For nearly a year, two sisters from the northwest suburbs say their family home has felt half empty. Their mother, Beata Siemionkowicz, a longtime lawful permanent resident by their account and the anchor of their household, has been locked in federal immigration custody since last August. She has since been moved out of state, the family says, leaving her daughters to juggle the mortgage, utility bills and mounting legal fees while her removal case winds its way through the courts.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Claudia, 25, and Gabriela (Gabi), 21, have taken over payments on their mother's Des Plaines home and are covering her legal costs. The Tribune reports that Gabriela put her nursing studies at Oakton College on hold to earn more money for household expenses, and that the family has provided documents they say show Beata holds a permanent-resident card. The sisters told the paper they have enlisted lawyers and reached out to elected officials while appeals are pending.
CBS Chicago reported that ICE agents arrested Beata in her daughter's Des Plaines backyard on Aug. 2, 2025. She has been in federal custody since Aug. 4, 2025, the outlet noted, and was later transferred to the Campbell County Detention Center in Newport, Kentucky, a county jail that publicly lists itself as holding ICE detainees. Court records cited by CBS show that an immigration judge issued a final order of removal on Dec. 9, 2025, a decision the family says it is now challenging on appeal.
Family members and former detainees describe grim conditions at the Kentucky lockup, including crowded dorm-style pods and reports of mold and pests, according to local reporting and interviews. One former detainee, Donna Hughes-Brown, has spoken openly about her time in Campbell County and the women she met there; her experience was detailed in The Irish Times. Northern Kentucky outlets have also tracked detainee transfers and relayed complaints that being moved far from Chicago makes it harder for people to see lawyers and stay in touch with family.
Legal status
ICE has told reporters it revoked Beata's permanent-resident status, citing two misdemeanor retail-theft convictions and alleging she was involved in document fraud in 2001. The Department of Homeland Security told CBS Chicago that her green card had been revoked and that she would remain detained while the government moves to deport her. The family counters that Beata entered the United States legally in 1995 and has presented paperwork from the Polish embassy indicating she has no criminal record there, documents they say conflict with the government's version of events.
What's next
The family says they have retained the same attorney who helped secure the release of Donna Hughes-Brown, and that the office of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has contacted them to offer assistance, according to the Chicago Tribune. Lawyers for Beata say they plan to keep pressing her appeals in immigration court and are asking for alternatives to detention while her case plays out.
Broader enforcement context
Beata's case is unfolding against the backdrop of a wider Chicago-area immigration enforcement campaign often referred to as "Operation Midway Blitz." That operation resulted in large numbers of local arrests and frequent transfers of detainees to jails in other states, a pattern that advocates and government watchdogs have criticized. An Illinois oversight report and local analysis found that the initiative led to high rates of out-of-state transfers and raised concerns about access to lawyers and conditions in detention. The Illinois Accountability Commission and reporting by WBEZ have documented those trends and the legal and logistical fallout for families.
In the meantime, Claudia and Gabi are still calling lawmakers, organizing fundraisers and talking publicly about their mother's case as attorneys fight the removal order. They say they are holding out hope that attention from the courts and elected officials will bring Beata back home while the appeals continue.
