Plainclothes ICE Agents Detain Skokie 'Dreamer' At Traffic Court

SKOKIE, IL — A local "Dreamer" was released from custody Thursday morning after he was arrested outside traffic court this week. The announcement came a day after the man's family members, attorney and advocates held a press conference at a suburban courthouse to call for the release of a Skokie man who was taken into custody by plainclothes immigration agents after an appearance in traffic court.

Christian Gomez Garcia, 29, was arrested Monday outside a courtroom at the 2nd District Cook County Courthouse in Skokie by deportation officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency confirmed. He was taken to a detention facility in Kenosha, Wisconsin and held for more than two days.

Gomez Garcia had been permitted to remain in the U.S. since 2012 under a program – known as DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – allowing those who entered the country illegally as children to stay. President Trump announced the end of the program last year, and his order continues to be litigated in federal court.

According to Gomez Garcia's mother, she brought him to the country at the age of 4 when she fled Mexico due to domestic violence. She said she had to leave five other children behind when she left and that Gomez Garcia helps support her while he studies real estate at community college in Palatine.

"I'm really frustrated, this is like a nightmare, a horrible nightmare," she said through a translator outside the courthouse Wednesday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

His supporters said an administrative error prevented his DACA renewal application from going through, the Chicago Tribune reported. His protected status had expired, although his attorney said he has since reapplied.

"He's never had any criminal record, the only thing he's ever dedicated himself is to study and work," she told reporters Wednesday.

"It's not fair for our families who have done nothing wrong to this country, to have this happen to our family like this," Maria Garcia said, according to the Sun-Times.

Gomez Garcia's license had been suspended because he failed to pay a fine for a driving infraction, the Tribune reported. A search of court records in Cook and surrounding counties indicated he has no criminal record.

The Skokie Police Department said it cited Gomez Garcia for disobeying a stop sign and driving with a suspended license.

"After further review of his case circumstances," an ICE spokesperson said, Gomez Garcia was released around 9 a.m. Thursday.

Attorney Juan Soliz said at the news conference that immigration authorities appeared to have recognized that Gomez Garcia was protected from deportation under a federal court order, the Tribune reported.

"They shouldn't have picked him up in the first place and they're compelled to release him," he said.

He argued the practice of federal agents made communities less safe by scaring people away from the justice system.

"This should not be permitted in a public building area, people that need the services are going to refrain from use of these services because they're afraid of ICE being present," Soliz said, according to the Sun-Times.

Cook County passed a sanctuary ordinance in 2011 that blocks local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. A similar statewide act was passed last year by the Illinois General Assembly.

It was not clear how the immigration agents were tipped off about Gomez Garcia's court appearance, although Skokie police reported they were confident it was not one of their officers.

"In this case, they're going to be afraid to come take care of their tickets, take care of their problems," said Soliz.