Shout out to @blockclubchi.bsky.social for helping amplify our investigation into how fraudsters are targeting immigrants seeking legal help, exposing costly scams that exploit people already navigating a confusing legal system. Read the full republish here: blockclubchicago.org/2025/12/10/f...

Residents Move Out Of Raided South Shore Building As Court-Ordered Deadline Arrives Friday Some residents said they were moving in with loved ones, while others were preparing for a night on the streets ahead of a weekend cold snap. @afrodip.bsky.social blockclubchicago.org/2025/12/12/r...

We’ve been following developments at 7500 South Shore, where families have endured worsening conditions for months. Now, after forming a union, tenants have been ordered to vacate by Dec. 12—just as winter sets in & the building becomes nearly unlivable. ✍️ Caeli Kean via @southsideweekly.bsky.social

This isn’t just about individual scams but also about a system so confusing and inaccessible that people feel they have no choice but to trust anyone promising a path forward. And reporting fraud is just as complicated.

A new investigation I reported w/ Max Blaisdell shows how immigrants seeking legal help are being targeted by scams. During a time when people are desperate for work permits, green cards, or asylum, notarios & impostors can exploit that fear. Via @southsideweekly.bsky.social @typeinvestigations.org

Glad this work is getting the attention it deserves. Glad to have been part of it.

We just published a cross-newsroom investigation into the use of tear gas and pepper spray during Operation Midway Blitz. Reporters, photographers, and editors from across Chicago reviewed dozens of videos to build a verified record of how these weapons were used in our neighborhoods.

South Side Weekly’s reporting on the South Shore raid was featured on @maddow.bsky.social yesterday! (Story link in thread)

I’m grateful to share I received two awards from the Chicago Journalists Association this year: First Place in Immigration Coverage, & Second Place for the Dorothy Stork Award. Thank you to the Chicago Journalists Association and an amazing team @southsideweekly.bsky.social

A judge ordered agents involved in the Chicago deportation blitz to have "visible identification … prominently displayed." But they've been missing in dozens of @chicago.suntimes.com photographs. From @bylaurenfitz.bsky.social, Anthony Vazquez and Ashlee Rezin: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

From the Increase the Peace IG. We see federal agents here dragging a man out of this barbershop in Brighton Park a short while ago. The man yells in Spanish “You’re hurting me! You’re hurting me! Help me!”

I’ve been tracking this contract since 2023, and last week, Cook County quietly renewed it. As ICE raids continue across Chicago, the board approved another $1M deal with a data broker tied to ICE. My latest for @southsideweekly.bsky.social

Grateful to be nominated for the Dorothy Storck Award—an honor named after a trailblazing Chicago journalist. 📝🕵️‍♀️ Thank you Chicago Journlaists Association and congrats to the finalists. 🎉

"Nearly everyone involved in this effort is a woman: the work of finding missing family members, like many other forms of labor for incarcerated people, is largely carried by women."

Thank you, Cicero Independiente, for republishing my story. 📝

Thank you @blockclubchi.bsky.social for publishing my story!

Thank you to @blockclubchi.bsky.social for republishing @almacampos.bsky.social's moving reporting on the final journey of Silverio Villegas González, who was killed by federal agents last month in Franklin Park. blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/20/a...

An estimated 100,000 people turned out for Chicago’s No Kings rally. Photos via @chicagotribune.com

Protesters break out in “Lock Trump the fuck up” chants:

@almacampos.bsky.social always delivers good work and this story is worth a read: A Tragic Homecoming. About the return of Silverio Villegas González’s body to Michoacan after he was killed by the U.S. government southsideweekly.com/a-tragic-hom...

So glad to have worked on this one with amazing reporters Maira Khwaja @invisible.institute, Jose Abonce @southsideweekly.bsky.social and our SSW editing team @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social

Weekends aren't a real thing for me these days.

Federal agents shot and apparently wounded a person in Chicago today. Linking to this article with the major caveat that DHS statements are typically false and self-serving, and tend to overstate the threats. The only part of this story that is confirmed is that agents shot a civilian.

