation risk to at least eight, according to attorneys who have vowed to appeal the decisions.
Federal Context and Political Reactions
When NBC 5 Investigates inquired about the removal orders, the Department of Homeland Security pointed to a June press release. The agency’s statement alleged that between 2013 and 2025, nearly 19,000 minors applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status had criminal arrest records. The department stated that the system “is at great risk of fraud that, if not properly policed by state court judges, can allow dangerous criminals into our country.” However, attorneys representing the children emphasized that none of the six minors who faced the judge on Wednesday possess criminal records.
Several Democratic federal and state lawmakers attended the Wednesday hearing to monitor the proceedings. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin questioned the uncertainty surrounding the children’s futures, asking, “Where are they headed? We’re not sure at this moment. Maybe their country of origin. Maybe some other country. Maybe they’re being returned to the scene of the crime where they were abused and neglected.”
State Senator Cristina Castro of Elgin described the courtroom experience as difficult, noting that the children maintained polite behavior throughout the hearing. Lawmakers also pointed out that the presiding judge appeared virtually, a practice attorneys noted is permitted but unprecedented in their experience with these specific proceedings. Castro remarked that utilizing a virtual format removes a layer of humanity, stating, “It’s much easier to deport a child hiding behind a screen.”
Legal Representation and Funding Challenges
The removal orders arrived as legal defense organizations face severe resource constraints. The Children’s Legal Center and the National Immigrant Center for Justice lost federal funding for child representation at the end of July after a federal contract concluded. According to the organizations, the Trump administration offered to extend the contract only if the legal teams agreed to share sensitive client information, a condition the attorneys rejected.
Despite the loss of funding, attorneys have pledged to continue providing defense counsel for as long as their operations can sustain the work. Keren Zwick, executive director for the National Immigrant Center for Justice, emphasized the ongoing commitment to the minors, stating, “We have a moral and ethical obligation to these children to not abandon them.”