NATIONAL PROJECT DOCUMENTING IMPACT OF FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT SPOTLIGHTS ILLINOIS' FIRST-IN-THE-NATION RESPONSE

Disappeared in America highlights Illinois' effort to investigate federal law enforcement conduct, preserve the public record, and pursue accountability

CHICAGO - The work of Governor JB Pritzker's Illinois Accountability Commission is being highlighted as a national model for documenting federal immigration enforcement conduct and preserving the experiences of impacted individuals and communities through Disappeared in America, a national project launched by the Democracy Power Project. The project documents the names, faces and stories of people who have been detained, deported, separated from their families, killed or otherwise impacted by federal immigration enforcement. Additionally, the site includes a submission portal, where Illinoisians and individuals across the country can submit their experiences of potential federal misconduct.

"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," said Governor JB Pritzker. "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."

"Disappeared in America started with one premise: we will record, we will hold perpetrators to account and we will never let this happen again in American democracy," said Beatriz Lopez, founder of the Democracy Power Project. "This is no ordinary site; we're building the historical record so that no future Congress, no future president, and no American can say they didn't know. There will be accountability, and the Illinois Accountability Commission under Governor Pritzker offers a roadmap for other states and future Congresses and administrations willing to hold responsible the architects and enforcers of this cruel agenda with truth, transformative policies, and full accountability under the letter of the law."

Illinois Built the Record to Lead by Example

The Commission found patterns of illegal and violent conduct by federal immigration enforcement agents during Operation Midway Blitz. Its findings addressed use of force, warrantless arrests and discriminatory stops, detention conditions, enforcement tactics, transparency and oversight, and the broader effects of the operation on families, businesses, public safety and civic life in Illinois.

The Commission also examined the role of senior federal officials in establishing and overseeing the operation and documented what it found to be efforts by federal officials to encourage aggressive enforcement tactics, mischaracterize incidents involving federal agents and shield misconduct from accountability.

"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 Illinois Accountability Commission. "Illinois showed that states do not have to stand by when federal power is abused. They can investigate, listen to their communities, document what happened, and build a public record that demands accountability. That model can-and should-be replicated across the country. Disappeared in America helps carry that model forward, preserving the Illinois record while giving communities elsewhere a foundation for documenting their own experiences."

From Investigation to Accountability

The Commission's mandate extended beyond documenting what happened.

Following its investigation, 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 that it does not possess subpoena power or prosecutorial jurisdiction and referred evidence to agencies empowered to conduct further investigations and, where appropriate, pursue action.

The inclusion of Illinois' work in Disappeared in America extends that record beyond the Commission itself and provides another avenue for the experiences documented in Illinois to remain accessible to the public.

"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 Illinois Accountability Commission. "They trusted us with their stories at a moment when many people were afraid to speak, and together they created a record that could not have been built by any one person or institution alone. Disappeared in America builds on that spirit of collective action, carrying the stories gathered in Illinois into a national effort to make sure people have a way to document what is happening in their own communities."

The Commission's Final Report, investigative materials, public testimony, and referrals now form a state record that can inform policymakers, law enforcement agencies, researchers and communities in Illinois and across the country.

About the Illinois Accountability Commission

About Disappeared in America