Shannon Heffernan
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shannonheffernan.bsky.social
Shannon Heffernan
@shannonheffernan.bsky.social
4.3K followers 820 following 710 posts
Journalist covering prisons, jails and more for The Marshall Project. Formerly WBEZ (Chicago NPR affiliate). Host of Motive podcast (Season 4). Writes short stories and essays. Tips: sheffernan@themarshallproject.org

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Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
djbyrnes1.bsky.social
Some excerpts that stood out to me from District Judge Jeff Cummings' order today, compelling the release of at least some people found to have been detained in violation of a prior consent decree limiting how and when federal immigration agents can carry out warrantless arrests.
Image text: ORDER Motion hearing held on plaintiffs’ motion for placement of potential class members on alternatives to detention, (Dckt. #219). For the reasons stated on the record in open court, and summarized in part below, the Court grants plaintiffs’ cross-motion in part and orders as follows. To begin, in the parties’ joint status reports filed on November 7, 2025, the parties report that they have agreed—after an examination of the pertinent arrest records—that 46 class members were arrested in violation of the terms of the Consent Decree and are thus entitled to relief under the Decree. (Dckt. #244 at 3–4). However, the majority of these class members have already been removed from the United States, either involuntarily or voluntarily, and only 13 of these class members remain in detention. After meeting and conferring as to the identity of these individuals, by 12:00 p.m. on November 14, 2025, defendants shall release these 13 individuals whom the parties agree were arrested in violation of the Consent Decree, remain in custody, and who are therefore subject to release “on their own recognizance without bond or conditions of release” pursuant to Section V(E)(2) of the Consent Decree. The Court stays the involuntary removal and removal for voluntary departure for these individuals until the nextbusiness day after their release from custody. This will ensure that the class members can obtain the benefit of the relief provided by the Consent Decree before they are potentially removed from the United States. Highlighted image text: More broadly, in their October 29, 2025 submission, (Dckt. #232), defendants represented that they were able to provide plaintiffs with the name, A-number, country of origin, and date of arrest for the approximately 3,000 individuals arrested from approximately June 11, 2025 through approximately October 7, 2025 (including those arrested in connection with Operation Midway Blitz). After a review of the pertinent records, defendants determined that approximately 615 of these individuals “are not subject to mandatory detention and do not have final orders of removal.” Highlighted Image text: And, overall, an estimated 60% of those who have been arrested under Operation Midway Blitz have been removed from the United States. Plaintiffs assert that many class members are choosing to voluntarily depart to escape the unsafe and unsanitary conditions that they have been subjected to while in ICE detention. Their argument is supported by a ruling in another case in this District in which the plaintiff detainees have been granted injunctive relief to avoid the irreparable harm that they have suffered and will be likely to suffer on account of the abominable conditions that they were subjected to in the ICE facility in Broadview Illinois. Highlighted image text: For these reasons, the Court will exercise its discretion to grant equitable relief under the Consent Decree. To this end, by 12:00 p.m. CST on November 14, 2025, with respect to the subset of 615 individuals discussed on the record, defendants shall provide the Court with their names and specify which of the individuals in this group have been identified by defendants as posing a “high public safety risk” if they were released. The Court further orders each individual within this group who is still detained and who does not have a “high public safety risk” designation to be released from detention upon payment of the $1,500 bond specified by 8 U.S.C. §1226(a)(2)(1) and their enrollment in ICE’s ATD program. To reiterate, as stated on the record in open court, the Court will not release from detention any foreign national who has been designated by the government as a “high public safety risk.” The Court stays its order releasing these individuals from detention until 12:00 p.m. CST on November 21, 2025. The Court also stays the involuntary removal and removal for voluntary departure for these individuals until the next business day after their release from custody
November 13, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
jmetr22b.bsky.social
///BREAKING/// Judge Jeffrey Cummings orders that by noon of Nov. 17, he will order the release of all of the 615 "Operation Midway Blitz" detainees identified as class participants (at least those still here in the country) once they pay a $1,500 bond.
November 12, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
kansasreflector.com
Marion County agrees to pay out $3M for newspaper raid, expresses regret. Editor says court cases against city continue #ksleg
Marion County agrees to pay out $3M for newspaper raid, expresses regret • Kansas Reflector
A handful of county-level officials who were involved in a small-town Kansas newspaper raid in 2023 will pay a cumulative $3 million to three journalists and a city councilor.
kansasreflector.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:37 PM
shannonheffernan.bsky.social
The Chicago Headline Club Foundation has launched the Essential Equipment Fund to help independent and freelance journalists buy gear like respirators and helmets.

