The work of the Illinois Accountability Commission is being highlighted as a national model for documenting federal immigration enforcement conduct through Disappeared in America, a national project launched by the Democracy Power Project, Gov. JB Pritzker's office announced Thursday.
According to the release, the project documents the names, faces and stories of people who have been detained, deported, separated from their families, killed or otherwise affected by federal immigration enforcement. The site also includes a submission portal where Illinoisans and others across the country can submit their experiences of potential federal misconduct.
The project features an animated short film telling the story of Ofelia Torres, described in the release as a Chicago teenager battling a rare form of cancer who was separated from her father after he was detained by immigration authorities.
"Last year, the Trump Administration launched an unprecedented military-style assault against our communities, sending thousands of masked federal agents to harass, intimidate, and abuse our people," Pritzker said in the release. "Administration officials allowed agents to act unconscionably and told them their actions would be immune from investigation or accountability—they are not. There will come a time where people of good faith are empowered to uphold the law, and Illinois will support the pursuit of justice to its fullest extent."
About the commission
Pritzker established the Illinois Accountability Commission by executive order in October 2025, following federal immigration enforcement operations across the Chicago area, the release says. Housed within the Illinois Department of Human Rights, it is described as the first state-level commission in the nation to investigate federal law enforcement misconduct and produce a public record of its findings.
Over six months, the commission examined Operation Midway Blitz through public hearings, community engagement, witness interviews, expert analysis and review of documentary and video evidence. Its work culminated in a final report approved April 30, 2026.
According to the release, the commission found patterns of illegal and violent conduct by federal immigration enforcement agents during the operation, addressing use of force, warrantless arrests and discriminatory stops, detention conditions, enforcement tactics, transparency and oversight, and effects on families, businesses, public safety and civic life.
"The Commission found illegal and violent conduct by federal immigration agents, including unlawful stops and arrests, excessive force, and the use of paramilitary tactics in Illinois communities," said retired federal Judge Rubén Castillo, co-chair of the commission. "Illinois showed that states do not have to stand by when federal power is abused."
From investigation to referrals
The release says the commission transmitted its report and a referral letter to the Cook County State's Attorney, Kane County State's Attorney and law enforcement agencies in Chicago, Evanston, Franklin Park and Elgin for review of evidence concerning potential violations of law. The commission acknowledged it does not have subpoena power or prosecutorial jurisdiction.
The commission's recommendations include stronger guardrails around immigration enforcement, ending indiscriminate enforcement sweeps and unlawful warrantless arrests, limiting identity-shielding practices, strengthening protections for sensitive locations, improving oversight of uses of force, expanding transparency and body-worn-camera requirements, and protecting due process for people in detention, according to the release.
"The Illinois Accountability Commission was only possible because people had the courage to come forward and tell the truth about what they and their communities were experiencing," said Hina Mahmood, executive director of the commission.
Beatriz Lopez, founder of the Democracy Power Project, said in the release the site aims to build a historical record. "We will record, we will hold perpetrators to account and we will never let this happen again in American democracy," she said.
The commission's final report and the referral letter are available at ilac.illinois.gov/final-report. More on the national project is at disappearedinamerica.us.
Source: the original release