Round Lake mother freed after 15 months in ICE custody

Beata Siemionkowicz returned home Tuesday after 15 months in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. The Round Lake resident was taken into custody at her daughter's home in Des Plaines in August 2025.

A federal judge ordered her release on bond Friday. The Department of Homeland Security had 24 business hours to challenge that ruling but did not. Siemionkowicz's attorney, Hirsch Joshi, confirmed on Monday that ICE would allow the family to post bond.

DHS seeks to deport Siemionkowicz based on two misdemeanor shoplifting convictions from 2005 and 2011. Joshi, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said an immigration judge ruled those charges were a byproduct of a domestic violence abusive relationship.

Officials also accused her of using forged documents in Poland to obtain U.S. immigration benefits. Her daughters stated that a background check in Poland found no evidence to support that allegation.

Gabi Siemionkowicz, who lived with her mother in Round Lake, dropped out of school to work and cover the mortgage after her mother's arrest. She said she nearly faced eviction twice during the detention period. The family shared a photo of the three of them in Kentucky after the release was finalized.