THE LOOP (WBBM Newsradio) -- A suburban teenager from Venezuela seeking asylum with his father in suburban Glen Ellyn is in limbo after a check-in reportedly delayed by, among other things, the deployment of ICE officers to O'Hare International Airport.
But the autistic boy known as Steven is with his family in the suburbs following Monday's check-in, according to Chicago Democratic Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, who joined the family for the visit.
"Steven is going home," Rep. Ramirez (D-3rd District) said to applause during an event marking the 16th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act at AIDS Foundation Chicago, 200 W. Monroe St. Rep. Ramirez arrived about 15 minutes late to the event because the check-in hearing was delayed more than two hours.
"They deployed all the administrative officers that were supposed to be hearing officers today to the airport," the Congresswoman said, adding that an officer had to be sent back from the airport for the check-in.
Agents detained Steven and his father for weeks in Texas last year on two separate occasions, after they crossed into the U.S. seeking asylum and a reunion with Steven's mother in DuPage County. The family's check-in was delayed for another 30-day period because their paperwork was still at the detention facility in Texas.
"What they were wanting to do was to take them," Rep. Ramirez said. "I think they don't have capacity because they've deployed everyone to the airport."
Advocates for the family say Steven lost his appetite and struggled with loud noises during his detention in Texas, and Rep. Ramirez said he's still trying to deal with the "trauma" of his time in custody.
"He crawled up, like a child, covered his face and covered his ears" during Monday's visit, Rep. Ramirez said. "He was so afraid that they were going to take him. He has to keep thinking about the next court date, the next court date, the next court date. These children are traumatized forever."
She described the situation at the ICE facility in Chicago as "chaotic," with many people seemingly unaware of how the office was navigating its new duties at the airport.
"I asked the people at the front desk, they said 'We don't know what's happening,'" Rep. Ramirez said.