Reports of arrests and sightings of immigration agents in Chicago have increased in recent weeks, organizers said. Immigration agents are arresting noncitizens in their neighborhoods, at courthouses and at immigration check-ins, they said. blockclubchicago.org/2026/07/09/i...

The parking lot on the former Damen Silos site was built without authorization and in violation of city rules, city officials said Friday. Owner Michael Tadin Jr. failed to comply with zoning, stormwater management, landscape and other requirements. blockclubchicago.org/2026/06/26/d...

The paved lot is temporary and will be leased for 14 months to crews building a data center. The site was sold in 2022 to MAT Limited Partnership, whose owner, Michael Tadin Jr., also owns a controversial asphalt plant in McKinley Park. blockclubchicago.org/2026/06/24/d...

Joabe Barbosa became a social media sensation while documenting his quest to run every Chicago block. On Sunday, he completed his task with the help of over 500 Chicagoans. blockclubchi.co/3SHkkdm

Wearing a white suit and black shirt under his blue cap and gown, Ricardo Hernandez-Navarrete said — after months of hardship — he felt a sense of “victory.” The milestone celebration, a “once in a lifetime opportunity,” seemed unlikely just last week. t.co/bjdQ2mcR1p

Horacio Arroyo, 22, suffered major trauma to one side of his body and has been in the hospital for about five weeks after being struck by a car in Gage Park last month. His family is raising funds for his recovery. blockclubchicago.org/2026/05/28/c... @blockclubchi.bsky.social

Three of four independent candidates in this key race for the Southwest Side filed signatures to be in the Nov. ballot, @jake-sheridan.bsky.social reports. This is a key race – about 66% of people in the district are Hispanic, per 2024 census data. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/26/4...

An update on Ricardo Hernández-Navarrete, a beloved soccer player and Mather High School student detained by ICE. He is coming home tonight, his family said. Just last week, his mother was released. blockclubchicago.org/2026/05/26/c...

With monthly bike tours, cyclists are inviting Chicagoans to support street vendors, starting in Little Village at the end of this month. The effort started amid last fall's Operation Midway Blitz. "We’re gonna treat and support them like family," an organizer said.

When ICE fears escalated, Chicago teachers helped students move past fears off the clock. Borderless reports: blockclubchi.co/4n9Ynii

Join me tonight to learn how Block Club reporters continue covering immigration as journalists face increasing threats to freedom of the press.

Congratulations to the talented and relentless team at the Chicago Tribune for winning a Pulitzer for Local Reporting and being finalists for Public Service. Well-deserved recognition and a reminder that local journalism matters. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/04/p...

Press Freedom goes beyond one day. I'm honored to participate in a stellar panel discussing physical and legal threats to the press and share what it's like to cover immigration and ICE operations in Chicago. Register: www.classacthr73.org/event-6568604 @classacthr73.bsky.social

'Not politics as usual' Federal appeals court upholds the corruption conviction of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. UPDATED @chicago.suntimes.com story here: chicago.suntimes.com/madigan-tria...

I spent the last months talking to Julia Suhr, who had one of the most enviable jobs in 2024: hostess at Warlord, the city’s most talked-about dining destination — until Trevor Fleming sexually assaulted her amid a secret sexual relationship, she said. blockclubchi.co/41uuuPW

For weeks, I spoke to Chicago-area immigrants held in a Michigan detention center months after they were arrested without warrants ––– or ordered deported. Inside the center, the conditions are hard to bear, they said. blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/10/i...

Spring has sprung in the city as Jackson Park’s cherry blossom trees bloomed this weekend. Meanwhile, we have quite the range of stories & photos. Here’s what @blockclubchi.bsky.social reporters & photogs captured while covering the neighborhoods this week: blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/10/t...

Broadview protesters still facing charges are urging prosecutors to drop their cases. “The state is wasting its own scarce resources ... and I am wasting hours of an attorney who could be working to support people who are detained." @blockclubchi.bsky.social blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/02/s...

A police watchdog is hosting a public hearing Thursday with the city’s top cop to discuss the department’s interactions with immigration agents — but he refused to participate if it featured legal, police reform and immigration experts, records show. blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/01/t...

“Having walked through a building that has idolized a person as much as him and knowing these current allegations now is very upsetting, to say the least, and traumatizing for some,” said a graduate from Chavez Multicultural Academy. blockclubchicago.org/2026/03/20/a... @blockclubchi.bsky.social

Only one name appears on the Democratic primary ballot for the 4th Congressional District: Patty García. Yet she could face a slew of challengers come the general election this November. I dove deep into what U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" García's retirement means for this historically Latino district.

🔔 Government officials are citing journalism as "doxxing" to threaten press freedom. Join our webinar with @telliotter.bsky.social, @royalpratt.bsky.social, @sovernnation.bsky.social, and @charlie4change.bsky.social to learn more. 🗓️ March 4, 2 pm ET RSVP: freedom.press/journalism-isnt-doxxing

Of the 32 people improperly arrested without warrants, 11 are believed to still be in detention, another 11 have left the country and 10 are believed to have been released under various conditions, @mollydevore.bsky.social reports. blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/27/m...

Federal officials detained a father of 3 for months, holding him away from his children, his job, and his dog, even weeks after telling a judge they planned to release him. His arrest violated a consent decree over arrests w/o a warrant, the feds acknowledged. blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/24/i...

Warlord star chef Trevor Fleming has been sharing sexual photos of women without consent and berating staffers for years, witnesses said. It was an open secret in the industry ––and it’s time for accountability, they said. Must read [email protected] blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/19/w...

