Immigration enforcement near schools has disrupted classes, resulting in a drop-off in student attendance and impacts on the mental health of students and teachers. In the Loop gets an update on efforts to keep students safe with Chicago Board of Education member Norma Rios-Sierra, former CPS history teacher Rebecca Martinez and clinical child psychologist Rebecca Ford-Paz. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

The Trump administration is reducing the number of refugees allowed to enter the U.S. each year from 125,000 to 7,500 and prioritizing the admission of white South Africans, or Akrifaners. In the Loop learns what this means for local refugees from Mohammed, who is waiting to be reunited with his family, and Sally Schulze, communications manager at RefugeeOne.For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Crossing Borders Music has been using Western classical instruments to highlight human rights abuses. The group is highlighting federal immigration enforcement in the Chicago area with the hope that folks being detained inside the Broadview ICE processing facility hear the music and know that they are not alone. In the Loop talks with cellist and co-founder Tom Clowes and violist Wilfred Farquharson.For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

President Trump’s goal of deploying National Guard troops to Chicago is on hold as the Supreme Court requests more information. Meanwhile, a federal appeals court blocked an order requiring Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino to report to court daily, and in Little Village, high school students staged a walk-out to protest ICE actions. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more with NBC 5 Chicago reporter Christian Farr, government finance and accountability reporter with the Illinois Answers Project at the Better Government Association Alex Nitkin and Jackie Serrato, editor of La Voz, the Spanish language news site of the Chicago Sun-Times.For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Judge scolds Border Patrol chief, Little Village students stage walk-out over ICE raids, downstate jury finds ex-cop guilty of second degree murder in Sonya Massey shooting.

The government has been shut down for nearly a month, and millions of people are starting to feel the effects on federal programs like SNAP, WIC, Head Start and more. In the Loop talks with Brightpoint CEO Mike Shaver, Rolling Meadows resident and mother Wendy Mamola and Northwestern professor Terri Sabol about how a prolonged shutdown could impact the early childhood education and other services provided by Head Start.

For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

As federal agents continue to do immigration enforcement across the Chicago area, they frequently deploy chemical munitions like tear gas and smoke bombs on protesters. What’s inside these weapons? What are their health effects or environmental impacts? In the Loop hears from Dr. Monica Peek, physician and health disparities researcher and a national board member of Physicians for Human Rights and from Oscar Sanchez, co-executive director, Southeast Environmental Task Force.For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Unlike during the government shutdown in 2018-2019, the USDA is not using contingency funds to cover the cost of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. This means that nearly two million people in Illinois will have their benefits paused starting on November 1 if the government does not change course. In the Loop hears from Aubrey Lewandowski, a local SNAP recipient and from Nolan Downey, senior director of policy at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Some alders balk at Mayor Johnson’s budget. Meanwhile, Archbishop Cupich and lawmakers push back on immigration arrests as the Supreme Court considers allowing the National Guard in Chicago.