An Indiana immigration bill allowing local and state police to enforce federal immigration laws and for those officers to cooperate with ICE passed and was amended in the House Judiciary Committee Monday to more closely mirror a bill that didn’t advance in last year’s session.

Legislators listened to more than 5 hours of tesitmony as 62 people testified. The majority of people spoke in opposition to the bill, but one of the 12 people testifying in support of it advocated for a 30-year moratorium on immigration to avoid the “bad” mixing of populations from other countries.

Senate Bill 76, authored by State Sen. Liz Brown, states that the enforcement of federal immigration laws may be carried out by federal, state or local law enforcement. Under the bill, the Department of Correction will provide training to all sheriffs-elect on how to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The bill was amended in the House Judiciary committee on Monday by State Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, to more closely align with the bill he proposed last year known as the FAIRNESS Act: Fostering and Advancing Immigration Reforms Necessary to Ensure Safety and Security. Brown was criticized by Attorney General Todd Rokita after the 2025 session for not advancing the FAIRNESS Act when it reached a Senate committee she chaired.

Brown said she filed Senate Bill 76 because she felt the FAIRNESS Act didn’t address law enforcement training.

“We have always had cooperative task force, if you will, between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. I think the most important part of this bill going forward is our local law enforcement wants to help our federal law enforcement partners enforce the laws, immigration laws, that are on the books,” Brown said.

Prescott amended the bill Monday to allow the Attorney General to sue a government agency, school or jail that doesn’t comply with federal immigration officials with a penalty of $10,000 for each violation. The amendment also states that a government body couldn’t be sued for complying with the bill. The amendment further removes sanctuary city laws, Prescott said. The amendment was approved in a voice vote.

If someone is detained under an immigration detainer request, the bill states that the governmental body should give the judge authority to either grant or deny the person’s release on bail as well as record in their file, comply with and inform the detainee of the immigration detainer request.

The bill prohibits an employer from recklessly or intentionally hiring or employing an undocumented immigrant. The bill allows the attorney general to sue employers who hire undocumented immigrants and report the person to the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Further, the bill requires the legislative council receive a report with data with the number of Hoosiers who aren’t citizens and are enrolled in or receiving benefits through the Indiana Residential Care Assistance Program, public assistance and welfare programs, family assistance services, Medicaid and Community Mental Health Services.

Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for benefits, but certain categories of legal immigrants, such as those with a Green Card or asylum claims, can be eligible.

If a law enforcement officer, government body or educational institution is sued the attorney general shall defend the party, the bill states. It also removes mens rea standard — or criminal intent — when it comes to governmental or educational institutions for violating the citizenship and immigration status information and enforcement of federal laws.

The bill allows the governor to withhold state grants or funding to a city that doesn’t comply with the law.

Ryan Neuhaus, of the Heritage Foundation, said he supports the bill because “law that is toothless is no law at all.” America is facing an immigration crisis, Neuhaus said, and said he’d support a temporary moratorium on immigration “to incentivize assimilation.”

Neuhaus said immigration impacts “the demographics of this country,” which he elaborated on through questions from State Rep. Maureen Bauer, D-South Bend, as the “bad” mixing of populations from other countries.

“If you bring in people who have no respect for your nation, for its heritage, or for its cultural groundings, that belittles the constitution. That actually eliminates the ability for us to uphold the law,” Neuhaus said.

None of the Republican members of the committee denounced the positions Neuhaus presented.

In November, Neuhaus resigned as chief of staff aftere Heritage President Kevin Roberts defended Tucker Carlson’s interview of antisemitic white nationalist Nick Fuentes, according to The Hill newspaper. Many Heritage staffers quit, but Neuhaus defended Roberts’ statement. He was reassigned to the conservative think tank’s Simon Center for American Studies, the Hill’s report stated.

During her closing remarks, State Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn, D-Fishers, said the testimony was hard for her to listen to because her husband is a different race than her and they have biracial children. She expressed shock at the call for a moratorium on immigration.

