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| | | Is Illinois Helping or Hindering ICE? | Chicago police cannot help or cooperate with federal immigration enforcement without a court order. Illinois’ TRUST Act carries similar guidelines for the state. But a new investigation shows various state officials have aided ICE, and it’s taken months for the Chicago Police Department to begin investigating alleged crimes by federal agents. | | Cops and sheriffs: Officials from at least 75 local agencies fed information to federal immigration agents throughout 2025 and the start of 2026, according to Injustice Watch’s review of public records. At least 150 people in Illinois were detained through these collaborations. | - Sometimes this apparently violated state law, often by passing along info via email. But the TRUST Act also allows officers to act on federal criminal warrants and does not regulate shared law enforcement databases that may trip federal alerts.
- Not just ICE: Even the FBI reached out to local law enforcement for help with immigration arrests.
| | Prosecutors, too: During the same stretch of time, county prosecutors collaborated with the Department of Homeland Security, resulting in multiple arrests. Injustice Watch found that state’s attorney’s offices in one out of every six Illinois counties acted as assets for immigration enforcement. | - Isn’t that illegal? While the TRUST Act bars police from this kind of collaboration, it’s unclear whether prosecutors (and their staff) have the same restrictions.
- Many offices defended their practices: “It is very common that information is shared between agencies,” said Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis.
- The No. 1 culprit: Federal contact occurred most in west suburban DuPage County, where about 20% of residents were born abroad.
| | Some movement from CPD: Nearly a year after Marimar Martinez was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in Brighton Park, the incident is being investigated by CPD. A unit of experienced detectives, including former homicide investigators, is taking the lead, the department says. | |
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| | | For one week this September, Chicago Exhibition Week turns the city into a map of over 60 galleries and museums, plus the restaurants, wine shops, and design stores in between. Our curated routes do the wayfinding, curated by the people who have brought you spots like All Together Now, SVRN and Feld. Pick a route, follow your curiosity, and see how the city connects. The full map is live now. |
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| What Chicago's Talking About |
| | BCBS ‘Downcoding’ to Pay Doctors Less | Blue Cross Blue Shield has changed the way it evaluates some claims, resulting in lower payments to therapists and pediatricians. In July, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law aiming to curb this “downcoding” trend, but it doesn’t go into effect till 2028. [Sun-Times] | | Power Mostly Returned in Gary | After storms on Aug. 11, Gary, Indiana, spent two weeks in the dark. But Tuesday, power was restored to 99% of homes there. Customers remain in a class-action lawsuit against utility Northern Indiana Public Service Co. over the blackout. [ABC 7] | | | Meta to Pay Illinois $768 million Over Teens on Social Media | The landmark settlement stems from a lawsuit over youth social media addiction and collection of children’s personal data. How Illinois will use the settlement remains to be seen. As part of the agreement, Meta must also install new limitations for kids and teens. [CBS] | | Repatriation at the Field | The Field Museum is currently repatriating 175 sacred objects to the Pulikla Tribe of Yurok People. On today’s podcast, we dig into their efforts to return objects and remains to Native American tribes. Also: fall film fests and “Just Because” day. [City Cast Chicago 🎧] | | | Why Chris Jones Loves Dollywood | The Tribune’s chief theater critic has visited Dollywood over 50 times. He’s especially taken by its recreation of the one-bedroom house Dolly Parton grew up in with 11 siblings in Sevier County, Tennessee. “Humble does not do it justice,” says Chris Jones. Read his full ode to the woman he calls the queen of our republic. [Tribune 🔒] | | |
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| | | Suicide touches far too many lives. In Illinois, it's the 3rd leading cause of death for ages 15-34, and 4th for ages 35-54. But there is HOPE, and together, we can save lives. | Join us at the Out of the Darkness Chicagoland Walk on October 3 at Montrose Harbor. Walk in honor of someone loved, in memory of someone lost, or in support of your own mental health. | Learn more, register, or donate at afsp.org/Chicago. |
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To leave you with a moment of peace, here's a shot from my golden-hour scooter ride down Belmont. I didn’t go to Lane Tech, but I used to hang at Clark Park. Zipping around there always makes me feel nostalgic. | |  | I scootered from Roscoe Village to The Wolfhound in Avondale for live Irish music. (Emmi Mack / City Cast Chicago) |
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