All manner of interesting and fun stuff in today's @injusticewatch.org newsletter including my recommendations for seasonal horror movies. I personally do not condone the Chicago Bears but @kellygarcia.bsky.social has a recommendation if they're your thing. www.injusticewatch.org/subscribe/

There’s a new acting superintendent of the JTDC. William Steward, who was previously the assistant supt and a deputy executive director from 2005-2020, will take the helm while the Chief Judge’s office begins the search process for a permanent replacement.

If you live in the Chicago area, the chief judge of Cook County might be the most consequential local official you've never heard of. The position has been held by one man — Timothy Evans — for the past 24 years. Read the latest from us and @chicagomag.com: buff.ly/I8R6R5I

Later today the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Advisory Board will meet for their regular bimonthly meetings. Missing from the agenda is any discussion on who will be replacing Superintendent Leonard Dixon, who officially stepped down yesterday.

ICYMI in the runup to this news: @kellygarcia.bsky.social -reported evidence Dixon may not be living in Cook co -reported on trial and acquittal of a guard by a judge with a long history of reversals and law enforcement background -published video that shows what the guard did to a child at JTDC

Kelly has been ON this story.

NEW: Head of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center is stepping down Dec. 1 after a decade-long tenure marked by controversy. (nothing like a good old friday news dump) www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...

A juvie guard was found not guilty of battery and official misconduct last week. “The defendant puts his hand on [the child] and maybe pushes him at best,” the judge in the case said. “There is no picking up and throwing down.” Watch the video. Tell me if you agree and if you also agree that 2+2=5.

Here's a closer look at the surveillance video at the center of the Kevin Walker trial. Read the full story: www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...

NEW: Newly released video of a December 2023 incident inside the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center has raised questions about a judge’s decision to acquit one of the officers involved, experts and advocates told Injustice Watch. buff.ly/uM9m0zx

NEW: Footage from 2023 shows former guard at the Cook County juvenile detention center flinging a 15-year-old boy to the floor, leaving him unconscious and bruised. Experts say the video raises questions about a judge's decision last month to acquit the employee involved. youtu.be/9Z0wfUAiRVY?...

“I don’t even think it’s close,” said Cook County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Wadas during the 2.5 hour long criminal trial of a former youth jail employee accused of throwing a 15-year-old handcuffed boy to the ground, leaving him unconscious. www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...

NEW: On Friday, a judge found a former Cook County youth jail employee not guilty on charges related to an incident that left a boy unconscious. The verdict highlights the challenges of holding detention center staff accountable for alleged abuse, advocates say. buff.ly/Isrf22P

Kevin Walker was acquitted on charges of aggravated battery and official misconduct today. In handing down the verdict, Judge Kenneth Wadas said the state didn’t meet its burden. Story tk.

Update: Due to a scheduling issue, trial was postponed to tomorrow at 10 am. Keep checking back for updates. @injusticewatch.org

In Illinois, juvenile detention centers are exempt from FOIA meaning the public can't access employee disciplinary records, confinement data, and policy manuals. As my editor @jonahshai.bsky.social once put it, it's much harder to get information about the youth jail than it is about the adult jail

NEW: For decades, allegations of abuse and misconduct have swirled around Chicago’s juvenile detention center. On Thursday, a Cook County judge will begin proceedings in a rare trial of a former employee accused of physically harming a child at the facility.

A former employee of the Cook County juvenile detention center is facing charges after allegedly throwing a handcuffed 15-year-old boy to the ground, causing the youth to lose consciousness and suffer “visible bruising.” His criminal trial starts tomorrow. www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...

This is from a video on X, showing inside the Broadview ICE facility when Noem was in town on Fri. For context, she's in the central room with 15 workstations setup to process detained individuals, whether they were arrested by immigration enforcement or at protests. See the orange triangles?

Those 34 years would have been 26 years if the Cook County Conviction Integrity Unit had cleared Francisco Benitez instead of denying him in 2015. He's one of at least 21 people the group rejected who were later exonerated. You can read about it in my @injusticewatch.org series Denying Innocence.

The Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Advisory Board meeting (so many words...) is underway at 69 W. Washington. On the agenda: updates on plans to "reimagine" the facility. I'll be live-tweeting so make sure to follow along 👇 @injusticewatch.org

Bumping again--I'm back full time starting today. Am especially interested in hearing from unhoused people and advocates in Chicago who have been impacted by ICE and the now-looming National Guard deployment in our city. Signal is katie.507.

Gregory Bovino, commander-at-large of the U.S. #BorderPatrol, claims a @wbez.org/@chicago.suntimes.com report about his comments Sunday in downtown #Chicago was "grossly inaccurate" and taken out of context. So we've posted the interview's unedited AUDIO and TRANSCRIPT: www.wbez.org/immigration/...