“What are we perpetuating?” Garcia Wilburn said.

Blake Lanning, assistant chief deputy for the Indiana Attorney General, said the office supports the bill as it was amended because it more closely aligns with the FAIRNESS Act, which received support from Border Czar Tom Homan.

The attorney general’s office also supports the state-level penalties for hiring undocumented immigrants, Lanning said, as well as the sanctuary policies in the bill because “enforcement matters.”

Lloyd Arnold, Indiana Department of Correction commissioner, said the department has established “a strong relationship with our federal partners,” and supports the bill.

In October, the department opened a maximum security ICE detention center at Miami Correctional Facility and has since processed more than 1,000 detainees, Arnold said. But Arnold said the department hasn’t received its first payment from the federal government for the ICE facility.

Delaware County Sheriff Tony Skinner, with the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association, said the association supports the bill.

Many of the people who opposed the bill said ICE shouldn’t have expanded authority in Indiana and pointed to the recent killings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis. They also spotlighted Liam Ramos, a 5-year-old living in Minneapolis, who was detained with his father in Texas before being released on Saturday. Liam and his family were legally in the U.S., awaiting a hearing on their asylum claim.

Many students and teachers testified in opposition to the bill because schools could face legal action for not complying with ICE. Many of the educators and students pointed to the numerous students across the state holding protests on Monday to oppose ICE.

Anita Joshi, a pediatrician and Carmel City Council member, said she opposed the bill because it removes local control and could break down trust in local law enforcement. Without that trust, she said, people won’t want to report crimes and communities will be less safe.

As a pediatrician, Joshi said she has seen the stress, lack of sleep, and mental health implications children experience as they worry about their families amid ICE raids.

“I believe that immigrants should have all the rights that they are afforded,” Joshi said.

DeOnyae-Dior Valentina, the executive director of Strength Over Struggle, said while the bill has been framed as cooperation with federal laws and public safety it actually turns local governments and courts to become immigration enforcement agencies.

Samantha Bresnahan, a senior policy specialist with the ACLU Indiana, said the organization opposes the bill because it “raises serious legal and practical concerns.”

For example, under federal law, ICE detainer requests are requests not mandatory orders, Bresnahan said. If a detainer is issued in error or someone is held longer than they are legally allowed, then the local governments violate the person’s Fourth Amendment right and can be held liable, she said.

“This danger is clear when an individual presents proof that they are a United States citizen yet must remain in jail waiting for ICE to clear the hold,” Bresnahan said.

The bill passed 9-4, with all Republicans voting in favor and all Democrats voting against it.

Garcia Wilburn said she opposed the bill because it follows federal policy at a time when Republicans at the federal level have started to question the policies that are being implemented.

“It calls back to a time where we made some grave mistakes as a country,” Garcia Wilburn said. “We are really treading on dangerous ground.”

State Rep. Danny Lopez, R-Carmel, said as a first generation son of political refugees “this is a tough issue, always has been.”

“I think this bill goes a little further than I’d like,” Lopez said. “I’m going to be a yes here to move it, and we’ll see how it goes.”

akukulka@post-trib.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/02/indiana-committee-oks-police-cooperation-with-ice-bill-amid-criticism/ 

Two North Central College students have been arrested by Naperville police, one for allegedly possessing a loaded handgun and the other accused of having 39 bags of cannabis, officials said.

Police were notified by campus safety officers about 1:10 a.m. Saturday that they smelled marijuana and observed a loaded handgun and loaded firearm magazine in a dorm room shared by Kurtis Cruz, 18, of Merrillville, Indiana, and Diyonnes King, 18, of Elgin, according to a news release from the Naperville Police Department and DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.

Police officers located the firearm, a Glock 29 Gen5 10mm and a loaded 26-round capacity extended magazine with one round in the chamber, in a backpack next to a safe under Cruz’s bed, the release said. The 39 bags of cannabis, weighing about 136 grams with packaging, were reportedly found in King’s backpack on the other side of the room.

