Bethany MaGee is still receiving treatment at the hospital for severe burns after a man with more than 70 arrests doused her in gasoline and set her ablaze in an unprovoked attack on a Chicago train, the 26-year-old&#8217;s family shared on Tuesday.
The family has created a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-bethany-magees-recovery">GoFundMe account</a> to help support MaGee, confirming the young woman&#8217;s identity, but also asking for privacy during MaGee&#8217;s long road to recovery.
&#8220;On November 17, Bethany MaGee was riding a CTA train in Chicago when she was attacked,&#8221; the family wrote. &#8220;She is currently hospitalized with the severe burns she sustained, and she is receiving treatment under the excellent care of her medical team.&#8221;
The family described MaGee as an animal lover, kind, and sensitive.
&#8220;In response to the countless requests for a way to help, our family is setting up this GoFundMe on Bethany’s behalf,&#8221; the MaGees said. &#8220;Many of her immediate medical expenses are covered by insurance and a victims fund, but with such a long road ahead of her, the freedom from financial worries would be a tremendous blessing. No gifts are expected, but any that are given will go directly to Bethany.&#8221;
The GoFundMe has so far garnered more than $30,000 in donations.
Lawrence Reed, 50, has been <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/us-attorneys-office-chicago-charges-man-federal-terrorism-offense-allegedly-setting?">charged</a> with a federal terrorism offense in connection to the attack and is facing life in prison, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/woman-set-on-fire-by-convict-with-72-priors-on-chicago-train?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Woman+Set+On+Fire+By+Convict+With+72+Priors+On+Chicago+Train">The Daily Wire</a> reported this week.
Surveillance footage shows the suspect dousing MaGee in gasoline and chasing her on the train car before setting her ablaze. Reed, who’s been arrested 72 times, allegedly shouted “burn alive, b****” and “burn, b****” during the attack.
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Reed’s criminal history includes eight felony and seven misdemeanor convictions, <a href="https://www.click2houston.com/news/national/2025/11/21/federal-judge-orders-man-held-on-federal-terrorism-charge-in-chicago-train-attack/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">according</a> to the Associated Press. Reed’s arrests concern arson, assault and battery, and other offenses.
At the time of his most recent attack, Reed was ordered to wear electronic monitoring due an aggravated battery charge in which he was accused of hitting a social worker. Cook County prosecutors wanted to keep Reed behind bars until his trial, but the judge released him.
MaGee&#8217;s family asked for privacy at this time, writing, &#8220;This will be her story to tell—or not to tell—in the future.&#8221;
&#8220;What we can say is this: Bethany is a beloved daughter, sister, sister-in-law, granddaughter, and aunt,&#8221; the family continued. &#8220;She is a good friend. She is sensitive, caring, intelligent, and imaginative. She loves living in Chicago, and her gentle spirit makes her a favorite with every pet she meets. She enjoys playing tabletop and video games with her community, and she is quick to include others in conversations and make them feel welcome. She is kind.&#8221;
&#8220;In this season of Thanksgiving, we are so grateful for the chance to celebrate at Bethany’s side,&#8221; the MaGees closed. &#8220;Thank you for keeping her and our family in your prayers.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/woman-set-on-fire-by-convict-with-72-priors-on-chicago-train?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Woman+Set+On+Fire+By+Convict+With+72+Priors+On+Chicago+Train">Woman Set On Fire By Convict With 72 Priors On Chicago Train</a>

Family Shares Update On Woman Set Of Fire By Career Criminal In Chicago

Chicago

Crime

Illinois

Law Enforcement

U.S.

Chicago typical silver colored commuter train moving on elevated tracks to railroad station in between urban city buildings of Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Career Criminal Freed By Radical Pro-Crime Judge Sets Christian Woman On Fire On Subway