headlineclub.org/2025/10/11/e...
Essential Equipment Fund
CHCF’s Essential Equipment Fund helps Chicago-area journalists stay safe while reporting protests and public events. Apply and support today.
headlineclub.org
November 11, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
brittanyhailer.bsky.social
Once one person trusted me enough to talk, my number spread through the Mohican Young Star Academy network. Over and over, I heard the same thing about the residential treatment facility for boys: someone is going to get hurt.
www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/06/r...
How an Ohio Youth Treatment Center Tried to End Escalating Violence
A year after taking over Mohican Young Star Academy, new owners and leadership face questions from workers, police and neighbors about its direction.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 6, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
themarshallproject.org
When someone dies behind bars, the officials who run prisons and jails don't always return all of their belongings to their loved ones. Books, drawings, letters, and other memorabilia, for many families, are precious reminders of the person they've lost.
Their Loved Ones Died Behind Bars. These Keepsakes Are All They Have Left.
Five families reflect on the possessions they got back, and the ones they didn’t.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 3, 2025 at 9:45 PM
shannonheffernan.bsky.social
Death behind bars, a story in 5 objects:
A receipt is a mom's last connection to her son
A man watches Knicks games w/ his brother's ashes
An estranged child, wonders about a father's lost bible
Travel books, for places un-visited
A muddy hat, too precious to pack away.
tinyurl.com/482hyknt
Their Loved Ones Died Behind Bars. These Keepsakes Are All They Have Left.
Five families reflect on the possessions they got back, and the ones they didn’t.
www.themarshallproject.org
October 30, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
adamjst.bsky.social
Etowah County is one example of the "zombie facility" trend that @shannonheffernan.bsky.social reports about here.

ICE is repurposing/reopening older jails and prisons for use in immigration detention.

From August.

www.themarshallproject.org/2025/08/29/m...
‘Zombie Prisons’: How ICE Detention Is Raising Troubling Facilities From the Dead
ICE needs more detention space, and it’s faster to open old facilities than to build new ones.
www.themarshallproject.org
October 30, 2025 at 3:27 PM
shannonheffernan.bsky.social
What happens to a person's belongings in prison after the die?

This is the story of what people in custody left behind, and what it meant to their families to receive (or not receive) those keepsakes.

www.themarshallproject.org/2025/10/30/t...
Their Loved Ones Died Behind Bars. These Keepsakes Are All They Have Left.
Five families reflect on the possessions they got back, and the ones they didn’t.
www.themarshallproject.org
October 30, 2025 at 3:33 PM
shannonheffernan.bsky.social
One striking aspect of ICE resistance in Chicago, is how many people in the videos appear to be average, everyday residents out for walks or stepping out of their houses.

Like, this guy is barefoot, in Blackhawk hockey PJs! Or...

(*I've not personally talked to the people in these videos)
mandophotos.bsky.social armando l sanchez @mandophotos.bsky.social · 19d
More from the scene
October 26, 2025 at 1:19 AM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
heathercherone.bsky.social
FULL STORY: U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis ordered Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, who has led a series of increasingly aggressive raids across Chicago and the suburbs, to appear in her courtroom in person at 10 a.m. Tuesday. @wttw.bsky.social
Federal Judge Orders Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino, Who Fired Tear Gas at Little Village Crowd, Into Court
The judge’s order came less than 24 hours after Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino fired tear gas at a crowd during an aggressive raid in Little Village.
news.wttw.com
October 24, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
atrupar.com
Stephen Miller on Fox threatens to arrest JB Pritzker for "seditious conspiracy" and says, "to all ICE officers: you have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties. And anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to stop or obstruct you is committing a felony."
October 24, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
dmihalopoulos.bsky.social
As the brash Border Patrol boss was on the front lines in Chicago again today - amid clouds of tear gas - it's worth checking out this recent story about what Gregory Bovino left behind in his previous deployment to LA www.wbez.org/public-safet...
From California to Chicago, a Border Patrol boss sparks accusations of race-based arrests
Gregory Bovino led aggressive immigration operations in California, leading to lawsuits questioning his agents’ tactics. The same tactics are being used in his “Operation Midway Blitz” mission in Chic...
www.wbez.org
October 23, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
bylaurenfitz.bsky.social
CPS confirms a landscaper detained this week was on district property. It appears to be the first time a @chipubschools.bsky.social vendor or employee was picked up during the federal immigration enforcement campaign. chicago.suntimes.com/education/20... by @mannycam.bsky.social
Immigration enforcement reaches CPS doorstep, renewing questions about student, community safety
CPS confirms a landscaper detained this week was on district property. It appears to be the first time a CPS vendor or employee was picked up during the federal immigration enforcement campaign.
chicago.suntimes.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
unraveledpress.com
The Sun-Times is reporting Border Patrol took at least two teenage boys today when they hit Little Village, again.

