This week’s top photo comes from Photojournalist and Photo Desk Editor Ashlee Rezin. Follow her on X and Instagram.
What makes this photo important?
The aggressive federal tactics of “Operation Midway Blitz” have not stopped. This man went to work that day, like any other day. Then, he was detained at an immigration checkpoint in a rideshare lot near O'Hare International Airport. There is no sunset on this story.
How I got this photo
When U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino returned to the Chicago area Tuesday, Sun-Times photojournalists followed him and his caravan of agents as they led the Trump administration’s deportation efforts. After detaining several people outside multiple Home Depots, gas stations and at least one Costco in north and northwest suburban areas Wednesday, Bovino's caravan made their way to the rideshare lot near dusk. My colleagues and I witnessed more than half a dozen people being detained over about 8 hours of diligently following the caravan that day.
Photojournalists bear witness to what is happening in the world, providing an important public service in a universal language. This mission keeps me going on hard days.
Technical details:
Equipment: Canon EOS R5 with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM lens
Focal length: 128mm
Aperture: f/4
Exposure: 1/1250
ISO: 800
26 more great photos from the Sun-Times:
The border extending into the distance of U.S. and Mexico near Ocotillo, California, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Jenn Budd, author and former Border Patrol officer, sits in her home in San Diego, California, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Farm workers work in the fields outside of El Centro, California, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
A local activist joins a protest outside the Jones House Community Center in Boone, N.C. against recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the state, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
The landmark rock formation overlooks the Johns River Gorge in Blowing Rock, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. The gorge is nestled in the sprawling Blue Ridge Mountains.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Jason Perry stands outside his trailer home in Boone, N.C., Wednesday, Nov, 19. 2025. Perry wrestled with Gregory Bovino when they attended Watauga High School in the 1980s.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino looks on after federal immigration enforcement agents detained an individual outside a Mobil gas station at 1950 Green Bay Rd. in Evanston, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Federal immigration enforcement agents shatter a truck’s window and detain two men outside a Home Depot at 2201 Oakton St. in Evanston, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Border Patrol agents detain an individual near West 27th Street and South Ridgeway Avenue in Little Village, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Border Patrol agents follow Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino as they enter an icy alleyway near West 27th Street and South Ridgeway Avenue in Little Village, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Staff prepare and serve orders at Crazy Nights, a Hanukkah-themed bar in Lake View, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Penelope rides her new bike, which was donated by SocialWorks, Chance the Rapper’s nonprofit, in partnership with Raising Cane’s on the Far South Side, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Lorenzo Elano performs as the Prince in the “Nutcracker On Ice” at the Robert Crown Community Center Ice Rink in suburban Evanston, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Volunteer Maggie Zalewski carries a kitten during the Holiday Adopt-a-Thon at PAWS Chicago in Lincoln Park, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Chicago Bears defensive back Zah Frazier #35 celebrates with teammates after catching an interception during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Chicago Bears fans enjoy a frigid Chicago Bears game against the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Olive Black Chicago owner Wendy Prinn sits at Olive Black Chicago in Lake View, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, after burglars broke into her bar, took the ATM machine and presents that were supposed to be donated.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Dozens of people attend a press conference over sudden and recent immigration enforcement actions in the Chicago area, at Enlace Chicago in the Little Village neighborhood, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Willis Tower can be seen through the gaps of an ice-encrusted pier railing near Oakwood Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Muralist and illustrator Katie Lukes stands next to her largest mural to date on the north facing wall of a building located at 4713 N. Western Ave in the Lincoln Square neighborhood, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Cameron Winter, front man of Geese, performs at Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Maria Sanchez, left, and Liana Lorenzo, co-owners and founders of Lasting Memories Events, stand together at the bar of the La Parranda Boricua pop-up located at Le Lo Lai Gallery in Humboldt Park, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Night Ministry client “Babe,” center, receives food and essential supplies from staff member Haley Hatton, right, and volunteer Ali Noe outside the Street Medicine mobile van on the West Side, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Gerardo Lopez-Moreno, who is standing in the approximate area where a suspected robbery crew smashed into his work van, recounts his experience in the Lake View neighborhood, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) looks up at the number of City Council members present during a City Council meeting at City Hall, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Governor J.B. Pritzker speaks to the press after signing the Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act during a ceremony at Union Station in the Loop, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The legislation is a landmark Illinois transit funding and reform bill.