Gregory Royal Pratt

Raised in Little Village, Gregory Royal Pratt is an investigative reporter. He has been a finalist for the Livingston and earned recognition from the National Headliner Awards, the Lisagors, and Scripps Howard. He is the author of “The City is Up for Grabs: How Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Led and Lost a City in Crisis.”

Former Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Pedro Martinez speaks with members of the press at CPS headquarters on March 31, 2025, in Chicago. An outside firm hired to find a permanent replacement for Martinez is withdrawing from the process. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

CPS board members accuse Mayor Brandon Johnson of ‘sabotage’ in CEO search

February 12, 2026 at 6:50 p.m.

A group of six Chicago Public Schools board members blasted Mayor Brandon Johnson on Thursday, accusing City Hall of sabotaging a professional search for a new head of the school...

Body camera video shows Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum driving in evidence made public from the federal investigation into Marimar Martínez, who was shot five times and wounded by Exum on Oct. 4, 2025, following a traffic crash at 39th Street and South Kedzie Avenue. Assault charges against Martínez were dismissed on Nov. 20, 2025. (U.S. attorney's office)

Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino praised agent after shooting Marimar Martínez in Chicago, evidence shows

February 10, 2026 at 11:06 p.m.

A trove of evidence was released Tuesday in the controversial shooting of Marimar Martinez by a Border Patrol agent at the height of Operation Midway Blitz last October, including a...

Antonio Porter, left, hugs lawyer Joshua Tepfer outside Cook County Jail on Jan. 27, 2026, after a judge overturned Porter’s murder conviction. Porter was released on electronic monitoring pending a possible retrial. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Judge overturns conviction in 2002 murder, orders release of imprisoned man

January 28, 2026 at 3:36 p.m.

A Cook County judge vacated Antonio Porter’s conviction and ordered a new trial, based in part on a police officer’s history.

Federal agents detain a person while members of the community and activists protest near the 3900 block of South Kedzie Avenue in Chicago on Oct. 4, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

64 days in Chicago: The story of Operation Midway Blitz

March 14, 2026 at 11:46 a.m.

President Donald Trump's federal immigration enforcement operation led to most surreal autumn in Chicago history. What happened during those 64 days will be remembered for a long time.

Residents argue with U.S. Border Patrol agents after a person was detained while conducting an immigration operation in the Little Village neighborhood on Dec. 16, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago remains alert, even as Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and his agents sweep in and out of town

December 18, 2025 at 5:07 p.m.

When Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and a throng of masked federal agents returned to Chicago in a flash Tuesday, city residents were ready.

People argue with Border Patrol agents as they conduct an immigration enforcement action in a Home Depot parking lot on Dec. 17, 2025, in Evanston. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino praises police assistance in immigration enforcement as CPD denies support

December 17, 2025 at 7:04 p.m.

Elected officials and residents criticized police for alleged cooperation.

A federal agent points his gun sideways during an immigration enforcement action in the Little Village neighborhood on Nov. 8, 2025. Longtime urban police leaders questioned that tactic and many others used by immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz. The policing leaders said the agents routinely behaved in ways that — beyond potentially being unconstitutional — unnecessarily endangered suspects, protesters, innocent bystanders and the agents themselves. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Immigration agents’ poor tactics in Chicago made for needless safety risks, experts say

December 7, 2025 at 9:35 a.m.

A Tribune review found immigration agents in Chicago routinely broke urban policing protocols meant to limit danger to themselves and others.

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias talks to reporters on Oct. 15, 2025. Giannoulias revoked an Enterprise Rent-A-Car license plate after it was swapped out by federal immigration agents, records obtained by the Tribune show. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Enterprise Rent-A-Car license plate revoked after immigration agents illegally swapped it out, records show

December 4, 2025 at 5:26 p.m.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias warned federal agents against swapping out license plates. Records show it happened anyway.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, the ranking member, talks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Feb. 12, 2025, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Sen. Dick Durbin demands answers from Homeland Security regarding U.S. citizens caught up in immigration raids

December 3, 2025 at 6:25 p.m.

Citing Chicago Tribune reporting, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin demands answers from Homeland Security regarding U.S. citizens caught up in immigration raids

Cook County Jail booking photos of Jose Coronado Meza starting on July 3, 2024, from left, then again on Dec. 14, 2024, Jan. 5, 2025, and last on July 7, 2025, after he was accused of shoplifting twice, then arrested twice more for alleged illegal gun possession. (Cook County sheriff's office)

A border crosser. An execution killing. And political theater.

December 3, 2025 at 3:10 p.m.

Trump’s DHS blamed Democrats for a Chicago homicide, but it didn't take key action in a case exemplifying effects of political divide.

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