Looking Towards Accountability
The Commission’s final report includes more than 80 recommendations adoptable at every level of government as well as institutions operating outside of government. They share a core premise: what happened during Operation Midway Blitz was not inevitable and that we can and must better protect our communities from any future violent federal overreach. Here’s how we have so far and can continue to collectively act.
What Illinois Has Already Done.
Illinois has passed the strongest state-level response in the country: the Illinois Bivens Act, which lets people sue any law enforcement officer–including federal officers–who knowingly violates their constitutional rights in addition to the Court Access, Safety, and Participation Act, which protects people from being seized at courthouses. The Commission recommends building on this foundation by strengthening the TRUST Act, supporting businesses and families that sustained economic loss due to Operation Midway Blitz, increasing funding for legal services and Know Your Rights education, and behavioral health support for affected communities.
What Illinois Law Enforcement Agencies Must Deliver.
The Commission referred 16 alleged instances of federal misconduct to law enforcement agencies and State’s Attorney’s Offices throughout the state. Each referral should be thoroughly reviewed and investigated and the public should be apprised of the status and result of each investigation.
What Congress Can Do.
Only Congress can fully close the accountability gaps the Commission exposed. It can do so by restoring a federal real remedy when federal officers violate constitutional rights, setting binding standards for detention conditions, protecting sensitive locations from enforcement actions, and conducting its own investigation of how immigration enforcement throughout the country has made communities less safe.
What What Federal Agencies Can Do Tomorrow.
No new law is required for DHS to end traffic stop immigration enforcement, limit chemical agent use in residential neighborhoods and sensitive locations, require agents to be identifiable, and restore independent oversight offices–such as the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the detention and immigration ombudsmun–that were dismantled while Operation Midway Blitz was carried out.
What Other States Can Do.
The Commission itself is a model any state can adapt to build a public record, built from evidence, that forms the basis for lasting accountability measures. States can also adopt Illinois-style civil remedies, sensitive-location protections, and officer-verification requirements. Illinois is already sharing what it learned and can provide a briefing to any interested state or locality.
The Record is Public. Use it.
The Commission’s work belongs to everyone. The full report, investigation briefs, hearing videos, and evidence archive are permanent and public at ilac.illinois.gov.
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