new: at least 26 unhoused chicagoans have been abducted since the start of "operation midway blitz." the full scope of people disappeared is likely much larger but is obscured by heavy criminalization, social stigma, and fewer eyes and phones around to bear witness. via @katieprout.bsky.social

Breaking News: Late last night Conde Nast illegally fired 4 union organizers who asked company execs to explain the downsizing of Teen Vogue and continued layoffs. We’ve filed a grievance.

i'll be on @wbez.org this morning at 9am going over yesterday's daycare detainment, the impending court decision on feds' use of crowd weapons (and the Broadview TRO), a judge ruling against the Trump admin’s conditions for transportation funds and a new suit over loan relief for public servants.

Lawyers play a video that was played for Bovino. In it, he tells agents "everybody fucking gets it if they touch you." "This is OUR fucking city," Bovino tells them.

'It's a disgrace': Chicagoans describe jarring encounters with feds as judge prepares to rule on 'blitz' From @chicago.suntimes.com: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Our cover story today:

PHOTOS: 'Yo tengo papeles': Teacher detained by immigration agents in North Center day care READ MORE HERE: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

At a Wednesday evening rally, 47th Ward Ald Matt Martin said parents from the school arranged legal rep for Ms. Diana, though they were unsure where she had been taken. “There cannot be a reformist mindset for this agency... We need to call for the abolition of ICE," said State Sen. Mike Simmons.

Tyler and I are out here at the rally where the crowd has about doubled since this first post. Easily 400+ people. Group is chanting “no hate, no fear, everyone is welcome here.”

Pressed by Ald. Daniel La Spata, Chicago Police Department Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti says CPD *will not* investigate allegations that federal agents committed a crime during the normal the course of their official actions. La Spata was asking about what happened in Lakeview on Oct. 24:

The @chicagotribune.com and S-T are teaming up to fight for the public’s right to know about the federal government that you pay for’s actions

Gael Gomez and his family are all but certain to leave the country this week, upending the lives they’ve built in D.C. But Mount Pleasant's 19-year-old sidewalk astronomer wants people to keep looking up — at the sky and in life. @samdelgado.bsky.social reports:

U.S. Robert Gettleman is now giving his thoughts. He says, "I think the evidence has been pretty strong that this facility is no longer just a temporary holding facility. … "It has really become a prison."

In honor of Godzilla Day (a day late oops) here are some pics from one of my favorite assignments. Last year @musicboxtheatre.bsky.social held a marathon of the famed monster’s movies for its 75th anniversary, so I took the excuse to merge work with one of my favorite nerdy interests (link below).

looks like Chicago’s anti-ICE resources and whistle codes have made their way to D.C. (Pilsen Arts and Community House is credited on the bottom)

thank you for all the support; the statement from our union is now live here with some more reporting. now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.

NEW — The TRiiBE obtained audio of a 911 call made by a Border Patrol agent to report a crash injuring a 49-year-old Black woman in Chicago. In the aftermath of the crash, a federal agent was captured on witness video apparently placing a Black man in a chokehold. thetriibe.com/2025/11/list...

Candles, candy and colorful flowers adorned the ofrenda, or altar, that a couple of dozen people helped build Saturday to honor Silverio Villegas González, the man shot and killed by an ICE agent in northwest suburban Franklin Park nearly two months ago.

An absolutely devastating and massive blow to political coverage nationwide. @leximcmenamin.com has been doing work nobody else has, just truly leading on so many stories. Beyond mind boggling decision tbh.

NEWS: Federal agents crashed with woman’s car, pointed guns at her, dragged her out by legs, tossed her in a minivan, held her and (eventually) let her go without charges. This as Chicagoans say the immigration blitz is out of control. (DHS blames her.) www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...

Videos on social media show Ricardo Aguayo Rodriguez struggling on the ground while a federal immigration agent keeps him in a headlock during an arrest in Melrose Park, IL. “Por favor, amigo,” he pleads as he groans and yells in pain. He has been hospitalized. w/ @staceywescott.bsky.social:

The event supplied >24 pantries/free fridges/etc + >100 families after SNAP cut. “Whether it’s your neighbor being abducted or your neighbor doesn’t have access to food, it’s going to impact your community... We need to stand up and do what we can for each other because no one is coming to save us"

“An inanimate object is not inherently lethal or less lethal. It’s the intent of the operator ... If I take a 40 mm [rubber baton] and shoot you in the face with the intent of killing you, is that less lethal launcher now a lethal launcher?” The weapons feds use in/around Chicago (by Bob Chiarito)

Shortly after Trump took office, DHS wiped from its website a policy regulating facial recognition use. Face rec tools — like Clearview AI, which Illinois cops are barred from using, and Mobile Fortify — are now being used to support Trump’s deportation campaign. www.wbez.org/immigration/...

NEWS: Trump administration’s Chicago immigration raids are coming to a city near you as Homeland Security sidelines old ICE leadership. “What we’re seeing now is what the rest of the nation can expect. This is the new model.” Our story on what that means www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/02/b...

