Illinois Accountability Commission Hosts First Meeting

Illinois Accountability Commission Hosts First Meeting

Compelling testimony shed light on human impact of the widespread use of chemical agents during Operation Midway Blitz

CHICAGO -The Illinois Accountability Commission, housed in the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR), held a public meeting on December 18 at the Arturo Velasquez Institute (AVI) at Richard J. Daley College in the West Lawn community. During the first public meeting, the Commission outlined its function and purpose, presented two video montages highlighting concerning actions by federal agents, and heard a first-hand witness account as well as a presentation from a public health subject matter expert. The Commission announced it will open a portal in January 2026 to accept information from members of the public.

In October 2025, Governor JB Pritzker signed Executive Order 2025-06 establishing the Illinois Accountability Commission. The purpose of the Commission is to create a public record of the conduct of federal agents during "Operation Midway Blitz" and the Trump Administration's military-style operations in Illinois. The Commission also examines the impact of that conduct on individuals and communities to consider policy recommendations to prevent future harm.

The Commission heard compelling testimony from an individual with first-hand experience witnessing aggressive tactics at the hands of federal agents as well as expertise from a subject matter expert on the impact of the use of chemical agents:

• Matt DeMateo is the CEO of New Life Centers, a Chicago-based nonprofit dedicated to mentoring, education, violence prevention, and family support. Since becoming CEO in 2013, he has overseen the expansion of programs including restorative justice, street outreach, trauma-informed services, and food access initiatives, serving thousands of youth and families citywide. With a long history of community engagement, he is deeply committed to creating safe, supportive spaces and opportunities for young people to thrive.
• Dr. Rohini J. Haar, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at the University of California, Berkeley, and an emergency medicine physician with expertise in health and human rights. Her research focuses on the health impacts of human rights violations, including the use of crowd-control weapons such as tear gas, violence against healthcare workers, and the effects of conflict on population health. She appeared before the Commission as an expert witness, drawing on her contributions to the Lethal in Disguise report on crowd-control weapons and her expert declaration in Chicago Headline Club v. Noem, which addresses the medical and public health harms associated with enforcement tactics used during the Midway Blitz.

Key Quotes from the Meeting:

• Illinois Accountability Commission Chair, Judge Ruben Castillo: "I never thought we would see federal agents terrorizing everyday people in Chicago-and across Illinois in the name of enforcing laws. [...] There is a lot of prosecutorial experience on our commission and yet what we've seen being done dishonors those true members of law enforcement. And it dishonors them in such a profound way when you think that our children and our grandchildren are learning that our federal agents can behave in this manner." [Watch Clip on YouTube]
• Matt DeMateo, CEO of New Life Centers: "In my 25 years of serving in Chicago, 2025 has been the hardest year of the 25 years, and the last four months have been the hardest period of those 25 years. Operation Midway Blitz [...] has wreaked havoc across Chicagoland. More than 4,500 people have been taken this year, the majority in these last few months, and ice operations have created chaos, ripping families apart and instilling deep fear across entire neighborhoods. [Watch Clip on YouTube]
• Dr. Rohini J. Haar, MD, MPH: "Again, there is no threat. There is no need to use these weapons. There's almost no warning before that's thrown [chemical agents]. When the leadership of an organization is doing this, this provides cover for everyone under him. This is obviously a real top-down problem." [Watch Clip on YouTube]

Meeting Resources available on Website:

• Meeting Link: https://multimedia.illinois.gov/ioci/2025/GOV/121825-IllinoisAccountabilityCommissionHearing/121825-IllinoisAccountabilityCommissionHearing.mp4
• Video montage on Operation Midway Blitz: https://youtu.be/x8k3wxb0118
• Video montage on use of chemical agents: https://youtu.be/aFmNUpOUB-8
• Additional materials presented during the meeting will be made available at the Illinois Accountability Commission Website: https://ilac.illinois.gov/