By Illinois Review
Ten people filed criminal complaints with the Chicago Police Department on Monday accusing federal immigration agents of misconduct during the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz, according to the Chicago Tribune, marking the latest effort by Illinois officials and activists to pursue federal officers involved in last year’s immigration enforcement surge.
Among those filing complaints was Marimar Martínez, a U.S. citizen and teaching aide who was shot five times by Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum during an Oct. 4, 2025 confrontation in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood.
But Martínez was not simply an uninvolved passerby when the confrontation unfolded.
Before the shooting, Martínez had deliberately followed federal immigration agents through Brighton Park for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, honking her horn and shouting “La Migra” to alert residents that immigration agents were in the neighborhood.
The encounter eventually escalated into a collision involving Martínez’s vehicle and a Border Patrol SUV.
Federal authorities initially alleged that Martínez rammed the agents’ vehicle and charged her with forcibly assaulting, impeding or interfering with federal officers using her vehicle as a deadly weapon.
Those charges were later dropped, and Martínez has disputed the agents’ version of events and pursued civil claims.
On Monday, Martínez joined others at CPD’s Area 3 headquarters to formally accuse federal agents of crimes ranging from unlawful detention and battery to attempted murder.
“If the federal government refuses to act, state and local authorities must do so,” Martínez told reporters. “Today I am imploring our local and state officials to do their job and protect their citizens from the criminal conduct that ICE and Border Patrol have inflicted upon their victims.”
The Department of Homeland Security sharply rejected the effort, characterizing the complaints as “nothing more than a political stunt by Illinois sanctuary politicians.”
DHS has also maintained that federal officers acting in the course of their official duties fall under federal investigative authority.
The complaints are part of an organized effort to establish a formal record after a Cook County judge previously rejected a request for a special prosecutor, noting in part that formal police reports had not been filed.
Chicago police confirmed receiving the complaints and said they would be reviewed to determine whether allegations of state or local law violations warrant further investigation.
Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s office has maintained that no one is above the law and that cases will be prosecuted when supported by the evidence and applicable law.
Operation Midway Blitz was launched by the Trump administration in fall 2025 as a major immigration enforcement operation across Chicago and the surrounding region. The operation resulted in thousands of arrests and removals while repeatedly putting federal immigration authorities at odds with Illinois and Chicago’s sanctuary policies and Democratic elected officials.
The enforcement surge also triggered protests, confrontations and lawsuits challenging federal tactics.
Now, nearly a year later, activists and local officials are seeking state and local investigations of federal agents involved in those confrontations – an effort the Trump administration is dismissing as politically motivated.
To date, no federal agent has been criminally charged for on-duty conduct connected to Operation Midway Blitz.
