The Chicago woman shot five times last year by a federal immigration agent was among 10 people on Monday who filed criminal complaints with the Chicago Police Department against federal agents over the tactics used during Operation Midway Blitz.
“If the federal government refuses to act, state and local authorities must do so,” Marimar Martínez said Monday at CPD’s Area 3 station on the Northwest Side. “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, our brothers and sisters.”
Martínez, a U.S. citizen who is a teaching aide at a Montessori school, was shot by Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum on Oct. 4, 2025, after she was involved in a traffic crash on the 3900 block of South Kedzie Avenue in the Brighton Park neighborhood.
She was on her way to drop off a bag of clothes and shoes at a nearby church when she saw the vehicle with only an out-of-state plate on the back bumper and began honking and shouting to warn others that immigration agents were nearby.
Brian Orozco, an attorney representing several of those who filed complaints, said the allegations against federal agents “run the gamut,” ranging from misdemeanor assault to the attempted murder of Martínez.
“It’s really the only way that we can hold these officials accountable is to have a paper trail, to have individuals coming forward, filing with governmental entities so that, theoretically, they’re transparent, we can hold them accountable,” Orozco told the Tribune.
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A spokesperson for CPD confirmed the department received the complaints.
“In accordance with the Mayor’s Executive Order and department policy, the Chicago Police Department generated information reports for individuals who wished to obtain a police report regarding interactions with federal immigration authorities,” the department said in a statement.
“This process is consistent with the department’s standard incident reporting guidelines. Each information report will be reviewed to determine whether there was a violation of local or state law. Incidents determined to be in violation of the law will be recorded on a case report and investigated in a manner consistent with department directives.”
Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke previously pushed back on an effort to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate federal agents’ tactics during the monthslong immigration enforcement surge last year. In a statement this week, O’Neill Burke pointed to her office’s protocol, established earlier this year, for investigating allegations against federal agents.
“No one is above the law — including federal agents — and the CCSAO will not hesitate to prosecute any case when it is supported by the evidence and the law,” O’Neill Burke said in a statement. “We are committed to supporting these investigations, including the ongoing Illinois State Police Investigation into the death of Silverio Villegas González, in accordance with our protocol.”