Crystal Paul

Little Village Chamber Leader Thanked Border Patrol Agents As They Arrested Neighbors, Video Shows Little Village, an enclave for Mexican Americans and immigrants, was heavily targeted during Operation Midway Blitz. After Block Club uncovered the video, the chamber said the employee was no longer e...

Video shows him during a raid in Little Village saying to Border Patrol Agents "My regards for all of you and the work that you guys are doing... God bless you guys.”

At the time he was Director of Community Outreach at Little Village Chamber of Commerce.

blockclubchicago.org/2025/12/03/l...

Feds Repeatedly Lied And Misled The Public During Chicago Immigration Crackdown, Federal Judge Rules CHICAGO — For two months, federal immigration agents unleashed "indiscriminate" force on peaceful protesters and others across the Chicago area — and

[Judge Ellis] repeatedly found testimony by Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino... not credible. Bovino was evasive, either giving “cute” answers to attorney’s questions or outright lying, the judge said in her [233-page] ruling.

blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/25/f...

📝 @minabloom.bsky.social

Her dad was taken by immigration agents. Now a 12-year-old girl fears she’s lost her only living parent. The separation illustrates a tragic consequence of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown: children left behind after a parent is detained or deported.

Immigration experts say the federal government has no comprehensive system to track minors who are separated from their parents upon detention or deportation.

Some...have been taken in by relatives or trusted caretakers. Others could end up in foster care.

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/22/c...

Special shoutout to @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social at South Side Weekly, Cori Lin, and Akilah Townsend who joined the cause from outside the Illinois Answers Newsroom and brought this project to life!

CJA Names 2025 Winners - Chicago Journalists Association The Chicago Journalists Association announces its award winners of the 2025 Dorothy Storck Award and Sarah Brown Boyden Awards.

Proud of the team at @illinoisanswers.bsky.social

"Making it in Chicago" won a Chicago Journalists Association Award for *Innovative Storytelling*

We all poured so much into the project to tell these important stories: makingitinchicago.illinoisanswers.org

chicagojournalists.net/2025/11/19/c...

What the Trump Administration’s Videos From a Chicago Immigration Raid Don’t Show Detained and deported Venezuelans tell their stories of what happened when immigration agents raided their apartment building.

"Her son cried for his father and refused to eat the food served in jail. He lost weight. She said that other women who were incarcerated with them bought the boy ramen noodles from the commissary so he wouldn’t go hungry."

www.propublica.org/article/chic...

✍️ @melissa-sanchez.bsky.social

Feds used chemical weapons on protesters at least 49 times across 18 incidents since Oct 1.

And at least 30 times after a judge placed restrictions on its use.

Contrary to federal claims about attacks on agents, most of these incidents appear to involve nonviolent protesters or bystanders.

Only 2.6% on list of 614 ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ arrestees had criminal histories, DOJ records show Meanwhile, the other 598 people on the list had no listed criminal history at all.

"Of the 16 arrestees with criminal histories — or about 2.6% of the 614 people — five involved domestic battery, two were related to drunken driving, and one allegedly had an unidentified criminal history in another country."
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/o...

Ha! It's a fine line between grumpy and investigative

Investigative Editor, Partnerships Pro And Sales Associate Join Block Club Chicago Team Crystal Paul joins The Watch team as an investigative editor, Christine Schmidt joins our partnerships team as an associate and Ella Durchin joins revenue as an assistant account executive.

Happy to announce I've joined the @blockclubchi.bsky.social investigative team 'The Watch' as investigative editor.

I look grumpy in the photo, but I'm stoked to work with a dope team of journalists & at an outlet with such deep roots in Chicago communities.

blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/14/i...

Protesters Keep Getting Arrested At Broadview By State Police Despite Promise To Protect Free Speech About 80 protesters have been arrested at the ICE facility since barricades went up. Protesters and legal observers say the arrests run counter to the state’s stated goals of ensuring public safety an...

Officials have revealed little about what led to the arrests. State Police haven’t fulfilled records requests for incident reports. Court records don’t include many details & few of the protesters arrested have appeared in court.

@blockclubchi.bsky.social

blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/12/p...

Found unfit for trail, people with mental illnesses are spending months in jails, waiting for room at hospitals where they can be restored to fitness.

Some of them are waiting longer than their sentences would be

Some of them have died waiting...

✍ @meredithnewman.bsky.social
🎨 Kailey Ryan

Border Patrol Agents Pose At The Bean For Apparent Photo Op The photo op came after agents tear-gassed a Little Village street and were spotted in the area numerous times. At the Bean, one agent shouted, "Everyone say, 'Little Village!'"

While Border Patrol photographers snapped photos, one agent shouted, “Everyone say, ‘Little Village!’”

“Little Village!” the crowd shouted back...

Agents tear-gassed a Little Village street this weekend.

blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/10/b...

📝📸 @colinbphoto.bsky.social

"Several teachers fled with a student and hid in a back of a pickup truck, 'terrified of being found,' Meadow said.

'They weren’t sure what was going on. ICE, an attack on the school — they didn’t know,' Meadow said."