Still in a bit of a standoff. No more pepper balls for now but ISP is telling people they have five minutes to move back away from the ICE building. Crowd is chanting, "Pritzker's police protect ICE!"

ISP just fired off some pepper balls at protesters.

I haven’t had the words for how the last few months have felt on the ground reporting. Peter nails a lot of that in this thread.

A partial list of what Bovino does not have to tell a federal judge happened today: *An agent pushed a City Council member in Albany Park *Agents deployed pepper spray in Albany Park & Evanston *Agents were involved in a car crash in Evanston *An agent pointed a gun at a woman in Evanston

Federal agents fired pepper balls after detaining two people in Albany Park Friday morning as the immigration blitz in Chicago continued through Halloween. “It’s actually horrifying. ... It happens so fast. You prepare, but then you don’t know what to do.” chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Dozens of photos of uniformed agents shot by Sun-Times photojournalists in four separate locations since the court order show how the feds have fallen short. Judge Ellis on Oct. 9 ordered “visible identification” that is “prominently displayed.” trib.al/U4qJYam

The details alleged in the suit get pretty lurid. Per multiple declarations, detainees are forced to sleep on the floor, amid "urine and dirty water" caused by clogged toilets. The suit also claims there are cameras pointed at the toilets, causing detainees anxiety and concern over sexual abuse.

New: a class action suit filed in Chicago's federal court this morning alleges overcrowding and inhumane conditions at the Broadview, IL ICE facility, as well detainees being denied legal counsel. The plaintiffs say this amounts to 1A and 5A violations.

The letter said @chicago.suntimes.com would file suit for intellectual property right infringement if the three pics used in social posts over the last week aren’t immediately removed from government accounts. A Sun-Times legal rep said DHS could be liable for damages of up to $150k per violation.

The Torres family reunited. Photos by chris sweda of Ruben Torres, Ofelia, Sandibell and Nathan.

The Berwyn white nationalist, who one researcher says is positioning himself as the “alt-Charlie Kirk,” has made a series of podcast appearances recently, including on Tucker Carlson’s show this week. trib.al/5ssTrSf

Also tonight—the city cleared out the Broadview protest camp tent on Lexington around the corner from the detention center (this was its second location, where the tent was moved to after it was banned from Beach St.).

Immigration agents active in the Chicago suburbs today, incl. at a Gurnee high school. The Warren Township High School Superintendent stated at ~9:20 am that agents arrested people on campus, in front of students. Local rapid response separately confirming at least 2 people taken from the area.

IL Gov. JB Pritzker is asking DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and other ICE & Border Patrol officials to suspend Midway Blitz operations through Halloween weekend. In Jan. 2024, Pritzker asked TX Gov. Greg Abbott to stop busing migrants to Chicago amid a cold snap. Abbott's office rejected that request.

Nearly 2 million people in Illinois could lose SNAP benefits starting Saturday. Here's a list of food pantries in Chicago & the suburbs if you're looking to donate or you need extra food. tinyurl.com/2zxvrxx5

Federal agents’ use of tear gas during immigration enforcement raids has drawn intense scrutiny in Chicago, it was recently dispersed in Old Irving Park as many residents were on their way to a Halloween parade. Here’s a look at the history of tear gas and why it remains so controversial.

New: Videos show ICE/CBP agents are scanning peoples' faces on the street to verify citizenship. ICE has tool to instantly look up unprecedented number of databases with just a photo “I’m an American citizen so leave me alone” “Alright, we just got to verify that” www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...

Today: -State Rep. and Congressional candidate Hoan Huynh on what happened last week, when he says a federal agent pointed a gun at him. -Journalists have captured striking pictures of ICE and Border Patrol operations in Illinois. We'll talk about it. It's all at 11: will.illinois.edu/am/willplayer

i honestly didn’t expect to see a trailer park boys clip in the cook county jury instructional video

a must-read on the state of journalism/“horseglue” “It feels stupid on many levels to long for a song to make people think about newspapers. But it’s also never been more apparent we need art to speak to the failures of our system. And whether we like it or not, the news is a part of that system.”

Lawyer sues Broadview mayor, police over designated protest hours outside ICE processing facility @vimiller.bsky.social reports: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

“These weren’t activists, these weren’t paid protesters, these were literally my neighbors coming out of their homes at 10 o’clock in the morning because they saw lawless agents acting in violent ways,” said Brian Kolp, a former Cook County prosecutor. trib.al/np9nmL8

In another filing tonight in the case before Judge Sara Ellis in Chicago, plaintiffs' attorneys say depositions are set to begin Wednesday (Greg Bovino is among those to be deposed). But the feds are seeking an order that would make those depos "inaccessible to the public," they say.

Also, Greg Bovino allegedly asked a reporter, “Did Judge Ellis get hit in the head by a rock like I did this morning? … Maybe she needs to see what that’s like before she gives an order like that.”