Cruz was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon in a school and King with one count each of delivery of cannabis on school grounds and delivery of 30 to 500 grams of cannabis. All of the charges are felonies.

Cruz will be held in the DuPage County jail pending trial on the order of DuPage County Judge Christine Cody. King was released from custody because he cannot be detained on the charges, but was prohibited by a judge from going into North Central dormitory buildings, the release said.

“Keeping our students, staff and community safe is our top priority,” Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said in the release. “This incident involved allegations of illegal drug sales and a loaded firearm on a college campus, which is very concerning.”

Cruz’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 3. King is next scheduled to be in court on March 2.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/02/north-central-students-naperville-gun-pot/ 

El delantero francés Karim Benzema cambió un club saudí por otro el lunes al unirse a Al Hilal procedente del rival Al Ittihad, un traspaso que podría ser una mala noticia para Cristiano Ronaldo.

Benzema se suma al actual líder de la liga de Arabia Saudí con un punto de diferencia sobre el Al Nassr de Cristiano. El astro portugués siguen buscando su primer título en la liga desde que se mudó a Arabia Saudí en 2022 y ha visto a su principal rival fortalecerse con la incorporación de Benzema, antiguo compañero suyo en el Real Madrid y cinco veces ganador de la Liga de Campeones.

Benzema se proclamó campeón de la liga con Al Ittihad el año pasado, además del torneo de copa.

Al Hilal es el equipo más exitoso de Arabia Saudí con 21 títulos de liga y cuatro campeonatos asiáticos.

El año pasado sorprendió al Manchester City en el Mundial de Clubes, imponiéndose por 4-3 y eliminó al equipo de Pep Guardiola en los octavos de final.

Dirigido por Simone Inzaghi, Al Hilal representa una gran amenaza para las esperanzas de Cristiano de consagrarse campeón de liga después de haber provocado un éxodo de jugadores de fútbol de alto nivel, incluido Benzema, a la liga saudí.

El acuerdo de Benzema llegó en un momento que trascendieron versiones de que Cristiano está descontento por la inmovilidad de Al Nassr en el mercado de pases.

El Fondo de Inversión Pública de Arabia Saudí es el propietario mayoritario de Al Hilal, Al Ittihad y Al Nassr.

Al Hilal está acostumbrado a realizar fichajes espectaculares. Trajo a Neymar del Paris Saint-Germain en 2023. Anteriormente intentó fichar a Kylian Mbappé por un monto récord de 332 millones de dólares y el año pasado intentó llevarse a Bruno Fernandes, capitán del Manchester United.

Cristiano firmó con Al Nassr después de dejar el Manchester United como agente libre en 2022. El cinco veces ganador del Balón de Oro se ha convertido en la cara del fútbol en Arabia Saudí, pero su único trofeo ha sido la Copa de Campeones Árabes.

Se perdió el partido de Al Nassr contra Al Riyadh el lunes en medio de informes de que está descontento.

___

Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/02/benzema-se-une-a-al-hilal-el-gran-rival-del-al-nassr-de-cristiano-ronaldo/ 

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that he won’t tear down the Kennedy Center but said it needs to be closed for about two years for work that cannot be done with patrons coming and going for shows and other performances.

Trump’s comments, though, suggested that the interior of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will be gutted as part of the process.

“I’m not ripping it down,” the Republican president told reporters following an unrelated announcement in the Oval Office. “I’ll be using the steel. So we’re using the structure.”

Such a project would mark Trump’s latest effort to put his stamp on a cultural institution that Congress designated as a living memorial to President Kennedy, a Democrat, in addition to attempting to leave his mark on Washington through other projects, the most prominent of which is adding a ballroom to the White House.

Trump announced Sunday on social media that he intends to close the performing arts venue on July 4 for about two years, subject to approval by a board led by many of his allies. Trump is also the board’s chairman.

The announcement followed a wave of cancellations by leading performers, musicians and groups since the president ousted the previous leadership and his name was added to the building.

