Illinois Judge to Rule May 11 on Special Prosecutor Petition Over ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ Federal Agent Conduct
Why It Matters
A Cook County courtroom has become the latest battleground in Illinois over the legal fallout from the Trump administration’s fall 2025 immigration enforcement campaign known as “Operation Midway Blitz.” The May 11 ruling could set a significant legal precedent by determining whether a state-level special prosecutor can be appointed to investigate — and potentially charge — federal immigration agents for actions taken during a federally directed operation.
The outcome will have direct implications for the boundaries of state prosecutorial authority over federal law enforcement personnel, a question that courts across the country may soon be forced to answer.
What Happened
Cook County Judge Erica Reddick heard more than 90 minutes of arguments Friday on a petition to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate alleged misconduct by federal immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz, a mass deportation campaign conducted last fall. Judge Reddick announced she will deliver her ruling at a May 11 hearing.
Attorneys representing more than 400 Cook County residents — including elected officials and community leaders — argued that Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has “abdicated her duty” by declining to open any investigations into the agents’ alleged conduct. O’Neill Burke’s office countered that the state’s attorney has limited authority to act without a formal referral from law enforcement and that the petitioners’ arguments do not meet the legal standard required to appoint a special prosecutor.
Meg Gould, an attorney with Chicago-based civil rights law firm Loevy & Loevy, argued that the state’s attorney’s refusal to investigate constitutes a standalone conflict of interest sufficient to justify the extraordinary appointment. Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Yvette Loizon pushed back, telling the judge that public outrage — however understandable — does not satisfy the legal threshold the law requires.
By the Numbers
400+ Cook County residents, including elected officials and community leaders, are listed as petitioners in the case.
90+ minutes of oral arguments were heard by Judge Reddick in her courtroom Friday before she reserved her ruling.
2 shootings — the September 12 fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas González in Franklin Park and the October 4 shooting of Marimar Martínez in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood — were cited by petitioners’ attorneys as among the most serious alleged crimes committed by federal agents.
0 immigration agent-related complaints have been forwarded from the Chicago Police Department to the state’s attorney’s office for investigation, according to Freedom of Information Act requests cited by petitioners’ attorneys.
August 11, 2025 — the date of an internal email, obtained via FOIA, in which a former top O’Neill Burke staffer explained the state’s attorney would not sign a joint letter condemning President Trump’s threats to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, citing the need to “maintain excellent working relationships with the local ATF and other federal partners.”
Zoom Out
The Illinois case reflects a broader national tension between state and local governments and the federal immigration enforcement apparatus that intensified following the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation push in 2025. Several Democrat-led jurisdictions have sought legal mechanisms to scrutinize federal agents operating within their borders, while federal officials and legal experts have consistently argued that state prosecutorial power over federal law enforcement actions is constitutionally constrained.
The effort to appoint a special prosecutor in Cook County mirrors similar political and legal pressure campaigns in other major cities, where local officials have sought to use state courts as a check on federal immigration operations. Chicago’s public institutions have faced separate scrutiny over their response to federal-local tensions, with critics arguing that city leadership has increasingly prioritized political confrontation over public safety outcomes.
What’s Next
Judge Reddick’s ruling is scheduled for May 11 at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse in Chicago. If she grants the petition, a special prosecutor would be empowered to investigate and potentially seek charges against federal immigration agents — a move that would almost certainly trigger a legal challenge from federal authorities.
If the petition is denied, petitioners could pursue appeals or seek alternative legal remedies. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who has been engaged on multiple fronts with federal policy disputes, has not been directly named as a party in the proceedings. The case is expected to draw continued attention from both immigration enforcement advocates and state officials navigating an increasingly contentious relationship with Washington.