Illinois Accountability Commission’s Fifth Public Hearing Reveals Names of Rogue Border Patrol Agents

Illinois Accountability Commission's Fifth Public Hearing Reveals Names of Rogue Border Patrol Agents

A comprehensive report with recommendations to be issued to the Governor and the People of Illinois on Thursday, April 30

CHICAGO - The Illinois Accountability Commission, housed in the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR), today held its fifth public hearing to reveal further findings from the investigations on the misconduct of federal agents during Operation Midway Blitz, including the names of various rogue Border Patrol agents the administration protected by offering preemptive immunity.

"In my 25 years as a federal judge, I have never seen the type of brutality shown by the agents involved in Midway Blitz. It has been unprecedented," said Chair Ruben Castillo. "The brutal conduct examined in these hearings does not reflect isolated incidents. It reflects a pattern that, across locations and operational contexts, is consistent in structure and effect. But the record documented today goes further. It addresses how that pattern was enabled by directives issued from the top."

"Today, we turn to what made Operation Midway Blitz possible-immunity," said Vice-Chair Patricia Brown Holmes. "Federal officials did not just tolerate lawlessness. They encouraged it. They shielded it. And they made a grand bargain with the agents: deliver arrests, occupy the city through fear, and we will protect you."

During the hearing, lead investigators presented evidence and testimony that illustrated how the Trump Administration encouraged lawlessness. They outlined how the federal government deployed hundreds of masked and heavily armed agents from Border Patrol units known for their aggressive behavior. These agents violated federal court orders by making warrantless arrests without justification, fired off chemical weapons against entire neighborhoods, and covered up their misconduct by lying in reports. Agents identified for lawless behavior include:

• East Side Investigation - Border Patrol Agents Benito Nuñez, Carlos Chavira, and Jesus Guillen chased two men in a rental car without sirens in a residential area. A section chief ordered them to stop, and a field supervisor relayed that order multiple times. The agents said "no" and kept driving and turned on their body cameras after the pursuit was underway. The Chicago Police Department (CPD) also asked the agents not to deploy tear gas. The agents had already planned the gassing, and they followed through by gassing residents, journalists, and the very CPD officers who asked them to stop.

• Brighton Park Investigation: Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum, crashed into Marimar Martinez's vehicle, and shot her five times without justification. The commission featured an anonymous eyewitness account from a person who saw Agent Exum shoot Ms. Martinez and corroborated Ms. Martinez's account. The anonymous witness was invited to speak today, but through her attorney, she declined. Her attorney explained that she is afraid of reprisals and retaliation for speaking out. Through their investigation, the Commission also found that:
  • Evidence was deliberately tampered with and destroyed
  • Federal agents produced materially inaccurate official reports
  • Chemical agents were deployed indiscriminately against a residential neighborhood without warning
  • DHS leadership failed to ensure accountability at every level

• Repeat Offender: Yesterday, Evanston witness Jennifer Moriarty shared how Border Patrol Agent Timothy Donahue pulled his gun on civilians, dangerously brake checked vehicles, and denied medical care to a man with serious injuries. The body-worn camera footage the Commission reviewed also showed Agent Donahue at the scene of the most violent and chaotic episodes of Operation Midway Blitz, including in Brighton Park, Broadview, Albany Park, Little Village, and other neighborhoods.

Testimony #1: Marimar Martinez, Operation Midway Blitz Survivor

The hearing's key testimony came from Marimar Martinez, a U.S. citizen, Brighton Park community resident, and teaching assistant, who was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent while in her vehicle on October 4, 2025. The never-before-seen footage of the event also included a testimony from a live eyewitness. Martinez was charged with a felony after Homeland Security officials accused her of trying to ram agents with her vehicle. Martinez also described an incident that was unlike anything in Chicago's modern history. The Brighton Park community was repeatedly targeted by federal immigration agents. Community residents took to the streets to confront federal immigration agents near 105th Street and Avenue N on Oct. 14, 2025, after agents had rammed a car while trying to make an arrest. Right after police officers arrived to secure the area, federal agents deployed no fewer than 15 rounds of chemical weapons on scores of residents and 27 Chicago Police officers, who had asked the agents not to use the gas.

"It's hard. Like just talking about it is hard, but I'm doing it not just for me-I'm doing it for my community, for those kids, anybody that's living in fear honestly," said Marimar Martinez. "I'm tired of going through this, and I just want change. I'm asking for change. I've been judged. I've been criminalized. I've been shot. But I'm still here speaking and I want change, that's what I want."

Testimony #2: Christopher Parente, Marimar Martinez's Attorney

Christopher Parente, Ms. Martinez's attorney, described the techniques used by the federal government to tarnish the name of one of their citizens and doubled down on lies about what happened-including lies from Agent Exum's partner.

"And this agent who draws a fake diagram and he turns it in to a FBI agent as a coverup, there's no investigation of him? If he's willing to draw a fake diagram like this, what else is he willing to do?," said Christopher Parente. "Federal agents, despite what Stephen Miller says, are not immune for prosecution. They cannot lie to other federal agents. They need to be prosecuted and held accountable for this."

The lead investigators also outlined how the Trump administration use propaganda to create a constant barrage of lies and staged ad campaigns to justify misconduct to the American Public, which ultimately shed a light on how they plan to impact the upcoming general election.

Testimony #3: Jim Durkin, Former Illinois House Republican Leader

Former Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, a republican who served 22 years in the Illinois General Assembly, discussed how Donald Trump's paramilitary force is positioned to keep people from the ballot box.

"The right to vote is the foundation on which every other right in this country rests. It is what makes the governed the source of the government's power," said Former Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin. "When that right is suppressed-not by a law, but by fear-it is not just an attack on a community. It is an attack on the legitimacy of self-governance itself. This is another way our speech and our voice can be chilled, and a further insult to those who demand fair play and decency from this administration. It is a direct threat to our democracy."

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Over the last six months, Commission conducted 16 in-depth investigations in the Chicagoland area, including over 60 interviews, collected and reviewed hundreds of hours of footage from ICE/CBP body-worn cameras, surveillance cameras, personal devices, and social media.

A comprehensive report will be issued to the Governor and the People of Illinois on Thursday, April 30, 2026. This report will contain specific findings, referrals, and recommendations.

Video packages featured today include:

• Stephen Miller Fox News - https://f.io/4cxy-sge
• East Side - https://f.io/ea2s_8gj
• Brighton Park - https://f.io/d4l8_cty
• Marimar Martinez Drive By - https://f.io/tdmi5lw2
• Agent Donahue Repeat Offender - https://f.io/culmb3p0
• Gonzalez Shooting - https://f.io/uobeysyj
• Lies - https://f.io/rgdrre0s

To watch the hearing recording, visit https://www.youtube.com/@illinoisDHR/streams.