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It’s Thursday and there’s a lot going on in Chicago. Get up to speed with WTTW news. |
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Military personnel in uniform, with the Texas National Guard patch on, are seen at the U.S. Army Reserve Center, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) |
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Hundreds of National Guard troops sent from Texas arrived in Illinois as part of an unprecedented deployment this week with a directive from the Trump Administration to protect federal immigration agents “in places where there are violent demonstrations.”
A Pentagon official on Tuesday confirmed to WTTW News that 200 federalized Texas National Guard troops had arrived in Illinois with orders to protect “federal functions, personnel, and property” — or more specifically, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carrying out “Operation Midway Blitz.” As of this morning, lawyers for the state of Illinois and Chicago told a federal judge early today that the Trump administration sent California National Guard troops under federal authority to Illinois.
"This lawless targeting by the President and his administration of people and places he does not favor will not stop without court intervention," stated the filing from lawyers for the state and city. "The Court can and should stop this authoritarian march. We remain a nation of laws."
Most troops are currently stationed in the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, 55 miles southwest of Chicago.
Where might the troops be deployed?
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a memo the troops would be deployed “in places where there are violent demonstrations in the state, or where they’re likely to occur based on current threat assessments.”
ICE does not run any immigrant detention centers in Illinois, but it does have two other facilities: its field office in downtown Chicago, and the processing center in west suburban Broadview.
If the National Guard troops have orders to protect ICE agents and property, it’s likely they’ll be sent to Broadview. But there have also been recent incidents with federal agents in Chicago.
What is going on in Broadview?
The Broadview processing center has been the site of repeated protests in which federal agents have utilized tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets to disperse crowds gathered outside.
The village’s mayor has accused ICE of “making war” in the community there, as those chemical munitions have harmed residents, police and first responders, in addition to peaceful protesters legally exercising their First Amendment rights.
What about in Chicago?
While ICE’s Chicago field office has not seen the same level of protests as Broadview, there have been several incidents involving federal agents in Chicago in recent days.
What about the state’s lawsuit?
A federal judge is set to rule Thursday morning on a temporary restraining order requested by Chicago and Illinois officials that could halt the National Guard deployment. |
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(WTTW / Michael Izquierdo) |
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As federal immigration enforcement operations spread “fear and anxiety” among many Chicago Public Schools families, district leaders say they’ve launched a command center to stay on top of emergency situations and provide help to concerned school leaders.
Interim CPS CEO Macquline King on Wednesday said the district command center was set up in order to provide “round-the-clock support” to school communities experiencing “heightened stress due to activity outside their building.”
“In these uncertain times, I want to reassure all of our families, all of our students, all of our staff members — our schools will remain a safe place for all of our children,” King told the Board of Education.
More context:
According to King, the district will continue evolving its response to the increased enforcement activity around schools. Already, she said CPS has established protocols and training for staff to allow them to “respond effectively to any potential disruptions.”
CPS is also collaborating with labor partners and city government in order to “ensure a coordinated and compassionate response within and outside of the school building,” King said.
CPS spokespersons did not immediately respond to a request for further details on how the command center operates or what its objectives are.
While federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement are not allowed inside any CPS property without a valid warrant signed by a judge, several public speakers at Wednesday’s meeting expressed concerns for children or families who could be detained by ICE agents on their way to or from schools. King has previously resisted calls for remote learning, though some speakers on Wednesday again called on the district to allow students to attend classes virtually to assuage those fears. |
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A Red Line train is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News) |
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Chicago Transit Authority leaders doubled down on their commitment to the long-awaited Red Line Extension on Wednesday, despite the Trump Administration saying it would put a pause on releasing nearly $2 billion in federal funding amid a review of the project’s contracting.
The funding freeze, which came despite a full funding agreement executed earlier this year, comes amid a broader anti-DEI push from the administration. In announcing the pause, federal officials said they’d be examining whether the Red Line Extension involves “race-based contracting” that Trump officials claim are discriminatory.
But longstanding federal rules the CTA followed to land the agreement for Red Line Extension funding mandated that the transit agency take into account so-called disadvantaged businesses controlled by women or Black and Latino owners.