Recalling his past career in construction and real estate, Trump said, “you want to sit with something for a little while before you decide on what you want to do.”

Speaking of the Kennedy Center, he said: “We sat with it. We ran it. It’s in very bad shape,” asserting that the building is “run down,” “dilapidated” and “sort of dangerous.”

“You can’t do any work because people are coming in and out,”

He pegged the cost at about $200 million, including the use of “the highest-grade marbles, the highest-grade everything.”

“We’re fully financed and so we’re going to close it and we’re going to make it unbelievable, far better than it ever was, and we’ll be able to do it properly,” Trump said.

He had said last October, also on social media, that the venue would remain open during construction. But on Monday he said that plan was not feasible.

“I was thinking maybe there’s a way of doing it simultaneously but there really isn’t, and we’re going to have something that when it opens it’s going to be brand new, beautiful,” Trump said.

“The steel will all be checked out because it’ll be fully exposed,” he said. “It’s been up for a long time, but as anybody knows it was in very bad shape. Wasn’t kept well, before I got there,” he said. “So we’re going to make it, I think there won’t be anything like it in the country.”

Trump promised brand new heating and air conditioning systems as part of his latest construction projects. Since he returned to the presidency, the Kennedy Center is one of many Washington landmarks that he has sought to overhaul in his second term.

He demolished the East Wing of the White House and launched a massive $400 million ballroom project, is actively pursuing building a triumphal arch on the other side the Arlington Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial, and has plans for Washington Dulles International Airport.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/02/trump-kennedy-center-closed/ 

Por REBECCA SANTANA

WASHINGTON (AP) — Todos los agentes del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional que forman parte de las redadas migratorias en Minneapolis, incluidos los elementos del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas, recibirán de inmediato cámaras corporales, anunció la titular de la agencia Kristi Noem el lunes.

Se trata de la más reciente repercusión tras la indignación generalizada por la muerte a tiros de dos ciudadanos de Estados Unidos a manos de agentes federales.

Noem hizo el anuncio en la plataforma de redes sociales X. La secretaria de Seguridad Nacional aseguró que el programa de cámaras corporales se extenderá a nivel nacional a medida que se disponga de fondos.

“Adquiriremos y desplegaremos rápidamente cámaras corporales para las fuerzas del orden del DHS en todo el país”, anunció Noem, usando las siglas en inglés del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional.

El anuncio se produce en momentos en que Minneapolis ha sido objeto de un intenso escrutinio sobre la conducta de los agentes migratorios después de que abatieron a tiros a dos ciudadanos de Estados Unidos que protestaban contra las redadas migratorias en la ciudad.

Los críticos han intensificado sus llamados en las últimas semanas para que el DHS obligue a todos sus agentes migratorios a portar cámaras corporales.

El expresidente Joe Biden ordenó en 2022 que todos los agentes federales en labores de seguridad portaran cámaras corporales como parte de una orden ejecutiva que incluía otras reformas policiales. El presidente Donald Trump rescindió esa orden poco después de comenzar su segundo mandato.

La medida de Noem se produce después de que Trump respaldó el fin de semana pasado la idea de que los agentes de inmigración portaran cámaras corporales.

Durante su vuelo de Florida a Washington, un reportero le preguntó a Trump si pensaba que era positivo tener muchas cámaras para captar los incidentes con las fuerzas del orden.

“Creo que ayudaría a las fuerzas del orden, pero tendría que hablar con ellos”, dijo Trump.

___

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/02/noem-anuncia-que-todos-los-agentes-de-seguridad-nacional-en-minneapolis-usarn-cmaras-corporales/ 

A Racine, Wisconsin, man is in custody after police say he shot two people at a Waukegan funeral home, according to court records.

Salvador Garibay-Sanchez, 31, of the 1500 block of Lathrop Avenue, was booked on aggravated battery and attempted murder charges after the Friday night shooting.

According to court documents, Waukegan police were called at about 9:20 p.m. Friday to the funeral home after receiving reports of a shooting. At the funeral home, which was not identified in court documents, they found a victim with multiple gunshot wounds.

