Gov. Pritzker urges criminal investigations of federal immigration agents after Illinois panel releases report
A state commission scrutinizing the Chicago-area immigration crackdown this past fall sent its findings to law enforcement Tuesday, with some members and Gov. JB Pritzker pushing for investigations they said could lead to criminal charges against federal agents involved in violent episodes during the notorious Operation Midway Blitz raids.
Since the 64-day crackdown, some advocates have been disappointed at what they see as a lack of accountability for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents who repeatedly used force against immigrants, U.S. citizens, protesters, journalists and neighborhood residents, including in the killing of Silverio Villegas González in September and the shooting of Marimar Martínez in October.
Pritzker last fall tasked the Illinois Accountability Commission with fact-finding about the sweeping Chicago-area raids for posterity, the public eye and potential future law enforcement actions, but the panel itself has no direct law enforcement power.
“The referral is not intended to say, you must prosecute. It is a set of evidence that they should be investigating,” Pritzker said.
He compared the report to a person approaching the police with an accusation or evidence.
“You would expect that the police, and then perhaps the state’s attorney, would then pursue that. You should expect that. … Obviously, some of us have opinions about whether somebody should be prosecuted or not, but I am not a judge,” he said.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/30/illinois-accountability-report-completed-midway-blitz/
A little more cutious than Tim Walz...