Hispanic Mother Detained by ICE While Buying Food for Her Children

ICE Arrests Hispanic Mother in Chica

Children Seek Community Support

Operation Sparks Migrant Fear

Maricela Rosales Castillo went out one afternoon to buy ingredients to make meatballs for her children — but she never came back home.

While walking near 24th and Lombard Streets in the Cicero/Berwyn area, she was intercepted by agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who detained her without prior notice.

A video circulating on social media shows the exact moment of the arrest.

In the footage, a woman recording the scene can be heard shouting: “Ma’am, you don’t have to say anything!” while trying to learn her name to notify the family.

Hispanic Mother Detained by ICE in Chicago

ICE Arrests Chicago Mother While Shopping for Her Children – Photo GoFundMe

The distress of witnesses is evident in the video, which shows Maricela trying to remain calm as officers surround her.

Since then, her children — Rosa, Juan, and Samantha — have been living in days of fear and uncertainty.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Terror in Colorado: ICE Agents Aim Guns at Family with One-Month-Old Baby

They explained that they have been unable to contact their mother or obtain any information about her whereabouts.

To seek help, the siblings created a GoFundMe campaign hoping to raise funds to cover legal expenses and bring her back home.

Children Plead for Help to Find Their Mother

ICE Arrests Chicago Mother – Photo: GoFundMe

On the fundraising page, the siblings describe Maricela as the main provider for the household and explain that her absence has left them in a vulnerable situation.

The Hispanic community in Chicago has begun to share the story and circulate the donation link, calling for solidarity in what many consider an unjust arrest.

This case adds to several similar incidents in the area, as immigration raids have intensified in recent weeks.

According to local residents, the government’s “Midway Blitz Operation” under President Donald Trump has generated fear and distrust among immigrant families.

Fear Grows Among Immigrant Families

Many now avoid going to work or taking their children to school out of fear of being detained.

Civil rights organizations have urged people to document these types of arrests and to refrain from signing any documents without a lawyer present.

Meanwhile, Maricela Rosales Castillo’s children continue to wait for news that will give them hope of reuniting with their mother.

A simple trip to the supermarket turned into a story that exposes the harsh reality faced by thousands of families in a country that calls itself “the land of the free.”