Jason Meisner
@jmetr22b.bsky.social
Chicago Tribune reporter covering the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse and criminal justice issues in Chicago.
Here is another video of Dana Briggs’ arrest for allegedly assaulting an immigration agent in Broadview that day, where Greg Bovino was leading the charge.
Briggs’ lawyer wanted to call Bovino as a witness at trial next month, but the charges were dropped
Briggs’ lawyer wanted to call Bovino as a witness at trial next month, but the charges were dropped
November 25, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Here is another video of Dana Briggs’ arrest for allegedly assaulting an immigration agent in Broadview that day, where Greg Bovino was leading the charge.
Briggs’ lawyer wanted to call Bovino as a witness at trial next month, but the charges were dropped
Briggs’ lawyer wanted to call Bovino as a witness at trial next month, but the charges were dropped
JUST IN: Body cam video of the arrest of Broadview protester and military vet Dana Briggs has been released after federal prosecutors dropped misdemeanor assault/impeding charges against him last week
November 24, 2025 at 11:03 PM
JUST IN: Body cam video of the arrest of Broadview protester and military vet Dana Briggs has been released after federal prosecutors dropped misdemeanor assault/impeding charges against him last week
Same old, same old in Chicago’s federal court Thursday….
November 21, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Same old, same old in Chicago’s federal court Thursday….
Agent 1: “I can tell you right now how it’s going to go. We’re going to try to get out, they’re going to block our vehicles, we’re going to tell them to move, they don’t, we gas.”
Agent 2: “We’re definitely gassing them when we leave. Just start throwing shit”
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/i...
Agent 2: “We’re definitely gassing them when we leave. Just start throwing shit”
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/i...
Injunction ruling provides new look at Operation Midway Blitz, from tear gas to agent using ChatGPT to help write report
A federal judge on Thursday issued a scathing opinion that takes a deep dive into the use of force by immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Agent 1: “I can tell you right now how it’s going to go. We’re going to try to get out, they’re going to block our vehicles, we’re going to tell them to move, they don’t, we gas.”
Agent 2: “We’re definitely gassing them when we leave. Just start throwing shit”
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/i...
Agent 2: “We’re definitely gassing them when we leave. Just start throwing shit”
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/i...
NEW: In granting dismissal of charges against "Operation Midway Blitz" protestor Dana Briggs, Judge Gabriel Fuentes has a LOT to say about the feds' tanking credibility.
"These are not ordinary times at the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse."
"These are not ordinary times at the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse."
November 20, 2025 at 11:45 PM
NEW: In granting dismissal of charges against "Operation Midway Blitz" protestor Dana Briggs, Judge Gabriel Fuentes has a LOT to say about the feds' tanking credibility.
"These are not ordinary times at the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse."
"These are not ordinary times at the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse."
A telephone status hearing with Judge Sara Ellis is about to begin, where they are expected to talk about next steps in this case, as well as when all the body cams and other evidence will be publicly released.
NEW: Body-worn camera video captured an immigration agent in Chicago using ChatGPT to “compile a narrative for a report based off of a brief sentence about an encounter and several images,” Judge Ellis reveals in a scathing written ruling.
Story here:
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/i...
Story here:
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/i...
Injunction ruling provides new look at ‘Blitz,’ from tear gas to agent using ChatGPT to help write report
A federal judge on Thursday issued a scathing opinion that takes a deep dive into the use of force by immigration agents during “Operation Midway Blitz,” revealing new information glean…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:32 PM
A telephone status hearing with Judge Sara Ellis is about to begin, where they are expected to talk about next steps in this case, as well as when all the body cams and other evidence will be publicly released.
NEW: Body-worn camera video captured an immigration agent in Chicago using ChatGPT to “compile a narrative for a report based off of a brief sentence about an encounter and several images,” Judge Ellis reveals in a scathing written ruling.
Story here:
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/i...
