Temperatures will likely hit the mid-40s later today. As you enjoy the mild conditions and brace for potential snow tomorrow, check out these stories from WTTW News.
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Albeiro Ropero Remolina (pictured) was detained by federal immigration agents on Dec. 29, 2025. (Provided)
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A Chicago woman is fighting to have her chronically ill husband released from federal custody after he was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents late last month.
Albeiro Ropero Remolina’s wife said she is still shaken after her encounter with federal agents on Dec. 29. She requested that her name not be used for fear of retribution. WTTW News granted that request.
“They had guns and had one pointed right at me,” the woman recalled in an interview conducted in Spanish. “I remember my husband telling them, ‘We aren’t resisting,’ but they kept banging on the car window. They treated us like we were some delinquents, and I was just going to work. We weren’t doing anything bad.”
She said it happened in an instant. As her husband was getting ready to drive her to work that December morning, their car was surrounded by ICE vehicles. She said agents pulled the couple from the car and took them into custody, later transferring them to the Broadview ICE detention center.
While Ropero Remolina’s wife was released the same day, he remains in custody. His wife said he suffers from a severe seizure disorder requiring medication twice per day; missing even one dose could be fatal.
Attorneys quickly stepped in to file a humanitarian request to ensure he receives his medication and ultimately have him released from a facility in Indiana.
“My husband is a good man,” his wife said. “He has no vices and works no matter the hour. He is a fighter.”
Some backstory:
The couple sought asylum in the U.S. nearly a year ago after leaving Venezuela. Ropero Remolina’s wife said the family traveled for nearly eight months before waiting at the border for an immigration appointment. They were eventually bused to Chicago, where they spent six months in a city shelter before moving into their own home.
“He tells me now when they (ICE) move him, they chain him from his wrists and his ankles with chains like he was a criminal,” his wife said. “Like he was an animal.”
Charczuk said Ropero Remolina has no criminal record. She filed a habeas corpus petition in Indiana, arguing he is being unlawfully held.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents make an arrest during an early morning operation in Park Ridge, Ill., Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo / Erin Hooley)
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Chicago and Illinois officials are suing the Trump administration, claiming its “menacing, violent, and unlawful incursion” under the guise of enhanced immigration enforcement is unconstitutional and has attacked the city and state’s ability to carry out core functions.
The lawsuit, announced Monday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, claims the ongoing “assault” on the state’s sovereignty amid the administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” immigration enforcement violates the 10th Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act.
The sweeping 103-page lawsuit complaint claims that Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents — who have conducted numerous aggressive raids in and around Chicago since “Midway Blitz” began in September — have acted as “occupiers” rather than law enforcement.
“The occupation of Illinois and Chicago is intended to coerce Plaintiffs to abandon their policies, which value and respect the State’s immigrants, and devote their resources to further the immigration policies of the current administration,” the lawsuit states. “Illinois and Chicago have refused to do so.”
The lawsuit names Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, among others, as defendants.
More context:
According to Raoul, the lawsuit seeks a federal order halting federal immigration agents in Illinois from using unlawful tactics including dispensing tear gas and other chemical weapons against people who aren’t resisting, scanning residents’ biometric information and entering private property without a warrant or permission.
The ongoing enforcement operation has seen federal agents repeatedly using riot control weapons like tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters, journalists and Illinois residents without provocation, the lawsuit claims.
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(WTTW News)
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Taxpayers should pay $22 million to the family of a man who was struck and killed by a driver being chased by Chicago police, city lawyers recommended, the latest massive settlement prompted by a police pursuit that violated department policy.
The City Council’s Finance Committee on Wednesday is set to consider the proposed settlement, which calls for taxpayers to pay $20 million and the city’s insurance company to pay $2 million. A final vote of the City Council could come Jan. 21.