Today I spoke with Greg Bovino, a top U.S. Border Patrol chief, as he led dozens of feds in military gear through downtown Chicago. He said they were arresting folks based on “how they look.” “How do they look compared to, say, you?” he said, referring to me. chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

🎧 Reporter Kelly Garcia is a guest on the latest episode of City Cast Chicago, discussing her investigation of the head of Cook County’s juvenile detention center and the results of Cook County’s chief judge election. buff.ly/Rixw9wX

After her hearing at 26 Federal Plaza, a woman was detained and escorted toward the stairwell. Her husband, confused and in shock, was guided toward the exit. Minutes later, he broke down in the elevator. They entered together, but he left alone. This happens here daily. #ICE

I know there's a lot of news today, but in my neck of the woods, this is BIG news. Cook County hasn't had a new chief judge since Sept. 11, 2001 (yes, really). The chief judge might be the most consequential local public official you've probably never heard of. @mdoukmas.bsky.social with the story.

This will have strong political implications for the Cook County juvenile detention center, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Chief Judge. The current superintendent was appointed by Evans in 2015 and, to the bewilderment of many, kept around despite persistent concerns about his leadership.

BEAKING NEWS: COOK COUNTY HAS A NEW CHIEF JUDGE - Charles Beach

I'm on the 17th floor of the Daley Center where Cook County's circuit judges are gathering for the secret conclave style election of their Chief Judge. As one irate litigant just commented, coming out hot from a nearby hearing: "It's a goofy ass fucking place!" Follow along for updates!

Reporter Kelly Garcia is attending the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Advisory Board meeting this afternoon. Follow along 🧵

Last month, the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Advisory Board released their annual report including recommendations to eliminate harmful practices and "strengthen oversight, transparency and accountability mechanisms." They'll be meeting later today and I plan to follow along... see below 👇

NEW from @injusticewatch.org: There's an election this week for Cook County Chief Judge, one of the most powerful local elected officials. The rub? The only people who can vote are other judges. @mdoukmas.bsky.social previews what's at stake in the race: www.injusticewatch.org/judges/court...

ICYMI: The head of Cook County's long-troubled juvenile jail is rarely seen at the facility and lives in Michigan, according to property tax and voting records reviewed by @kellygarcia.bsky.social for @injusticewatch.org. www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...

An intriguing new one from @kellygarcia.bsky.social

NEW: @kellygarcia.bsky.social found numerous records linking Leonard Dixon, who has run the Cook County juvenile jail since 2015, to a suburb of Detroit, where he claims a "principal residence" property tax exemption and has voted consistently since 2012. He also owns several properties in Florida.

Ok @kellygarcia.bsky.social is back on the "DOES THIS COOK COUNTY OFFICIAL EVEN LIVE IN COOK COUNTY?!" beat www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...

19 people say they were sexually assaulted under Leonard Dixon – a Chicago superintendent who draws a $280,000 yearly salary and whose public records trail, including voting records, ties him to suburban Detroit. Amazing work here by @kellygarcia.bsky.social: www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...

Leonard Dixon runs one of the largest youth jails in the country, but records and interviews suggest he might not live in Chicago and is rarely seen at the facility. Here’s what I found in my latest investigation for @injusticewatch.org www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...

Some of y’all noticed I’ve been uncharacteristically offline. This is why, and I remain on leave for a few weeks to handle a PTSD relapse. CJR was dogged in its pursuit of my story. Because of what I do and who I am, I felt that I had to answer their questions honestly. www.cjr.org/feature-2/we...

Federal immigration policy hits incredibly hard on local communities. I’m thrilled to announce I'm joining @injusticewatch.org, where I’ll investigate the hidden machinery of the Chicago Immigration Court and examine how immigrants interact with Cook County courts.

Self-deportation fliers with a Department of Homeland Security logo were posted all over Chicago’s immigration court.

When you have the chance, please read this informative essay by @austinkocher.com on the Mahmoud Khalil deportation case. ⬇️ And, many thanks to Austin for including "Threat of Dissent" in his essay's thoughtful synthesis & excellent analysis of the case. austinkocher.substack.com/p/your-intro...

Ideological exclusion was a major part of immigration law in the late 19th century and for a large portion of the 20th century. While what happened over the weekend is clearly worrying and a major escalation against free speech, it's worth remembering that the legal grounds are not at all new.

For those not aware, ICE has always been able to arrest, detain, and deport lawful permanent residents who (usually through a criminal conviction). They are not immune from deportation. Thousands lose their status every year. What's so outrageous about this incident is the targeting due to speech.

UPDATE: US greencard holder Mahmoud Khalil is being held at the Jena/LaSalle Detention Facility in Louisiana. He was detained from his home in New York on Saturday night and for over 24 hours, his location was not known to his wife and attorneys.

Up until last week, Samuel Cole was one of 19 judges in Chicago's immigration court. In a letter to his colleagues announcing his resignation, he lamented on the rewarding job he once had. "I hope that one day we will have the independence that this job requires." Great piece from @motherjones.com

Again, the Secretary of State has no authority to “revoke” green cards.

The general process (because of course there are exceptions) is that DHS has to file a Notice to Appear (a bit like an indictment) in immigration court, alleging that the person is removable for having violated a specific provision of immigration law. ICE bears the burden of proving removability.

25 hours after Mahmoud Khalil was detained in a Columbia-owned apartment building — Khalil’s whereabouts are still unknown & Columbia has still not commented