Illinois police to investigate shooting by ICE
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Activists gather last fall to demand justice for Silverio Villegas-González, who was shot on Sept. 12, 2025. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Nearly eight months after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents fatally shot Silverio Villegas-González in Franklin Park, local law enforcement is launching its first investigation into the incident.
Why it matters: The case marks the most prominent law enforcement probe yet into ICE agent actions during Operation Midway Blitz, something residents have long demanded, even as state and local officials argued it was nearly impossible given the broad immunity granted to federal agents on the job.
Zoom in: The investigation teams up Franklin Park police with Illinois State Police and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, which has long resisted calls for mass investigations into immigration agents' actions.
Between the lines: The probe follows the release last week of the Illinois Accountability Commission's final report, detailing, with new evidence, multiple violations by federal agents and contradictions between DHS statements and bodycam footage.
- On Thursday, commissioners handed local law enforcement agencies complete dossiers on multiple alleged crimes, seemingly tailor-made to launch investigations.
What they're saying: "The Franklin Park Police Department requested the [ISP] Public Integrity Task Force to investigate the shooting," an ISP spokesperson tells Axios. The task force "has begun the initial investigation."
- "When complete, the case will be turned over to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office."
- In the meantime, the CCSAO tells Axios it can support the force by subpoenaing witnesses for grand jury testimony and requesting evidence from the FBI, the only entity that has investigated the shooting so far.
Yes, but: Prosecuting federal agents with broad immunity presents an uphill battle. And bringing a weak case risks losing the one bite at this apple that local prosecutors may get.
- Under the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Justice is widely expected to try to take over any prosecutions initiated on the local level.
- Still, lawyers for a coalition pushing for more aggressive investigations say that a bigger risk lies in not prosecuting at all.
What we're watching: Cook County Circuit Judge Erica Reddick's expected May 11 decision on replacing the CCSAO with a special prosecutor for cases regarding agent conduct during Midway Blitz.
- If Reddick rules in favor of replacing the CCSAO, it could render CCSAO's involvement in the case moot.