Overview
- Cummings reviewed 53 Operation Midway Blitz arrests and ordered 32 people released on their own recognizance, with five additional cases still under consideration.
- He found agents frequently lacked probable cause or evidence of flight risk and relied on defective I‑200 field warrants, including records with post‑hoc boilerplate and, in some instances, authenticity concerns.
- Two residents detained in the Sept. 30 South Shore raid were among those deemed unlawfully arrested, a raid carried out with helicopters and flashbangs at a 130‑unit complex.
- The 7th Circuit earlier blocked blanket releases and required individualized assessments, so Friday’s rulings were case by case, with the court allowing the government to seek a reasonable extension of the March 5 deadline.
- Plaintiffs say the government has not produced a full master list and are seeking data on roughly 350 people, as the judge presses DHS on recirculating decree‑compliant arrest guidance nationwide.