Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot Launches ICE Accountability Project to Document, Address Unlawful Federal Enforcement Activities

CHICAGO — Former Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot today formally announced the launch of the ICE Accountability Project, an independent initiative to collect and document alleged criminal and abusive conduct by federal immigration agents during the so-called “Operation Midway Blitz.” The Project is designed as a centralized, public-facing accountability resource to preserve evidence, promote transparency, and support lawful oversight and investigation efforts.

“Since September 8, we have watched as ICE and other federal immigration agents have marauded through our streets, in which they committed a homicide, shot and seriously injured another individual, caused serious bodily injury to others,and destroyed personal property. As well documented in federal court cases, these same federal immigration agents have trampled on the rights of our neighbors who have engaged in peaceful protest or who are merely out in public living their lives.” said Lightfoot. “The ICE Accountability Project is an independent body that will serve as a centralized depository for documenting dangerous overreach by the federal government. Residents can use this platform to document and view allegations of criminal and other serious misconduct on the part of these agents, and provide a forum to unmask those agents who have been involved in the most egregious conduct. A mask cannot shield them from accountability. This is a time and an opportunity for people of good will to step up.”

“The Project will also serve as a communication and information-sharing vehicle among members of the public, journalists, advocates, and anyone concerned about the harms caused by aggressive and unprecedented federal immigration enforcement tactics. The ICE Accountability Project is particularly focused on supporting smaller jurisdictions in Chicagoland that lack the resources and expertise to investigate alleged abuses, the platform is designed to be scalable and usable wherever similar harms are occurring.”

To date, no federal immigration agent has been investigated by local, county, or state law enforcement authorities or charged for alleged crimes, including the September 12 shooting death of Silverio Villegas Gonzalez in Franklin Park; the shooting of the September 30 South Shore apartment raid; the shooting of Marimar Martinez on October 4, 2025 by federal agent Charles Exum or repeated excessive use of force, less-lethal munitions and tear gas against protesters outside the Broadview ICE processing facility and elsewhere or other similar incidents involving civilians throughout the fall and winter of 2025.

The ICE Accountability Project recognizes and respects the lawful, constitutional work and sacrifices of the vast majority of men and women in federal law enforcement. The Project is collecting and publishing information about disturbing incidents involving federal immigration agents so that residents have the information they need to demand accountability — both from agents alleged to have engaged in misconduct and from local, county, and state officials who possess the authority to act.

We are asking the public to contribute documentation of these incidents through our website at www.reporticenow.com. A team will review and validate submissions and create records that may support future criminal and civil accountability. The website serves as a vehicle for people to document what is happening to them, their neighbors, and their communities, and to highlight federal immigration agents alleged to have engaged in the most serious misconduct.

Our public-facing website will officially launch today at an event at the Union League Club of Chicago. The briefing will introduce the Project’s accountability framework, documentation platform, and guiding principles to civic leaders, legal experts, and community stakeholders.

Lightfoot is a former federal prosecutor and the former Chief Administrator of Chicago’s Office of Professional Standards, whose mission included investigating allegations of police misconduct, excessive force, and police-involved shootings. Before being elected mayor in 2019, she also led the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force following the 2014 police killing of Laquan McDonald.

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I want to begin today by recognizing the tragic killing yesterday in Minneapolis of Renee Nicole good. A 37-year-old mom, daughter and a friend and importantly, an engaged community member. It is important in the wake of such a tragedy that we acknowledge her life, her death and a child and family that is in shock and mourning as well as the community grieving the loss of one of their friends and neighbors.

I stand before you today to announce the official launch of the ICE Accountability Project. This Project has several objectives. First, we are an independent initiative designed to be a centralized, public facing repository for the collection of alleged criminal and abusive conduct by federal immigration agents during the so-called “Operation Midway Blitz.” We aim to preserve evidence to facilitate transparency and accountability.

We also intend to unmask those agents who have been alleged to have committed crimes or engaged in other unlawful conduct. And to be clear, we respect the thousands of federal agents who live up to their oaths every day to respect the constitution and the rule of law. I worked with those men and women and understand the sacrifices they make on a daily basis.