Criminal Justice

Murder

Opinion

Subway

Train

Violent Crime

A 26-year-old woman is fighting for her life after a man with more than 70 arrests doused her in gasoline and set her ablaze in an unprovoked attack on a Chicago train.
The victim has been <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/11/23/us-news/bethany-magee-26-identified-as-chicago-woman-set-on-fire-on-cta-train-by-serial-thug-with-72-arrests/">identified</a> as Bethany MaGee, who reportedly remains in critical condition. Lawrence Reed, 50, has been <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/us-attorneys-office-chicago-charges-man-federal-terrorism-offense-allegedly-setting?">charged</a> with a federal terrorism offense in connection to the attack and is facing life in prison.
Video shows the suspect dousing MaGee in gasoline and chasing her on the train car before setting her ablaze on November 17. Reed, who&#8217;s been arrested 72 times, allegedly shouted &#8220;burn alive b****&#8221; and “burn b****” during the attack.
&#8220;According to a criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Reed and the victim were passengers on a CTA train traveling through a subway in downtown Chicago at approximately 9:00 p.m. on Nov. 17, 2025,&#8221; a Department of Justice press release says. &#8220;Reed approached the victim, who was seated with her back towards him, took the cap off a bottle of liquid and poured the liquid all over the victim’s head and body, the complaint states.  The victim ran but Reed caught up with her, at which point he ignited the bottle and it fell out of his hand onto the floor, the complaint states. Reed picked up the bottle that was now on fire, approached the victim and used the bottle to light her on fire, the complaint states.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1005105" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1005105" class="wp-image-1005105 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-24-at-2.13.33-PM-866x576.png" alt="" width="866" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-24-at-2.13.33-PM-866x576.png 866w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-24-at-2.13.33-PM-300x200.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-24-at-2.13.33-PM-768x511.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-24-at-2.13.33-PM-1536x1022.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-24-at-2.13.33-PM-1200x800.png 1200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-24-at-2.13.33-PM.png 1680w" sizes=" (max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" />Chicago Transit Authority surveillance footage</div>
The disturbing unprovoked attack is reminiscent of the attack on Ukrainian refugee <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-looking-into-brutal-charlotte-murder-by-repeat-offender?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Admin+Looking+Into+Brutal%C2%A0Charlotte+Murder+By+Repeat+Offender">Iryna Zarutska</a>, 23, who was targeted by a career criminal while riding a train in Charlotte, North Carolina. Zarutska, like MaGee, was targeted without ever interacting with her attacker. Both suspects have lengthy rap sheets. Zarutska, who tragically died from her injuries, was attacked back in August.
Reed&#8217;s criminal history includes eight felony and seven misdemeanor convictions, <a href="https://www.click2houston.com/news/national/2025/11/21/federal-judge-orders-man-held-on-federal-terrorism-charge-in-chicago-train-attack/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">according</a> to the Associated Press. Reed&#8217;s arrests concern arson, assault and battery, and other offenses.
At the time of his most recent attack, Reed was ordered to wear electronic monitoring due an aggravated battery charge accusing him of hitting a social worker. Cook County prosecutors wanted to keep Reed behind bars until his trial, but the judge released him.
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Notably, Reed <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/blue-line-fire-attack-woman-burned-family-speaks/">pleaded guilty</a> to smashing windows on a Blue Line train at O&#8217;Hare International Airport in 2020, but the Chicago Transit Authority never banned him from the transit system.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reacted to the crime on Sunday, posting to X, &#8220;It is devastating that a career criminal with 72 PRIOR ARRESTS is now accused of attacking 26-year-old Bethany MaGee on Chicago’s L train, and setting her on fire.&#8221;
&#8220;This would never have happened if this thug had been behind bars,&#8221; Duffy added. &#8220;Yet Chicago lets repeat offenders roam the streets. Chicago’s carelessness is putting the American people at risk. No one should ever have to fear for their life on the subway.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It is devastating that a career criminal with 72 PRIOR ARRESTS is now accused of attacking 26-year-old Bethany MaGee on Chicago’s L train, and setting her on fire.
This would never have happened if this thug had been behind bars. Yet Chicago lets repeat offenders roam the… <a href="https://t.co/1vaHyCd8sp">https://t.co/1vaHyCd8sp</a>
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1992612289694900422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
As highlighted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/still-no-response-from-jb-pritzker-after-insane-stretch-of-deadly-violence-in-chicago?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Still+No+Response+From+JB+Pritzker+After+Insane+Stretch+Of+Deadly+Violence+In+Chicago">The Daily Wire</a>, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, has not commented on the attack.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, also a Democrat, called the attack an &#8220;isolated incident&#8221; and largely blamed it on a supposed lack of funding for &#8220;mental health&#8221; in the city.
&#8220;He was clearly seriously mentally disturbed, and was a danger to himself and to others,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;The system that we had failed to intervene, and now we have a woman who is fighting for her life.&#8221;
&#8220;There are a number of people who are suffering severely from trauma and mental illness and it&#8217;s becoming increasingly more dangerous,&#8221; the mayor added, while urging more mental health funding.
MaGee&#8217;s family released a statement earlier this week, thanking the public for their prayers.
&#8220;We would like to thank everyone for their prayers and well-wishes as our daughter receives care for injuries sustained earlier this week,&#8221; the statement <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/blue-line-fire-attack-woman-burned-family-speaks/">said</a>. &#8220;We are also grateful for the excellent care and support of the burn team at Stroger Hospital.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/still-no-response-from-jb-pritzker-after-insane-stretch-of-deadly-violence-in-chicago?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Still+No+Response+From+JB+Pritzker+After+Insane+Stretch+Of+Deadly+Violence+In+Chicago">Still No Response From JB Pritzker After Insane Stretch Of Deadly Violence In Chicago</a>

