CHICAGO –The Illinois Accountability Commission, housed in the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR), has held its third public hearing to showcase the community impacts of federal enforcement agents operating above the law during Operation Midway Blitz.
During the hearing, the Commission examined if enforcement actions produced measurable improvements in community stability and trust or if the federal enforcement actions generated instability, distrust and lasting harm. The Commission heard from subject matter experts who examined four core areas based on observable and measurable evidence:
1. Health, Mental Health, Social Well-Being
2. Education & Youth Stability
3. Public Safety & Community Trust
4. Economic Vitality & Household Stability
To watch the recording, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rxAgVxuYKI
Twelve subject matter experts provided testimony during panel discussions at the hearing. They provided information regarding health, mental health, community safety and economic vitality.
Dr. Minal Giri, MD, Pediatrician and Child Health Advocate, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, has a clinical background in Immigrant/ refugee advocacy, unaccompanied children, forensic evaluations.
“As a pediatrician caring for immigrant families, I am witnessing an unprecedented crisis,” said Dr. Minal Giri. “Children’s medical care is being disrupted because their parents are detained or deported by ICE—sometimes, in the middle of a child’s chemotherapy. When a parent is seized by ICE, a sick child’s entire care plan collapses. Medications go unfilled, transportation to the hospital disappears, and the insurance coverage collapses. The caregiver and decision maker at the bed site is suddenly missing. For a child with asthma or diabetes, this can mean an emergency hospitalization. For a child with cancer, it can mean losing their chance for survival.”
Mariana Souto-Manning, Ph.D., is the President, Erickson Institute, a premier institution dedicated to advancing knowledge, practice, and policy in early childhood education, child development, and family well-being.
“What has occurred in Operation Midway Blitz during these recent enforcement actions conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not simply policy implementation, said Mariana Souto-Manning. “It is developmental harm. It is ethical breach. It is constitutional instability. It is a violation of children’s rights. The consequences—neurologic, psychologic, and economic will outlast this moment if we fail to act.”
Garien Gatewood, Deputy Mayor for Community Safety, City of Chicago, is the first-ever Deputy Mayor of Community Safety and leads cross-government efforts to eradicate the root causes of crime and violence, and advance a comprehensive, healing-centered approach to public safety. Previously, he served as Director of the Illinois Justice Project where he developed strategies to lift up youth and adults, provided support for returning residents, and helped to guide policy in support of the Illinois SAFE-T Act. He was also appointed by Governor J.B Pritzker to serve on the board of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, the state agency that directs the development and coordination of programs designed to enhance and improve public safety.
“We have been seeing meaningful and measureable reductions in violence across our city,” said Garien Gatewood. “We were experiencing those declines well before Midway Blitz. We were experiencing those declines well before and along with my director of Violence Prevention in Community Safety and over thirty members of the Chicago Police Department, and countless community members were teargased by federal agents.”
Domonique F. McCord – Chief Program Officer, Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI), a division of Metropolitan Family Services, also provided testimony. MPI’s mission is to coordinate, support, and sustain a cross-agency infrastructure made up of local community-based and citywide organizations that deliver a comprehensive set of services to heal communities at the highest risk for gun violence.
“Trump began to see into communities that were already heavily trauma impacted,” said Domonique F. McCord. “Our target population are individuals who are the highest risk of experiencing gun violence. These actions of ICE only further deepen the wound of trial and fear.
City Clerk of Chicago Anna Valencia oversees one of the largest offices in the city, which serves 1.2 million Chicagoans and generates more than $130 million annually.
“We’re experiencing a compounding effect too with not only the ICE Raids, but we are also seeing the tariffs and what that’s done,” said Anna Valencia. “Not just our immigrant communities, but our economic corridor is sustaining our city so we don’t have to rely on federal government as much. And what I think that is very intentional is to shut down our way to be self sustainable of our own economies of local businesses in Chicago so that we may have to rely on federal resources. I do think that’s very strategic and we have to be very honest about that that’s happening.
Issues raised by community leaders were part of the Commission’s examination. In alignment with requirements outlined in Executive Order 2025-06, the Commission issued its initial status report, January 29, 2026. The initial status report outlines the Commission’s work to date, information from the first hearing, as well as initial recommendations from the Commission. The final report will be completed no later than April 30, 2026.
Part of the Commission’s purpose is to make recommendations for law or policy changes to ensure greater protection for Illinois residents from violations of their rights and to ensure community safety. Policy considerations include standards and limitations on use of force, identity shielding techniques, surveillance technology and additional measures of accountability for misconduct as well as identifying rapid response, community support initiatives, “know your rights” campaigns.
To view the full report, visit https://ilac.illinois.gov/initial-report-january-2026.
Submit a Report to the Commission
In October 2025, Governor Pritzker established the Illinois Accountability Commission to create a public record of the conduct of federal agents during “Operation Midway Blitz” and the Trump Administration’s military-style operations in Illinois. The Commission examines the impact of that conduct on individuals and communities to consider policy recommendations to prevent future harm.
Any person who witnessed or experienced potential misconduct during Operation Midway Blitz is encouraged to submit information — including photos, video, or narrative accounts — through the portal at ilac.illinois.gov/interest-form