Our Project is focused, however on those federal immigration agents who crossed the line. Who have violated residents’ rights and believe they are above the law. Those agents who have allegedly committed homicide, shootings, used excessive force and the indiscriminate use of chemical agents, or projectiles like pepper balls and other actions against peaceful protesters. I know from my own experience as a former federal prosecutor and an investigator of police misconduct that a mask cannot shield agents from accountability. And there simply must be accountability for those individuals in a democracy.

What we also hope this project does is further the empowerment of residents across Chicagoland. And let me highlight this point. Since this terrible operation began last September, I like many have watched with horror anger and frustration the forces of our own government seem to relish terrorizing and traumatizing communities. Families and individuals. And to be clear, and DHS's own numbers bear this out, the operation here in Chicago and the surrounding communities has not focused on quote the worst of the worst End Quote or the quote violent dangerous criminals. Quote that was always a lie.

In a quest to score political points this misguided operation has swept up moms, dads, grandparents, children whether undocumented, with legal status or U.S. citizens. The obvious goals have not been making communities safe. It is about it is always been about scoring cheap political points without regard for the consequences to real people. Ladies and gentlemen, there's simply no reason for us to tolerate those kind of actions by our own taxpayer funded federal government.

Unfortunately, as the events of the last few months have made plain, there's plenty to be discouraged about. 

But I want to focus on what has inspired me and given me hope. And that is the courage we have seen exhibited by everyday Chicagoans people who have put themselves at risk and stepped into the breach to help their neighbors. They have used whistles, formed safety brigades, taken to social media and text chains. People have protested peacefully, not just at Broadview but in Little Village, Pilsen, the 10th ward, Lakeview, Lincoln Park and all across our city and our region. People have found their voices and been a model for the nation on how to resist peacefully and within the bounds of the 1st amendment. They have stood fearlessly against these armed militias of federal immigration agents who have attempted to deny our basic humanity and our rights as residents of the United States. Chicago, all of us, are ground zero for what a healthy, functioning participatory democracy looks like. I feel proud to bear witness to the work that has been done.

As people have inspired us, we hope that through our Project to further empower them.

And here's how this new project will work: 

I want to also note that we have built in safeguards to protect the identities of all submitters and absent a court order signed by a judge, under no circumstances will we divulge their identities.

We have also intentionally hosted this website on a non-U. S. based platform. Unfortunately, we are painfully aware of how certain U.S. companies have acquiesced to the unlawful demands of this federal administration and censored content or denied access altogether.

Our goal is to promote democracy by creating a lasting repository that can be used not only to promote transparency but to hold accountable those who have or would dare violate our rights.

Now some may ask why I stand here alone as a black woman talking about incidents affecting primarily the Latino communities across Chicagoland. To that question I say why not me? As the daughter of parents who grew up in the Jim Crow South where the color of one’s skin and mere existence put my father and my mother and my family members of their generation at risk for their lives on a daily basis, what is happening now, in this time, resonates deeply with me. I have the ability, the privilege and really in my view the obligation to use my voice to speak out about what is happening to my friends and to my neighbors. I also recognize that it may not be me today but I dare turn away from someone else’s pain and suffering. That is not how I have ever lived my life. 

Also, this launch today has been months in the making and is the result of the hard work of many. What I know from my private conversations is both that many who have been the advocates and organizers are very supportive and welcoming of this Project. I also know that the fear that the federal government has created by weaponizing the IRS and other parts of the government against people and organizations is real. Leaders and stakeholders who have community rooted organizations are afraid. Afraid to be involved with an initiative that we all assume will get targeted by the federal government. I understand and respect their concerns and we will nonetheless work together to reach the people in communities we need to reach.

Let me close how I began. We mourn the killing of Silverio Viegas Gonzalez, the shooting of Miramar Martinez, the harm to Debbie Brockman, Reverend David Black and countless others. We abhor the state sponsored terror that has been visited on so many across Chicagoland and particularly the residents of Little Village, Pilsen and other neighborhoods who live now in fear for months, seemingly without end. It is for those and others that we will continue to lift our voices and be shoulder to shoulder with you in this fight against an oppressive, unconstitutional and downright mean spirited federal government.

