The RecordExhibit 46
Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago
Mixed rulings means: Courts have ruled both ways on parts of it.
During a federal immigration surge in Chicago, ICE agents shot and killed Silverio Villegas González at a traffic stop, and a Border Patrol agent shot teacher's assistant Marimar Martinez several times.
What happened
Martinez was charged with assaulting agents; prosecutors later dropped the case with prejudice. A DHS report cited by Rep. Chuy García found only 3% of those arrested had serious criminal convictions. A judge restricted agents' use of tear gas and then ordered body cameras after seeing footage of violations.
Where it stands
Journalists and protesters sued, saying agents violated their First and Fourth Amendment rights with tear gas, pepper balls and batons, and U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis issued a preliminary injunction limiting agents' use of force. In March 2026 a panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated that injunction 2 to 1, calling it 'constitutionally suspect'; by then the plaintiffs had asked to end the case and Ellis had dismissed it. No one has been charged over Villegas González's death: the Department of Homeland Security has said federal prosecutors declined to charge the officer who shot him, and the FBI will not discuss its investigation. The Illinois State Police opened their own investigation in spring 2026 and plan to turn it over to Cook County prosecutors when it is finished. On May 21, 2026, a Cook County judge refused to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate alleged abuses by federal agents during the operation. In early July 2026 lawyers filed five civil lawsuits in federal court in Illinois seeking to hold agents accountable; the complaints do not yet name the agents. Of more than two dozen protest-related arrests, none reached trial and at least nine were dropped.
The administration's side
DHS says Villegas González tried to flee and that the agent who shot Martinez believed she was armed. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the appeals ruling a win for the president's law enforcement surge in Chicago.
Sources
Permanent link: https://unredactedrecord.com/e/chicago/