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It’s already the second weekend of 2026. Jump into it with these stories from WTTW News. |
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Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul discusses a lawsuit against the federal government at a news conference in January 2025. (Andrew Adams / Capitol News Illinois) |
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Four Illinois sheriff’s offices defied the state’s sanctuary laws and transferred individuals into Department of Homeland Security custody in 2024, according to a new report.
The Illinois Attorney General’s Office released its annual Way Forward Act Annual Compliance Report for 2024 on Dec. 23, which compiles self-reported data from state agencies on their compliance with Illinois’ sanctuary laws, like the Illinois TRUST Act and the Illinois Way Forward Act.
The acts, in part, prohibit local and state law enforcement agencies in Illinois from complying with immigration detainers or civil immigration warrants. It also prohibits law enforcement agencies from transferring any person into an immigration agent’s custody unless presented with a federal criminal warrant or otherwise required by federal law. Doing so could expose agencies to civil liability.
Despite that, in 2024, after receiving civil detainers or warrants, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office reported transferring 18 individuals into Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations custody; the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported three; the Kane County Sheriff’s Office reported two; and the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reported one.
More context:
Illinois’ sanctuary law originally went into effect seven years ago when the Illinois TRUST Act was signed in 2017 by then Gov. Bruce Rauner, and its amendment, the Illinois Way Forward Act, was signed in 2021 by Gov. JB Pritzker.
According to the report, the Attorney General’s Office did open an investigation into the Madison County Sheriff’s office’s compliance with the TRUST Act and received confirmation that it has not transferred any individuals into Department of Homeland Security Custody on the basis of a civil immigration detainer or warrant since Nov. 15, 2024.
The most recent transfer noted in the report was from the Kane County Sheriff, who transferred an individual into ICE custody in January 2025, according to the report.
Not all agencies reported their data to the office: 824 of approximately 960 Illinois law enforcement agencies submitted a compliance report. Failing to submit a report or submitting an incomplete report is a violation of state law. The Attorney General has statutory authority to conduct investigations and seek legal remedies for violations. |
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Sponsor Message |
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Steppenwolf Theatre’s 50th Anniversary Season continues with Conor McPherson's wicked take on Strindberg's THE DANCE OF DEATH, a masterclass in marital warfare, where a twisted love triangle waltzes off the edge of a cliff, plunging us all into the deep. Begins Jan 29th. And don't miss Steppenwolf's smash hit AMADEUS, extended again by popular demand, which must close January 25. In its four-star review, The Daily Herald called it "absolutely magnificent." Tickets at www.steppenwolf.org. |
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The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability listens during a special meeting on Jan. 8. 2026, at Thalia Hall. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News) |
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Chicago Police Department officials must stop helping federal agents carrying out aggressive immigration raids across the city, dozens of Chicagoans told the police oversight board Thursday evening.
The special meeting of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability at Thalia Hall in Pilsen came less than 48 hours after a federal agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Gold in Minneapolis, heightening tensions over the aggressive immigration raids launched by President Donald Trump to carry out the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history.
Some backstory:
Chicago police officers have faced pointed questions from residents and elected officials for more than six months about their actions during a series of increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement actions. After efforts to probe officers’ conduct faltered, more than 2,000 Chicagoans signed a petition demanding that the commission, better known as the CCPSA, hold Thursday’s public hearing, which could be the first step toward adopting new rules for CPD.
City officials said in June that it was unclear which agency had the authority to probe whether CPD officers had complied with the Welcoming City ordinance, and there is no public evidence any probe of their conduct had taken place.
No members of CPD command staff attended Thursday’s session, although dozens of officers patrolled outside during a driving rain, with officers and a van typically used to transport those detained during a mass arrest stationed near Thalia Hall.
Elianne Bahena, a member of the 10th (Ogden) Police District Council, said CPD “contributed to (the) chaos” that swept Chicago during what the Trump administration called “Operation Midway Blitz” despite the city’s Welcoming City ordinance, which prohibits all city employees from assisting federal immigration agents in nearly all cases.
