Immigration news in Chicago

Hammond City Hall is located at Calumet Avenue and Highland Street. (Joe Puchek / Post-Tribune)

Hammond council urged to protect residents targeted by ICE

By Jim Masters

October 27, 2026 at 3:55 p.m.

Federal immigration enforcement agents are arresting people on the streets of Northwest Indiana and their...

FILE – A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge in New York, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

Documents support claim ICE has detained a mentally ill US citizen since January, AP investigation shows

By Ryan J. Foley

October 27, 2026 at 8:32 a.m.

For nearly a year, immigration authorities have detained and sought to deport a mentally ill...

An Aztec dance group will be among the highlights of the Dia de los Muertos Festival on Nov. 1 in Oak Park. “I think the community is ready to celebrate again," said organizer Alma Martinez. "The community is asking to get together to honor our ancestors.” (Daveed Holmes, Aperture Photography)

Oak Park Dia de los Muertos Festival returns a year after being canceled by immigration enforcement fears

By Myrna Petlicki

October 26, 2026 at 2:07 p.m.

Public ofrendas are returning to Oak Park for a Dia de los Muertos Festival that...

Josue Pire Hidalgo, center, relaxes with his children, Sebastian and Madison, at their Chicago home on Sept. 4, 2026. Pire Hidalgo was held in ICE detention in Indiana's Clay County Jail for 42 days after being arrested at an asylum appointment in mid-July. (Terrence Antonio James/baiduhai)

Chicago Public Schools custodian released from ICE: ‘It was 42 very difficult days for our family’

By Allison Kiehl

September 4, 2026 at 7:12 p.m.

ICE arrested CPS custodian Josue Pire Hidalgo the morning of July 17 for what he...

FILE – Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) trainees practice shooting handguns at the indoor firing range at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) in Brunswick, Ga., Aug. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Fran Ruchalski, File)

ICE whistleblower warned of ‘unprecedented lowering of standards’ during hiring spree

By Ryan J. Foley

September 3, 2026 at 9:48 p.m.

ICE’s human resources division was making final job offers before preliminary vetting steps had been...

ICE activity down in Lake County, but officials remain wary: ‘The fear never goes away’

By Steve Sadin

September 7, 2026 at 11:57 a.m.

While arrests are down in Lake County, the presence of ICE agents makes community members...

A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge in New York, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

ICE officer pleads not guilty to lying about shooting and is ordered released from custody

By Alanna Durkin Richer

September 4, 2026 at 1:06 p.m.

Federal prosecutors have charged a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer with lying to investigators...

President Donald Trump listens before signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Washington, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick watches. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Judge blocks President Trump’s new bid to curb birthright citizenship, citing Supreme Court precedent

By Rebecca Boone

September 3, 2026 at 6:32 a.m.

A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump's latest attempt to limit birthright citizenship, granting a...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Luis Uribe, charged in a series of robberies and sexual assaults of sex workers in Chicago's northwest suburbs, is shown in a photo in a court document allegedly meeting with a witness at a seafood buffet. (U.S. attorney's office)

No grand jury issues in Border Protection agent’s sexual assault case, judge says

By Jason Meisner

September 2, 2026 at 6:49 p.m.

A judge ruled Wednesday there was no evidence of any inappropriate grand jury conduct by...

Federal agents use tear gas as people protest immigration enforcement activity in Chicago's Brighton Park on Oct. 4, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhai)

Judge ‘hesitant’ on where to draw the line in lawsuit over immigration enforcement tactics

By Jason Meisner

September 2, 2026 at 6:22 p.m.

With the anniversary of Operation Midway Blitz less than a week away, the militarized tactics...

An interfaith gathering of clergy and activists sing and pray in support of immigrants amid rising ICE activity at the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles in a gathering organized by the Coalition of Elgin Religious Leaders, Sept. 2, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Prayer event at Kane County judicial center aims to show support for immigrants amid continued ICE activity

By Molly Morrow

September 3, 2026 at 10:42 a.m.

Amid reported ICE activity at courthouses, the Coalition of Elgin Religious Leaders aims to show...

Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse after testifying on Oct. 28, 2025, about a temporary restraining order on use of force. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Bovino was under internal investigation by Border Patrol when he retired, newly released records show

By Gregory Royal Pratt

August 31, 2026 at 6:29 p.m.

Former Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino retired while under internal investigation for his conduct during...

Offerings are displayed at Roll and Dough at the Yellow Green Farmers Market in Hollywood on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

A cinnamon roll heist? Bakery wrongly accuses rideshare driver of stealing hundreds of pastries.

By Phillip Valys

August 27, 2026 at 6:42 p.m.

College student Julie Pierre took to social media to say that thousands of dollars worth...