Contact: media@hispanicfederation.org
CHICAGO, IL – Today, Hispanic Federation published The People’s Record: A Report on the People’s Hearing on Immigration Enforcement in Chicago, documenting the unconstitutional conduct, unlawful detentions, and widespread civil rights violations that took place during Operation Midway Blitz. The report draws from testimony given by 28 speakers across six panels at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. It is the second in a series that began with Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota.
Operation Midway Blitz began on September 8, 2025, and brought thousands of federal agents into the Chicago region without accountability. The Illinois Accountability Commission estimates approximately 3,900 arrests or detentions during the operation, and Illinois had the highest number of ICE arrests of any state during this period. The commission also found that 85% of those detained had no criminal conviction.
This People’s Hearing on Immigration Enforcement was organized and sponsored by Hispanic Federation, the Miranda Family Fund, Latino Victory Foundation, and Texas Civil Rights Project. It took place on May 20th, 2026 and it was moderated by Rochelle Garza, Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, with former Commission Chair Marty Castro.
Local organizations played an essential role in shaping the focus of the hearing, convening affected communities, and providing testimony. They include Latinos Progresando, Latino Policy Forum, ACLU of Illinois, Enlace Chicago, The Resurrection Project, Little Village Chamber of Commerce, Instituto del Progreso Latino, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and many more.
“When the federal government fails to investigate its own actions, we need more institutions and organizations equipped to document abuses, preserve evidence, and pursue accountability,” said Executive Director of the Illinois Accountability Commission Hina Mahmood. “Through its People’s Hearing and this report, the Hispanic Federation is helping expand Illinois’ accountability infrastructure, connecting community testimony with a national call for independent investigations and meaningful oversight.”
“The Latino Policy Forum was honored to partner with Hispanic Federation and local nonprofit partners on this critical account of the abuses and violations communities across Chicagoland experienced during Operation Midway Blitz. By collecting stories and providing policy recommendations, this report demonstrates how those closest to challenges are the best equipped to create solutions. It is now up to our leaders to take this information and hold individuals and systems accountable for the harm suffered and the trauma that continues for so many,” said Linda Xóchitl Tortolero, President & CEO, Latino Policy forum.
“When federal operations like Midway Blitz target our neighborhoods, it is local leadership and resilient residents who step up to protect one another. Latinos Progresando was proud to help bring these powerful testimonies to light. This report isn’t just a record of the deep harm done to our families and local economies—it’s a call to action. Congress and federal agencies must take immediate accountability and establish real oversight to ensure our communities are never subjected to unchecked enforcement again,” said Luis Gutierrez Chief Executive Officer of Latinos Progresando.
“It was my honor to have been called upon to co-chair this historic process along with Commission Chair Garza. The People’s Hearings are an important step towards accountability nationally, as well as locally in communities like Chicago which have borne the brunt of the devastation wrought by the federal government’s out of control immigration enforcement tactics. This Report not only documents the harm done by ICE to the Chicago metropolitan area, but just as important, how targeted Chicago communities have risen to the challenge to defend one another from this war on our families and neighbors,” said Marty Castro, Former Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and President & CEO of Casa Central.
“Operation Midway Blitz is a cautionary example of what happens when federal agents operate without limits: families torn apart, neighborhoods living in fear, and small businesses left to absorb the damage alone. What the people of Chicago shared during their testimony is horrifying. Communities across the country are facing the very same, ICE agents acting without rules, oversight, or consequences. I am grateful to everyone who had the courage to testify, and we will keep pressing Congress to enact real guardrails and hold these agencies accountable, because no one in America should have to live under fear,” said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of Hispanic Federation.
“The federal government is bound by the Constitution to uphold people’s rights and must answer for any abuse committed in its name. What I heard in Chicago demands a full, independent investigation into Operation Midway Blitz, including the decisions of officials who authorized and directed immigration enforcement. The People’s Record puts that testimony before Congress and federal agencies, which have a duty to seek accountability. The public deserves to know what happened, who bears responsibility, and how our government will address the lasting harm that’s been done. Accountability must reach every level of government responsible for these abuses,” said Rochelle Garza, Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
“This Chicago chapter of The People’s Record is absolutely vital. It exposes a devastating truth: federal immigration enforcement is being weaponized against our communities nationwide. The horrors we are seeing in Chicago are the same atrocities we’ve witnessed in Minnesota, and elsewhere. It is deeply alarming, and it exposes a dangerous, systemic pattern of federal overreach and government-sanctioned cruelty,” said Luis A. Miranda, Jr., patriarch of the Miranda Family and Miranda Family Fund. “ICE is operating with a complete and utter disregard for public safety, for the well-being of our neighborhoods, for basic human rights, and for the law itself. They have discarded basic human decency. But this record stands as an archive of truth. It will outlast this administration, and it will serve as the undeniable foundation we need to hold those responsible fully accountable.”
Seven Key Recommendations
The report calls on Congress and federal agencies to take seven urgent actions:
- Conduct a full and independent investigation into Operation Midway Blitz
- Establish independent oversight and public reporting requirements for immigration enforcement operations
- Protect the constitutional rights of both targeted individuals and observers
- Enforce due process protections and establish reliable tracking systems for detained individuals
- Reform detention practices and fully enforce minimum standards, at Broadview and out-of-state facilities alike
- Limit the use of interstate transfers
- Support community recovery to address the economic and mental health impacts on families, workers, and local economies
The full report and hearing transcript are available here the hearing remains publicly accessible at hispfed.info/CHIforum.
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About Hispanic Federation
Hispanic Federation (HF) is a nonprofit membership and advocacy organization, founded in 1990, committed to empowering and advancing the Hispanic community, with a focus on low-income, marginalized, and immigrant Latine. With programs in 43 states and territories, HF’s focus areas include immigration, economic empowerment, civic engagement, disaster relief, philanthropy, education, health, and the environment. HF also maintains ongoing public education campaigns and meets the organizational development needs of its member agencies through grant-making and capacity-building assistance.