One is said to be a 16-year old student, U.S. citizen, and student at Benito Juarez Community Academy.
Federal agents detain Little Village high school student, deploy tear gas in faceoff with protesters
Feds wearing military-style camouflage gear and gas masks were seen tear-gassing and pepper-spraying protesters during the confrontation near a discount mall.
chicago.suntimes.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:47 PM
shannonheffernan.bsky.social
I love this interview with an academic (and clown!) who studies the use of "tactical frivolity" in protests.

"Play has a role in very serious movements"

www.themarshallproject.org/2025/10/22/t...
The ICE Protest Frogs Have a Long History of ‘Tactical Frivolity’ Behind Them
“That willingness to make yourself ridiculous can be very disarming,” said a professor who has studied — and engaged in — absurd protest methods.
www.themarshallproject.org
October 23, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
themarshallproject.org
“That willingness to make yourself ridiculous can be very disarming,” said a professor who has studied — and engaged in — absurd protest methods.
The ICE Protest Frogs Have a Long History of ‘Tactical Frivolity’ Behind Them
“That willingness to make yourself ridiculous can be very disarming,” said a professor who has studied — and engaged in — absurd protest methods.
www.themarshallproject.org
October 23, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
cnn.com
BREAKING: Federal judge extends the order blocking the deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago.

Follow live updates.
Federal judge extends order blocking National Guard from Chicago
The Trump administration has been given the green light by the appeals court to send the Oregon National Guard into Portland. Follow for the latest
cnn.it
October 22, 2025 at 8:46 PM
shannonheffernan.bsky.social
Great reporting from @mannyramos.bsky.social: "One Chicago-based company was awarded more than $7 million to relocate ICE employees while a suburban weapons manufacturer was paid nearly $1.5 million in two weeks to supply pepper balls and air-powered guns."

blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/23/c...
Chicago-Area Companies Raked In Millions From Feds As Operation Midway Blitz Intensified
One Chicago-based company was awarded more than $7 million to relocate ICE employees while a suburban weapons manufacturer was paid nearly $1.5 million in two weeks to supply pepper balls and air-powe...
blockclubchicago.org
October 23, 2025 at 5:33 PM
shannonheffernan.bsky.social
"Federal immigration agents arrested Scott Sakiyama outside his child’s Oak Park elementary school this week after he followed them and honked his horn to warn others of their presence."

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/23/o...
Oak Park attorney arrested near school says federal agents pointed gun at him, had ‘Chiraq Team 2’ group chat
Federal immigration agents arrested Scott Sakiyama outside his child’s Oak Park elementary school this week after he followed them and honked his horn to warn others of their presence.
www.chicagotribune.com
October 23, 2025 at 5:31 PM
shannonheffernan.bsky.social
"Federal agents detained at least seven people — including two U.S. citizens — and pepper-sprayed a man Wednesday near the border of Little Village and suburban Cicero, officials said."

blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/22/b...
Alderperson's Staffers — Both US Citizens — Detained By Border Patrol Amid Little Village Raids
Federal agents detained at least seven people — including two U.S. citizens — and pepper-sprayed a man Wednesday near the border of Little Village and suburban Cicero, officials said.
blockclubchicago.org
October 23, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
prisonculture.bsky.social
www.fox2detroit.com/news/governm...
Government shutdown: Detroit Metro Airport offering free food to employees working without pay
Federal workers at Detroit Metro and Willow Run can spend up to $20 a day on food and drinks at DTW restaurants and stores.
www.fox2detroit.com
October 22, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
royalpratt.bsky.social
Community report: ICE is on 26th Street by (at?) El Milagro. This is the heart of Chicago’s Mexican community in Little Village
October 22, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Reposted by Shannon Heffernan
blairpaddock.bsky.social
NEW: I found 17 sheriffs in Illinois that have contracts to detain people for ICE through U.S. Marshals Service contracts. IL law explicitly prohibits these types of intergovernmental service agreements. news.wttw.com/2025/10/22/d...
Despite Illinois Sanctuary Laws, At Least 17 County Sheriffs Have Contracts to Hold People in ICE Custody
To ascertain if county jails are complying with the state’s TRUST Act, WTTW News sent Freedom of Information Act requests to each of the 90 county jails in Illinois to obtain copies of intergovernment...
news.wttw.com
October 22, 2025 at 3:15 PM
shannonheffernan.bsky.social
Federal authorities are increasingly using charges — or the threat of them — to counter resistance to the immigration enforcement blitz in Chicago. via
@blockclubchi.bsky.social blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/22/i...
In ICE’s Expanding Chicago Blitz, Federal Authorities Turn Resistance Into A Crime
Federal authorities are increasingly using charges — or the threat of them — to counter resistance to the immigration enforcement blitz in Chicago.
blockclubchicago.org
October 22, 2025 at 2:17 PM