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Family of four detained at Millennium Park

Oct 1, 2025 · Chicago Illinois, Guatemala

Family of four detained at Millennium Park

Three members of an Albany Park family detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents Sunday in Millennium Park are now being held at O’Hare Airport, according to neighbors. Federal agents stopped Noemi Chavez; her husband, Jaime Ramirez; their 8-year-old daughter, Dasha Ramirez; and their 3-year-old son and took them away in a white van during a family outing Sunday at the park. Witnesses saw Dasha Ramirez crying and clutching a doll during the arrests. The incident was caught on video and shared widely on social media. Chavez told the Tribune the family made the outing because Dasha “really wanted to visit Millennium Park.” Dasha and her little brother were playing in the water at the Crown Fountain when federal agents approached their parents, according to the Tribune. Albany Park resident Lauren Rappold said she saw the photos and videos of the family being detained and recognized them immediately. Her son attends Grover Cleveland Elementary School and is in the same third-grade class as Dasha. Rappold shared the information in a Cleveland Elementary moms group and spoke with a neighbor who had been able to get in contact with Chavez via WhatsApp. The neighbor, who asked not to be identified, told Rappold that Chavez and her two children had been taken to O’Hare’s immigration customs enforcement area at Terminal 5. Chavez told the Tribune that federal officers declined to show her a warrant during the arrest. Border Protection did not respond to a request for comment. Rappold brought a bag with fresh clothes, diapers and medicine to O’Hare on Monday morning. Chavez confirmed she got the bag over WhatsApp and said she was told she will be kept at O’Hare until there are enough people to fill a plane to send to a detention center in Texas, Rappold said. ✍️ Full story by @Writtenbymollyd in our link in bio.📸 Provided

Timeline

Sep 30, 2025Community member brings supplies to O'Hare; Chavez confirms receipt and reports family awaiting transfer to Texas detention center.
Sep 29, 2025Neighbors identify detained family via social media; Chavez confirms via WhatsApp that family is held at O'Hare Terminal 5.
Sep 28, 2025Family of four detained by CBP agents at Millennium Park; incident captured on video and shared on social media.

Sources

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