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    Carlos Ballesteros

    Carlos Ballesteros

    Carlos is a reporter at Injustice Watch covering police, politics and immigrant communities. Previously, he worked at the Chicago Sun-Times and Newsweek. Carlos was born in Chicago and lives in the city’s Lower West Side.

    • Follow @ballesteros_312
    Juvenile Justice
    Illustration of a youth sitting on the ground up against a wall with his head in his hands, as a guard at the Cook County juvenile jail looks on.

    Teens at Cook County juvenile jail face excessive force, extreme isolation, and other civil rights abuses, watchdog finds

    By Carlos Ballesteros and Kelly Garcia | March 17, 2023

    Interviews, site visits, and records reviewed by a legal advocacy group reveal abusive behavior by staff against mostly Black teens with learning disabilities, according to a new report. Jail officials deny the claims.

    Español
    A pink-and-blue hued sketch of a young woman in duplicate. On the left side she's smiling, on the right side she has a sad expression.

    El DCFS de Illinois impide que personas indocumentadas sobrevivientes de abuso infantil soliciten estatus legal, según muestran los registros

    By Carlos Ballesteros | February 27, 2023

    Durante años, el DCFS se ha negado a emitir certificaciones de visa U a sobrevivientes de abuso infantil, a pesar de una ley estatal que exige que la agencia decida si las víctimas califican para una enlos 90 días hábiles posteriores a la solicitud.

    Immigration
    A pink-and-blue hued sketch of a young woman in duplicate. On the left side she's smiling, on the right side she has a sad expression.

    Illinois DCFS blocks undocumented survivors of child abuse from applying for legal status, records show

    By Carlos Ballesteros | February 23, 2023

    For years, the child-welfare agency has refused to issue U visa certifications to survivors of child abuse, despite a state law mandating DCFS decide whether victims qualify for one within 90 business days of applying.

    Immigration

    Illinois AG investigating Chicago police over handling of U visas

    By Carlos Ballesteros | February 6, 2023

    The probe by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul follows Injustice Watch’s investigation into the Chicago Police Department’s denial of hundreds of U visa certification requests from undocumented crime victims.

    Immigration

    Alderpeople call for hearings on Chicago police U visa certification program following Injustice Watch investigation

    By Carlos Ballesteros | December 15, 2022

    The investigation revealed that Chicago police denied more U visa certification requests than other large cities, and some of the denials contradicted state and federal guidelines.

    Español
    Illustration of a silhouette with a scene of a man getting stabbed outside his truck. In the background are pages of U visa denials.

    La policía de Chicago negó a decenas de indocumentados que fueron víctimas de delitos un camino hacia la ciudadanía

    By Carlos Ballesteros | December 12, 2022

    Inmigrantes que buscan una visa U están siendo bloqueados por dos sargentos que anteriormente estuvieron cerca de ser despedidos por estar involucrados en tiroteos controversiales, lo cual genera dudas sobre el compromiso de CPD con el programa de visas U.

    Immigration
    Illustration of two police officers placing U visa applications in a pile labeled “denied.”

    Chicago police denied scores of undocumented crime victims a path to citizenship

    By Carlos Ballesteros | December 8, 2022

    Immigrants seeking a U visa are being blocked by two sergeants who were previously involved in controversial shootings and on the verge of being fired, raising questions about CPD’s commitment to the U visa program.

    SAFE-T Act

    There’s no ‘Purge Law’: Debunking right-wing propaganda about the SAFE-T Act

    By Carlos Ballesteros | September 15, 2022

    Myths, half-truths, and obvious falsehoods about the SAFE-T Act have spread like wildfire. Injustice Watch breaks down and fact-checks some of the most egregious claims.

    News
    A small bed in a darkly lit detention center room with brick walls and a single sink-toilet. There's a mural on the back wall with a bird and the words

    Cook County juvenile jail using ‘semantics’ to hide many hours youths are isolated: report

    By Jonah Newman and Carlos Ballesteros | August 23, 2022

    Most youths at the jail ‘are locked in their cells for most of the day, every day,’ possibly resulting in long-term damage to their mental health, according to a committee convened last year by Chief Judge Tim Evans.

    Judicial Conduct

    Cook County judge accused of physical and verbal harassment when she was a prosecutor; office says allegations were ‘unsubstantiated’

    By Carlos Ballesteros and Maya Dukmasova | June 24, 2022

    Primary candidate Judge Ruth Gudino allegedly ‘engaged in unwanted touching’ and bullied co-workers as a prosecutor, according to a memo obtained by Injustice Watch. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said the allegations were ‘unsubstantiated.’

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