Sebastián Hidalgo

Sebastián Hidalgo is a freelance photojournalist and reporter in Chicago. He focuses on the intersections of U.S. criminal and immigration enforcement in the city's predominantly migrant communities. His 2024 investigation into the alleged beating of migrant day laborers inside a Chicago Home Depot led to a Civilian Office of Police Accountability inquiry into security jobs off-duty officers take on. It also sparked a federal lawsuit against the city, Chicago Police Department, and Home Depot. Hidalgo also contributed to a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation that examined disparities in missing persons cases of Black women and girls for City Bureau, a civic newsroom. Building on his award-winning work, he served as a core resident and director of the Chicago Art Department’s Collective Learning Program, leading critical discussions with editors, reporters and photographers on photojournalism's role in democracy. His photographic work is permanently housed in the United States Library of Congress, Harvard Art Museums, and the National Museum of Mexican Fine Art.