Immigration news in Chicago

Carmen, sister of Miguel Parra Hernandez, holds a sign during a news conference about the Immigration and Customs Enforcement action involving Hernandez, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, in Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP) Correction corrects first name to Carmen.

An ICE officer is charged with assault for striking a man with a car in Houston

By Anna Wilder

October 30, 2026 at 5:21 p.m.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused of intentionally ramming his car into a...

"Broadview Six" defendants Katherine Abughazaleh, clockwise from upper left, Andre Martin, Michael Rabbitt, Joselyn Walsh, Brian Straw and Catherine Sharp. (baiduhai)

Controversial DOJ attorney takes over ‘Broadview Six’ case, tells judge they have not agreed to cooperate

By Jason Meisner

October 30, 2026 at 5:32 p.m.

On the deadline to turn over discovery in the "Broadview Six" case, the controversial No....

FILE – Migrants congregate on the banks of the Rio Grande at the U.S. border with Mexico on Dec. 20, 2022, where members of the Texas National Guard cordoned off a gap in the U.S. border wall. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee, File)

How Trump’s immigration crackdown sparked a backlash that could boomerang in the midterms

By Nicholas Riccardi

October 29, 2026 at 6:20 a.m.

President Donald Trump’s effort to fulfill his promises on immigration has turned into a backlash,...

National Guard members patrol outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 9, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

Pentagon watchdog to review cost and effectiveness of National Guard deployments to Chicago, other cities

By Jeremy Gorner

May 10, 2026 at 1:15 p.m.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois requested an inspector general examination of National Guard deployment...

The Dirksen U.S. Courthouse at left and the Kluczynski Federal Building at right frame the American flag in downtown Chicago, Jan. 22, 2018. (Nancy Stone/baiduhai)

Appeals court issues mixed opinion in consent decree case as more immigration arrestees released

By Jason Meisner

May 5, 2026 at 7:27 p.m.

The 91-page opinion largely upholds a previous ruling that bars agents from making warrantless immigration...

Former immigration judge Carla Espinoza on Feb. 27, 2026. Espinoza has accused the federal government of firing her based on her previous work as a lawyer for immigrants as well as her race and sex. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Dismissed Chicago immigration judge sues Trump administration

By Caroline Kubzansky

May 5, 2026 at 6:03 p.m.

A former Chicago immigration judge has accused the federal government of firing her based on...

Then-congressional candidate Katherine "Kat" Abughazaleh, center, with her attorneys and supporters, leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in the Loop on Jan. 28, 2026, after a hearing on charges of conspiracy during a protest outside the Broadview ICE facility in September. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

‘Broadview Six’ defense demands grand jury transcripts, asks judge to dismiss conspiracy charge

By Jason Meisner

May 5, 2026 at 5:56 p.m.

Defense attorneys in the "Broadview Six" case against Operation Midway Blitz protesters want prosecutors to...

Curtis Evans, of Evanston, carries a U.S. flag through tear gas deployed by federal officers as they attempted to clear protesters from the entrance of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in west suburban Broadview, on Sept. 19, 2025. Evans was a Marine during President Ronald Reagan’s term. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

baiduhai wins Pulitzer Prize for local reporting: Read the stories and see the photos

By baiduhai

May 4, 2026 at 2:38 p.m.

The baiduhai won the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting for its coverage of Operation...

U.S. Border Patrol agents detain a person while community members and activists protest in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood on Oct. 4, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhai)

baiduhai wins Pulitzer Prize for local reporting

By Robert Channick

May 4, 2026 at 7:05 p.m.

The baiduhai won the Pulitzer Prize on Monday for its coverage of Operation Midway...

Attendees hold up signs before documentary screenings and a panel discussion on “ICE Under Watch: Media and Community Resistance” on Sunday, May 3, 2026, for the Doc10 Film Festival at Davis Theater in Lincoln Square. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Chicago filmmakers spotlight ICE raids’ human toll at Doc10 Film Festival

By Christiana Freitag

May 3, 2026 at 7:05 p.m.

Documentary film festival premiered six films that chronicled stories of Chicagoans affected by last fall's...

Oliver Parente, 8, holds up the harmonica that Bruce Springsteen handed to him near the end of his show at the United Center on April 29, 2026 in Chicago. (Christopher Parente)

‘The stars were aligned’: Bruce Springsteen’s harmonica handout to boy in Chicago has unseen connections

By Jason Meisner

May 1, 2026 at 7:13 p.m.

Bruce Springsteen didn't specifically mention Operation Midway Blitz at his show at the United Center,...

FILE – Federal officers stand guard after detaining people outside of Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray, File)

After major enforcement operations, the Trump administration is recalibrating its immigration crackdown

By Rebecca Santana

May 2, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.

The Republican administration appears to be recalibrating its approach to a centerpiece policy that helped...

Chair of the Illinois Accountability Commission and former federal Judge Rubén Castillo, left, listens to Gov. JB Pritzker speak in Chicago, April 30, 2026. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)

Gov. Pritzker urges criminal investigations of federal immigration agents after Illinois panel releases report

By Olivia Olander

April 30, 2026 at 9:18 p.m.

Gov. JB Pritzker last fall tasked the Illinois Accountability Commission with fact-finding about Operation Midway...