Pritzker Urges State Criminal Probes of ICE After Commission Flags Misconduct in 'Operation Midway Blitz'

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is urging state authorities to open criminal investigations into ICE and other federal immigration agents following a detailed report produced by the Illinois Accountability Commission he created to review the federal operation known as Operation Midway Blitz.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has positioned himself to be one of President Donald Trump's leading antagonists and a potential 2028 Democratic presidential primary candidate.(Getty Images)

The more than 150-page report, compiled by eight commission members appointed by the governor, documents what it describes as over a dozen incidents that merit further criminal inquiry. Commissioners include retired judges, a former law-enforcement official, former prosecutors and a nonprofit leader.

Federal agents make multiple detainments in a far north side neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, on Oct. 31, 2025, as part of the Trump administration's Operation Midway Blitz immigration enforcement surge.

"Our communities and our people were subjected to an unprecedented campaign of harassment, intimidation and brutality," Pritzker said at a press conference unveiling the commission's recommendations. "They deployed tear gas and smoke grenades against peaceful protesters and peaceful crowds and in peaceful neighborhoods. They committed flagrant and egregious abuses of power and force that went unchecked."

The commission highlights several alleged instances of misconduct, including the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas González, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who was shot and killed during the operation. The report alleges that federal officers engaged in what it calls 'unconstitutional uses of force,' citing examples such as shootings, beatings, the indiscriminate use of chemical agents and other violent acts.

Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino and federal officers detain people in a parking lot on the far north side of Chicago on Oct. 31, 2025, before transferring them to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility during Operation Midway Blitz.

In addition to documenting alleged misconduct by field agents, the commission's report asserts that senior officials at the White House and the Department of Homeland Security encouraged aggressive tactics—urging agents to 'go hard'—and subsequently mischaracterized or defended episodes of force. The report also accuses senior officials of shielding personnel from accountability, loosening safeguards and implementing policies that the commission considers harmful.

"Governor Pritzker continues to refuse to do his job to protect his citizens from illegal alien crime and instead chooses to smear our law enforcement," Department of Homeland Security Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in response. Bis dismissed the push for state-led prosecutions as "nothing more than a political stunt," and noted that federal officers acting in the course of their duties are typically investigated by federal agencies rather than state authorities.

Fox News Digital reported that inquiries were sent to the White House and the Office of the Illinois Attorney General seeking comment on the commission's recommendations. The governor has urged state officials to pursue the commission's suggested criminal inquiries while the federal response and any potential investigations remain pending.