College Journalists Create Digital Maps to Track Immigration Raids in Chicago Communities

Since Trump's return to the White House, his administration has implemented aggressive immigration enforcement operations across major cities.

In the humming windowless newsroom of The Phoenix at Loyola University Chicago, juniors Julia Pentasuglio and Ella Daugherty carefully update a Google map on their laptop as a coffee pot gurgles nearby.

Each red pin they place represents a confirmed sighting of federal immigration agents in the vicinity of campus and surrounding neighborhoods.

Editor-in-chief Lilli Malone reviews reports from Rogers Park, a diverse lakefront neighborhood where 80 languages coexist. That day alone, seven new sightings required pins – documenting immigration vans speeding down residential streets, masked officers drawing weapons, and students witnessing neighbors being detained from dorm windows.

These student journalists, who typically cover campus recipes and local holiday celebrations, have assumed an unexpected responsibility during Trump's presidency: systematically documenting immigration enforcement activities. Their mission is to replace online rumors with verified information and provide locals with a visual guide to frequently targeted areas as anxiety intensifies over potential detentions.

Both student reporters and seasoned journalists note that college newsrooms, independent media outlets, and established publications across Chicago are collaborating in unprecedented ways, breaking traditional competitive barriers to develop tracking tools and share critical information.

Following Trump's White House return, his administration ordered extensive immigration operations in cities with substantial immigrant populations, including Chicago, to fulfill campaign promises regarding deportation of undocumented residents.

Weeks after the fall semester began, the Department of Homeland Security launched "Operation Midway Blitz" in Chicago during early September, deploying Border Patrol agents equipped with high-powered weapons and tear gas.

This operation faced opposition from local officials, with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemning it as "unlawful and unwarranted." A new state law now enables Illinois residents to pursue legal action against federal immigration agents for alleged civil rights violations.

DHS maintains that its operations target dangerous criminals threatening public safety, reporting over 4,300 arrests during the operation.

"Our efforts remain ongoing, we aren't leaving Chicago," stated a DHS spokesperson.

Campus anxiety had already been building before the operation commenced. Months earlier, a Census Bureau representative entered a dormitory, triggering false rumors about ICE presence that prompted students to flood The Phoenix staff with verification requests.

Such concerns were particularly relevant at Loyola, which has a tradition of welcoming undocumented students, especially those under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program – aligned with the social justice mission of this Jesuit institution.

"People were scared, and they needed someone to verify what was real," Malone explained.

In early October, Malone and managing editor Pentasuglio created a Google Map and began marking confirmed sightings – each verified through photographic evidence, timestamped videos, or multiple eyewitness accounts.

This digital resource allowed students and community members to distinguish between rumors and facts, showing verified sightings and recent enforcement patterns to help assess potentially risky areas.

Each pin includes detailed information – "October 12: Multiple armed agents were spotted at the 1200 block of West North Shore Avenue midday" and "October 21: An arrest was reported at the North Lincoln Avenue Home Depot at 9:58 a.m."

A DHS spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that Border Patrol conducted enforcement operations and made arrests at these locations on the reported dates.

At the University of Chicago, The Maroon's deputy editor-in-chief Elena Eisenstadt developed a Datawrapper tracker after reports proliferated on social platforms like Sidechat, where students communicate anonymously.

"It felt like a wave," she said. "When everyone is talking about something like that, you have to do something."

At DePaul University, Jake Cox, managing editor of the DePaulia, monitored social media accounts when ICE activity increased near the Lincoln Park campus.

Cox also established an ICE WhatsApp channel through his internship at Block Club Chicago, serving nearly 3,200 followers with updates on immigration enforcement, agent sightings, and rights information.

These student journalists join broader community mobilization efforts across Chicago, including cyclists monitoring unmarked vans, parents establishing school checkpoints, and citizens documenting enforcement actions.

Local reporters covering immigration enforcement in Chicago have been sharing leads, safety information, and contacts with competitors through encrypted communications, according to Maira Khwaja, public impact strategy director at the Invisible Institute.

The scope of the story has become too extensive for limited journalistic resources. "More of us is better," Khwaja noted.

The Phoenix staff forward tips outside their coverage area to other publications, demonstrating this collaborative approach.

At the Chicago Tribune, senior editor Erika Slife acknowledges that while she was raised in a competitive journalistic environment, today's landscape sometimes necessitates cross-outlet collaboration.

When U.S. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino departed Chicago for Charlotte on November 13, reporters from The Charlotte Observer contacted Tribune staff the following day seeking insights.

Tribune investigative reporter Gregory Royal Pratt and colleagues promptly arranged a video conference with the North Carolina journalists, sharing effective strategies – from securing safety equipment to monitoring helicopter traffic and verifying government information.

"It still feels good to be first," said Slife, who oversees the Tribune's immigration coverage. "But it's more important to be right. We may not always be first, but we'll do it best."