Bethany MaGee

Woman Set On Fire By Convict With 72 Priors On Chicago Train

Iryna Zarutska

Prison

Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has yet to address a string of deadly violence in Chicago, including a brutal public transit attack on Monday, where a 26-year-old woman was set on fire by a career criminal, and a deadly shooting on Friday that followed the city’s official Christmas tree lighting ceremony. 
After Friday’s shooting, President Donald Trump offered to send in the National Guard. The president <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115595274389789024">wrote</a> on Truth Social on Saturday, “The people are chanting, BRING IN TRUMP!!!” 
The president has now made several offers to send in the National Guard. “Pritzker needs help badly, just doesn’t know it yet. I will solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC. Chicago will be safe again,&#8221; he stated in September, per <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-vows-crime-chicago-fast-after-violent-labor/story?id=125181053">ABC News</a>. 
Earlier this week, a 26-year-old woman was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/media/1419031/dl?inline">set on fire by career criminal </a>Lawrence Reed on Chicago’s public transit system. Reed doused the woman in gasoline before setting her on fire, per the <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/11/21/us-news/chicago-career-criminal-lawrence-reed-had-over-70-arrests-before-setting-woman-on-fire-in-train-attack/">New York Post</a>. After his arrest, Reed allegedly shouted, “burn b*tch” and “burn alive b*tch.” 
Following the incident, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson requested expedited funding for Chicago&#8217;s transit system. 
“All I can say is that as awful and as horrific as this tragedy is, this is an isolated incident,” <a href="https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-mayor-calls-cta-attack-left-woman-burned-isolated-incident">stated</a> Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. “The level of accountability that has to happen at this moment, I trust that the federal level will do its part.” 
President Trump said on Saturday&#8217;s Truth Social post that his offer of federal support is being denied. “Governor Pritzker and the low IQ Mayor of Chicago are refusing Federal Government help for a situation that could be quickly remedied.” 
Friday&#8217;s shooting left eight people injured and one person dead after the city’s official Christmas tree lighting ceremony, CBS News<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/shooting-loop-state-randolph-christmas-tree-lighting-millennium-park/"> reported</a>. 
Mayor Johnson said he wants parents to step up and help address gun violence. 
“I am the first person to recognize that we have more work to do in this city,” he said after Friday’s shooting. “We need parents, guardians, and other responsible adults to do their best to accompany young people to large, unsanctioned gatherings where weapons are likely present.” 
Governor JB Pritzker has yet to comment on either incident and did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Daily Wire.

JB Pritzker

Still No Response From JB Pritzker After Insane Stretch Of Deadly Violence In Chicago

No Reaction From Gov JB Pritzker After Deadly Week In Chicago

Donald Trump

National Guard

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is calling the criminal-justice system a “failure” after a woman was doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire while riding a rapid-transit train Monday night.
“This is an absolute failure of our criminal justice system as well as our mental health institutions,” Johnson said during a city hall press conference Thursday.
Authorities allege that Lawrence Reed, 50, attacked a 26-year-old woman by pouring gasoline on her and setting her ablaze aboard a Blue Line train near downtown Chicago. He is now charged with a federal terrorism offense against a mass transit system. During his court hearing Wednesday, Reed shouted “I plead guilty” several times as he was restrained by officers.
According to ABC7 Chicago, Reed has 14 criminal cases, including several battery charges, dating back to 2017. In 2020, Reed was reportedly under 24-month mental health probation after starting a fire outside a building in Chicago.
&#8220;This individual was charged with dozens of felonies over the past three decades,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;He was clearly, seriously mentally disturbed and a danger to himself and others. The system we had failed to intervene and now we have a woman who is fighting for her life. I am praying for her.&#8221;
Illinois passed a $1.5 billion transit funding bill in October that Johnson said could make Chicago&#8217;s transit systems safer through mental health and homelessness programs.
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&#8220;As far as how we show up with law enforcement or security agencies, those things will be debated, but just know that it&#8217;s a top priority.&#8221;
Mayor Johnson has been critical of President Donald Trump&#8217;s efforts to crack down on crime in Chicago. He <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1990889223444943209?s=20">claimed</a> Trump was trying to &#8220;re-ignite&#8221; a civil war by sending National Guardsmen to crime-ridden big cities led by Democrats.
The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago have been engaged in an ongoing legal battle with the Trump administration after troops were deployed to Chicago, but they have been ordered to leave as the conflict plays out in court.
The suspect is expected back in court on Friday.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson

Chicago Dem Mayor Calls Justice System An ‘Absolute Failure’ After Career Criminal Torches Woman

