Pritzker Creates Commission to Probe Chicago Immigration Raids

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed an executive order creating the Illinois Accountability Commission to document and review federal immigration enforcement operations in Chicago — including the so-called Operation Midway Blitz — and to preserve a public record of alleged misconduct. The independent, up-to-nine-member panel, chaired by former federal Judge Rubén Castillo and composed of judges, prosecutors and law-enforcement professionals, will hold public hearings, gather testimony and deliver findings and reform recommendations, with a report due by Jan. 31, 2026. Pritzker said the commission will record instances he alleges include masked agents, unmarked vehicles, tear gas and military-style raids in order to enable courts or Congress to pursue accountability. The commission will not have subpoena power but will invite federal officials to appear and will make its archives public. The move heightens state–federal tensions as the Department of Homeland Security defends its operations as targeting violent criminals and courts have already imposed limits such as restrictions on tear gas use and orders requiring body cameras.