When Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a woman at a Chicago day care this month, it sparked local uproar over ICE’s tactics. But it also provided a window into the Trump administration’s latest enforcement initiative — an intense effort to crack down on parents and guardians who paid for children to come across the border.

The arrest of Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, who after a vehicle stop fled into the childcare center where she taught, came weeks after her sons, ages 16 and 17, had crossed the US-Mexico border. They were transferred to a shelter in the Chicago area under the care of the Health and Human Services Department, which is responsible for migrant kids who crossed the southern border alone until they can be placed with a so-called sponsor, like a parent or relative, in the United States.

But instead of leading to her being reunited with her kids, their arrival led to the government accusing Santillana Galeano of smuggling children.

On Thursday, she was released following a judge’s order. “We will continue to pursue her immigration claims to stay in the United States,” said Charlie Wysong, one of her attorneys.

Senior Trump officials have focused for months on minors who crossed the US southern border alone under former President Joe Biden, when an unprecedented surge of kids overwhelmed federal resources. Recent moves involving multiple agencies, which have not been previously reported, signal the administration is doubling down on the targeting of those children — and their caretakers.

So far, a pair of