Far Southwest Side & Beverly neighbors, this one is for you. Subscribe: blockclubchicago.org/newsletters/

An immigration judge fast-tracked dozens of Somali asylum-seekers' cases Tuesday. Legal advocates and local officials said the Trump administration is using immigration courts to target asylum-seekers as part of its deportation efforts. blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/18/i...

Court documents detailing a recent FBI raid on a Washington Post reporter offer some important insights into risks to journalists and potential sources, and what can be done in response.

A Grammy-nominated mariachi with roots in Chicago returns to Pilsen on Sunday for a tribute concert for Vicente “Chente” Fernández. More on the band's history and its efforts to bring mariachi to bicultural audiences @blockclubchi.bsky.social blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/11/g...

JUST IN: The trial in Chicago's Broadview conspiracy case is set for May 26. Background: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Catch me this afternoon speaking with a powerful panel on how local journalists can cover immigration enforcement operations. I'll be sharing more about how @blockclubchi.bsky.social covered Operation Midway Blitz. @freedom.press Register: zoom.us/webinar/regi...

🔔 Immigration enforcement reporting can be dangerous. Learn how lessons from one community can apply elsewhere with local journalists @eltragon.bsky.social, @franciagarciah.bsky.social, @nigrotime.bsky.social, and @kevinhfoster.bsky.social. Feb. 5, 2 pm ET RSVP: freedom.press/covering-immigration

For the last few months, I kept a document where every time I saw reports of fed immigration agents shooting or pointing their gun at someone, I made a note. The list grew and grew. It now includes 4 deaths. Here is what I noticed keeping that list. www.themarshallproject.org/2026/01/07/i...

Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot Launches ICE Accountability Project To Document Agent Abuses Her project will collect & vet alleged wrongdoing by fed agents on a new website to eventually help “someone with a grand jury subpoena.” Mack Liederman/Block Club Chicago blockclubchicago.org/2026/01/08/f...

We've been quietly at work, taking a look back at how Operation Midway Blitz changed Chicago and what happened after hundreds of federal agents detained immigrants. Unlike what the feds claimed, over 60% of those arrested did not have criminal charges. READ: blockclubchicago.org/2025/12/30/c...

A newly uncovered video shows the chamber's former director of community development & outreach thanking and encouraging immigration agents. After Block Club uncovered the video, the chamber said the employee was no longer employed there “effective immediately.” blockclubchicago.org/2025/12/03/l...

When a lawyer asked Bovino if he stood by an earlier statement that use of force has been "exemplary," he said he would rate their performance even higher: "All uses of force have been more than exemplary.” @blockclubchi.bsky.social blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/05/p...

When ICE comes to their neighborhoods, residents in Los Angeles and Chicago know it’s time to act. “We’re talking about thousands of people that have been activated,” an organizer said. blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/05/f... with @lapublicpress.bsky.social

At Least 2 People — Including A Citizen — Detained By Immigration Agents In Albany Park Friday blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/31/a...

People at the facility are being denied water, food, medical care, hygiene and other basic necessities in an extremely cramped facility that smells strongly of feces, urine and body odor, according to the lawsuit. via @minabloom.bsky.social blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/31/l...

Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino arrives at the Federal Building in Chicago's Loop this morning. #OnAssignment for @blockclubchi.bsky.social

Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino is appearing in court today, just a few days after he was seen on video tear-gassing a crowd in Little Village. blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/27/f...

Here’s the latest from the Chicago Pilsen, Little Village, and Back of the Yards community on The Banh Mi Chronicles Podcast from reporter @franciagarciah.bsky.social of @blockclubchi.bsky.social regarding the ongoing ICE raids & journalism safety open.substack.com/pub/randykim...

Since the start of Operations Midway Blitz and At Large, typical is no longer a thing. More about what it's like to cover immigration enforcement operations in Chicago @poynterinstitute.bsky.social

New video shows Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino tossing a tear gas canister toward people in Little Village Thursday. Another video shows a federal agent shoot a pepper-spray ball at a protester. W/ @minabloom.bsky.social for @blockclubchi.bsky.social blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/24/b...

Federal agencies paid $1.5 million to a local nonlethal weapons manufacturer in Chicago for air-powered guns and pepper balls. It also paid $7.3 million to a downtown real estate company to relocate ICE agents leading up to Operation Midway Blitz. blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/23/c...

Federal agents detained a woman who works for the news agency WGN on Friday morning, witnesses said. “WGN is aware of this situation, and we are actively gathering the facts related to it,” the company said in a statement. blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/10/w...

Park No. 571 occupies a site on the Chicago River that once housed a Peoples Gas plant. With Peoples Gas set to remediate its last parcel along the river, the park could be in line for a dramatic expansion. via Mack Liederman / @blockclubchi.bsky.social blockclubchicago.org/2025/09/16/b...

Get NIJC's Know Your Rights resources at www.immigrantjustice.org/KYR ➡️ If You Encounter ICE ➡️ What to Do if You or a Loved One is Detained ➡️ Plan Ahead to Protect Your Family in the Event of Deportation ➡️ Prepare for Trump’s Mass Deportation Threats & more

Missing dog alert! Angel Santiago, of Logan Square, has been searching for Bam Bam since June, when the elderly service dog was stolen from his backyard. Santiago is blind and is asking neighbors for help finding his best friend/emotional support animal."He's our happiness." blockclubchi.co/4mfW5NG