Police drones are used to chase Black youth across campus and spy on “unruly” protesters, as I found in my recent survey of local police for @smilepolitely.com

www.smilepolitely.com/opinion/dron...

Campus Labor Coalition Launches “ICE OUT” Campaign with Press Conference at Willard Airport As the men’s basketball team played in the Final Four, a speak out against the University of Illinois’ flights with GlobalX.

Campus labor coalition launches "ICE OUT" campaign. BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/campus-lab...

Angie Martin recounted the 2024 death of her fiancé George Christopher at the Champaign County jail. "We still miss him," she said. BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/fiance-of-...

Bus Tour of Underground Railroad in Champaign County Get to the Urbana Free Library if you can by this Sunday to see an Underground Railroad exhibit before it’s closed!

I got on the bus for an amazing tour of the Underground Railroad in Urbana-Champaign with Angela Rivers and Barbara Suggs-Mason. Check out my write up! BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/bus-tour-o...

By analyzing records obtained by @deportationdata.org, I found that the total number of people who have experienced ICE detention in the first 9 months of the Trump admin amounts to the population of a mid-sized city.

Organizing Against the Arrest-to-Deportation Pipeline Immigration data scientist Austin Kocher talks with activists in St. Louis.

My report back from a trip to St. Louis to meet @austinkocher.com and my friends from Abide in Love in Missouri. BD

“I make the distinction that what’s happening is [...] a whole suite of novel and creatively cruel new strategies that we’ve never seen before." -- Austin Kocher

Thanks Adam for sharing! BD

As ICE seeks to turn commercial warehouses across the country into massive detention centers, communities are fighting back, @bdolinar.bsky.social reports: theappeal.org/ice-wants-to...

The Limits Of Sanctuary Laws In Illinois The only “crime” Mary committed was trying to provide her children with a better future.

“My ‘crime’ is leaving my country, Honduras, to be able to give a better life to my children and my parents,” Mary wrote.

Read more at my Substack:

briandolinar.substack.com/p/the-limits...

Thanks @adamjst.bsky.social and keep up the great research! BD

Champaign’s attempt to criminalize homelessness fails after swift public outcry - Opinion On December 2, 2025, after two and a half hours of public comment from some 40 community members, Champaign city council voted 9-0 against an ordinance banning public camping, with Mayor Deb Feinen ad...

On gentrification and Trump-type anti-homeless types in Champaign. BD

www.smilepolitely.com/opinion/cham...

What I’ve Been Reading: Hip Hop History Lessons My winter hibernation reading list.

Read about what I've been reading about. BD

"For me Tupac’s life is a story about the arc of Black revolution from the 1960s to the present."

briandolinar.substack.com/p/what-ive-b...

Fun With FOIAs! An Update On My Ongoing Investigations The Midwest is my beat. Support independent journalism.

An update on my many outstanding FOIAs and ideas for #2026 BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/fun-with-f...

My latest for Truthout on local organizers resisting ICE #chingalamigra BD

Crushing ICE: Champaign-Urbana Shuts Down AT&T For A Day Champaign-Urbana participated in a statewide protest on Sunday, November 16, to expose AT&T which is providing the digital infrastructure for Trump’s deportation machine.

Watch a four-minute video of our AT&T rally in Champaign #AbolishICE BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/crushing-i...

Guatemalan Man at the Center of Trump’s “Midway Blitz” Sentenced A 30-year sentence for Julio Cucul-Bol but pro-Trump father says it’s not enough

My write up on Julio Cucul-Bol's sentencing, political pawns, and cats. BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/guatemalan...

Going to Court for Freedom My first trip to the Cook County Criminal Courts building

Going to the courthouse is always a learning experience. Read about my friend Shonda who was in court in Cook County this week. BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/going-to-c...

Wanted: Immigration Detainers Sent to the Champaign County jail A records requests produced a list of 29 local immigrants under the threat of arrest.

Through a FOIA request, I obtained 29 immigration detainers sent to the Champaign County jail. Read more at my Substack. BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/wanted-imm...

Stories from the C-U Immigrant Community Collected by my neighbor Greg Springer, I'm publishing the stories here.

Read immigrant stories unique to those living in Champaign-Urbana. Thanks to my neighbor Greg Springer for sharing. BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/stories-fr...

Survival and Resilience Some updates of local immigration defense work

Trump's "Midway Blitz is connected to my hometown Urbana, and some more updates at my recent Substack. BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/survival-a...

Digging Up the History of My Immigrant Family The search for my great-uncle who died in the coal mines of Southeast Kansas.

I went on a road trip to find my lost great-uncle who died in the coal mines of SE Kansas. Read more at my Substack! BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/digging-up...

Stateville Speaks on Fighting Fascism We asked those on the inside about how to resist the growing repression.

Read the new issue of Stateville Speaks! BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/stateville...

A Fight Is Brewing in the Midwest Over Immigrant Mass Detention As ICE expands its presence across the Midwest, activists fight the reopening of private prisons to jail migrants.

Check out my article mapping ICE detention & resistance in the Midwest for @truthout.org @silkys13.bsky.social #AbolishICE BD

truthout.org/articles/a-f...

ICE Strikes in East Urbana Roofing crew disappeared with barely a trace

ICE picked up a roofing crew last week in Urbana. Here's what I was able to find out #AbolishICE BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/ice-strike...

Abolish ICE and Unbuilding Walls What I've been doing when I'm not playing Soccer Dad

Read my latest Substack! BD briandolinar.substack.com/p/abolish-ic...

Fish In A Barrel: Four Feds Arrest Two Men at Traffic Court ICE arrests resume at the courthouse

Those of us on the right side of history must say no deportations no matter what #abolition BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/fish-in-a-...

Cellebrite and Celebrations Urbana votes for police accountability

The back story to my Cellebrite article. And some reflections on Urbana's election yesterday. BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/cellebrite...

My latest w/ Tara Goodarzi #freepalestine #stoppolicespying BD

Trump's ICE Agents Arrest Garbage Worker in CU ICE has arrived in town, as I confirm in this story.

This week I confirmed ICE was in CU. Sign up for my Substack for more reports. BD

briandolinar.substack.com/p/trumps-ice...

Look At All These Rumors: ICE Everywhere and Nowhere Threats of ICE raids have yet to materialize.

Where's Waldo? Read more at my Substack, "Sentences." BD