“When ICE and Border Patrol terrorized our neighborhoods, and the Chicago Police Department shows up, we’re left asking one simple question: Who are they protecting?” Bahena asked.
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A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent takes part in an early morning operation in Park Ridge, Ill., Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo / Erin Hooley) |
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A federal judge who entered a sweeping order restricting federal immigration agents’ use of force in Chicago held off on granting a voluntary dismissal of that case following the fatal shooting of a mother by an agent in Minneapolis Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis on Thursday raised concerns about the dismissal request in a class action lawsuit brought by the Chicago Headline Club and local journalists who fought for a broad injunction to limit federal agents’ use of force in an effort to protect legal observers after numerous reports of unconstitutional actions by the agents.
Ellis specifically pointed to the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Wednesday in opting to delay her ruling.
“It doesn’t give me much comfort in reading news reports that someone who in some news reports was described as a legal observer was shot yesterday in Minneapolis,” Ellis said. “So that’s my concern.”
The lawsuit was filed last fall after journalists, protesters and clergy members in and around Chicago claimed they had been targeted by federal immigration agents, who subjected them to a “pattern of extreme brutality” through their usage of riot control weapons without justification. |
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More From WTTW News:
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Back in the Day: Jan. 9, 1976 - Two CTA Trains Collide, Injuring 381 People and Killing 1 |
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On this day 50 years ago, during the morning rush hour, a moving southbound CTA train collided with a CTA train standing at the Addison station near the Kennedy Extension. The crash happened on Jan. 9, 1976, at 8:06 a.m., resulting in one passenger death, 381 injuries and $267,000 in damage to equipment and the track. Following the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause was the failure of the moving train’s motorman to perceive the parked train at the Addison station. A cab signal failure also allowed the moving train to proceed. At the time, it was the most serious "L" accident in CTA history, but that unfortunate designation would be bested by the 1977 Loop derailment just 13 months later. |
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New Restaurants to Try During Restaurant Week 2026 |
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This Friday, WTTW News takes a break from our Holiday Events Guide to highlight some new local eateries showcased by our colleagues at WTTW Playlist.
WTTW Playlist: Now in its 19th year, Chicago Restaurant Week boosts restaurants through the fallow period of early winter, with participating restaurants offering special multiple-course prix fixe menus for $30 at brunch or lunch and $45 or $60 at dinner. More than 500 spots in and around Chicago are participating from Jan. 23 to Feb. 8. You can find all of them at the Chicago Restaurant Week website, as well as menus.
It’s a bounty, so as a way of narrowing things down, we have compiled a list of participating restaurants that opened last year or in the waning months of 2024. We suggest making reservations, as places book up quickly. For the full list, click here.
The Alston
One of a number of steakhouses that opened in Chicago last year, The Alston distinguishes itself with its ultra-luxe trappings and offerings, like a raved-about duck press. The food is by Jenner Tomaska, a chef whose Esmé has a Michelin star, while the large restaurant is run by the Fifty/50 Restaurant Group.
Bar Tutto
Bar Tutto is one of the newest restaurants participating in Restaurant Week, but it's run by a pro, “Top Chef” winner Joe Flamm, with a number of other restaurants nearby in the West Loop (Rose Mary, Il Carciofo). It's an Italian-inspired all-day spot, with pastries and coffee in the morning, smaller dishes for lunch, and a full dinner menu.
Cafe Yaya
All-day cafes are booming, making maximal use out of expensive real estate. Cafe Yaya is from the forces behind the neighboring, Michelin-starred Galit, and continues that restaurant's Middle Eastern influences in its popular pastries, spreads and more.
Omakase Box
Omakase restaurants aren't as ubiquitous as steakhouses (yet), but there are still plenty. Omakase Box in Logan Square aims to be more approachable and neighborhoody than some of the top-dollar "bromakase" places out there, while still providing quality seafood.
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What are you most looking forward to in Chicago in 2026?
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. Here's what you had to say:
“More ‘Chicago Stories’ [and] documentaries on WTTW.” — @BCBeatWriters
"I just want the beach ‘lakefront’ to be clean, nice & peaceful." — Doubleü L. |
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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