
Good afternoon, Chicago.
For one day in September, José Coronado Meza became the Trump administration’s poster child for why Chicago needed to be flooded with federal agents. Coronado Meza had been ordered deported. But the Biden administration let him live in Chicago, where he got arrested and was charged with murder. Democrats’ “sanctuary” ways had coddled a would-be killer. Or so the argument went.
But a deeper look at the case offers a window into the erratic nature of immigration enforcement — even in eras when administrations tout crackdowns. The case shows how someone like Coronado Meza can slip through the cracks of both Democratic and Republican administrations, once the facts get separated from the bluster and politics.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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4-year-old evacuated from Gaza finds sense of normalcy in Tinley Park while being treated for amputation
Adam is one of six children temporarily living in the Chicago area after being medically evacuated by Heal Palestine, an organization founded in response to the destruction caused in Gaza by Israel’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. Read more here.
More top news stories:
- Downtown alderman wants teen curfew compromise after meetup shootings
- Northwestern deal with Trump administration divides students and faculty
- ‘Extremely dangerous for the citizens’: Harvey Fire Department staffing low after new layoffs

Chicago’s Shriver Center on Poverty Law closing at the end of the year
The Shriver Center, which has spent more than 50 years advocating for economic, health care and racial justice, plans to close at the end of this year, it said in an email announcement. Read more here.
More top business stories:
- Wheaton-based ‘buffer’ ETF firm Innovator sells to Goldman Sachs for $2 billion
- Elon Musk is building out his next company town with science center, gym

Chicago basketball report: How the Illini aim to toughen up — and what’s sidelining Bulls rookie Noa Essengue
Illinois’ focus on toughness, the latest in the WNBA labor situation and a Bulls rookie’s injury lead the Chicago basketball report this week. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
- Carter Hart, 1 of 5 acquitted players in Hockey Canada case, expected to make NHL return vs. Chicago Blackhawks
- Today in Chicago History: Chicago Bears suffer only loss of 1985 season to Miami Dolphins

Column: An exciting movie about the legendary photographer Steve Schapiro
Steve Schapiro died three years ago in Chicago, where he had lived for some years, but he comes alive in a new documentary, the appropriately titled “Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere.” Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
- Photos: Go inside the 29th annual Christkindlmarket at Chicago’s Daley Plaza
- ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ announces bands for NYE broadcast

Israel says it receives ‘findings’ handed over by Palestinian fighters in Gaza
The “findings” were believed to be remains of one of the two hostages still in the territory: an Israeli and a Thai national. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:




