SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Gov. JB Pritzker has called on the Illinois Accountability Commission to examine the impact of conduct and decisions Trump administration officials made related to Operation Midway Blitz. The commission is also discussing how the federal government is escalating the use of military tactics against American cities with thriving immigrant communities.
Pritzker is requesting the commission review and document information related to statements, policy decisions and roles of officials that led to escalating tactics during Operation Midway Blitz.Â
State leaders said the people of Illinois, and now Minnesota, have seen the same pattern of violence and lies from the federal government.
"What has become apparent to the public is that these are not just cases of excessive force, but cold-blooded killings of Americans," said retired Chicago Police Department Commander Cindy Sam. "These federal agents are not just serving law enforcement, they are acting as judge, jury and executioner."
Pritzker said Greg Bovino, Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller and Tom Homan should be held accountable for killing Americans and harming immigrant neighborhoods.Â
Researchers told the Illinois Accountability Commission Friday that Chicago has become the testing ground for a new model of federal power, blurring the line between law enforcement and political control.
"When national leaders frame enforcement as a righteous battle against political enemies, they raise the stakes of every encounter," said University of Chicago political science professor Robert Pape. "This is true regardless of party. Moralized power lowers restraint."
Others noted that border patrol and ICE agents lack real-world policing skills and have approached their work as military operations.
"Their poor training and sense of political impunity [are] contributing to and driving their arrest-first and question-later approach, which is the exact opposite of what you would expect in a free and democratic society," said Garett Graff, a historian documenting immigration enforcement.
The Illinois Accountability Commission meets once per month, and the group is independent from the Illinois General Assembly. However, state lawmakers could pass plans this spring with recommendations from the commission.Â
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