>> It's been one year since Operation Midway Blitz began in Chicago.

Max agents patrolling neighborhoods, streets, overcrowding at the Broad View, detention center and the shootings of see video, Vegas Gonzalez and money.

Mike Mike Dean all followed one year later, residents are still navigating a changing immigration system.

Arrest patterns are shifting.

Court hearings are becoming more crowded and some say chaotic and community members are still seeking accountability for agents accused of wrongdoing.

Joining to talk about the impact is state Senator Garcia Guzman, whose district includes parts of Albany, Park, Avondale in Belmont Cragin.

I've sent a little the tegus executive director at last.

It you Goggle Dianna Rashid State, director of legal defense at the Resurrection Project and Samuel co-chief immigration litigation counsel at the ACLU of Illinois in a former immigration judge.

Thank you all for joining us today.

There's a lot to talk about.

So let's see how far we can get.

Senator Guzman, you organize neighborhood rapid response efforts during Midway Blitz.

Now looking back to this time last year.

What stands out to you the most when you think about that time?

>> I think I call it the tale of 2 different experiences.

It was some of the best most amazing display of solidarity from a town in a state that are very deeply committed to using every single step possible to protect our neighbors.

And we saw that and people's benevolence of the ways in which they voluntarily put themselves on the line to make sure the children got to school the ways which they so many other those, the kinds of support that that our neighbors have needed.

So that's a beautiful display.

We also saw just that quick decay of public trust as we were seeing killing shootings, tear gas, aggressive deploys of tactics to try to get everything from folks that had no criminal record U.S.

citizen children like it was so widespread.

And I think that collective trauma is something that we continue to work through as we think about the gaps and our policy landscape here at the state of Illinois.

As we look at other states that are seeking to continue the art of accountability that we have begun here and what service mutual responsibility to one another, to ensure that in light of the federal atrocities that are being occur occurring in this moment that we continue advancing advancing the welcoming state Illinois and I said I want to go to you.

What is the lasting impact of Midway that Midway Bliss had on communities like Little Village.

We know they want a little village them on Craig.

In many areas in the suburbs and the North side.

>> How did that impact these communities?

Sure.

I mean, I think the the loudest impact has been a tremendous amount of fear and anxiety.

>> That even though enforcement is not at the level or blunt as it was for some months people are still scared >> you you feel a certain sense of normalcy that's come back to the community.

>> But at any rumor event of a site of any car that's mark that has place that has tinted windows and it triggers people.

And you begin to immediately see the effects of that fear returning into the community, which is say that some of these communities have healed or I think that our communities heal because is who we are as people our culture, right.

that the first thing that we persevered it won't be the last bite.

>> I think that both government philanthropy, community-based organizations.

>> We all have to continue to come together to really help the community recover.

I think there's one thing to heal and that's going to take time.

But so is recovery.

And so how can we continue to come together?

Not just to ensure accountability is where needs to be, but how do we bring resources together to help families recover?

At some point as real rate?

And Sam, the broad attention center, as we know, was the Tories for overcrowding at the height of these operations.

What have we learned about the conditions inside of detention center?

>> Well, value Illinois, along with MacArthur Justice Center and I'm or stall off early.

But a lawsuit about the conditions there in October of 2025. and they were when at that they were absolutely abominable.

since that time, there's just been a fewer may fewer people who are detained there.

So people brought detention center is kind of like a bus stop like people should be in and out in 6 hours, 12 hours at most, the one she was staying overnight there.

There are right there aren't enough toilets.

And that's what hearing from people.

that's that's exactly.

That's the that was the problem.

There were no because because it wasn't meant to be a facility people stayed overnight.

So fortunately now because of temporary restraining order that the Gettleman entered.

isn't used for for long term.

Stays, right.

People go in and out much quicker call that it was a fight.

But was it was it was a real the real fight.

It was.

It was it was a real fight.

Unfortunately.

Now people are moved to other detention centers that also have really bad conditions right outside of Illinois.

They get moved to to Miami congressional facility.

got moved to other other states and it's still not great.

And you are assisting many of these people who are detained.

Now, the Trump administration repeatedly said the midway Bliss was focused on.

>> Detaining the worst of the worse, right.

But government data shows many of these detained had no prior criminal convictions.

Now, what does that tell us about cool was actually being detained during that time?

>> Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, are the government data and our records show that?

You know, I think it was approximately 70% of individuals who were detained had no criminal record.