News

public safety

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to release roughly 615 illegal immigrants nabbed in Chicago immigration raids.
During a hearing on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings, a Biden appointee, ruled that hundreds of detainees must be granted bond by Nov. 21,  <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/post/hundreds-detained-part-federal-immigration-operation-midway-blitz-ordered-released-bond-judge-says/18148124/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to ABC7. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must provide Cummings with a list of detainees by Friday.
DHS hit back at the ruling Wednesday afternoon, calling Cummings an &#8220;activist judge.&#8221;
&#8220;At every turn activist judges, sanctuary politicians, and violent rioters have actively tried to prevent our law enforcement officers from arresting and removing the worst of the worst,&#8221; Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;Now an ACTIVIST JUDGE is putting the lives of Americans directly at risk by ordering 615 illegal aliens be released into the community,&#8221; she added.
The ruling comes after immigration advocates at the National Immigrant Justice Center argued that federal immigration agents violated a consent decree in Illinois when they arrested the detainees.
Last month, Cummings ruled that the feds&#8217; warrantless arrests in Chicago violated a previous consent decree that required officers to evaluate whether there is probable cause and if the target is a flight risk before making arrests.
Warrantless arrests are routine for federal immigration authorities, who often conduct surveillance and utilize informants to verify targets.
One of the illegal immigrants who could be released is Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, who allegedly fled a traffic stop in Chicago before running into a daycare to hide from federal agents. Galeano was granted a bond hearing, which will be held on Tuesday, according to the <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/12/federal-judge-illegal-ice-arrest-day-care-teacher/">Chicago Tribune</a>.
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Democratic Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley twisted the story of Galeano&#8217;s arrest, falsely accusing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of snatching “a preschool teacher without a warrant IN FRONT OF CHILDREN in my district.”
But DHS <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-attempts-to-hide-from-ice-in-chicago-daycare">debunked</a> Quigley&#8217;s claims.
“Congressman, you are deliberately misrepresenting the facts,” the agency wrote on X.
“ICE law enforcement did NOT target a daycare and were only at this location because the female illegal alien fled inside,” they added.
Galeano crossed the border in 2023 and had her children smuggled into the country last month, DHS said.
During her latest arrest, the Colombian woman tried to lie to about her identity and denied that she knew the male driver in her car, saying she “just picked him up from a bus stop,” DHS said.
</div>

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Biden-Appointed Judge Orders Feds To Release 600 Illegal Immigrants Nabbed In Chicago Raids

Judge Orders Feds To Release 600 Illegal Immigrants Nabbed In Chicago Raids

illegal immigrants

The Trump administration has set its sights on Charlotte for its next round of immigration sweeps, The Daily Wire has learned.
Federal law enforcement sources said some Border Patrol agents already in Chicago for the Department of Homeland Security’s “Operation Midway Blitz” raids may be heading to Charlotte, North Carolina, as early as this week.
Border Patrol chief for California’s El Centro sector, Gregory Bovino, will also head to Charlotte, sources said. He will later go on to New Orleans, according to <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/immigration/border-coverage/border-patrol-gregory-bovino-charlotte-new-orleans/">NewsNation</a>.
Last month, Bovino <a href="https://x.com/CMDROpAtLargeCA/status/1978287901411533094">posted on X</a>, “We’ll put Charlotte on the list!!!” in response to a request that the feds deploy there.
On Wednesday, Bovino wrote, “Crime way down in Chicago thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership. This is Homeland Security in action.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Crime way down in Chicago thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem&#8217;s leadership. This is Homeland Security in action. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/midwayblitz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#midwayblitz</a> <a href="https://t.co/T8Awye13fx">https://t.co/T8Awye13fx</a>
— Commander Op At Large CA Gregory K. Bovino (@CMDROpAtLargeCA) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMDROpAtLargeCA/status/1988581623005323631?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
DHS didn’t confirm or deny the plans in a statement shared with The Daily Wire.
“Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country. We do not discuss future or potential operations,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
The Trump administration deployed more than 200 border agents to the Windy City last month to help speed up their nationwide mass deportation effort, according to CBS News.
And sanctuary leaders were quick to condemn the deployment.
“The people of Chicago have deserved better than having CBP and Greg Bovino in this city,” Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said during a press conference on Wednesday.
“We’ll have to continue to protect our neighbors and our friends and our families, and I will work very hard to continue to do that to keep people safe,” he added.
Tensions have remained high in Chicago, with anti-ICE agitators trying to block agents from making arrests and cartels placing hefty bounties on the heads of the feds.

