Immigration news in Chicago

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...

People wait to cross North Michigan Avenue at East Randolph Street in Chicago on Oct. 23, 2026. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Trump proposes eliminating race, ethnicity questions from 2030 census, alarming health, civil rights advocates

By Robert McCoppin

October 24, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

A proposal to eliminate races about race, ethnicity and sexual orientation from the U.S. census...

Homeland Security Investigations officers leave a home after arresting a suspect accused of illegally registering to vote during a federal operation in Commerce, Calif., Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Immigrants seeking US citizenship targeted in Trump administration’s illegal voting crackdown

By Olga R. Rodriguez

October 23, 2026 at 7:33 a.m.

Most of the immigrants targeted by federal authorities in California this week for alleged voter...

President Donald Trump speaks during an arrival ceremony with China’s President Xi Jinping in the Grand Foyer of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Trump administration uses rare authority to claw back nearly $1B in spending approved by Congress

By Kevin Freking

September 25, 2026 at 10:10 p.m.

President Donald Trump is canceling nearly $1 billion in spending approved by Congress, the White...

Sheri Mecklenburg stands in a forensics storage room at the Chicago Police Department on Nov. 26, 2003. At the time, Mecklenburg worked for nonprofit Women's DNA Initiative. (Bill Hogan/baiduhai)

‘Broadview Six’ prosecutor pens fiery resignation letter saying US attorney pushed for felony charges

By Jason Meisner

September 25, 2026 at 5:19 p.m.

The now-retired prosecutor at the center of the "Broadview Six" scandal penned a fiery resignation...

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

Prosecutor at center of ‘Broadview Six’ scandal retires, says Boutros ordered grand jury transcript

By Jason Meisner

September 24, 2026 at 6:25 p.m.

Attorneys for the prosecutor at the center of the "Broadview Six" scandal said Thursday that...

FILE – The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

Trump administration asks the Supreme Court to allow quick third-country deportations to continue

By Lindsay Whitehurst

September 24, 2026 at 3:28 p.m.

President Donald Trump's administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow continued quick deportations of...

In this photo taken with a smartphone, Karla Barberi, left, and Gema Lowe demand justice Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, for Mario David Coronado Juarez, who died in a car crash while fleeing ICE officers Sunday, Sept. 20 in Grand Rapids, Ill. (John Agar/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

Homeland Security defends officers in immigrant’s fatal car crash in Michigan

By Ed White

September 24, 2026 at 1:43 p.m.

Federal immigration officers were a half-mile away when a man who was illegally in the...

FILE – President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and others tour “Alligator Alcatraz,” a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

ICE is wasting tens of millions of dollars on ‘uninformed’ detention projects, report finds

By Ryan J. Foley

September 24, 2026 at 11:56 a.m.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies have wasted tens of millions of dollars...

Angel Naranjos uses a megaphone as he and other students at the University of Illinois Chicago protest Sept. 23, 2026, after learning representatives from U.S. Customs and Border Protection were scheduled to participate in a job fair on campus. U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not attend the event. (Terrence Antonio James/baiduhai)

UIC students protest amid canceled Customs and Border Protection appearance at career fair

By Kate Perez

September 23, 2026 at 6:57 p.m.

Over three dozen protesters at the University of Illinois Chicago condemned immigration enforcement officials on...

Judge sets high-stakes arguments in ‘Broadview Six’ sanctions request for Oct. 1

By Jason Meisner

September 23, 2026 at 6:01 p.m.

A federal judge on Wednesday said she'll hear high-stakes oral arguments next week in the...

President Donald Trump attends a meeting of the multinational political and security coalition “Shield of the Americas” on the sidelines the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at the UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Trump administration tells Congress it will admit 17,500 white South African refugees

By Rebecca Santana

September 22, 2026 at 4:18 p.m.

The Trump administration plans to limit the number of refugees admitted to the country to...

Paletero’s cart from Reina de Sabores Paleteria, c. 1980, is one of the items on display in the Aqui en Chicago exhibit at the Chicago History Museum. (Chicago History Museum/gift of Reina de Sabores Paleteria)

Chicago History Museum curator to discuss inclusion and representation at Oak Park River Forest Museum

By Myrna Petlicki

September 22, 2026 at 11:40 a.m.

Chicago History Museum curator Elena Gonzales will discuss the new exhibit Aqui en Chicago at...