Federal judge questions prolonged detention over old theft cases; deportation order remains in place
Sadia J. Choudhury:
A 57-year-old Polish national and longtime Illinois resident has been released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after spending more than 15 months in detention. Beata Simionkowicz, a resident of Round Lake, Illinois, was reunited with her two daughters on Tuesday, November 10, following her release from a detention facility in Kentucky.
An immigration judge ordered her release on a $7,500 bond last Friday. The decision followed concerns raised by a federal judge about the constitutionality of her prolonged detention and her right to due process.
Simionkowicz was arrested on August 2, 2025, while working in the backyard of her daughter’s home in Des Plaines. Authorities cited two previous retail theft cases from 2005 and 2011 as the basis for the immigration action.
She arrived in the United States in 1995 and became a lawful permanent resident in 2003. Over the years, she worked as a cleaner and hospice caregiver while raising her two daughters.
Her release has brought relief to her family, but her immigration battle is far from over. A deportation order issued on December 9, 2025, remains in effect, leaving her future in the United States uncertain.
The case has renewed concerns over prolonged immigration detention, due process protections, and the use of old criminal records in deportation proceedings.
