{"id":368225,"date":"2025-12-24T21:28:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T21:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/368225\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T21:28:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T21:28:19","slug":"family-of-humboldt-park-sub-shop-owner-begs-for-his-release-as-health-deteriorates-in-ice-custody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/368225\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Of Humboldt Park Sub Shop Owner Begs For His Release As Health Deteriorates In ICE Custody"},"content":{"rendered":"

HUMBOLDT PARK \u2014 The family of a Humboldt Park business owner says he was mistreated while in federal immigration custody last week \u2014 and was set to be deported without their knowledge.<\/p>\n

Asif Amin Cheema, 63, is a longtime Chicago-area resident who owns the fast food lunch restaurant Best Sub #2 in Humboldt Park, 2653 W. North Ave. Originally from Pakistan, Cheema has been in the United States since the \u201980s, going back and forth between countries with a visa until about 1997, said his daughter, Rabia Amin.<\/p>\n

Cheema has been in ICE custody since Sept. 17, when Border Patrol agents stopped him while he drove in suburban Addison, where he lives, his family said. During his time in detention, his health has quickly declined, his daughter said. Cheema, who has had two heart attacks, has several health issues, including diabetes, high cholesterol, problems with his heart and thyroid and glaucoma.<\/p>\n

Cheema\u2019s family has been fighting to stop his deportation to Pakistan over a 1993 removal order that Amin said they \u201chad no idea\u201d about until her father was detained as part of Operation Midway Blitz.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the worst day of my life,\u201d Amin said, recalling the day she checked his location and found him at the Broadview processing center. \u201cHe\u2019s not going back \u2014 we will fight tooth and nail before we let him go back to Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Justice Department argued that Cheema has been subject to a final order of removal since 1993, according to a court filing last week provided by Amin. A previous attorney representing Cheema failed to make him aware of the order and give him the opportunity to clear it, his daughter said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Asif Amin Cheema, 63, seen sitting at a table. Credit: Provided<\/p>\n

Because of the order, Cheema, who was being held in Indiana, was transferred to another jail for three days last week. This occurred without the family\u2019s knowledge, and Cheema was denied the ability to make phone calls, Amin said. While at the Frankfurt, Indiana, jail, Cheema was denied his medication for at least three days, his daughter said. He repeatedly asked for help and medicine from guards to no avail, she said.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Cheema was taken to O\u2019Hare Airport for a flight back to Pakistan, but he was held in a basement waiting room of the airport for over five hours before his 5 p.m. flight, Amin said. During that time, he began to feel dizzy and unwell, calling on guards and waving his hands at the video cameras for help, Amin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was like, \u2018I need help. I don\u2019t feel good. I need help. I need help. I need help. I need help. I need help,\u2019 but he was ignored the whole time,\u201d his daughter said, recalling what her father told her that evening.<\/p>\n

No one came until Cheema collapsed on the ground, prompting agents to rush him to Resurrection Hospital, his daughter said. That\u2019s when a nurse called to inform the family of Cheema\u2019s condition and said he had been about to be put on a plane, Amin said.<\/p>\n

At the hospital, Cheema was treated for a headache, underwent testing and was given anti-pain medication, according to an after-visit summary from the hospital shared with Block Club. But the hospital did not have access to Cheema\u2019s previous medical history, so it\u2019s unclear if he was treated properly, Amin said.<\/p>\n

Resurrection doctors suspected Cheema\u2019s collapse was due to poor nutrition, lack of sleep and minimal hydration, per the summary document.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still have no idea why he collapsed,\u201d Amin said. <\/p>\n

\"\"Best Sub sits at 2653 W. North Ave. on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

Cheema is back in the Indiana jail and has told his daughter he again felt dizzy with blurred vision Friday. On Monday, she said he\u2019s back to being given his daily medication.<\/p>\n

The federal appeals court in Chicago blocked Cheema\u2019s deportation last week \u2014 the same day he collapsed \u2014 on a temporary basis as it considers a longer-term order, according to Amin and court records. A response by Cheema\u2019s lawyer was due Monday, and the family is now waiting to hear from a judge.<\/p>\n

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary with the Department of Homeland Security, denied that Cheema was denied medication.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the airport, when officers attempted to board him for his flight, he claimed chest pains,\u201d McLaughlin said in a statement. \u201cOut of an abundance of caution, Cheema was immediately transported by ambulance to a hospital, where he was medically cleared within hours.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 Cheema received all medications and received prompt and appropriate medical attention, as evidenced by his ambulance transport and hospital evaluation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018This Is Wrong\u2019<\/p>\n

The situation has put the family in limbo as they work to fight for Cheema\u2019s future, keep the Humboldt Park business afloat and support each other. Cheema, who was the family\u2019s breadwinner and had no criminal record, has a wife and five children who depend on him emotionally and financially, Amin said.<\/p>\n

Not having Cheema around, not knowing how he\u2019s being treated while in custody and with little to no transparency from federal authorities has turned life upside down for the family, Amin said.<\/p>\n

The adequacy of medical care for people in detention, and the continued detention of a \u201cnon-violent, long-established community member\u201d whose sudden arrest has caused emotional, physical and financial harm to his loved ones, is also concerning, Amin said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Asif Amin Cheema seen working at Best Sub, 2653 W. North Ave., his fast food shop in Humboldt Park. Credit: Provided<\/p>\n

Cheema is known as Amin Choudry to some in Humboldt Park, and he has helped other Pakistani immigrants open businesses around the city and suburbs since the \u201990s, Amin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this happens to my dad, this is happening to hundreds of people \u2014 this is what they are doing to people,\u201d said Amin, who went to law school. \u201cDue process was violated. The government needs to be held accountable. Denying medical attention and access to his family is disgusting and wrong. The judge needs to hold them accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amin said her family also wants neighbors who may not understand the immigration system to educate themselves on the lengthy steps it can take for someone like her father to become a citizen. Because of the work authorization and visa Cheema had, he was eligible to begin the path to citizenship after one of his U.S.-born children turned 21 to sponsor him. Earlier this year, he was interviewed by immigration officials for his green card, Amin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be mad at a person for not being able to get their citizenship \u2014 be mad at the government for not making it accessible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s keeping Amin going is talking to her father twice a day as he usually calls about 1 and 9 p.m. from the detention center, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a religious household, so he turns to God during really hard times. \u2026 That is what pushes him and keeps him grounded,\u201d Amin said. \u201cWe\u2019ve always been a house that prays, but we\u2019ve definitely been doing it more so during these times. As Muslims, it brings us relief.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HUMBOLDT PARK \u2014 The family of a Humboldt Park business owner says he was mistreated while in federal…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":368226,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[831,97,252,253,101047],"class_list":{"0":"post-368225","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-care","8":"tag-featured","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-health-care","11":"tag-healthcare","12":"tag-operation-midway-blitz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=368225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/368226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=368225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=368225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=368225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}