Laura Rodríguez Presa
@lauranrodriguez.bsky.social
Bilingual Journalist at Chicago Tribune focused on immigration and Latinos/ Adj professor at DePaul University/ Maktub/ 1 John 4:16/ RTs ≠ endorsements /larodriguez@chicagotribune.com
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
That old metaphor about the frog and the boiling water isn’t true: If you put a frog in a pot of water and slowly raise the heat, the frog will jump out before it gets boiled to death.
The question now is whether American journalists are smarter than frogs.
My Stop the Presses newsletter.
The question now is whether American journalists are smarter than frogs.
My Stop the Presses newsletter.
How news coverage eases us into tyranny
When the media act like things are normal, they don’t reassure us – they gaslight us
www.stopthepresses.news
November 10, 2025 at 6:53 PM
That old metaphor about the frog and the boiling water isn’t true: If you put a frog in a pot of water and slowly raise the heat, the frog will jump out before it gets boiled to death.
The question now is whether American journalists are smarter than frogs.
My Stop the Presses newsletter.
The question now is whether American journalists are smarter than frogs.
My Stop the Presses newsletter.
Agents pointed guns out of their car windows at civilians/media, including 2 Tribune photographers, as they roamed around the neighborhood.
The shooter who allegedly targeted agents remains at large. DHS did not say which agency is investigating. Bovino said on X that between 5/7 shot were fired.
The shooter who allegedly targeted agents remains at large. DHS did not say which agency is investigating. Bovino said on X that between 5/7 shot were fired.
November 9, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Agents pointed guns out of their car windows at civilians/media, including 2 Tribune photographers, as they roamed around the neighborhood.
The shooter who allegedly targeted agents remains at large. DHS did not say which agency is investigating. Bovino said on X that between 5/7 shot were fired.
The shooter who allegedly targeted agents remains at large. DHS did not say which agency is investigating. Bovino said on X that between 5/7 shot were fired.
Border Patrol in Little Village again today. Residents called it a show of force & retaliation after a court order limited agents’ use of force on protesters.
Agents were met by angry residents. DHS says shots were fired at agents. No injuries reported.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/08/c...
Agents were met by angry residents. DHS says shots were fired at agents. No injuries reported.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/08/c...
Sol Bobrov Obituary - IL
Sol A. Bobrov, 98, beloved husband of the late Madolyn; cherished father of Susan Johnson; amazing grandfather of Andrew (fiancee, Cameron Felder) Johnson and Julia (Daniel Chard) Johnson; fond bro…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Border Patrol in Little Village again today. Residents called it a show of force & retaliation after a court order limited agents’ use of force on protesters.
Agents were met by angry residents. DHS says shots were fired at agents. No injuries reported.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/08/c...
Agents were met by angry residents. DHS says shots were fired at agents. No injuries reported.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/08/c...
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
After @mandophotos.bsky.social photographed federal agents pointing rifles at 26th/Lawndale yesterday, I inquired with DHS about what threat had prompted them to pull weapons on a busy commercial strip (pictured). This is the response I got from a representative of the United States government.
November 7, 2025 at 9:31 PM
After @mandophotos.bsky.social photographed federal agents pointing rifles at 26th/Lawndale yesterday, I inquired with DHS about what threat had prompted them to pull weapons on a busy commercial strip (pictured). This is the response I got from a representative of the United States government.
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
Ogden and 26th Street at 11:30 a.m. today. Federal authorities claimed someone shot at their agents in Little Village this morning. They spent the next several hours circling the neighborhood, deploying chemical crowd controls and arresting people.
November 8, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Ogden and 26th Street at 11:30 a.m. today. Federal authorities claimed someone shot at their agents in Little Village this morning. They spent the next several hours circling the neighborhood, deploying chemical crowd controls and arresting people.
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/08/c... Our (nearly) final word on the day is here if you'd like to see. W/ @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social, @mandophotos.bsky.social, @briancassella.bsky.social.
Shots fired at immigration agents in Little Village as residents confront Bovino, Border Patrol, authorities say
Community members once again confronted a convoy of Border Patrol agents led by Cmdr. Gregory Bovino as it moved through Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:54 PM
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/08/c... Our (nearly) final word on the day is here if you'd like to see. W/ @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social, @mandophotos.bsky.social, @briancassella.bsky.social.
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
An infant girl in Chicago was tear gassed this morning by the U.S. government.
Developing story in Little Village.
Follow @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social and @ckubzansky.bsky.social who are reporting on the ground
Developing story in Little Village.
Follow @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social and @ckubzansky.bsky.social who are reporting on the ground
Little Village residents confront Bovino, border patrol agents Saturday
Community members once again confronted a convoy of Border Patrol agents led by Cmdr. Gregory Bovino as it moved through Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:11 PM
An infant girl in Chicago was tear gassed this morning by the U.S. government.
Developing story in Little Village.
Follow @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social and @ckubzansky.bsky.social who are reporting on the ground
Developing story in Little Village.