Untitled design – 2025-11-12T101102.719

Border Agents Head To Charlotte After Illegal Immigration Sweep In Chicago

Border Agents Heading To Charlotte Following Chicago Deployment

Border Patrol

Charlotte

A federal judge will soon decide whether to release hundreds of illegal immigrants nabbed in Chicago immigration raids.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings is expected to hold a hearing Wednesday that could result in an order forcing federal immigration agents to release the detainees with ankle monitors or other tracking devices, <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/post/ice-chicago-news-judge-considers-releasing-hundreds-arrested-immigration-operation-midway-blitz/18140683/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to ABC7.
Immigration advocates at the National Immigrant Justice Center have argued that the feds violated a consent decree in Illinois when they arrested the targets.
Cummings ruled last month that agents violated a previous consent decree when making warrantless arrests in Chicago.
ICE had agreed that when they make a warrantless arrest, they must determine whether there is probable cause leading them to believe the person is in the United States illegally and if they are a flight risk.
The agency has the authority to make warrantless arrests, a standard practice of the agency nationwide that already has some restrictions.
One of the illegal immigrants who could be released is Colombian national Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, who caused a stir after she fled a traffic stop and ran into a daycare to hide from federal agents in Chicago.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Congressman, you are deliberately misrepresenting the facts.
ICE law enforcement did NOT target a daycare and were only at this location because the female illegal alien fled inside.
Here is the real story:
Officers attempted to conduct a targeted traffic stop of this female… <a href="https://t.co/a5BdcbhnwC">https://t.co/a5BdcbhnwC</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1986171260464742835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
Democratic Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley shared a video of the arrest, falsely accusing ICE of snatching “a preschool teacher without a warrant IN FRONT OF CHILDREN in my district.”
The Department of Homeland Security quickly corrected the record.
“Congressman, you are deliberately misrepresenting the facts,” the agency wrote on X.
“ICE law enforcement did NOT target a daycare and were only at this location because the female illegal alien fled inside,” they added.
Galeano crossed the border in 2023, while her children were smuggled in just last month.
During her arrest, she tried to lie about her identity and denied that she knew the male driver in her car, saying she “just picked him up from a bus stop,” DHS said.

Protestors Rally Against ICE And Federal Troops In Chicago

Judge Considers Releasing Hundreds Of Illegal Immigrants Nabbed By ICE In Chicago Raids

President Donald Trump on Tuesday reignited the national debate about crime and economic decline in Chicago’s flagship retail corridor.
Trump wrote on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115529500724371786">Truth Social</a>, “The Miracle Mile Shopping Center in Chicago, once considered our Nation’s BEST, now has a more than 28% vacancy factor, and is ready to call it quits unless something is done about the murder and crime, which is prevalent throughout the City. CALL IN THE TROOPS, FAST, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!”
The President was widely interpreted as addressing the Magnificent Mile, a stretch of North Michigan Avenue once celebrated as one of America’s premier shopping destinations.
Trump’s intervention came amid ongoing efforts to reverse years of commercial decline along the Magnificent Mile. Data from the Kirsch Agency<a href="https://www.chicagobusiness.com/commercial-real-estate/chicagos-magnificent-mile-retail-shows-signs-recovery"> showed</a> a 29.3% vacancy rate in July 2025 — down from nearly 34% in 2023 — marking the first sustained improvement in a decade. However, that progress comes after a long period of setbacks tied to the COVID pandemic, the rise of e-commerce, and public concern over crime.
Since 2020, reduced foot traffic and shifting retail strategies have transformed the Magnificent Mile. Some brands have downsized or relocated, while landlords explore new uses such as medical offices or coworking spaces. The corridor’s total retail inventory shrank from 3.2 million square feet at the end of 2024 to 2.85 million in mid-2025
At the northern end of the avenue, Water Tower Place — a landmark nine-story mall — was surrendered to a lender in 2022 after losing major tenants. Neighboring buildings also sit vacant, driving away customer traffic and forcing nearby businesses to close. Hanig’s Footwear, a longtime local store, cited the closure of the Signature Room restaurant at the top of the former John Hancock Center as a blow to foot traffic in that sector, which sealed its decision to shut its Mag Mile location in 2025.
Parallel to economic challenges, a string of violent and high-profile incidents has kept public safety concerns front and center. In September 2025, a <a href="https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-crash-mag-mile-vehicles-heavily-damaged">smash‑and‑grab burglary</a> at a Louis Vuitton store ended in a deadly car crash after suspects attempted to flee. In August, another organized theft crew <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/river-north-nordstrom-burglary-chicago-police/">stole</a> more than $100,000 in merchandise from a Nordstrom store, brazenly operating in daylight despite witnesses. These incidents followed earlier violent episodes, including a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/20/us/chicago-mass-shooting/index.html">2022 mass shooting</a> near Michigan Avenue that left two dead and eight injured, and frequent <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/michigan-avenue-magnificent-mile-crime/">robberies</a> in years prior.
Such events feed the perception — echoed in Trump’s post — that Chicago’s core shopping area remains unsafe. City officials, police, and retail leaders argue that while perception sometimes exceeds reality, crime and instability continue to deter new investment. Trump’s call to “send in the troops” underscored the frustration of critics who see local leadership as ineffective at restoring confidence, even as data suggest the Magnificent Mile is experiencing a slow but fragile recovery.

