Pritzker forms independent commission to document misconduct of federal agents

After urging Illinoisans last month to record concerning actions by federal agents, Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order Thursday creating a commission to review documentation submitted by the public.

“The federal government has chosen to treat the people of this country as an adversary,” Pritzker said of the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” targeting the Chicago area. “We will not meet intimidation with fear. We will meet it with truth.”

The newly formed Illinois Accountability Commission has been charged by Pritzker to create a public record of abuses, document the impact of those abuses on families and communities, and recommend actions for justice and reducing future harm.

The commission will investigate past actions by federal officials, according to its chair, U.S. District Judge Rubén Castillo, including the fatal shooting of unarmed father and Mexican immigrant Silverio Villegas González by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer after dropping off his two young sons at school and daycare in the Chicago area.