Busy day for ICE across Chicagoland. Reports of encounters with agents across the heavily Latine Chicago neighborhoods of Hermosa and Austin, and in the suburbs of Wheeling and Naperville. Rapid responders report at least 5 people detained this morning in Naperville; 1 person detained in Austin.

Welcome to the Chicago Bungalows channel where we're celebrating Chicago Bungalows

Final speaker is Kiki Mosley with the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She offers more details on how overcrowding in the court damages due process, noting people who have "missed" their hearings even though they were at court, b/c in the chaos, they couldn't find the assigned court room.

Sam Cole, an ex-immigration judge, notes that immigration court is part of the DOJ and thus run by the executive branch. He notes the Trump admin has fired hundreds of immigration judges, arguing this leaves other judges afraid of losing their jobs if they don't tow the mass deportation line.

Benjamin Levey, an attorney with the National Immigrant Justice Center, says that in years of working with people going into immigration court, "the last two months have been the worst months on record," with 11000+ people ordered removed. He says many were ordered removed in absentia.

Wheeler encourages any immigrants with active cases to check their case status on a weekly basis at acis.eoir.justice.gov and to contact the ICIRR family hotline if they want assistance or accompaniment to court

Emily Wheeler w/ the Sanctuary Working Group points out that from 2024 to 2026, the number of immigration court cases ending in orders of removal have more than doubled, and that many people have had their court dates suddenly changed, leaving them at risk of missing court and being ordered removed

Happening now: Chicago immigrant advocacy groups are holding a presser outside the city's immigration court to address "mega master" hearings: These are first appearance hearings where 1 immigration judge can address 100s of cases at a time, as part of the Trump admin's push to rush deportations.

Federal agents continue to arrest people at or near Chicagoland courts. Rapid responders report that earlier today, ICE took one person near the Kankakee County, IL courthouse. Photos & video shared online corroborate, showing agents placing a man into a Ford (with no front plate) near the court.

More tree damage from around the neighborhood. This is Lincoln Square, a part of Chicago known for its tree coverage and community greenways, and every big storm this summer has been eating away at them.

Every big storm this season has killed or severely damaged a tree in my neighborhood. RIP the latest casualty, this big maple

IL and Chicago also sued DHS and ICE in January over agents' use of obscured plates, among other practices, but that case is still moving (slowly) through federal court and has not yet resulted in any substantive orders issued over federal agents' actions: www.courtlistener.com/docket/72131...

At an ICE abduction in Chicago today, a Dodge with an obscured back plate was observed on scene. Rapid responders often report ICE using cars with obscured plates. IL State Sec. Alexi Giannoulias announced a "plate watch hotline" last year, but it's unclear if that's impacted agents' behavior.

The State Dept wanted to paint Cuba like it was the Legion of Doom headquarters but the nefarious US infiltrators its report points to is like, pro bono lawyers, an anti-war women's group and the DSA. www.state.gov/wp-content/u...

"We're working to expand [police forces'] talent pipeline" is a real slick way of saying "We're gonna let high school seniors work as prison guards"

This is what the air in Chicago looks like right now. That's not fog, it's smoke from wildfires in Canada.

After the speakers' remarks ended, I asked Rep. Mah about that law: the Court Access, Safety & Participation Act, which has proven ineffective at stopping ICE arrests at IL courthouses. Mah and Raymundo said there were discussions ongoing about creating laws with more teeth, but gave no specifics.

Speakers also addressed how ICE has continued to target people at IL courthouses, despite a state law granting people people privilege from civil arrest while attening court state proceedings. "If you have an appointment at a court... prepare now," Raul Raymundo with the Resurrection Project said.

Speakers highlighted escalating ICE activity, recent changes the Trump admin has implemented making it more difficult for people to navigate immigration court, and the admin's targeting of Latine communities. "[Midway Blitz] has never ended," Illinois Latino Agenda co-chair Jose Muñoz said.

Earlier this afternoon, representatives of Chicagoland Latine and immigrant community groups, along with Dem. IL State Rep. Theresa Mah, held a press conference in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood. It's one of several communities ICE has heavily targeted in recent weeks.

The parking meter system's current owners include Morgan Stanley, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and other investors, per the city. Dowell's letter to the mayor states she plans to call for a committee vote on the proposed transfer to Stonepeak on July 13.

New: Chicago finance chair Pat Dowell has written to Mayor Brandon Johnson, saying a proposed ownership transfer of Chicago's privatized parking meter system to Stonepeak Partners doesn't have the necessary support to go forward. Stonepeak owns Omni Air, which conducts ICE deportation flights.

The abduction in Pilsen today occurred outside a Subway/BP gas station on Cermak and Damen. Per video shared online, the same skull-masked agent who yesterday shoved a teenage onlooker to the ground in Joliet and has otherwise behaved violently during recent Chicagoland arrests, was present for it.

Heavy ICE activity in Chicagoland continued today (if recent trends hold, it's likely to continue for the foreseeable future). Rapid response reports and photos/videos shared online indicate detainments today in Chicago's heavily Latine Albany Park, Humboldt Park, Gage Park and Pilsen communities.

This is at least the second person today (that I've seen) that federal immigration agents have taken, per rapid response reports. By my count of those reports, federal agents have abducted at least 10 people (though likely more) from the Chicagoland area just since Wednesday, the start of July.

Per video shared online, ICE agents detained a man inside the Country Club Hills, IL police office earlier this afternoon. The agents didn't respond to requests to show a warrant, pointed weapons at the man they detained, and one agent raised his fist at the man as another agent grabbed his arm.

I can't imagine the soullessness necessary to transform the abduction of thousands of people by a masked secret police force, their disappearance into jails and private concentration camps, and the terrorizing and occupying of communities across the country, into "remarkable operational results."

Oof

The immigrant advocacy/rapid response group Hijos de Migrantes reports that as of 11:50 a.m. today, that there have been 8 alleged detainments, with 3 confirmed, across these Chicago neighborhoods.

Multiple rapid response groups have reported a heavy ICE presence on Chicago's west side today, esp. in the heavily Latine neighborhoods of Humboldt Park, Hermosa and Belmont Cragin. Video shared to social media around 11:15 a.m. shows agents present just east of Grand & Laramie.