Holiday Shoppers As US Personal Spending Cools

‘Call In The Troops…Before It Is Too Late’: Trump Says Chicago’s Shopping District Is Under Attack

Executive

Politics

The recent attempted shooting of Border Patrol agents in Chicago and the public warning to ICE by New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani are not isolated events. They signal something far more dangerous: the erosion of operational legitimacy for federal immigration enforcement inside the very cities where the rule of law should be most secure.
As an Army veteran and former Border Patrol agent, I have seen the indicators of insurgency and state destabilization around the world. I never expected to see them unfold here, in our own communities, under our own flag.
What’s happening now is not a series of policy disagreements. It is a systemic breakdown of enforcement authority, political clarity, and institutional courage. And at its core lies the question every Republic must eventually answer: are we still a sovereign people — capable not only of defending our borders, but of defending the meaning of citizenship itself?
<h3>The Question Every Veteran Is Asking</h3>
This Veterans Day, many of us are reflecting on what we fought for, and increasingly, we are asking the question: What was it all for?
Across the West, veterans from Normandy to Fallujah are feeling the same pain. One British WWII veteran, Alec Penstone, <a href="https://x.com/GMB/status/1986715254869332096?s=20">broke down on camera</a> when asked what Remembrance Sunday meant to him.
<blockquote>I can see in my mind’s eye rows and rows of white stones — hundreds of my friends and everybody else who gave their lives. For what? A country of today? No, I’m sorry. Their sacrifice wasn’t worth the result of what it is now. What we fought for was our freedom, and it’s a darn-sight worse now than when I fought for it.</blockquote>
That grief is not confined to Britain. It’s the recognition of a veteran’s intuition that something deeper is unraveling, not just the loss of order, but a whole-of-society assault aimed at eroding the very freedoms we fought for: life, liberty, and property. 
Because at the heart of every service member is one thing above all: home. Even when deployed abroad, our thoughts drift back to the people and principles we left behind. When we hang up the uniform, we hope the fight was worth it. We hope the home we return to still resembles the one we fought for.
<div id="attachment_998559" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-998559" class="size-large wp-image-998559" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2243382338-864x576.jpg" alt="CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 28: Masked federal agents walk alongside the Dirksen Federal Building on October 28, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. The agents circled the courthouse ahead of U.S. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino's departure following a court appearance, where he faces accusations that he and other federal agents have defied court limits on tear gas and other crowd control tactics during President Donald Trump's Operation Midway Blitz enforcement surge across the Chicago area. (Photo by Jamie Kelter Davis/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2243382338-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2243382338-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2243382338-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2243382338.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Jamie Kelter Davis/Getty Images</div>
<h3>The War Has Come Home</h3>
Today, we see familiar signs of foreign wars on our own streets: the normalization of political violence, the collapse of enforcement authority, the ideological capture of civil institutions, and the strategic demoralization of those still willing to stand post. These are no longer foreign indicators, but domestic realities. 
What we are seeing in the streets of Chicago and New York is not random violence; it is the very thing we swore an oath to protect against. It is insurgent in nature, symbolic in purpose, and deeply strategic in effect. 
When Border Patrol agents are ambushed in an American city, it is not merely a crime; it is an assault on the institution charged with upholding the boundary of American citizenship.
Citizenship is more than paperwork. It is the covenant that binds a people; the shared rights, duties, and the consent to govern ourselves together. Without it, sovereignty is an empty word. 
And yet, in Chicago, ICE and Border Patrol, the frontline forces tasked with enforcing the lawful boundaries of citizenship, came under literal fire. When those who defend the meaning of citizenship are attacked, political independence itself lies wounded. Sovereignty survives only if citizenship is defined and defended. That is the first duty of a free government.
Every threat the Republic faces today — cartel proxies like the Latin Kings, lawfare against enforcement, the erosion of border integrity, and the politicization of compassion — tests whether we still understand what it means to be a self-governing people. When the institutions meant to uphold the rule of law are politically dismantled or physically overwhelmed, the promise of citizenship becomes a dead letter, and the Republic begins to die from within.
<h3>Federal Immigration Enforcement Now Operates in Contested Space</h3>
Border Patrol agents were once primarily deployed to defined border zones with clear mission parameters. But over the last few months, enforcement responsibilities have expanded into the urban interior.
In these environments, agents no longer operate under presumed legitimacy or unified command. Instead, they enter contested space where local political actors, extreme left advocacy networks, and even elements of civil governance view their presence as unlawful or illegitimate. The Chicago shooting confirmed what many of us already knew: federal agents are being sent into environments that are not only tactically exposed but politically opposed to their mission.
This is no longer conventional law enforcement. It increasingly mirrors the asymmetry we once confronted abroad: constrained by policy, vulnerable to political interference, and dependent on interagency cooperation that may no longer exist.
<div id="attachment_998565" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-998565" class="size-large wp-image-998565" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245411718-865x576.jpg" alt="CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 06: Federal agents stand guard as they are confronted by residents after making a stop while driving in a caravan through the Brighton Park neighborhood on November 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Federal agents participating in Operation Midway Blitz, engage in daily patrols through Chicago neighborhoods and surrounding suburbs searching for undocumented immigrants. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245411718-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245411718-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245411718-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245411718.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Scott Olson/Getty Images</div>
<h3>Narrative Inversion Is Undermining Enforcement Legitimacy</h3>
We’ve reached a point where the narrative surrounding immigration enforcement has been fully inverted. Those upholding the law are portrayed as tyrants, aggressors, and racists, while those obstructing it are framed as defenders of freedom and justice.
This inversion did not happen by accident. It is the product of deliberate political messaging, selective prosecution, legal interference, and media framing that blurred the line between lawful enforcement and oppression.
The operational consequence is uncertainty and paralysis. In cities like New York and Chicago, agents now operate under the assumption that any use of force, no matter how lawful or proportionate, may trigger political condemnation or legal retaliation. That has a chilling effect on enforcement and a corrosive effect on morale.
Meanwhile, the message to the Mexican cartels, transnational criminal organizations, and domestic terrorists is clear: the political environment is ripe for disruption. They don’t need to defeat enforcement with bullets; they can do it with narrative manipulation and lawfare. The front line has shifted from the Rio Grande to the American metropolis.
Chicago is a warning. If our leaders allow political clarity to erode or fail to defend the institutional legitimacy of immigration enforcement, then these same dynamics will spread, just as cartel and trafficking patterns have migrated elsewhere in response to enforcement pressure.
We must restore political clarity, invest in interoperable command and legal infrastructure, and defend the moral legitimacy of enforcement itself. Immigration enforcement is not cruel, and it is not optional. It is a sovereign function of a free state.
If the federal government cannot enforce its own laws or protect those who do, then the border is no longer the boundary. The boundary becomes wherever authority collapses.
<h3>Veterans Know What This Is — And We Know What Must Be Done</h3>
This Veterans Day, we must say the quiet part out loud: the war we fought abroad has come home. The difference is that we no longer call it war. We call it politics. We call it protest. We call it compassion. But we know the truth.
We were trained to recognize insurgency, subversion, and the collapse of legitimate authority. We were trained to defend boundaries, not just lines on a map, but the moral and legal foundations of a free nation. That fight is now ours again.
The most important function of government is to secure the rights, responsibilities, and freedoms of its citizens. Because if we cannot define who a citizen is, then we are no longer a Republic. We are something else: fragile, and far more dangerous.
This Veterans Day, we do not mourn what we lost. We rally to defend what remains.
* * *
Ammon Blair is a Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. He is a 22-year U.S. Army veteran and former U.S. Border Patrol Agent.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

