An attorney representing the day care teacher arrested by federal immigration agents at a Chicago preschool said Friday that his client is currently detained at an ICE facility in Clark County, Indiana, but that she “belongs at home.”
Diana Santillana Galeano was arrested Wednesday morning at the Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center in North Center, sparking outrage from parents and staff who knew the 38-year-old as someone who went “above and beyond” for the school.
Charlie Wysong, Santillana’s attorney, issued a statement for the first time Friday morning. In it, he said her legal team will seek a bond hearing next week to “swiftly” release Santillana from detention. He called Santillana a “beloved and respected member” of her preschool community.
“Our day care centers and other schools must be safe places where our children are protected from harm,” he said.
Officials with the Department of Homeland Security, however, have alleged that Santillana attempted to barricade herself in the day care to escape arrest. They said she illegally crossed the southern border two years ago and paid a smuggler last month to cross her two teenage children.
According to an updated habeas corpus petition filed Thursday, seeking Santillana’s release, she’s a Colombian national who fled the South American country because of “threats to her safety.” It said she entered the U.S. in March 2023 “without inspection” and that she has been living in the country since, most recently in west suburban Berwyn.
It said she filed an asylum application and was granted employment authorization through November 2029, and that “based on information available,” she has no criminal history. The petition also says she was arrested without a warrant, violating a nationwide consent decree.
“Absent relief from this Court, (Santillana) faces the prospect of months, or even years, in immigration custody without ever receiving an individualized hearing justifying (Santillana’s) detention,” the petition said.
Since her arrest, local leaders have held rallies and news conferences in support of the teacher that parents called “Miss Diana.”
At a news conference Thursday, Maria Guzman, a parent of a child at Rayito, said: “It’s something that is out of a terror movie. I could not sleep last night thinking about the safety of my children. This is deeply, deeply personal.”
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A status hearing is set for next week.