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Federal officials in Chicago are at risk of facing criminal contempt charges in a case related to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement actions in the city, with the Justice Department urging the judge to step back, according tocourt records and reports.

U.S. District Judge April Perry, based in Chicago, determined in May that prosecutors supported the charges, removed doubting grand jurors, and had private discussions with panel members outside of the jury room, according to court documents.

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They also removed over 80 pages of those proceedings from what she received, as per court documents.

Defense lawyers have subsequently requested Perry to appoint an external, independent legal representative—someone who would not be under the attorney general’s jurisdiction—with the power to file criminal contempt charges against the involved prosecutors,according to WTTW.

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The Justice Department cautioned in a recent court document that permitting such a prosecutor would “constitute legal action against federal prosecutors.”

It would also require the department to reveal “internal office discussions and documents, legal counsel and work product, and communications between agencies,” according to the document — materials that it claims are protected by confidentiality.

The Court’s statement has been clearly understood,” the document stated, “and there is no requirement to take further action.

The legal action that led to the crisis started in the fall of 2025, following Trump’s post onTruth Socialthat Chicago was “on the verge of discovering why it’s known as the Department of WAR.”

Two days later, he initiated a large-scale removal operation known as Operation Midway Blitz, as noted in court documents.

Six individuals who opposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions have been charged with a felony conspiracy offense, according to court documents, using a law that the district had not previously applied.

It required prosecutors three separate grand jury meetings to obtain an indictment. During the initial one, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Mecklenburg informed the jurors that she had selected them specifically because “you know me and you trust me.” The jury decided not to proceed with an indictment.

“I heard about this case last week and I thought it was nonsense then, and I still think it is,” a grand juror said during the second session,according to Lawfare.

Mecklenburg replied, “Then you must leave—.”

Prior to the third session, Mecklenburg revealed that she had had private conversations with two grand jurors in the hallway. Everything was removed from the transcripts provided to the court.

I have never encountered such prosecutorial conduct before a grand jury,” Perry stated following a May hearing where he examined the complete unredacted transcripts, as noted in court documents. “Trust has been compromised.

“Several AUSAs have been openly recognized in these proceedings,” the document stated, and prosecutors have voluntarily reported the case to the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility — the agency’s internal body responsible for monitoring misconduct.

The department is also examining “possibly over 1,000” grand jury transcripts for related issues, according to court documents.

Court records indicate that Mecklenburg’s presentations from 2007 are being audited.

A separate and unrelated case was dismissed following the discovery of further “grand jury irregularities.”

Acknowledging that mistakes were made in this instance,” the document said, “the Office has examined the underlying issues that led to these errors and has introduced significant new policies, procedures, practices, and training programs to prevent a recurrence of what occurred here.

In June, defense lawyers stated that the wrongdoing “goes much further and indeed reaches the top of the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office and likely extends to the Department of Justice in Washington D.C.,” as reported by WTTW.

“No one can genuinely examine their own actions,” they wrote.