TOPSHOT-US-BORDER PATROL-IMMIGRATION

A Veterans Day Warning: The War We Fought Abroad Has Come Home

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

U.S. Army

U.S. Military

Veterans Day

Federal authorities nabbed an illegal immigrant with a lengthy rap sheet believed to be connected to a shooting targeting Border Patrol agents in Chicago over the weekend.
The suspect, whose name has yet to be released publicly, hails from Mexico and has previous convictions for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon/vehicle, felony possession of a weapon, and illegal entry, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday.
Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino told Fox News that &#8220;it&#8217;s possible&#8221; there are more suspects on the run.
&#8220;This individual should&#8217;ve never been walking the streets of Chicago. This is what you get with a JB Pritzker or a Mayor Johnson and that crazy rhetoric. This individual should not have been in this country,&#8221; Bovino said of the latest arrest.
The illegal immigrant must remain detained, per the Laken Riley Act. The suspect also has pending charges for allegedly assaulting officers.
Border Patrol agents <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-violence-must-end-man-opens-fire-on-border-patrol-agents-in-chicago-chaos-erupts">were shot at</a> on Saturday while conducting mass deportation operations in the Little Village neighborhood, which is largely populated with immigrants.
“Today, U.S. Border Patrol was conducting immigration enforcement operations near 26th Street and Kedzie Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, when an unknown male driving a black Jeep fired shots at agents and fled the scene,” the DHS posted to X on Saturday afternoon.
DHS said an “unknown number of agitators also threw a paint can and bricks at Border Patrol’s vehicles,” adding that the Chicago Police Department “was called for assistance and cleared the scene.”
“The shooter and vehicle remain at large, and this is a dynamic situation,” the post continued.
Footage from the scene showed chaos erupting in the streets as demonstrators shouted profanities at officers and filmed them.
DHS said on X Monday that the attack &#8220;is not isolated,&#8221; adding that it &#8220;reflects a growing and dangerous trend of violence and obstruction.&#8221;
&#8220;Over the past two months, we’ve seen an increase in assaults and obstruction targeting federal law enforcement during operations. These confrontations highlight the dangers our agents face daily and the escalating aggression toward law enforcement,&#8221; the agency wrote.

