Illinois Panel Demands Investigation Into ICE Violence During Midway Blitz Raids

The Illinois Accountability Commission has dropped a scathing report on the brutal immigration raids that rocked Chicago last fall, known as Operation Midway Blitz. After 64 days of sweeping arrests and violent confrontations, the commission’s findings paint a grim picture of federal agents — including ICE and Border Patrol — repeatedly using excessive force against immigrants, U.S. citizens, protesters, and journalists.

Governor JB Pritzker, who created the commission, sent its findings to multiple law enforcement agencies Tuesday, urging them to investigate potential criminal charges. “The referral is not intended to say, you must prosecute. It is a set of evidence that they should be investigating,” Pritzker said, emphasizing that the commission itself lacks subpoena power or prosecutorial authority.

Former federal Judge Rubén Castillo, chair of the commission, went further, calling on Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neil Burke to appoint a special prosecutor if she refuses to pursue charges. “If these agents are not prosecuted, something is wrong with our system of government,” Castillo said bluntly. His call echoes a coalition of more than 200 elected officials, activists, and journalists who argue Burke has a conflict of interest and has failed to act.

The commission’s report details unconstitutional use of force, deception of the public, discriminatory stops and arrests, and inhumane detention conditions. It highlights deadly incidents, including the killing of Silverio Villegas González and the shooting of Marimar Martínez, which sparked outrage and demands for justice.

However, the Department of Homeland Security dismissed the commission’s work as a “political stunt” and insisted that only federal agencies can investigate their officers. Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis accused Governor Pritzker of refusing to protect citizens and instead smearing law enforcement.

Despite federal pushback, the commission’s report adds to mounting evidence of systemic abuses during Trump-era immigration crackdowns. It underscores the challenges of holding federal agents accountable when states have limited power to investigate or prosecute.

For activists and residents who witnessed the raids firsthand, the report is a crucial step toward transparency and justice. But without follow-through from prosecutors and law enforcement, the commission’s findings risk becoming yet another ignored indictment of government overreach.

We will be watching closely to see if Pritzker’s call for investigations leads to real accountability — or if the agents behind the violence continue to operate with impunity.