Bennett Haeberle - Reporter

The numbers have skyrocketed: with 70,000 people in ICE custody, the number of habeas petitions filed in court challenging the arrest and indefinite detention of immigrants has reached historic levels.

It is believed to be among the largest s*x abuse settlements in Illinois history.

Tomorrow, the Chicago Board of Education is expected to vote on whether to approve a $17.5 million settlement for a former student who was s*xually abused by a former school administrator.

An NBC Chicago investigation earlier this year found the former administrator, Brian Crowder, is one of seven former educators who had been fired or resigned from Little Village Lawndale High School since 2017 while under investigation for s*xual misconduct.

He is the only one to have been criminally charged and convicted.

The former student, now in her 20s, sued Chicago Public Schools last year over the abuse. And she shared her story with NBC Chicago earlier this year as part of our "Lessons in Betrayal" series.

A link to tonight's report is in the comments:

Sometimes we have to tell difficult stories. Sometimes they involve hardships families endure. And they put their trust in us to explain what happened.

Last night, one of those stories was recognized.

Almost a year ago, a Highland Park family lost their son inside a residential treatment facility. They sent them there hoping he’d get help.

He died - unsupervised in his room.

In the two weeks before that, he’d twice told a therapist he had a plan to take his own life. It’s documented. His parents were not told.

The facility was later cited for failing to folllow its own guidelines. The state of Utah banned the facility from admitting anymore children - but only for three months. The program passed additional inspections and began admitting more kids seeking help.

What happened to Biruk Silvers is part of a pattern I’ve seen over years of investigating the so-called troubled teen industry.

I’m grateful that his parents agreed to share his story. Biruk’s legacy is more than just how his life ended.

And I’m smiling in the photo because I work with tremendous people - specifically Nathan Halder and Donte Diesel Williams who helped me tell this investigative story.

NBC Chicago is filled with dedicated journalists like them and managers who support our work. And I’m grateful for that too.

But what the subjects of our stories endure - that’s never lost on me.