It was just after sunrise in Chicago’s North Center neighborhood when parents began arriving at Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center, a cheerful brick preschool known for its bilingual songs and bright murals. Toddlers shuffled in with backpacks half their size, clutching their parents’ hands, the smell of coffee drifting through the cool November air.
Then, the calm routine of drop-off broke apart. Two unmarked SUVs rolled to a stop on the narrow side street. Federal agents stepped out (vests marked ICE) and moved quickly toward a small blue sedan idling near the curb. A teacher everyone knew as Miss Diana had just parked and was gathering her things for class.
Witnesses say the agents called her name, their voices sharp. She looked startled, frozen for a moment, then hurried toward the daycare entrance. Parents thought at first it was some kind of mistake, maybe an accident or a misunderstanding. But within seconds, the scene turned chaotic.
The agents followed her up the short steps and through the glass vestibule. Inside, children could be heard laughing down the hall, unaware. Staff members rushed forward, shouting for the agents to stop. One mother cried out, “The kids are right there!” But the sound of the struggle a door opening, a command barked in English, and then the teacher’s voice, trembling: “Yo tengo papeles! I have papers!” echoed down the hallway.
Parents outside pulled out their phones. Some recorded. Others clutched their children and stepped back, unsure what to do as uniformed officers handcuffed the woman just inside the entryway.
Within minutes, she was gone, escorted to one of the waiting SUVs. The preschool director locked the doors and announced the center would close for the day. A few children cried, asking where their teacher went. Staff tried to reassure them, but no one had answers.
By mid-morning, the story was everywhere: ICE had detained a daycare teacher in front of children, inside a place long considered a sensitive location. Federal officials said it was a “fugitive apprehension” after a vehicle stop; parents called it an invasion.
Outside Rayito de Sol, flowers and handwritten notes appeared by the door before noon. One read simply: “Miss Diana, los niños te extrañan.” The children miss you.
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