Follow @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social and @ckubzansky.bsky.social who are reporting on the ground
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
BROADVIEW - state and local authorities just arrested about 20 women who hopped the concrete barricades outside the processing center, sat down in the middle of the street and joined hands. Took maybe five minutes all told.
November 7, 2025 at 3:37 PM
BROADVIEW - state and local authorities just arrested about 20 women who hopped the concrete barricades outside the processing center, sat down in the middle of the street and joined hands. Took maybe five minutes all told.
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
I asked the Department of Homeland Security for comment on Judge Ellis saying Gregory Bovino lied under oath. Their second response was to diss her(?) as an “Obama crony,” praise me for riveting journalism, and finally defend Bovino
November 6, 2025 at 11:12 PM
I asked the Department of Homeland Security for comment on Judge Ellis saying Gregory Bovino lied under oath. Their second response was to diss her(?) as an “Obama crony,” praise me for riveting journalism, and finally defend Bovino
LATEST: An ICE agent in the Chicago area for "Operation Midway Blitz" has been charged with DUI after leaving his shift at the Broadview facility.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/05/i...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/05/i...
‘Doesn’t look good’: ICE agent charged with drunken driving after shift at Broadview detention center
An Immigration and Enforcement agent has been charged with drunken driving after his car crashed after a shift at the Broadview detention center.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:13 AM
LATEST: An ICE agent in the Chicago area for "Operation Midway Blitz" has been charged with DUI after leaving his shift at the Broadview facility.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/05/i...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/05/i...
After the blitz took off, we published an investigation of the horrid conditions inside the Broadview ICE facility.
Yesterday, a hearing over those conditions took place after Illinois advocates filed a class-action lawsuit against immigration officials.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/04/b...
Yesterday, a hearing over those conditions took place after Illinois advocates filed a class-action lawsuit against immigration officials.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/04/b...
‘It has really become a prison’: Broadview detainees detail dirty, overcrowded facility in court
Detainees are held in harrowing conditions at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview, which is operating like a “black site” where people are little …
www.chicagotribune.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:20 PM
After the blitz took off, we published an investigation of the horrid conditions inside the Broadview ICE facility.
Yesterday, a hearing over those conditions took place after Illinois advocates filed a class-action lawsuit against immigration officials.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/04/b...
Yesterday, a hearing over those conditions took place after Illinois advocates filed a class-action lawsuit against immigration officials.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/04/b...
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
Relief could come soon for ICE detainees facing "cruel" conditions in Broadview, a judge says. blockclubchi.co/4qJ9nVq
November 5, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Relief could come soon for ICE detainees facing "cruel" conditions in Broadview, a judge says. blockclubchi.co/4qJ9nVq
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
Nearly two months into “Operation Midway Blitz,” the controversial use-of-force tactics by immigration agents under the Trump administration will take center stage Wednesday in a Chicago federal courtroom.
Testimony from Bovino, body-cam footage among evidence expected in hearing over use of force by immigration agents
Nearly two months into “Operation Midway Blitz,” the controversial use-of-force tactics by immigration agents under the Trump administration will take center stage in a Chicago federal …
trib.al
November 5, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Nearly two months into “Operation Midway Blitz,” the controversial use-of-force tactics by immigration agents under the Trump administration will take center stage Wednesday in a Chicago federal courtroom.
Immigration agents crashed into a U.S. citizen on her way to work—then dragged her out of her car and arrested her.
Her family couldn’t find her for hours.
She was later released without charges.
Read the story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...
Her family couldn’t find her for hours.
She was later released without charges.
Read the story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...
November 3, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Immigration agents crashed into a U.S. citizen on her way to work—then dragged her out of her car and arrested her.
Her family couldn’t find her for hours.
She was later released without charges.
Read the story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...
Her family couldn’t find her for hours.
She was later released without charges.
Read the story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
November 3, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
Candles, candy and colorful flowers adorned the ofrenda, or altar, that a couple of dozen people helped build Saturday to honor Silverio Villegas González, the man shot and killed by an ICE agent in northwest suburban Franklin Park nearly two months ago.
Chicago-area man killed by ICE honored at Franklin Park Day of the Dead celebration: ‘Someone who was wanted’
Candles, candy and colorful flowers adorned the ofrenda a couple dozen people helped build Saturday to honor Silverio Villegas González.
trib.al
November 3, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Candles, candy and colorful flowers adorned the ofrenda, or altar, that a couple of dozen people helped build Saturday to honor Silverio Villegas González, the man shot and killed by an ICE agent in northwest suburban Franklin Park nearly two months ago.
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
911 calls in Little Village, an epicenter of "Operation Midway Blitz," have dropped like a rock. Neighborhood crime is way down but fear of federal agents is way up. Reported by @samjcharles.bsky.social, @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social and Rebecca Johnson
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/9...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/9...
Operation Midway Blitz linked to dip in 911 calls, especially in Little Village
The rate of 911 calls made in Chicago has dropped precipitously in the two months since the start of Operation Midway Blitz, a Tribune review of city data found, and nowhere is the decrease more pr…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:11 PM
911 calls in Little Village, an epicenter of "Operation Midway Blitz," have dropped like a rock. Neighborhood crime is way down but fear of federal agents is way up. Reported by @samjcharles.bsky.social, @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social and Rebecca Johnson
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/9...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/9...
