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...

A woman cheers during the 2026 Annual 26th Street Mexican Independence Day Parade in Little Village on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

Mexican Independence Day Parade brings out a vibrant Little Village

By Finnegan Belleau

September 13, 2026 at 7:25 p.m.

This year was the 55th anniversary of the Chicago parade honoring Mexico’s revolt against Spanish...

Michael Rabbitt poses for a photo at his home in Chicago, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

DOJ went after protesters for felony assault, but juries, judges were unconvinced, analysis finds

By Associated Press

September 13, 2026 at 11:30 a.m.

The U.S. Justice Department failed to secure felony convictions against most of the 102 protesters...

Joaquin Brito prepares pastries at his business, La Florencia Bakery, on Aug. 31, 2026. Last fall, a few blocks from Brito’s bakery, dozens of residents stood off with federal agents following a car chase and crash. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)

Joaquin Brito locked his East Side bakery as federal agents threw tear gas last fall. He still worries today.

By Caroline Kubzansky

September 13, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

At the height of the blitz, he remembered that the East Side neighborhood was deserted...

A sign prohibiting ICE activity on village-owned property is displayed at the entrance to the Village Hall lot in Hanover Park on Sept. 8, 2026. In December 2025, Hanover Park trustees approved an ordinance and signs prohibiting ICE from staging any enforcement activity on municipal property. (Joe Lewnard/Daily Herald)

‘Right thing to do’ or ‘feel-good’ PR? Suburbs split on whether ICE bans on municipal property actually work.

By Eric Peterson

September 13, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

A year after Operation Midway Blitz, questions linger whether local laws prohibiting immigration enforcement on...

Leo Feler sits in his living room, Aug. 11, 2026, in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, where an injured worker sought aid last October after federal immigration agents entered Feler's property to detain men installing siding on his home during Operation Midway Blitz. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Leo Feler’s Lakeview home was raided by immigration agents. He was hundreds of miles away.

By Caroline Kubzansky

September 13, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

In July, Leo Feler filed a federal lawsuit against the government and agents who executed...

Elvira Arzeta patrols the western suburbs before dawn on Sept. 10, 2026. For over a year, Arzeta has headed out of her home at 5 a.m. to patrol hot spots frequented by federal agents targeting immigrants. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

A city on guard: What the raids left behind after Operation Midway Blitz

By Andrew Carter

September 13, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

It's been a year since the Trump Administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz.” What it left behind...

A cross and painting of Silverio Villegas González, who was shot and killed one year ago by federal agents, in Franklin Park on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)

A year after Silverio Villegas González’s killing, neighbors say fear remains

By Lila Hempel-Edgers

September 12, 2026 at 6:10 p.m.

Hundreds attended events marking the anniversary of when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pulled...

A motorcyclist shields his face from the setting sun while riding on West 26th Street in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood on Sept. 11, 2026. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Chicago prepares for Mexican Independence Day celebrations, some street closures possible

By Allison Kiehl

September 11, 2026 at 6:41 p.m.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to flood the City of Chicago to celebrate...

Then-U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino carries tear gas, a rifle and his body camera while conducting immigration enforcement operations on Oct. 31, 2025, in Chicago’s Edison Park neighborhood. Judge Sara Ellis said she wanted to be very clear with the government going forward about what evidence it was obligated to hold onto, particularly involving employees no longer with the department, such as former Cmdr. Bovino. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Is Operation Midway Blitz still ongoing? DHS lawyer had judge doing double take on bodycams.

By Jason Meisner

September 11, 2026 at 7:56 p.m.

A lawyer for the Department of Homeland Security had people scratching their heads in a...

Liexer De La Cruz drives his tricycle with customers in Minas, Cuba’s Havana province, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

A man fights for a new life in Cuba after the US expels him in an immigration crackdown

By Dánica Coto

September 11, 2026 at 11:48 a.m.

Liexer De La Cruz took a deep breath as he entered a federal courtroom in...