CHICAGO — Amid ongoing immigration enforcement operations in Chicagoland, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has announced that he is forming a commission to keep track of the actions of federal law enforcement.
On Thursday, Pritzker signed an executive order that authorized the creation of the Illinois Accountability Commission. The commission will hold hearings, gather information from people and collect testimony before issuing reports with recommendations to the governor.
“We intend to create a detailed record of the truth and once this all ends, people of good faith will review what this commission has gathered and will demand accountability,” the governor said Thursday.
Rubén Castillo, a former judge for the Northern District of Illinois, will serve as Chair, while Patricia Holmes, former associate judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, will serve as Vice Chair.
“This commission is about civil rights. This commission is about the constitution. This commission is ultimately about human rights,” Castillo said.
The commission will be made up of up to nine members, all appointed by the governor. They will issue a report with findings and recommendations to the governor and all of the accounts gathered will be publicly available.
Pritzker says the commission’s formation is in response to the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement operation in the chicagoland dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.”
“It’s a military-style assault on Chicago and our suburbs. Pritzker said. “In a short time, we have witnessed countless acts of harassment and intimidation, brutality and abuse of power.”
“In the meantime, I ask three things of the public: be patient with this commission, be peaceful, you can protest, but it needs to be peaceful, keep taking, as the governor said, those videos,” Castillo said.
Illinoisans who have witnessed or experienced concerning conduct by federal agents are encouraged to visit the IAC website at ilac.Illinois.gov for forthcoming information about the Commission’s work, hearing schedules, and other updates.
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