The condition of the victim was not immediatly available.

According to Lake County prosecutors, Garibay-Sanchez was among a group of mourners at the funeral home, and he became involved in an argument with another attendee over money.

Authorities allege that Garibay-Sanchez left the funeral home, drove to his home and retrieved a handgun before returning and shooting the victim. The second victim was standing near the first man when the shooting started, court records said.

The second victim was able to drive to a hospital for treatment. That victim was discharged after receiving medical attention.

Police were able to identify Garibay-Sanchez’s car from security video, and he was pulled over at around midnight in Lake Forest and taken into custody. Multiple witnesses at the funeral home identified him as the shooter, court records say.

Garibay-Sanchez told police that he “blacked out” as he entered the funeral home armed with a handgun, according to court records. After the shooting, he told police he threw the gun out of his car window as he drove around the area.

A Lake County judge Monday granted a prosecution motion to detain Garibay-Sanchez until trial. He is due back in court on Feb. 24.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/02/waukegan-funeral-home-shooting/ 

The Circular Firing Squad: Staffers At CNN And CBS Denounce Efforts To Restore Balance

Tyler Durden
Mon, 02/02/2026 – 17:40

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/circular-firing-squad-staffers-cnn-and-cbs-denounce-efforts-restore-balance 

Self-driving cars such as Waymos could soon roam the streets of Chicago under new legislation proposed in Springfield. 

A bill filed last week would authorize autonomous vehicle pilot programs in a handful of Illinois counties, including Cook, before opening the door to statewide legalization of self-driving cars in three years. 

The proposal from state Rep. Kam Buckner, a Democrat from Chicago, comes as self-driving car company Waymo has been trying to make inroads in Illinois. The company operates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, Atlanta and Miami and has announced plans to expand to a plethora of other cities worldwide. 

State officials say legislation is likely needed to allow self-driving cars in the Land of Lincoln. Several legislative attempts last year went nowhere. 

In an interview Monday, Buckner, who is also the speaker pro tempore of the Illinois House, said the state has a responsibility to “lead, not react” to the advent of autonomous vehicle technology.

“We can’t afford to get caught flat-footed,” he said, acknowledging that the filing of the bill is no guarantee it gets passed this year. “It’s about creating a thoughtful framework that balances innovation with safety, accountability, labor protections and the legitimate concerns of folks in the litigation space as well.”

Waymo, which is owned by Google parent company Alphabet Inc., said it “strongly supports” the proposed legislation. 

“We’re excited to one day offer our service to its residents and visitors,” a company spokesperson said. “Our technology can make Illinois’ roads safer and transportation in the state more accessible.” 

Buckner’s proposed legislation would allow self-driving car pilot programs in Cook County, Sangamon County — where the county seat is Springfield, the state’s capital — and Madison, St. Clair and Monroe counties, which are in southwestern Illinois outside St. Louis.

Under the law, someone seeking to operate an autonomous vehicle in Illinois would need to submit an application for approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation, which would also have the authority to revoke or suspend that authorization. IDOT declined to comment on pending legislation. 

AV systems must be capable of operating in compliance with motor vehicle laws and regulations, except if IDOT issues an exemption. 

The law would also require AVs in Illinois to be covered by motor vehicle liability coverage or insurance. 

Under the proposed legislation, the transportation department could legalize autonomous vehicles statewide three years after the bill takes effect — so long as pilot programs were successful. 

Buckner, who has experience as a major player in legislative negotiations on transit issues, said he’s “really in awe” of the technology and acknowledges that riders would have to adjust to it. 

He said Chicago’s often-volatile wintry weather conditions and how the autonomous vehicles would function around various infrastructure issues, such as construction projects, need to be addressed in order for them to operate safely in the city. 

“Painted lane markings, potholes, construction zones, temporary traffic controls. They’re all common and they’re more common in Chicago than most places, even though we’ve got two seasons, winter and construction,” said Buckner, acknowledging that self-driving cars must share the roads  with “human drivers, with CTA buses, with snowplows, with first responders, with … people walking and people riding their bikes.” 

