Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order on Thursday aimed at addressing federal enforcement in Illinois, telling CBS News that his newly created Illinois Accountability Commission will serve as a permanent record of alleged civil rights abuses by federal agents in Chicago.
Pritzker told CBS News, in an exclusive interview, the state is documenting “unlawful attacks” by ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers under Operation Midway Blitz.
“They are attacking people on the ground — ICE, CBP — going after people just because they’re Brown or Black,” Pritzker said. “No one above them is holding them responsible. Greg Bovino, who is running the operation in Chicago, isn’t holding them accountable. No one is. So we’re going to have to keep a record.”
Pritzker’s office said the task force will consist of nine people appointed by him to capture and create a public record of federal law enforcement, ultimately recommending actions to hold the federal government accountable for operations taking place here.
“The commission will be charged with three core missions. One, creating a public record of the abuses; two, capturing the impact on families and communities; and three, recommending actions to prevent further harm and pursue justice,” Pritzker said at a press conference announcing his executive order.
He said members will be supported by the Department of Human Rights, and he expects hearings to launch “several weeks from now.”
“Since this began, I have encouraged the people of Illinois to use their phones and to record everything they are witnessing and post it on social media,” Pritzker said. “We have a duty to ensure that the truth is preserved.”
The governor said hundreds of videos and firsthand accounts have already been collected and will be preserved for use in future legal proceedings.
“These people need to be held accountable,” he said. “And they will be — by the judiciary now, and by Congress or the next administration later.”
Former Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Ruben Castillo, will lead the commission as chair.
“This commission is about civil rights. This commission is about the Constitution. This commission ultimately about human rights, Castillo said. “I see the commission as a lighthouse. What does a lighthouse do? It sheds light on darkness, and there certainly seems to be – and not prejudging this – a lot of darkness going around.”
Pritzker emphasized that Illinois is not waiting for Washington to act, pointing to recent legal victories against federal enforcement actions.
“We’ve won at the circuit court level. We’ve won at the appeals court level. We are taking action now. But it’s appalling that the people committing these crimes are still on the job,” Pritzker said. “Let’s be clear: Congress isn’t doing anything right now. They’ve become sycophants to the President. They’re not holding hearings or asking questions.”
He described reports of Black Hawk helicopters, military-style weapons, and the mass detention of civilians, including children being zip-tied.
“There are people who just don’t believe it until they see it,” he said. “We’ve seen pastors hit with pepper balls while praying outside ICE facilities. Peaceful protesters tackled or shot with tear gas and rubber bullets for exercising their First Amendment rights. … That’s why we’re telling everyone: record it, document it, send it in.”
In his interview with CBS News, Pritzker detailed the timeline on these accountability efforts.
“We are taking those cases to court, and again we are winning. So we’re taking action now. I don’t want to make it seem like nothing is happening,” he said.
The governor said they’re taking cases to court now, but other actions could take years, when there’s a change in administration at the White House.
“Someone’s got to hold them accountable, and whether it’s the courts now or the elected officials later, we’ve got to make sure we have a record to show,” he said.
Pritzker said a report will be issued this January related to the work of the commission. They’ve created a website people can use to track this work and to report activity at ilac.illinois.gov.
Asked about this week’s federal court decision blocking the deployment of the National Guard in Chicago, Pritzker praised the ruling but voiced concern about what may come next.
“The courts have done a very good job stopping the worst offenses, but I’m disturbed that the Supreme Court might allow federalized National Guard troops when there is no insurrection, no rebellion,” he said.
Pritzker said he welcomes help from the FBI, DEA, and ATF to combat illegal guns and drugs, but rejected any military-style presence.
When asked what he’d say directly to CBP Chief of Patrol Bovino, who oversees the federal operation, Pritzker offered a pointed message: “Follow the law. Follow your own protocols. Do right by the citizens of the United States who live here in Illinois. And, finally, pronounce the name of our state correctly. It’s Illinois, not Illinoise.”
Bovino defends enforcement actions, claiming “absolute chaos in the streets”
On Thursday, Bovino also talked with CBS News and pushed back on Pritzker’s claims.
“Pritzker probably ought to set a hotline up for himself, for all the abuses that illegal aliens perpetrate on American citizens,” Bovino said, accusing him and other Democratic leaders of spreading “fake news” about racial profiling. He denied that CBP agents have targeted neighborhoods by race or acted outside policy.
“We’ve arrested individuals from 30 non-Latino countries,” he said. “We go where the threat is.”
Bovino defended his agency’s tactics, saying federal agents in Chicago have made nearly 2,700 arrests since Sept. 6 and used “exemplary” force amid what he called “absolute chaos in the streets.”
“We’ve arrested a lot of very bad individuals: Latin Kings members, bona fide terrorists, and things like that,” Bovino told CBS News.
Bovino said roughly 70% of arrests nationwide involve people with “criminal or immigration history,” though he declined to provide specific figures for Chicago, when pressed repeatedly. Earlier this month, CBS News Chicago dug into the data behind the arrests, and found some of the numbers reflected people arrested outside of Illinois.
Bovino also defended agents seen deploying tear gas and pepper balls at protesters outside the Broadview detention facility, despite a federal court order restricting chemical agents.
“The use of force I’ve seen has been exemplary, the least amount necessary to accomplish the mission,” he said. “Those protesters were trespassing and had been given multiple warnings. That was absolutely in line with policy.”
Bovino dismissed concerns that agents fired from elevated positions or above the waist, insisting, “It doesn’t matter where you fire from. That’s not a violation of policy.”
Asked if any agents had been disciplined for excessive force, Bovino said, “To my knowledge, no.”
He also defended the possible deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago, saying they would guard federal facilities, not patrol city streets.
“That was fake news,” he said. “It was never the intention for National Guard to be on the streets.”
Bovino described Chicago as a “model” for nationwide immigration enforcement and said CBP’s mission will continue until “we arrest them all or they self-deport.”
“We’re here to protect taxpayers from violence and crimes by illegal aliens,” Bovino said. “We’ve had enough, and we’re not going anywhere.”
CBS News Chicago reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment and is waiting to hear back. This story will be updated if we receive a response.