“I want to be very clear that CTA is fully and entirely committed to the Red Line Extension project,” CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen said at a meeting of the agency’s board of directors.
CTA was notified of the “temporary pause” in funding for the Red Line Extension and the Red-Purple Modernization effort on the North Side this past Friday. Leerhsen told directors that the agency has a 14-day period that began Tuesday in which to respond to federal officials, and said the CTA will do so in full.
More reading:
Local organizers who have been working on the project for more than 30 years told “Chicago Tonight” the Red Line extension is essential for those who live in “transportation deserts” on the Far South Side of the city. |
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Back in the Day: October 9, 1970 - Roger Ebert Discovers John Prine
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When John Prine died at 73 in April 2020, he was one of his generation’s most influential songwriters. He had won Grammys, as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and influenced countless songwriters from Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves, Tyler Childers and Bob Dylan, who said of Prine, “Prine's stuff is pure Proustian existentialism. Midwestern mindtrips to the nth degree. And he writes beautiful songs.” Before all that, the Maywood-born Prine was a mailman who regularly gigged in Chicago’s dive bars playing folk songs. In fall 1970, film critic Roger Ebert happened upon him playing at the Fifth Peg, "out of the way" at 858 W. Armitage. On Oct. 9, 1970 — this day 55 years ago — Ebert published a review that practically launched Prine’s career. In effusive prose with the headline “Singing Mailman Who Delivers A Powerful Message In A Few Words,” Ebert wrote, “You hear lyrics like ["Sam Stone"], perfectly fitted to Prine’s quietly confident style and his ghost of a Kentucky accent, and you wonder how anyone could have so much empathy and still be looking forward to his 24th birthday on Saturday. The piece helped Prine get a record deal and while the Fifth Peg is now a La Colombe Coffee shop, steps away a street sign steps away designates the strip as “John Prine Way.” In 2011, Prine would pay tribute to Ebert by releasing an album titled “The Singing Mailman Delivers.”
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This Week’s Arts and Culture Events |
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Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights the week’s must-see cultural events.
Josh Terry: One of the many reasons that Chicago is the best city in America is how it supports the arts and allows them to flourish. Whether you’re into film, live music, comedy, fine art, literature or theater, you can easily fill your evenings nurturing your curiosity no matter what. These events will take you around the city for film screenings, theatre productions, a ballet and of course, a two-step honky tonk.
Theatre: “OAK” — Raven Theatre Company
Terry Guest is a rising local playwright who Chicago Magazine says is one of “Chicago theater’s most compelling multihyphenates,” who “blends historical fiction with ancestral imagination, offering fresh perspectives on overlooked stories.” His latest “OAK,” makes its Chicago debut at the Raven Theatre Company in a production directed by Mikael Burke. It’s “a Southern gothic exploring the world of three Black kids as they navigate a town where kids go missing, and there’s no one to blame except the mythical creek monster. Tickets ($30-$45) available here.
Honky Tonk: Swappin' Boots — Judson and Moore
Learn to two-step in a friendly bar environment on Friday night as Chicago’s premier queer-friendly country night takes the stage at Judson and Moore. Enjoy a fantastic house band featuring stellar local players and a repertoire of classics. For more on Swappin’ Boots and Chicago’s burgeoning queer country scene, revisit this “Chicago Tonight” profile. Tickets ($15) can be purchased here.
Film Screening: “Orwell: 2+2 = 5” — Siskel Film Center
On Saturday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m., film director Raoul Peck (“Exterminate All the Brutes,” “I Am Not Your Negro”) will join RogerEbert.com critic Robert Daniels, for a virtual Q&A following a screening of his new documentary “Orwell: 2+2 = 5.” The film is a “radicalizing documentary, continuing Orwell’s loud and clear warning about the rise and spread of totalitarianism.” Buy tickets here. |
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The Chicago Cubs have advanced to the National League Division Series round of the MLB postseason. What’s been your favorite moment of the season so far?
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. |
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5:30 PM | 10:00 PM |
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Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more. |
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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