Change Agents The Podcast

The Illinois Accountability Commission begins patching up Operation Midway Blitz wounds, though preventative mechanisms remain deficientOperation Midway Blitz exposed deep flaws in federal oversight — and made Illinois the first state to investigate federal agents.This audio feature examines Operation Midway Blitz through the voices of an affected Evanston resident, an asylum and immigration law expert, and Governor Pritzker’s Illinois Accountability Commission (IAC). The accountability-focused story investigates the operation’s aftermath, including how it exposed systemic flaws within the federal government. It also reports on recovery and reconstruction efforts through IAC's response and its unprecedented decision to become the first state to investigate federal law enforcement conduct.Featuring eyewitness Jennifer Moriarty, DePaul asylum and immigration law expert Sioban Albiol, and IAC Vice Chair Patricia Brown Holmes — with a closing word from Gov. JB Pritzker. Produced by Caitlin Walsh @caitlinhwalsh for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with DePaul Asylum & Immigration Law Clinic @DePaulLawSupport the show

English (Creole to come)There is a fear many parents hold on to but rarely say out loud: the possibility of being separated from their child. For one Haitian mother facing deportation, that fear is now a reality."M" fled gang violence in Port-au-Prince while eight months pregnant, arriving in the U.S. by boat with only a cell phone and birth certificate. After her asylum case was denied, hindered by language barriers and lack of legal representation, she now wears an ankle monitor—a constant reminder that she could be separated from her four-year-old U.S. citizen daughter at any time.This investigation reveals how not speaking English, not having legal support, and not knowing how the immigration system works can change the course of immigrant lives—and tear families apart.Support the show

In April of 2003, rural McHenry County began a politically and financially volatile relationship with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by contracting to house immigration detainees at the McHenry County Jail in Woodstock, Illinois.  The relationship quickly exposed local residents to the horrors of immigrant detention, but knowledge of the facility was a well-kept secret. In 2020, that relationship was thrust into the public spotlight due to the COVID pandemic and the racially motivated murder of George Floyd.  As seen through the eyes of local organizers, this episode of Change Agents will immerse listeners in the almost 20-year fight to end immigrant detention in McHenry County.Produced by Carlos Acosta @phoenixbilingual | for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with Coalition to Cancel ICE in McHenry County @ICEoutofMcHenryCounty❤️ Support the Mission: DONATE TODAY Don’t miss out — subscribe today and be part of the movement!Support the show