A video showing federal agents arresting a woman outside a Chicago daycare quickly spread across social media this week, with users calling it “disgusting” and “cruel.” Many online believed the woman was an innocent daycare teacher being taken away in front of kids. But the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says the internet got it wrong.
According to DHS, the woman seen in the clip is Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, a Colombian national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2023 and was later released by border authorities under the Biden administration. Her two children were reportedly smuggled into the U.S. last month near El Paso, Texas, and placed in a UAC shelter (Unaccompanied Alien Child) facility in the Chicago area.
In an official post on X (formerly Twitter), DHS confirmed that the arrest was part of an ongoing investigation involving multiple immigration violations—not a random workplace raid. The department said agents “acted in accordance with federal law and public safety protocols.”
The viral clip, which originally painted Santillana Galeano as a daycare employee being unjustly detained, sparked heated debate online about ICE tactics and immigrant rights. But DHS’s clarification quickly flipped the narrative, emphasizing that the arrest targeted an undocumented individual with an active immigration case—not a U.S. worker.
Still, with all the recent ICE raids and crackdowns happening across the country, many citizens are finding it hard to take government statements at face value. Decades of mistrust, shifting immigration policies, and viral misinformation have created a climate where even official explanations are met with skepticism. Some online are questioning whether DHS’s version of events tells the whole story.
“We remain committed to enforcing immigration law while ensuring the safety of all communities we serve,” DHS wrote in its statement.
But whether that message restores trust—or fuels more debate—depends on who you ask.
Fast Facts
Name: Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano Nationality: Colombian Entry: Crossed U.S. border illegally in 2023; released by authorities Children: Entered illegally near El Paso, TX in 2025; now in UAC care Location of Arrest: Chicago, IL (daycare facility) Source: Department of Homeland Security (X)