Angel Eduardo Alvarez Montesinos, 25, died in the crash that ended the chase launched by Officer Michael Spilotro just after 6 p.m. June 16, 2023, records show. A Venezuela-based news site Carora TV identified Alvarez Montesinos as a citizen of that country.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, the agency charged with investigating police misconduct, recommended that Spilotro be fired for his actions that led to the death of Alvarez Montesinos, and Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling agreed.
Spilotro, who earns $111,252 annually, has been stripped of his police powers, according to a CPD spokesperson.
What else happened?
City lawyers recommended that the Chicago City Council should agree to pay $875,000 to resolve a lawsuit filed by 25 Chicagoans who each say they were brutalized by Chicago police officers during protests during the summer of 2020 triggered by the police murder of George Floyd. On Wednesday, the City Council’s Finance Committee will consider resolving one of three remaining federal lawsuits alleging that Chicago police officers committed a wide range of misconduct during the 2020 protests. A final vote of the City Council could come Jan. 21.
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More From WTTW News:
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Pedro Villarreal, 34, was ordered detained at the Cook County Jail pending trial after he was charged Monday with first-degree murder, aggravated battery and other felony charges stemming from the Dec. 23 shooting on a Pink Line train that left one man dead and another injured.
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Back in the Day: Jan. 13, 2021 - Chris Welch Elected Illinois House Speaker, Ending Madigan Reign
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From 1983 to 2021, Illinois state Rep. Michael Madigan had held the title of state House speaker for all but two years (during a blip of Republican reign). On this day five years ago, which coincidentally was also the 50th anniversary of Madigan becoming a state representative, the embattled politician lost the speaker's gavel to Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch – making the representative from suburban Hillside the first Black House speaker in state history. Several Democratic state lawmakers dropped their support for Madigan after he was repeatedly cited as “Public Official A” in court documents in which electric utility Commonwealth Edison admitted to a long-term bribery
scheme targeted at Madigan. In 2025, that scandal led to Madigan receiving more than seven years in prison on federal bribery and wire fraud convictions and a $2.5 million fine. Welch, an attorney who has been a state legislator since 2013, remains speaker of the Illinois House.
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This Week’s Staff Recommendations
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Every Tuesday, WTTW News staffers highlight their favorite things in Chicago. This week, it’s Blake Thor, Minow Fellow for WTTW News and “Chicago Tonight,” on his favorite bars as a recent city resident from Wisconsin.
Blake Thor: What’s an American city without a solid bar scene? Growing up and going to school in Madison, Wisconsin, I never lacked a place to grab a drink with friends. But as much as it pains me to admit it, Chicago more than holds its own in the Midwest’s bar fight heavyweight class.
Will's Northwoods Inn: U Rah-Rah Wisconsin! For Wisconsinites, moving to Chicago can feel like setting up shop in enemy territory. But the resistance holds strong at outposts like Will’s Northwoods Inn. This bar is your go-to for Wisconsin sports and a one-stop shop for homesickness remedies.
Roscoe’s Tavern: Moving to a new city was daunting, but I’ve already found some neighborhood pride — thanks in large part to the Lakeview Run Club and Roscoe’s Tavern. The group’s Tuesday afternoon runs conveniently roll into Roscoe’s standout Tuesday-night deals on burgers, fries and beer.
aliveONE: This Lincoln Park gem is as flexible as they come. Good for a date night on the weekdays, shoulder-to-shoulder dancing on a Friday night and pool with your buddies on a Saturday morning. My personal favorite part is the Narnia-like transition from aliveONE’s front bar to the dancefloor in the back. Be ready to be transported!
Bourgeois Pig Cafe: My friends would say I fall into the “performative male” stereotype, and I’m man enough to admit they’re right. This bar-cafe is the perfect place to whip out your best indie outfit, your wired earbuds and annotate a pretentious book all while sipping on a Guinness. Not to mention, Bourgeois Pig also hosts the occasional speakeasy.
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How do you feel about the Bears' 2025-2026 season so far?
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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