This story was produced in partnership with Injustice Watch, a nonprofit newsroom in Chicago focused on the court system. Rolando Perez Samayoa had come to the US in 2023 seeking safety from violence in Mexico and found himself in Marion County, Illinois, where he was arrested for a DUI.

Within days of his arrest, an assistant state’s attorney named John Christeson emailed Homeland Security Investigations with details about Samayoa. The exchange continued over weeks, leading to Samayoa's deportation along with his 17-year-old son, despite Illinois being a sanctuary state.

Injustice Watch reviewed thousands of emails from one in every six Illinois counties revealing that prosecutors were sharing sensitive personal data without criminal warrants or public disclosure. The collaboration often happened without the knowledge of defendants and their attorneys, raising questions about the effectiveness of state laws to protect immigrants.

Antonio Gutierrez, who founded Organized Communities Against Deportations, said this proves that trust in local institutions was never warranted. Meanwhile, prosecutors like Christeson didn’t respond to queries about their correspondence with ICE agents, leaving many unanswered questions.