Daycare Teacher Pulled Out Of Preschool By Armed Federal Agents, 'Traumatizing' Parents The incident happened in front of parents and children at Rayito de Sol in North Center, a parent said. They believe the employee is legally allowed to work in the United States.

The incident happened in front of parents and children, Martin and a parent said. Other workers became afraid to come in, and the daycare center closed for the day, parents said.
blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/05/d...

📝 @mollydevore.bsky.social & Mack Liederman

Thank you! Thrilled our project could be among so many great finalists!

Detours and Dead Ends on the Path to Opportunity

Also congrats to @cplhouse.bsky.social @rubybailey.bsky.social, @illinoisanswers.bsky.social team & the @southsideweekly.bsky.social team for the Making It in Chicago nom! Proud the Reader was able to republish several of these stories makingitinchicago.illinoisanswers.org

Broadview ICE facility a ‘black box’ where immigrants denied access to lawyers, medicine: lawsuit The ACLU of Illinois and others ask a federal judge to intervene against ‘inhumane’ conditions. Federal immigration officials have said the facility follows its rules.

Broadview ICE facility a ‘black box’ where immigrants denied access to lawyers, medicine: lawsuit

Story by @bylaurenfitz.bsky.social: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

A Little-Known Legal Loophole Has Scrambled State Efforts to Save Transit Agencies From Financial Disaster Suburban counties last year spent $83M in RTA sales taxes on jails and courts; they'll fight to keep the money as the state scrapes for cash.

A loophole lets counties spend millions in transit taxes not on transit...but on jails & courts

Now, to save Chicago transit from cuts, lawmakers want to use those funds.

The idea met a fierce backlash.

📝 @gracehauck.bsky.social & @alexnitkin.bsky.social

illinoisanswers.org/2025/10/28/l...

Solid play-by-play on Bovino's hearing today by @heathercherone.bsky.social

Judge Blasts Border Patrol Boss Greg Bovino For Violating Excessive Force Order “Kids dressed in Halloween costumes walking to a parade do not pose an immediate threat to the safety of a law enforcement officer,” U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis told Bovino during a court hearing T...

"Ellis told Bovino that she wanted to see him every day during the immigration operation so he could report to her on any incidents that occurred.

'Yes, ma’am,' Bovino said."
blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/28/j...

📝 @minabloom.bsky.social

Border Patrol Boss Bovino Tear-Gasses Chicago Crowd, Violating Judge’s Order, Lawyers Say New video shows Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino tossing a tear gas canister toward people in Little Village Thursday. Attorneys in an ongoing lawsuit over force against peaceful protesters say Bovino ...

“Tricia McLaughlin said protesters “shot at agents” with fireworks and threw objects at agents [and] Agents...gave protesters multiple warnings.

The video of the incident does not show protesters throwing rocks or fireworks at agents, nor can agents be heard warning protesters.”

Journalists turn in access badges, exit Pentagon rather than agree to new reporting rules Journalists at the Pentagon turned in access badges and cleaned out their workspaces, the price for refusing to agree to new restrictions on their jobs at the seat of U.S. military power.

News outlets were nearly unanimous in rejecting new rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that would leave journalists vulnerable to expulsion if they sought to report on information — classified or otherwise — that had not been approved by Hegseth for release.

apnews.com/article/pent...

Hundreds Of Lots Owned By 'City's Worst Landowner' Went Up For Sale. But Only A Fraction Have Sold Parcels that belonged to Suzie B. Wilson and her sister accumulated $15 million in city fines for rat-related violations. Hundreds are still sitting empty without any promise of redevelopment.

The latest on Chicago's "worst landowner" from Mina Bloom and @ctoner.bsky.social.

"Nobody wanted most of the properties... That leaves the city without the money it anticipated and homeowners still saddled with weed-strewn vacant lots."

blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/15/h...

This CPD memo went out 1:53 p.m. today. Feds deployed gas, that we know of, on October 3 in Logan Square, October 4 in Brighton Park, October 12 in Albany Park, and October 14 (today) in East Side.

‘Granny Flats’ Poised For Expansion — But Only in Neighborhoods Where Alderpeople Allow Them The new law will allow more coach house construction and conversions but will likely create confusion and increase costs, advocates say.

An interesting follow-up to our "Making it in Chicago" reporting on ADUs in Chicago.

After years of stalled progress, thousands more homeowners will be able to build coach houses...as long as their alderperson approves it

@alexnitkin.bsky.social reports.

illinoisanswers.org/2025/09/25/c...

"Whatever else we have going on in our newsroom, investigations have to be a priority." - Todd Eschman

Now: Todd Eschman, EIC at Belleville News Democrat (BND) in downstate IL on"Investigations from a small newsroom perspective"

BND had 67 journalists less than a decade ago. Today? 9.

"Enterprising journalism has to be baked into the culture of the newsroom."
illinoisanswers.org/event/invest...

Great insights at our "Investigate the State" virtual conference.

Right now: "How to cover Indian Country (and other communities) when there isn't any official data" with Mary Hudetz & Dianna Hunt

"I treat every investigation as a mini-beat." - @maryhudetz.bsky.social

Our Investigate the State conference is up and running! If you didn't register, you can still sign up and join this free, virtual conference here: illinoisanswers.org/event/invest...