We urge residents to visit reporticenow.com and if you saw something, particularly something that didn't sit right with you, report it so that we can continue to create a living testament to how we in Chicagoland are writing the federal government’s wrongs. 

WHO
The ICE Accountability Project is an independent, Illinois-based initiative launched by former Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor and nationally recognized leader in police accountability and oversight.

WHAT
A centralized, public repository created to collect, preserve, and publish documentation of alleged unlawful or abusive conduct by federal immigration agents.

WHERE
Chicagoland communities affected by federal immigration enforcement activities beginning in September 2025.

WHEN
Public launch of the Project’s website and accountability platform:
January 8, 2026 at 10am
Union League Club of Chicago

WHY
To preserve evidence, promote transparency, and support lawful accountability where no independent or multijurisdictional investigations have been initiated.

Media Inquiries: press@reporticenow.com 

1. Is the ICE Accountability Project a law enforcement or prosecutorial body?
No. The Project is not a law enforcement agency and does not conduct criminal investigations. It serves as a documentation, transparency, and public accountability resource. Any criminal or civil enforcement decisions rest with appropriate authorities.

2. Does the Project assume agents are guilty of crimes?
No. The Project respects the presumption of innocence. It documents and preserves allegations and evidence so that facts can be reviewed and assessed by the public, journalists, and lawful authorities.

3. Will the Project publish names or personal information of federal agents?
No. The Project does not publish home addresses or personal identifying information. It documents actions captured in public spaces and relies on publicly observable information consistent with constitutional protections.

4. Why is a centralized repository necessary?
Documentation of alleged misconduct is currently scattered across social media and private devices, where it is easily lost or removed. A centralized repository ensures permanence, accessibility, and the ability to support future accountability efforts.

No. The Project recognizes and respects the lawful work of federal law enforcement officers. Its focus is on transparency and accountability when serious allegations arise and no independent investigations are underway.

We are the ICE Accountability Project. Our purpose is to document and provide transparency to the public and other interested parties of the numerous allegations of serious misconduct committed by federal immigration agents who have been rampaging through our communities since the start of the so-called “Operation Midway Blitz” in September, 2025. We aim to serve as a permanent, centralized repository to memorialize the information and evidence of the actions of the array of federal immigration agents operating in the towns and neighborhoods throughout Chicagoland since September 2025. 

We intend to not only document the conduct but to shed light on the individuals who have perpetrated these acts against the people. Wearing a mask does not and cannot mean no accountability. We will serve as a vehicle for people to take power back and document what is happening to them, their neighbors, their communities and to highlight those federal immigration agents who are engaged in the “worst of the worst” conduct. 

We arise from the pain and trauma that people in Chicagoland are needlessly suffering at the hands of the hyper aggressive and unlawful actions of federal immigration agents during “Operation Midway Blitz.” We know that people are in daily fear for their persons and property, families fear separation, businesses are suffering serious financial pain as their workers are in fear and customers are staying away. We also know that many believe that the federal immigration agents are committing crimes and abuses all across Chicagoland and operating with seeming impunity, and now often contrary to court orders. 

To be clear, we do not encourage and in fact condemn any actions by individuals to take matters in their own hands through any form of physical retribution against these federal immigration agents. The solutions do not lie in violence to repel violence. Instead, we believe that the rule of law and constitution must be upheld in the face of the actions of federal immigration enforcement activity that repeatedly treads on the rights of the people. Even if possible, we will not disclose the names or addresses of these federal immigration agents. Accountability does not mean using the same unlawful conduct against federal immigration agents as they are using against residents. 

Instead, we will lift up and encourage the embrace of other forms of power. Our Constitution protects people who exercise their rights to document what is occurring in the public way. We support shining a light on federal immigration agents’ actions for the world to see for themselves what happens when the federal government turns an armed militia against its people. These agents commit these acts in the public domain and, as we have seen, there is a power in capturing and publishing the actions of federal agents who are harming individuals and our community. Their masks are not a shield against accountability.