“It’s important that we have a robust conversation about it now and not get left behind,” Buckner said. 

Waymo said in December that its vehicles can operate in conditions such as freezing temperatures and hail but that it was “validating our system to navigate harsher weather conditions,” the likes of which are common in Chicago. 

Advocates for self-driving cars in Illinois are likely to face concerns about safety and the cars’ ability to drive through midwestern snow and ice. 

The bill is facing scrutiny from the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, whose president, Timothy Cavanagh, said in a statement that Illinois should “pump the brakes on this dangerous bill,” citing some recent safety incidents involving Waymos. 

“The bill fails to protect passengers that may utilize the technology, those that would share the roadways with AVs, and the public at-large,” Cavanagh said in a statement. 

Waymo says its own data shows that its cars are safer than cars driven by humans, saying its vehicles are involved in 10 times fewer crashes that cause serious injuries, and 12 times fewer crashes involving pedestrian injuries. 

But recent high-profile safety incidents involving Waymos have drawn scrutiny from critics. 

In San Francisco, residents raged against Waymo when one of the company’s cars struck and killed a bodega cat in the city’s Mission District last fall. 

Waymo also faltered during a massive power outage in the same Bay Area city in December as self-driving cars froze, blocking intersections when traffic lights went out. More recently, federal regulators opened an investigation into the company after one of its vehicles struck a child, who suffered minor injuries, near a school in Santa Monica.

Regarding that crash, Waymo said the child “suddenly entered the roadway from behind a tall SUV.” The Waymo vehicle “braked hard” before the collision, the company said, arguing that a human driver would have struck the child at a higher speed. Waymo has said it is responding to the power outage incident by updating its fleet to better respond to outages and improving its emergency response protocols.

In Illinois, unions have also expressed some concern that legalizing autonomous vehicles could open the door to technologies that would threaten their members’ jobs. Waymo, meanwhile, has argued it brings jobs to new markets.

The Illinois Drivers Alliance — a union coalition trying to organize Uber and Lyft drivers statewide — slammed the proposed legislation in a statement to the Tribune, saying Illinois “should be investing in drivers — not fast-tracking questionable policies that replace real people with unproven, unpredictable robots and rip away hard-earned money out of drivers’ pockets and put it into Silicon Valley.”

Buckner said Illinois “has always shown that we have the ability to be pro-innovation and pro-people at the same time.” 

“And so I think it has to be the same posture with this bill,” he said. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/02/waymo-self-driving-cars-illinois-bill/ 

Clinton Judge Goes On Unhinged Rant In Order Releasing Illegals

Tyler Durden
Mon, 02/02/2026 – 17:20

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/clinton-judge-goes-unhinged-rant-order-releasing-illegals 

BOSTON — The seven victims of a marine tragedy that has devastated a storied Massachusetts fishing town included a fifth-generation fisherman, a young federal fisheries observer on her first job at sea and a father-and-son crew duo who all died when their fishing boat, the Lily Jean, sank off America’s oldest seaport of Gloucester.

The sinking is only the latest tragedy to befall Gloucester’s close-knit fishing community. The perils of the industry that inspired the book and movie “The Perfect Storm” is tied to 400 years of history and, at times, tragedy.

A veteran Gloucester fishman, Al Cottone, noted at a news briefing Monday that everyone involved in the industry is well aware of the dangers — and of the lives lost down through generations of fishing families.

“You fish in federal waters, you fish in a Gloucester boat, and you lose your life, you’re forever a Gloucester fisherman,” Cottone added somberly.

“This is the worst nightmare come true. It’s happened before and happened before. It’s not unique to this community. It’s a tragedy that is still fresh and this community will need a long time to heal,” he said.

U.S. Coast Guard officials said Monday they have identified all seven victims who died when the commercial fishing boat sank without a mayday call in frigid Atlantic waters.

Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo was the vessel’s captain, and the crew consisted of Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short and Sean Therrien, the Coast Guard said Monday in identifying the victims. Also aboard was Jada Samitt, a fisheries observer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Coast Guard and NOAA said. No one survived.

Sanfilippo was well known in the community. The Lily Jean, Sanfilippo, and his crew were featured in a 2012 episode of the History Channel show “Nor’Easter Men.” The captain is described as a fifth-generation commercial fisherman, fishing out of Gloucester, in the Georges Bank. The crew is shown working in dangerous weather conditions for hours on end, spending as many as 10 days at sea on one trip for haddock, lobster and flounder.

“We loved each other,” Vito Giacalone, head of the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund, said of his relationship with Sanfilippo. “He treated me like a big brother and I treated him like my younger brother. To know the tragedy of this and to know the kind of character that Gus had, he’d be mortified to know that these lives were all lost.”

Giacalone said the Sanfillipo and Beal names were synonymous with local fishing in going back decades. He said Sanfillipo “followed in the footsteps of his dad” while the Beal family has built boats and includes a brother who is a;o a fisherman.

“Those two families are absolutely etched in centuries of these multiple generations of fishermen,” Giacalone said.

Tragedy befalls fishing town

Paul Lundberg, Gloucester’s mayor, said the names of those on the Lily Jean would be added to a city memorial honoring thousands of fishermen who have been lost at sea over the years.

Everett Sawyer, 55, a childhood friend of Sanfilippo’s, said he has known 25 people who lost their lives. Cold winter conditions can complicate operations even for experienced sailors, Sawyer said.

“Things happen very quickly when you’re out on the ocean,” he said.

NOAA, meanwhile, issued a statement of condolences to the victims’ families.

“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Jada’s family, the families of the six fishermen, the NOAA observer community, and everyone affected,” NOAA said.

Samitt’s family said the 22-year-old observer was undertaking her first job at sea as a fishery observer, a job in which she collected date from the vessel’s catch that is used for purposes including crafting government regulations.

Samitt’s family added that she was originally from Virginia and had a deep love of Gloucester’s fishing community.

“Jada was on the Lily Jean that day because of her strong belief in her work, not only as an observer, but as someone who knew her important role as a crew member. She … conveyed to us how critical it was to protect the seas and fisheries,” the statement said.

Search for survivors yielded no results

The Coast Guard on Saturday suspended its search for the missing. The search-and-rescue mission was launched early Friday after the Coast Guard received an alert from the 72-foot vessel about 25 miles off the historic Cape Ann peninsula.

Officials said there was no mayday call from the Lily Jean as it headed home to Gloucester. Rather, the Coast Guard was notified by a beacon from the boat that alerts when it hits the water.

Searchers found a debris field near where the alert originated, along with a body in the water and an empty life raft, the Coast Guard has said. Crews covered about 1,000 square miles using aircraft, cutters and small boats over 24 hours before the Coast Guard announced Saturday that all reasonable search efforts had been exhausted.

An investigation will hopefully yield more, the Coast Guard said Monday, adding in a statement that an investigating officer is beginning to collect “evidence and testimony using formal rules and procedures regarding a recent marine accident.”

Fishing is a dangerous business

Deep-sea fishing in New England can always be hazardous, but especially so in winter because of high waves, frigid temperatures and unpredictable weather. Commercial fishing is often cited as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

The Coast Guard’s Sector Boston commander, Jamie Frederick, has said icy temperatures and stormy conditions made finding survivors at night difficult, a task made even more daunting by a nor’easter approaching the East Coast over the weekend. Searchers dealt with 7- to 10-foot seas and freezing ocean spray, Frederick said.

At Monday’s news briefing, Giacalone explained that crews still go out even in winter to press their livelihood.

“I’ve heard people say why do they go fishing in that weather? Why does the electric company folks go out in the middle of the a blizzard to turn the lights back on?” he said.

Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/02/gloucester-fishing-boat-sinks/