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
🧵 Gregory Royal Pratt and Laura Rodríguez Presa of the Chicago Tribune are doing great work on the immigration crackdown. Homeland Security has called out both of them on social media in futile attempts to intimidate them. @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social
NEWS: Trump administration’s Chicago immigration raids are coming to a city near you as Homeland Security sidelines old ICE leadership. “What we’re seeing now is what the rest of the nation can expect. This is the new model.” Our story on what that means www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/02/b...
Border Patrol’s strong-arm tactics are the new norm in Chicago as Trump moves to sideline ICE leadership
“What we’re seeing now is what the rest of the nation can expect,” said Fred Tsao, senior policy counsel at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 2, 2025 at 4:59 PM
🧵 Gregory Royal Pratt and Laura Rodríguez Presa of the Chicago Tribune are doing great work on the immigration crackdown. Homeland Security has called out both of them on social media in futile attempts to intimidate them. @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
“What immigration enforcement looks like now is not just arrests. It’s public intimidation.”
Must read by Chicago journalists @royalpratt.bsky.social & @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social on how Bovino & the border patrol are taking over from ICE with 'cameras rolling' & reckless racial profiling.
Must read by Chicago journalists @royalpratt.bsky.social & @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social on how Bovino & the border patrol are taking over from ICE with 'cameras rolling' & reckless racial profiling.
November 2, 2025 at 1:56 PM
“What immigration enforcement looks like now is not just arrests. It’s public intimidation.”
Must read by Chicago journalists @royalpratt.bsky.social & @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social on how Bovino & the border patrol are taking over from ICE with 'cameras rolling' & reckless racial profiling.
Must read by Chicago journalists @royalpratt.bsky.social & @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social on how Bovino & the border patrol are taking over from ICE with 'cameras rolling' & reckless racial profiling.
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
NEWS: Bovino won't have to make a daily court appearance. For now. DOJ motion argues that would hamper mission of "ensuring the Nation’s immigration laws are properly enforced by waylaying a senior executive official critical to that mission on a daily basis.”
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/29/b...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/29/b...
Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino’s daily report in federal court canceled by appeals court — for now
A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino does not have to appear daily in court to brief a federal judge on the latest uses of force in “Operation Midwa…
www.chicagotribune.com
October 29, 2025 at 10:18 PM
NEWS: Bovino won't have to make a daily court appearance. For now. DOJ motion argues that would hamper mission of "ensuring the Nation’s immigration laws are properly enforced by waylaying a senior executive official critical to that mission on a daily basis.”
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/29/b...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/29/b...
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
Breaking news: The United States economy will lose between $7 billion and $14 billion due to the federal government shutdown, according to a report released by Congress’s nonpartisan bookkeeper.
Report: Government shutdown will cost the economy up to $14 billion
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says the longer the government stays closed, the more costly the pause will be.
wapo.st
October 29, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Breaking news: The United States economy will lose between $7 billion and $14 billion due to the federal government shutdown, according to a report released by Congress’s nonpartisan bookkeeper.
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
There’s a @briancassella.bsky.social shot for this from just today!!
October 28, 2025 at 7:57 PM
There’s a @briancassella.bsky.social shot for this from just today!!
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
The Berwyn FB live feed incident occurred at 16th & Euclid. After striking the front end of the livestream recorder's vehicle, multiple masked Border Patrol agents appear from their own vehicles. One pulls the person recording out of their car, telling them, "you're under arrest for impeding."
Border Patrol slammed the burbs this morning while Bovino was in court. Now they're patrolling the city. Multiple people detained in Humboldt Park. A Blackhawk has been circling the north side. Just watched a FB live from Berwyn end as an agent backed into someone behind him, then detained them.
October 28, 2025 at 9:16 PM
The Berwyn FB live feed incident occurred at 16th & Euclid. After striking the front end of the livestream recorder's vehicle, multiple masked Border Patrol agents appear from their own vehicles. One pulls the person recording out of their car, telling them, "you're under arrest for impeding."
Reposted by Laura Rodríguez Presa
A federal judge was taking Border Control Cmdr. Gregory Bovino point-by-point through her temporary restraining order restricting the use of tear gas, telling him that “kids dressed in Halloween costumes” do not pose any threat.
Judge to Border Control Cmdr. Gregory Bovino: ‘Kids dressed in Halloween costumes’ walking to parade do not pose a threat
A federal judge was taking Border Control Cmdr. Gregory Bovino point by point through her temporary restraining order restricting the use of tear gas and other controversial tactics used by his age…
trib.al
October 28, 2025 at 4:18 PM
A federal judge was taking Border Control Cmdr. Gregory Bovino point-by-point through her temporary restraining order restricting the use of tear gas, telling him that “kids dressed in Halloween costumes” do not pose any threat.