Story here:
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/i...
Injunction ruling provides new look at ‘Blitz,’ from tear gas to agent using ChatGPT to help write report
A federal judge on Thursday issued a scathing opinion that takes a deep dive into the use of force by immigration agents during “Operation Midway Blitz,” revealing new information glean…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:16 PM
NEW: Body-worn camera video captured an immigration agent in Chicago using ChatGPT to “compile a narrative for a report based off of a brief sentence about an encounter and several images,” Judge Ellis reveals in a scathing written ruling.
Story here:
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/i...
Story here:
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/i...
A statement from the US attorney's office says they are "constantly evaluating new facts and information relating to cases and investigations arising out of Operation Midway Blitz, the largest ever law enforcement surge in the Northern District of Illinois."
DEVELOPING: With prosecutors abruptly moving to dismiss all charges, Marimar Martinez’s case is poised to be the latest — and clearly highest-profile — indictment against “Operation Midway Blitz” protesters to disintegrate at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.
Story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/m...
Story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/m...
Feds move to dismiss charges against woman shot by border agent amid controversy over bragging texts
Federal prosecutors on Thursday abruptly moved to dismiss all charges against a woman shot by a Border Patrol agent after she allegedly rammed his vehicle in Brighton Park last month, marking a str…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:42 PM
A statement from the US attorney's office says they are "constantly evaluating new facts and information relating to cases and investigations arising out of Operation Midway Blitz, the largest ever law enforcement surge in the Northern District of Illinois."
STORY here: Federal appeals court temporarily halts release of hundreds of 'Operation Midway Blitz' detainees, sets oral arguments for Dec. 2
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/f...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/f...
Federal appeals court temporarily halts release of hundreds of ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ detainees
A federal appeals court has temporarily halted the release on bond of hundreds of immigrants whose arrests during Operation Midway Blitz are being challenged under a consent decree.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:09 PM
STORY here: Federal appeals court temporarily halts release of hundreds of 'Operation Midway Blitz' detainees, sets oral arguments for Dec. 2
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/f...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/f...
November 20, 2025 at 5:42 PM
The Trump administration argued the orders “subject the government to burdensome, costly and intrusive mandates -- including training, documentation and reporting requirements — and cripple the government’s renewed implementation of the nation's immigration laws after years of non-enforcement."
///BREAKING/// The 7th Circuit has GRANTED the Trump administration’s request to stay the release of hundreds of “Operation Midway Blitz” arrestees on Friday chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/onl…
November 20, 2025 at 5:37 PM
The Trump administration argued the orders “subject the government to burdensome, costly and intrusive mandates -- including training, documentation and reporting requirements — and cripple the government’s renewed implementation of the nation's immigration laws after years of non-enforcement."
///BREAKING/// The 7th Circuit has GRANTED the Trump administration’s request to stay the release of hundreds of “Operation Midway Blitz” arrestees on Friday chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/onl…
November 20, 2025 at 5:26 PM
///BREAKING/// The 7th Circuit has GRANTED the Trump administration’s request to stay the release of hundreds of “Operation Midway Blitz” arrestees on Friday chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/onl…
DEVELOPING: With prosecutors abruptly moving to dismiss all charges, Marimar Martinez’s case is poised to be the latest — and clearly highest-profile — indictment against “Operation Midway Blitz” protesters to disintegrate at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.
Story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/m...
Story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/m...
Feds move to dismiss charges against woman shot by border agent amid controversy over bragging texts
Federal prosecutors on Thursday abruptly moved to dismiss all charges against a woman shot by a Border Patrol agent after she allegedly rammed his vehicle in Brighton Park last month, marking a str…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:12 PM
DEVELOPING: With prosecutors abruptly moving to dismiss all charges, Marimar Martinez’s case is poised to be the latest — and clearly highest-profile — indictment against “Operation Midway Blitz” protesters to disintegrate at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.
Story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/m...
