CHICAGO (AP) — On Thursday, a newly established commission held its initial public hearing to scrutinize the alleged harassment and abuse by federal agents during a recent immigration crackdown in the Chicago area, with a particular focus on the extensive use of chemical agents.

This immigration operation, initiated in September, has been characterized by aggressive tactics that have faced widespread condemnation from judges, elected officials, and an increasingly vocal segment of the population in Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, and its surrounding suburbs. The commission, established by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, is part of a broader resistance by Democratic-led states against what they view as discriminatory federal interventions by the Trump administration, perceived as an overreach of executive power.

“It’s going to be impossible to forget,” remarked Rubén Castillo, a former federal judge and head of the commission, referring to the immigration crackdown. “The one thing we cannot do is accept this. This cannot be the new normal.”

The hearing coincided with the unexpected return of a prominent Border Patrol commander to the Chicago area. Previously, this official had led similar enforcement actions in North Carolina and Louisiana, making his reappearance particularly noteworthy.

In the course of the Chicago area crackdown, more than 4,000 individuals have been arrested, and the operation has led to a fatal shooting by federal agents. These events have sparked a series of lawsuits and resulted in the enactment of a new law designed to protect immigrants from arrests near sensitive locations such as courthouses, hospitals, and schools. Other regions experiencing intensified immigration enforcement have mounted their own resistances, including California, which recently launched a portal for residents to report alleged misconduct by federal agents.

There are limitations on what the Illinois commission can do, something members acknowledged as they played video clips and heard testimony of well-documented incidents, including an agent pepper spraying a toddler and her father. The commission cannot compel anyone to testify, bring charges or force legislation but they’ll issue a report next year with recommendations.

Members include attorneys, community leaders and retired judges who said their goal was to also create an accurate historic record of the impact on the community as the Trump administration’s account of what happened often contradict what was seen and documented by firsthand witnesses.

The Department of Homeland Security has defended its approach as appropriate in the face of growing threats to federal officers. The agency has touted efforts to arrest violent criminals, though public records of their first weeks in Chicago show the majority of arrestees didn’t have violent criminal records.

DHS didn’t immediately respond to a message left Thursday.

Community leaders have said the operation has been devastating to the community.

The hearing Thursday was held near Little Village, a neighborhood known as the “Mexico of the Midwest” that was among the hardest hit by immigration agents. Businesses reported slowdowns and schools noted drops in attendance as many residents have remained on edge.

“The narrative of removing dangerous criminals is simply not true,” Matt DeMateo, a pastor who leads New Life Centers, testified.

Senior Border Patrol Official Greg Bovino left the Chicago area last month. His surprise return, amid ongoing operations in New Orleans, prompted immediately backlash in the Democratic stronghold, with activists following agents as they patrolled throughout the city and suburbs. That included a confrontation Wednesday with the mayor of Evanston, an affluent Chicago suburb that’s home to Northwestern University.

Bovino posted last month about his conversation with Mayor Daniel Biss.

“Although he fell back into the divisive talking points that we’ve heard ad nauseum from politicians in Chicago, I hope it was enlightening to him,” Bovino said on the social platform X.

Biss, who is running for Congress, had a different take.

“We will not be intimidated,” he said in a statement posted to X with a picture of the Bovino interaction. “Get the hell out of our city.”