UPDATE — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responds to feds putting a Black man in a chokehold. “These agents are rogue, unaccountable, and cannot be trusted to keep Chicagoans safe. Thankfully, brave Chicagoans documented these actions and posted them on social media.” thetriibe.com/2025/10/new-...

An immigrant family taken by federal agents Downtown has been separated in detention centers: "They’re locking up children." blockclubchi.co/4pOrdpw

CHICAGO / SUBURBS If you want to know what it's looked like at the ICE facility in Broadview (Chicago), this brilliant photo essay from @almacampos.bsky.social & @pgoyette.bsky.social at @southsideweekly.bsky.social is a very good place to start.

ICE agents’ crackdown on protesters outside of Chicago escalated tonight with flash bangs and pepper bullets. I was on the ground this evening for @blockclubchi.bsky.social blockclubchicago.org/2025/09/19/i...

How much is one American body worth? We spend more to detain prisoners here in the U.S. than El Salvador earns for all their goods and services annually. thetriibe.com/2025/02/the-...

What happens after ICE arrests someone? My latest for @southsideweekly.bsky.social dives into the hidden, often chaotic process that follows detention, and the impact on immigrant communities. Read here: southsideweekly.com/where-do-peo...

To round out our spotlights we have @southsideweekly.bsky.social, a nonprofit newsroom that has transformed local news through collaborative journalism. The outlet empowers residents to tell their own stories and has ranked third in a reader satisfaction survey among Chicago news outlets.

In the face of fear, Little Village stands strong. Neighbors, activists, and business owners are uniting to push back against ICE raids, proving that solidarity is stronger than intimidation. Words by Jose Abonce for @southsideweekly.bsky.social

An ICE arrest outside a Chicago school. ICE raids are fueling anxiety, school absences, and uncertainty for many students who fear their parents could be deported. How can schools and families support children through this? I wrote about this @mindsitenews.bsky.social and @palabranahj.bsky.social

My latest story for @mindsitenews.bsky.social & @palabranahj.bsky.social 📸 @sebastianhidalgo.bsky.social "What if one day you leave and don’t come back?’" Many children in Chicago are too anxious to go to school, fearing parents will be deported.

Thanks for sharing this @cplhouse.bsky.social!

"What if one day you leave and don’t come back?’" Many children in Chicago are too anxious to go to school, fearing parents will be deported. My latest story for @mindsitenews.bsky.social & @palabranahj.bsky.social 📸 Sebastián Hildalgo

People have the right to not live in fear of being arbitrarily arrested in their own homes or neighborhoods. NIJC's Mark Fleming and Diana Rashid spoke to @elviamalagon.bsky.social @wbez.org abt rampant rights violations during recent immigration raids in Chicago.

President Trump's border czar expected flights carrying Venezuelan migrants in the U.S. back to Venezuela to begin "within the next 30 days," he told us. It's the first indication of a timeline to send people back after Trump said he struck a deal with the country’s autocrat, Nicolás Maduro.

You can follow more of Alma's reporting at @southsideweekly.bsky.social + @mindsitenews.bsky.social. Her piece on the mental health toll of immigrants' long, harrowing journey to Chicago – and the struggle to finally process the violence they fled is especially worth a read right now.

It was great working with you @maanvisingh.bsky.social. Thanks for your thoughtful approach in covering Chicago’s immigrant communities.

Immigration-related news I'm reading today

The IRS, in removing the words 'equity' and 'inclusion' from its documents, even removed a sentence that talked about... the "inclusion" of a taxpayer identification number on a form. PER WSJ: www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

For this week‘s editor’s note, I wrote about the Supreme Court precedents that define actual “unprotected hate speech” and the danger posed by City Council members who would attack free expression in a time of growing fascism. southsideweekly.com/puppet-provo...

As immigration raids sweep Chicago, some families stay home in fear. Others fight back—organizing legal aid, workshops & neighborhood patrols. "My kids don’t deserve to see their mother hiding." My story for @theguardian.com with @maanvisingh.bsky.social

NEW — During the heightened alarm around the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducting mass arrests of undocumented people in Chicago, two local community organizations are facing threats and harassment for their pro-immigration work. thetriibe.com/2025/01/amid...

I love Chicago