Alma Campos

A Tragic Homecoming After nearly two decades in Chicago, Silverio Villegas González returned to Michoacán in a coffin. His death at the hands of federal agents left two families divided by borders, shattered with grief, ...

southsideweekly.com/a-tragic-hom...

Armed and untouchable: ICE's history of deadly force - Type Investigations

www.typeinvestigations.org/investigatio...

This Violence is not New Maintaining attention and solidarity with immigrant communities is essential, not just when citizens are affected.

Immigrant communities have lived with lethal enforcement for decades, and recent deaths of immigrants like Silverio Villegas Gonzalez often pass without outrage or accountability.

Our editorial note this week:
southsideweekly.com/this-violenc...

Little Village Mauser Workers Reach Deal fter seven months on the picket line, Teamsters from Local 705 at Mauser Packaging Solutions’ Millard plant in Little Village reached an agreement to end the strike on January 21.  Workers began strik...

After months on the picket line in Little Village, Teamsters at the Mauser plant have reached an agreement, union leaders told @southsideweekly.bsky.social on Friday. The strike began over unsafe conditions, low pay, and job security. Full story ✍️ José Abonce
southsideweekly.com/little-villa...

Far From Free: Venezuelan Migrants in Limbo After Maduro Capture As the situation in Venezuela worsens, migrants in Chicago face heightened immigration restrictions and uncertainty.

Many Venezuelans cheered Maduro’s capture, yet still can’t go home. Families face a paradox: relief over a dictator’s fall, but ongoing legal uncertainty keeps many confined at home for fear of deportation. My latest for @southsideweekly.bsky.social southsideweekly.com/far-from-fre...

A Tragic Homecoming After nearly two decades in Chicago, Silverio Villegas González returned to Michoacán in a coffin. His death at the hands of federal agents left two families divided by borders, shattered with grief, ...

The national response to Minneapolis has me revisiting the killing of Silverio González Villegas by ICE in Franklin Park, IL. I reported on it last fall. Worth remembering.

southsideweekly.com/a-tragic-hom...

Fraudsters Target Immigrants Seeking Legal Help In Illinois, immigrants have lost thousands of dollars to notarios offering legal assistance they’re not qualified to provide — as well as other impostors. Nationally, the figure is at least $1.2 mill...

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...

Raided South Shore Building Tenants Ordered to Leave Tenants of a South Shore building raided by federal agents are ordered to vacate by Dec. 12, despite freezing weather and unsafe, deteriorating conditions.

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.

Fraudsters target immigrants seeking legal help In Illinois, immigrants have lost thousands of dollars to notarios offering legal assistance they’re not qualified to provide—as well as other impostors. Nationally, the figure is at least $1.2 millio...

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

This project was co-produced with @blockclubchi.bsky.social, @invisible.institute, @thetriibe.com, Cicero Independiente, and the Investigative Project on Race & Equity.

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

Feds Used Chemical Agents Dozens of Times in Chicago—Even After Judge Said To Stop An investigation by reporters from six newsrooms found that agents used chemical irritants nearly 50 times during Operation Midway Blitz.

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.

Screenshot of Rachel Maddow Show clip that shows headline and excerpt of a South Side Weekly article “911 Audio Shows South Shore Residents’ Panic During ICE Raid.” Excerpt: “Agents stormed 7500 S. South Shore Dr. in the early morning hours of September 30. Dozens of heavily armed FBI, ICE, and Border Patrol agents swarmed the block as others rappelled from a Black Hawk helicopter. Once inside, agents broke into apartments, threw concussion grenades, and zip-tied dozens of residents—including small children—before separating people by race.”

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

IDs are mismatched, illegible or still missing 3 weeks after judge’s order to immigration officers In dozens of photographs at four locations, Chicago Sun-Times photojournalists documented federal officers failing to wear the “visible identification” needed to hold individuals accountable during th...

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!”

A graphic by @shanetolentin0.bsky.social explains the Cook County-to-ICE data pipeline.

Cook County Board Reapproves Contract with ICE-Linked Data Firm as Raids Sweep Chicago Four years after first being warned that a contract risked exposing immigrant data to ICE, Cook County approved another renewal—this time with advocates commissioners voicing frustration that stronger...

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!

A Tragic Homecoming After nearly two decades in Chicago, Silverio Villegas González returned to Michoacán in a coffin. His death at the hands of federal agents left two families divided by borders, shattered with grief, ...

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:

Thank you for sharing @tiffany.thetriibe.com 💜

Thank you for sharing. 💜

Thank you for sharing. 💜