Story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/m...
///BREAKING/// Federal prosecutors just moved to DISMISS all charges against Marimar Martinez and her co-defendant, Anthony Ruiz, a wild end to a controversial case.
November 20, 2025 at 3:49 PM
///BREAKING/// Federal prosecutors just moved to DISMISS all charges against Marimar Martinez and her co-defendant, Anthony Ruiz, a wild end to a controversial case.
Q: What did you mean by “Read it. 5 shots?” Why are you pointing that fact out?
A: I’m a firearms instructor. And I take pride in my shooting skills.
Q: You take pride in your shooting skills?
A: That’s correct.
Border agent’s texts at issue in shooting case www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/m...
A: I’m a firearms instructor. And I take pride in my shooting skills.
Q: You take pride in your shooting skills?
A: That’s correct.
Border agent’s texts at issue in shooting case www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/m...
More texts uncovered from Border Patrol agent who bragged about ‘shooting skills’ after wounding woman in Brighton Park
An immigration agent who bragged to colleagues about his marksmanship after shooting a Chicago woman accused of ramming his vehicle sent other text messages that are now in the hands of defense att…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Q: What did you mean by “Read it. 5 shots?” Why are you pointing that fact out?
A: I’m a firearms instructor. And I take pride in my shooting skills.
Q: You take pride in your shooting skills?
A: That’s correct.
Border agent’s texts at issue in shooting case www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/m...
A: I’m a firearms instructor. And I take pride in my shooting skills.
Q: You take pride in your shooting skills?
A: That’s correct.
Border agent’s texts at issue in shooting case www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/m...
A federal appeals court has put the brakes - at least temporarily - on a preliminary injunction restricting the use of force in “Operation Midway Blitz,” saying it is “overbroad” and improperly targets the entire executive branch, including Trump.
Story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/19/c...
Story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/19/c...
Chicago appeals court halts order restricting use of force by immigration agents, calling it ‘overbroad’
A Chicago federal appeals court on Wednesday put the brakes on a lower court’s preliminary injunction restricting the use of force in “Operation Midway Blitz,” saying it is “…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:59 PM
A federal appeals court has put the brakes - at least temporarily - on a preliminary injunction restricting the use of force in “Operation Midway Blitz,” saying it is “overbroad” and improperly targets the entire executive branch, including Trump.
Story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/19/c...
Story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/19/c...
///BREAKING//// The 7th Circuit has GRANTED the Trump administration's request to stay Judge Ellis' preliminary injunction restricting the use of force by immigration agents against protesters and media calling it "overbroad"
Story to come
Story to come
November 19, 2025 at 8:06 PM
///BREAKING//// The 7th Circuit has GRANTED the Trump administration's request to stay Judge Ellis' preliminary injunction restricting the use of force by immigration agents against protesters and media calling it "overbroad"
Story to come
Story to come
Police suspect Lawrence Reed also tried to set City Hall on fire this week. In 2020, he was accused of setting a fire at the Thompson Center.
Court records show he has a history of mental illness.
Story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/19/f...
Court records show he has a history of mental illness.
Story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/19/f...
Man hit with federal terrorism charge in arson attack on CTA Blue Line
Prosecutors Wednesday afternoon charged Reed, of Chicago, with a single count of terrorism against a mass transportation system in an attack on the CTA Blue Line.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Police suspect Lawrence Reed also tried to set City Hall on fire this week. In 2020, he was accused of setting a fire at the Thompson Center.
Court records show he has a history of mental illness.
Story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/19/f...
Court records show he has a history of mental illness.
Story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/19/f...
Lawrence Reed was arrested about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday near Daley Plaza. While being taken back to the Area 4 headquarters he was yelling "Burn bitch" and "burn alive bitch," according to the complaint.
