It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As you reflect on the
holiday, take a moment to read these stories from WTTW News.
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Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Jan. 15, 2026. (WTTW News)
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A new project is underway with the goal of holding accountable federal immigration agents accused of misconduct.
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is behind the initiative called the ICE Accountability Project, which allows community members to submit their own documentation of incidents.
It comes in the wake of last week’s fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
Lightfoot joined “Chicago Tonight” to talk about the new project and its goals.
On how this project is different from the Illinois Accountability Commission, which will hold hearings and similarly create a public record of what residents are experiencing during ‘Operation Midway Blitz’:
“(This project) will really be working in harmony with the state. As I understand it, the state’s project will primarily focus on really assessing the harm to individuals and families and community, which is obviously a very important thing. We are creating a centralized repository for people who have collected video, audio and all other information about what ICE has done in Chicago. Hopefully local law enforcement will look at this information and not have to search across various social media platforms.”
On how Lightfoot and her team are confirming the veracity of the videos:
“We are working on an AI tool ourselves to be able to detect whether or not the information, particularly video information, has not been altered in some way. There’s multiple levels of review: There’s a frontline level of review that looks at the information to confirm date, time, location. Then there’s a second line of review that’s going to include myself, other lawyers, former federal agents, to make sure, frankly, we’re not getting duped into posting something that never actually happened.”
On who is working with Lightfoot on this — and who’s funding it:
“For obvious reasons we’re keeping the identities of folks that are involved confidential, but they are people that I’ve known and have worked with for a number of different years. We’re keeping the donors’ identities confidential.”
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A Border Patrol agent’s badge is seen near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill., Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo / Erin Hooley, File)
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A federal judge who implemented a sweeping injunction limiting federal immigration agents’ use of force will now oversee a new lawsuit brought last week by the city of Chicago and state of Illinois over the government’s allegedly illegal immigration enforcement tactics.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis on Thursday granted a motion from city and state attorneys who sought to reassign their case — which was slated to be heard by Judge Georgia Alexakis — to Ellis, given the case’s extensive similarities to another lawsuit in her courtroom brought by the Chicago Headline Club.
“Both of these cases involve many of the same issues of fact and law and they grow out of the same transaction or occurrence,” Ellis said at a hearing Thursday.
The new lawsuit includes broader claims than the Headline Club case, which largely centered on First Amendment violations by federal agents who deployed tear gas, pepper balls and other weapons against journalists and protesters during the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” immigration enforcement operation.
The sweeping 103-page lawsuit 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.
But the two cases do include many of the same use-of-force incidents, and Ellis on Thursday noted that she’s already spent “countless hours” holding hearings and reviewing videos and transcripts covering the same issues.
In the Chicago Headline Club case, Ellis issued an injunction that limited agents’ use of force. But that injunction was put on hold by an appeals court, and attorneys representing the plaintiffs in that case have since moved to voluntarily withdraw their lawsuit.
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Argonne National Laboratory is pictured in a file image. (Credit: Argonne National Laboratory)
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For the Chicago area’s two national laboratories, the past year has been filled with its fair share of change and challenges.
Recently released performance ratings reveal how the contractors managing those two suburban labs navigated the evolving priorities of the U.S. Department of Energy over the past year, records obtained by WTTW News show.
UChicago Argonne, which manages Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, received passing scores for all goals identified by the DOE Office of Science, which leads the appraisal process. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, managed by the Fermi Forward Discovery Group, received a B+ overall.
While some of the goals for Fermilab were below the passing threshold of B+, project management and contractor leadership both improved from C+ to B grades in 2025. The lab did not receive grades below a B for any goals in the past fiscal year.
More context:
The report card grades are used to assess the performance quality of the contractors selected to manage and operate each laboratory. The scores are tied to performance-based fee payments in addition to being used in decisions to renew or replace the contractors.
Records show Argonne’s earned fee percentage was 94%, leading to a payment of $6 million. Fermilab registered 91%, earning about $3.5 million. It was a considerable improvement from the 2024 calculation, which cost Fermilab about $1 million.
Recent changes in research priorities and funding have shifted priorities for national laboratories across the country over the past year, leading to changes in employment across various sections of local facilities under the DOE.
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More From WTTW News:
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Back in the Day: Jan. 19, 2021 - Trump Pardons Brian Urlacher’s Brother
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Brian Urlacher was the anchor of the Chicago Bears’ defense for 13 seasons from 2000 to 2012. Casey Urlacher, Brian’s little brother, is the mayor of the north suburban village of Mettawa, who, in February 2020, was indicted along with nine others on charges related to an illegal offshore sports gambling operation. Following lobbying efforts from his older brother, a Trump supporter, President Donald Trump pardoned Urlacher on this day five years ago in the dwindling hours of his first term.
Unfortunately, Urlacher’s co-defendants did not have siblings who played for the Chicago Bears, so alleged co-conspirators like Vincent “Uncle Mick” Delgiudice were sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2022. A few months after his pardon, Urlacher was reelected as mayor of Mettawa in 2021, a post he holds to this day.
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This Week’s Civic Events and Meetings
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Every Monday, WTTW News highlights the best ways to get involved with local government.
Show Up Chicago
On Monday at 7 p.m., head to the Hideout for a "combination community gathering, cocktail hour, and political panel show." Guests this week include Alderman Matt Martin and BGA policy analyst Geoffrey Cubbage. It's a free event but you can RSVP here.
City Council's Committee on Public Safety
On Tuesday at 10 a.m., the City Council's Committee on Public Safety will host a regular meeting. Among the several orders of business, the agenda includes a proposed amendment of the Municipal Code regarding "enhanced penalties for offenses committed in student safety zones, parks or playgrounds. For more details, click here.
City Council
A regular full meeting of the City Council of the City of Chicago is scheduled for Wednesday, January 21 at 10 a.m. For more details, click here.
City Club of Chicago
On Thursday at noon, the City Club of Chicago will host an interview with Nora Leerhsen, acting president of the Chicago Transit Authority. The event is sold out, but you can add your name to the waiting list here.
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What’s the most overrated Chicago food specialty?
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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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