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Feds Nab Illegal Immigrant Tied To Shooting Of Border Agents In Chicago

Suspect Connected To Shooting Of Border Agents In Chicago Is An Illegal Immigrant With A Rap Sheet

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Chaos erupted on the streets of Chicago on Saturday when U.S. Border Patrol agents were shot at while conducting operations in the Little Village neighborhood.
&#8220;Today, U.S. Border Patrol was conducting immigration enforcement operations near 26th Street and Kedzie Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, when an unknown male driving a black Jeep fired shots at agents and fled the scene,&#8221; the Department of Homeland Security posted to X on Saturday afternoon.
The Little Village neighborhood is predominantly home to people of Mexican descent.
DHS said an &#8220;unknown number of agitators also threw a paint can and bricks at Border Patrol’s vehicles,&#8221; adding that the Chicago Police Department &#8220;was called for assistance and cleared the scene.&#8221;
&#8220;The shooter and vehicle remain at large, and this is a dynamic situation,&#8221; the post continued.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today, U.S. Border Patrol was conducting immigration enforcement operations near 26th Street and Kedzie Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, when an unknown male driving a black Jeep fired shots at agents and fled the scene. An unknown number of agitators also threw a paint can and…
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1987240542833680566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
A Chicago-focused X account posted footage from the scene, which shows chaos on the streets and protesters hurling profanities at officers and filming them on their phones.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
ICE Chicago &#8230; Urban Warfare &#8230; Bovino and Flash Bangs &#8230; 26th and Pulaski
Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 11:14 AM<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChicagoScanner?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChicagoScanner</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CrimeNews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CrimeNews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ICERaids?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ICERaids</a> <a href="https://t.co/JrzcpVhShU">pic.twitter.com/JrzcpVhShU</a>
— SubX.News® (@SubxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SubxNews/status/1987248803192443391?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
DHS noted that the Saturday attack is &#8220;not isolated and reflects a growing and dangerous trend of violence and obstruction.&#8221;
&#8220;Over the past two months, we’ve seen an increase in assaults and obstruction targeting federal law enforcement during operations,&#8221; DHS said. &#8220;These confrontations highlight the dangers our agents face daily and the escalating aggression toward law enforcement. The violence must end.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_998011" style="width: 872px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-998011" class="wp-image-998011 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245164384-862x576.jpg" alt="" width="862" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245164384-862x576.jpg 862w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245164384-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245164384-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245164384.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 862px) 100vw, 862px" />Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images</div>
Last month, ICE officers were similarly targeted in an armed attack in Chicago. According to Assistant Secretary Dept. of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin, officers were “rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars” and agents were forced to exit their vehicles on foot.
Illinois is a sanctuary state for illegals, and Chicago, specifically, refuses to work with federal law enforcement on immigration matters. Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, has repeatedly railed against President Donald Trump for trying to effectively enforce immigration laws in his state.
The governor ratcheted up his rhetoric against ICE agents last month, calling them “<a href="https://www.notus.org/illinois/jb-pritzker-ice-immigration-chicago-raids-federal-agents-troops">jackbooted thugs</a>” and accusing them of intentionally “causing chaos and mayhem” in Chicago so Trump can deploy troops.
Around the same time, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, signed an order to create so-called ICE-free zones in his city. &#8220;That means that city property and unwilling private businesses will no longer serve as staging grounds for these raids,&#8221; the mayor said.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ice-agent-brutally-injured-by-violent-illegal-immigrant-pedophile-speaks-out?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=ICE+Agent+Brutally+Injured+By+Violent+Illegal+Immigrant+Pedophile+Speaks+Out">ICE Agent Brutally Injured By Violent Illegal Immigrant Pedophile Speaks Out</a>

ICE agents carry out operation in Chicago’s Little Village area

‘The Violence Must End’: Man Opens Fire On Border Patrol Agents In Chicago, Chaos Erupts

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