He has an initial appearance at 2:30 p.m. at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse
He has an initial appearance at 2:30 p.m. at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse
November 19, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Lawrence Reed was arrested about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday near Daley Plaza. While being taken back to the Area 4 headquarters he was yelling "Burn bitch" and "burn alive bitch," according to the complaint.
He has an initial appearance at 2:30 p.m. at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse
He has an initial appearance at 2:30 p.m. at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse
///BREAKING/// The feds have charged Lawrence Reed, 50, with a terrorist act on mass transit after he allegedly lit a woman on fire on a CTA Blue Line train downtown earlier this week.
An image from the complaint allegedly shows Reed approaching the victim with a flaming bottle
An image from the complaint allegedly shows Reed approaching the victim with a flaming bottle
November 19, 2025 at 7:30 PM
///BREAKING/// The feds have charged Lawrence Reed, 50, with a terrorist act on mass transit after he allegedly lit a woman on fire on a CTA Blue Line train downtown earlier this week.
An image from the complaint allegedly shows Reed approaching the victim with a flaming bottle
An image from the complaint allegedly shows Reed approaching the victim with a flaming bottle
As of today, only 4 people were being held at the Broadview ICE facility outside Chicago, a precipitous drop that followed Judge Robert Gettleman's temporary restraining order over allegedly squalid conditions there. chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/b...
Sharp drop in detainees at ICE facility in Broadview follows temporary restraining order
The number of detainees held at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Broadview has dropped precipitously since a federal judge ordered the government to comply with req…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:26 PM
As of today, only 4 people were being held at the Broadview ICE facility outside Chicago, a precipitous drop that followed Judge Robert Gettleman's temporary restraining order over allegedly squalid conditions there. chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/b...
UPDATE: The Trump administration has asked the 7th Circuit to block the release of some 450 Chicago-area immigration arrestees, arguing the judge made a "bevy of legal errors" that put public safety at risk and "cripple" immigration enforcement.
background:
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/12/f...
background:
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/12/f...
Federal judge says he’ll order release of hundreds of Operation Midway Blitz arrestees on bond
A federal judge in Chicago said he plans to grant bond to hundreds of immigrants whose arrests under “Operation Midway Blitz” allegedly violated a consent decree against “warrantl…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:24 PM
UPDATE: The Trump administration has asked the 7th Circuit to block the release of some 450 Chicago-area immigration arrestees, arguing the judge made a "bevy of legal errors" that put public safety at risk and "cripple" immigration enforcement.
background:
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/12/f...
background:
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/12/f...
NEW: At least six Venezuelan immigrants arrested in a Sept. 30 raid on a South Shore apartment building are among hundreds who could be released on bond amid allegations “Operation Midway Blitz” agents violated a consent decree limiting warrantless arrests.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/17/v...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/17/v...
Six Venezuelan migrants arrested in South Shore immigration raid among hundreds who could be released
At least six Venezuelan nationals arrested in a controversial immigration raid on a South Shore apartment building in September are among hundreds who could soon be released on bond amid allegation…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:59 PM
NEW: At least six Venezuelan immigrants arrested in a Sept. 30 raid on a South Shore apartment building are among hundreds who could be released on bond amid allegations “Operation Midway Blitz” agents violated a consent decree limiting warrantless arrests.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/17/v...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/17/v...
A federal judge in Chicago is set to decide this week how many of the roughly 500 immigrants on this list who are still in the country should be freed on bond while their cases play out.
DOJ identified only about 10% as a public safety risk
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/o...
DOJ identified only about 10% as a public safety risk
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/o...
Only 2.6% on list of 614 ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ arrestees had criminal histories, DOJ records show
Meanwhile, the other 598 people on the list had no listed criminal history at all.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:23 PM
A federal judge in Chicago is set to decide this week how many of the roughly 500 immigrants on this list who are still in the country should be freed on bond while their cases play out.
DOJ identified only about 10% as a public safety risk
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/o...
DOJ identified only about 10% as a public safety risk
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/o...
