Melissa Sanchez | ProPublica Illinois

A coronavirus outbreak at a Heartland Alliance facility on Chicago’s South Side may be the largest outbreak of the virus in any shelter for immigrant youth in the country.

The department’s inspector general wants to close financial aid loopholes in the wake of a Pro Publica report.

First, parents turn over guardianship of their teenagers to a friend or relative. Then the student declares financial independence to qualify for tuition aid and scholarships.

For generations, Illinois’ child welfare agency has failed to adequately serve Spanish-speaking families with children in its care.

The closures come eight months after its shelters for immigrant children came under public scrutiny over allegations of abuse and lax supervision.

Confidential records reveal details about struggles to find parents of immigrant kids held in Chicago after being separated from family and of the children’s traumatic experiences during the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance crackdown.