Illinois Accountability Commission Demands Testimony from Trump Officials on ‘Midway Blitz’ Operation Involving Chicago Border Patrol and ICE

CHICAGO (WLS) — On Friday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s special commission, tasked with ensuring accountability for the Department of Homeland Security’s “Midway Blitz” immigration operation in the Chicago area, made a significant announcement.

The head of the Illinois Accountability Commission has requested testimony from current and former officials of the Trump administration regarding their roles in the operation, with hearings scheduled later this month. Local leaders and community activists are hopeful that these proceedings will deter any future large-scale immigration enforcement actions.

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The commission has issued eight requests for testimony, including one to Greg Bovino, the former Border Patrol Commander who became a prominent figure associated with “Midway Blitz.”

Meanwhile, in the Little Village neighborhood, there was a vibrant scene on the streets, filled with bustling commerce and community activity, reflecting the area’s reputation for lively street life.

However, street vendor Isabella Barraza observed, “It’s not as busy as it used to be. There used to be a lot more people walking around, right?”

During operation “Midway Blitz,” activity slowed to a crawl. People were afraid to go outside.

“They were staying home because they were fearful. And I’m not talking about undocumented residents. I’m talking about people with legal paperwork, people who are here on visas, people are here who are citizens of United States,” said 22nd Ward Ald. Mike Rodriguez.

“I think there’s still a lot of people that are scared, a lot of people that haven’t come out. I know we used to make way more money at the stand. It’s been a little slow,” Barraza said.

Now, the Illinois Accountability Commission has scheduled a pair of hearings for later this month.

The commission sent letters to current or former officials in the Trump administration, inviting them to appear virtually or in person, “to provide testimony and answer questions about the policies, directives, and decision-making processes that shaped Operation Midway Blitz.” The letters were sent to Bovino, Stephen Miller, Tom Homan, Kristi Noem, Tricia McLaughlin, Corey Lewandowski, Todd Lyons, and Rodney Scott.

“If they’re about accountability, I dare them to show up,” Rodriguez said. “They should show up in front of the citizens of Illinois and tell us why they caused this mayhem to our businesses and to our residents.”

Baltazar Enriquez with the Little Village Community Council spent countless days organizing volunteers to alert residents to the presence of ICE and Border Patrol agents.

“We know that their commission doesn’t have teeth, but it’s a step towards some type of justice, some type of clarity of who gave out the orders, who’s the one that pushed these tactics into the community,” Enriquez said.

He and others hope the hearings can make some difference regardless of whether Bovino, former DHS Secretary Noem, or the other officials show up.

“We got to put them on blast. We’ve got to put them on notice that we are watching, that we will hold them accountable, and in the future, look, I think in a different administration, we need to talk about prosecution here,” Rodriguez said.

While it seems highly unlikely that any of those officials invited to testify will actually show up, the hearings, set for April 27 and 28, will still go on as planned, providing another opportunity to publicly document the impact of operation “Midway Blitz.”

Pritzker issued a statement, saying, “I established the Illinois Accountability Commission to preserve the truth and document how Donald Trump and his accomplices violated the rights of Illinoisans and terrorized our communities during Operation Midway Blitz. These officials should answer directly to the people of Illinois for the chaos and violence they unleashed. Regardless of whether these officials are still in their roles or not, the people of Illinois demand accountability from them all.”

A DHS spokesperson issued a statement, saying, “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. Where is his investigation into his own policies that allowed Sheridan Gorman’s killer to be released from jail to go on and commit her heinous murder?”