Illinois ranks among six states that host the majority of the nation's record 14 million unauthorized immigrants, a new Pew study finds.

Why it matters: The report highlights the historic rise in unauthorized immigrants during President Biden's first two years in office, fueling the backlash that helped Donald Trump's return to the White House as Latinos in places like South Texas began shifting to the GOP.

Zoom in: Similar Latino divisions emerged in Chicago during the 2023-24 migrant crisis when some long-term unauthorized residents questioned the benefits being bestowed on new arrivals.

Yes, but: Illinois is doubling down on new protections for immigrant students. This month, Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Safe Schools For All Act, which enshrines a child's right to education regardless of immigration status and pushes districts to outline policies for responding to immigration raids.

By the numbers: The Pew Research Center estimates that in 2023 nearly 8 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the top six immigrant states.

• That's 56% of the total unauthorized immigrant population in the U.S, compared to 80% in 1990.
• The tally found that Illinois was home to about 550,000 unauthorized immigrants (or 4.4 % of the state population) while California led the nation with 2.3 million, followed by Texas with 2.1 million.

Zoom in: Between 2021 and 2023, unauthorized immigrant populations grew by 75,000 or more in eight states — New Jersey, Illinois, Georgia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio.

• But the biggest jumps occurred in the red states of Florida with around 700,000 and Texas, with 450,000 more.

Go deeper

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) accessed data collected from Illinois license plate readers, a violation of state law, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias says.

The big picture: Illinois passed a law in 2023 that prohibits automated license plate readers (ALPRs) from sharing data with police investigating out-of-state abortions or undocumented immigrants.

The latest: ALPR camera operator Flock Safety gave CBP access to Illinois license plate camera data, the Secretary of State's office announced this week.

Catch up quick: Giannoulias' office initiated an audit in June after reports found that Texas law enforcement accessed Flock data from police departments across the country to look into a woman who left the state to get an abortion.

• Suburban Mount Prospect was one of the police departments searched, and the chief said at the time he didn't know the department had even opted into that feature.

What they're saying: "While it is true that Flock does not presently have a contractual relationship with any U.S. Department of Homeland Security agencies, we have engaged in limited pilots with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to assist those agencies in combatting human trafficking and fentanyl distribution," company CEO Garrett Langley said in a statement.

• "As of last week, all ongoing federal pilots have been paused," the statement added.

The other side: Axios reached out to CBP yesterday but did not receive a response.

What's next

After five years of high-profile trials, "tell-all" interviews and shocking twists in the Jussie Smollett case, we thought there was nothing left to say about it.

• Netflix's new documentary on the subject hasn't changed that opinion, but it did deliver 90 minutes of popcorn-worthy entertainment.

The big picture: "The Truth About Jussie Smollett" questions the actor's guilt in staging and reporting a 2019 hate crime against himself, mainly based on — wait for it — a history of corruption in the Chicago Police Department.

The intrigue: Left unexplained by Smollett supporters in the film is why the Osundairo brothers, who say they were paid by the actor to stage the crime, appear on video buying the equipment used in it and later leaving the "crime" scene.

The bottom line: Even if the documentary fails in the "new evidence" department, it still delivers a crisp 90 minutes of interviews with Smollett, the Osundairos, their spunky lawyer, former TV reporter Rafer Weigel and an F-bomb-dropping Johnson.

Read more

🗞️ The Chicago Reader has been acquired by Noisy Creek, a Seattle-based media company that also owns The Stranger and Portland Mercury. (Axios)

🚴🏽‍♀️ The Winnemac Avenue Neighborhood Greenway, a more than 2-mile bike route connecting the Lakefront path to the North Shore Channel Trail, is slated for completion by year's end. (Block Club)

🐻 The Bears cut several players yesterday to get their roster down to 53 players. Notable cuts were DT Zacch Pickens, WR Tyler Scott and OL Doug Kramer. (Tribune)

🗓️ Mark your calendar with our Event Board.

'80s vs '90s Night at the Zoo at Lincoln Park Zoo on Sept. 19: Adults 21+ enjoy after-hours access to Lincoln Park Zoo with '80s vs. '90s music, drinks, karaoke, games, photo ops, and wildlife. Costumes encouraged. Carousel rides included. $20.

Hosting an event? Email [email protected].

We are down to the final four choices for this week's tournament to pick the best sports uniform.

The takeaway: Readers love the team's current fits.

The matchups: White Sox vs. Blackhawks and Cubs vs. Bears.

Vote here. We'll keep the polls open until 4pm.

👋🏽 Hey, it's Monica! Welcome back to my tour of local happy hours.

The spot: Avaspi, 1258 W. Belmont Ave.

The vibe: This Lakeview eatery in the former Fahlstrom's Fish Market space bills itself as an Anatolian tapas bar, but the interior oozes dark Euro nightclub.

• Request outdoor seating if you like more light.

The time: 4-6pm, Tuesday-Thursday

The bites: Kebabs, dips, stuffed eggplant and grape leaves at a small discount from regular menu prices.

The drinks: $6 beer, $10 cocktails and $12 glasses of wine.

Best bet: A glass of wine from an excellent list and tender calamari meze ($16).

• Skip the pretty-looking but flavor-challenged cold dips ($10 each).

🍷 Eight-word review: Pricy eats, moderate drinks in dark Euro bar.

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