Man with health problems dies after deportation
Good Morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: Ayaz Ahmed of Morton Grove was arrested in June with an expired visa. He died shortly after a deportation flight, and a family attorney questions whether he received adequate medical care.
🗞️ Plus: An Army veteran finds renewed purpose in baking, Illinois' hemp ban is pushed back for some businesses and more news you need to know.
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⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎
Man died after deportation, family attorney says
Reporting by Alma Campos, Cindy Hernandez and Adriana Cardona-Maguigad
Attorney sounds alarm: Ayaz Ahmed, 61, of Morton Grove, died shortly after a deportation flight to Pakistan in July. He had no criminal record and suffered from multiple chronic health conditions, a family lawyer said. In the days before his deportation, Ahmed was transferred through several detention facilities, according to the lawyer.
The arrest: Ahmed was arrested in June by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and faced deportation for having an expired visa, according to attorney Hashim Siddique, who said he was hired to expedite the deportation because relatives feared his health would deteriorate in custody.
Calls for action: Some Chicago advocates are calling for an independent criminal investigation into Ahmed's death and ICE's medical standards.
‘BROADVIEW 6' FALLOUT ⚖️
Feds question judge’s authority as clash over top prosecutor’s testimony nears
Reporting by Jon Seidel
Fallout continues: The Justice Department on Tuesday questioned the authority of U.S. District Judge April Perry to hold a "mini-trial" over the wreckage of Chicago's "Broadview Six" case, further signaling a likely challenge before the judge can put U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros on the witness stand.
Date nears: Though Perry doesn't believe what Boutros told her about the "Broadview Six" case, Justice Department officials suggest there's little she can do about it. Yet, Boutros and others face the possibility of sanctions or a criminal contempt finding in Perry's courtroom. Perry has said Boutros must testify this month.
CHICAGO STORIES 🍪
Army veteran finds renewed purpose in baking
Reporting by Misha Manjuran Oberoi
Military career: For 24 years, Chicagoan Quinton McNair, 49, was a helicopter mechanic in the Army, deploying to places across the world, including Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq. He was also a drill sergeant and later a sexual assault response coordinator for a brigade of about 3,500 soldiers. When he retired in 2019 and returned home, McNair said he struggled with PTSD and depression, felt isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic and used alcohol to cope. Then he found baking, stumbling on an online recipe.
Next chapter: McNair said his early attempts at baking were so uneven he jokingly made online posts with the hashtag "Strugglebeard Bakery," referencing his growing beard after two decades of being clean-shaven. Eventually, the cookies got better and community members and friends across the country asked for his baked goods. In 2020, he started a business out of his home kitchen in Matteson, and by 2023, he opened his Hyde Park storefront.
'For the community': In his bakery, McNair sells products from minority-owned businesses, and to celebrate the store's third anniversary, he threw a street festival with community partners and performers. He is still Strugglebeard Bakery's only baker, often working 12- to 14-hour days. It's all part of his commitment to community, he told the Sun-Times this week, as he hustled to fill orders for Veterans Day. "The driving purpose and point behind the bakery is ... to be something purposeful for the community," he said.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- Reopening after renovation: The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in suburban Skokie reopens to the public Wednesday following 15 months of construction. Updates include expanded exhibitions, a new welcome center auditorium, reflection gallery and more.
- Hemp ban delayed to Nov. 19: Chicago consumers of hemp-derived THC products will have at least another week to stock up on beverages, edibles and other offerings at select breweries and retailers.
- Prison oversight push: A bill before the Illinois General Assembly would create an "independent corrections ombudsperson" responsible for monitoring, inspecting and investigating state detention facilities.
- Peoples Gas bill credits: Customers will see $56.18 in credits on their November bills, thanks to a $125 million settlement the utility reached with the state's attorney general's office this spring.
- Council critiques budget: A coalition of 28 alderpersons sent Mayor Brandon Johnson a letter telling him his proposed $17.6 billion budget does not have the votes to pass City Council, and that it's up to him to rewrite his spending plan.
- State Street reimagined: The Chicago Architectural Club awarded its Burnham Prize to an ambitious proposal that would turn the never-used $400 million transit superstation beneath Block 37 into a cultural and performance center.
MUST-READ COMMENTARY 🗣️
- Neil Steinberg: As America observes Veterans Day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth picks which vets to honor and which to abuse.
- Letter to the editor: Many veterans don’t know about the college financial assistance available to them. We must inform them of these opportunities, writes Army veteran Logan McMullen.
- Ralph Martire: Students at Illinois public universities deserve funding based on their unique needs.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today's clue: 6A: Local singer Tramell, who won the recent 2026 Chicago Made Music Showcase
FROM THE PRESS BOX 🏈⚾🏒
- ‘We stand with Chris’: Hundreds of Morgan Park students walked out of class Tuesday to protest the school's firing of football coach Chris James. Parents held an impromptu press conference echoing students' frustrations.
- AL MOY: After 84 wins and the franchise's first playoff series victory in 21 years, Will Venable was named the American League Manager of the Year.
- Root cause: The Blackhawks' problems start with GM Kyle Davidson, writes Jeff Agrest.
- NFL trade deadline: The Bears were quiet at the NFL trade deadline Tuesday, having already made their big move by dealing two first-round picks for star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons two weeks ago.
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
Young Chicagoan brings 500 bags of groceries to families
Reporting by Misha Manjuran Oberoi
Last Friday, just before his 9th birthday, Alex Anning gave away 500 bags of groceries to Englewood residents, in partnership with the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. It was the young Chicagoan's second grocery drive, following his first a year ago with the support of his mother, Kymbria Young-Anning, executive director of Season to Soar, a nonprofit focused on helping the next generation become leaders who serve their communities.
Kikanza Harris Scott, director of community impact at the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, said the event was particularly important as community members continue to face food insecurity, including those who have lost access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
Alex, who spent the afternoon running around and handing out grocery bags, said he hoped people would leave the event feeling grateful and happy, and while there, "have a fun time!"
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Editor: Michael Lansu
Copy edited by: Satchel Price
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