And so when they say that they're targeting the worst of the worst, that is just a false narrative right?

We know that individuals who were being impacted were hard working parents, minors.

There were children getting detained with their parents, individuals who had long-term ties in the United States who had a long working history and also those who had recently arrived and were seeking asylum in the United States.

And we're following all of the process available to them and trying their best to abide by the laws in the process.

They were set up and those are the individuals that were targeted.

what are your thoughts?

>> Angry with that.

And I think, you they painted our community that they attacked as the worst of the worst when in reality, they were the best of the best.

They're the people that contribute to not just, you know, the the Chicago economy, the Illinois economy, but the U.S.

economy.

And so eventually they're going feel bad effect as we're feeling it.

Now it's going trickle up to the entire country and it it wasn't the worst of the worst.

It was working families.

So as people that come here to feed their families to send their kids to school, to be a its citizens contributors of their.

they want show nurses, many of them were business these neighborhood reside I'm going announce Senator Guzman, do you remember what that was like?

A?

>> Remember going to a restaurant in Little village when Mayfair ones like us have someone on a Saturday.

It was completely empty.

I was shocked.

>> Definitely remember you.

You feel the chill that people feel and it wasn't just, you know, routine things like going to the store going to school.

We thought that sustained presence of fear in our communities for over a Now a lot walking those Central American parade in knowing that the reason folks, a warrant there this weekend is because there were detentions and Albany Park, particularly violent ones.

And that's the legacy that remains from Midway Blitz.

And beyond that, I think understanding that, unfortunately, this is a part of our daily experience that's being perpetuated by the same federal government that is stripping health care and food away.

And so we have a choice in this moment about how we engage not just state revenue but state policy tools to continue to protect our residents and to continue to enforce accountability.

Because in this moment it's not about the policy that we're setting forth.

It's about the political will to continue investigations to pursue the evidence, to continue to fight for justice for the residents here Illinois.

And Sam, I want to talk about what we're seeing in immigration court.

Most recently we heard about mega master hearings.

>> Where those how would you describe them?

Megan master hearing is is when the immigration court sends hearing notices to have 200 cases may be called at the same time in front of the same judge in the same courtroom.

>> It's chaos, right?

People don't know where to go.

Way too many people for one time in one courtroom.

I was there a couple weeks ago.

Want to look at one of the mega master hearings.

There were people that had to had to wait at the first floor of this of the 55 East Monroe building.

They were allowed upstairs because it's too crowded.

The court is on the on the 5th floor of the building and the hallways are jam packed people, Mister Court.

Not because they're not there, but because they don't know where to go.

It's chaotic.

I I saw one court where the judge wasn't even in the courtroom.

The judge was wasn't by video from Maryland and yet she require all these people come into into the courtroom and check in.

These are designed to to have the judge's order.

People removed designs that people don't show up to court or aren't in the right place at right moment.

And so they lose their chance to present their case.

>> And Diana, how with these heart of these hearings impact the right to due process?

we're telling us an example, something you saw that was happening.

Yeah, absolutely.

So through the hotline we receive calls from individuals who have now been detained because they missed one of these mega master hearings.

They didn't receive sufficient notice.

Often time we see these hearings were scheduled for 2027, 2029.

And now within 2 weeks, they get a notice that they have to show up.

Sometimes those notices don't come in time for them to be able to make it.

But even when some individuals do show up the chaos inside of the courtroom makes it so that they miss their court hearing.

We received a call from the wife of a gentleman they both had a court hearing.

They both showed up at court.

She was allowed into the courtroom and had to wait outside in the lobby.

And lo and behold, he gets ordered removed even though he's waiting there in the room.

He was he was in the building.

He was in the lobby just outside of the courtroom, receiving a removal order in his absence, even though he was present just because of the chaos and the confusion that they cost.

And I want to quickly get everyone, you know, one year after Midway blitz.

But Stella, what's the biggest lesson Chicago should take away?

>> I think it's about our ability to I mean, I think very early on, right.

Someone said something along the lines Chicago is to educate a Hagel immigrants to educate it to fall into the Bates.

I think that it showed the world our ability to come together and support each other to stand shoulder to shoulder and defend each other.

And we will recover and heal in the same Senator gather, I'm sorry, senator, really have time.

We have a couple seconds.

What you like to say?

think just that we continue to be there for our residents.

I think folks to continue understand that ice continues their malice in their neighborhoods.

>> And should you need help?

Legal assistance?

855-435-7693.

That's her state