Federal prosecutor Sheri Mecklenburg resigned this week, citing what she described as scapegoating by U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros over the failed prosecution of six protesters in the Broadview Six case.
Mecklenburg’s resignation letter, addressed to Boutros and obtained by The Associated Press, stated she was retiring “under protest” after being held responsible for a felony prosecution she argued was improperly directed by Boutros. The case, which involved protesters arrested outside a Broadview, Illinois, ICE facility during a 2025 immigration crackdown, saw felony charges dismissed after a grand jury twice refused to indict the group.
Boutros’s office dismissed the remaining misdemeanor charges in May, following allegations of gross misconduct in the grand jury proceedings. A closed-door hearing before U.S. District Judge April Perry reviewed redacted transcripts, after which Boutros announced the dismissal. He stated that he had learned of some misconduct allegations only in late April, including claims that Mecklenburg had vouched for the strength of the case and engaged in improper communications with grand jurors outside formal proceedings.
In her resignation letter, published in full by The New York Times, Mecklenburg accused Boutros of using her as “a convenient target to be scapegoated and publicly vilified.” She further alleged that Boutros and his office had prevented her from defending herself against accusations that she “outright lied,” while keeping her attorneys uninformed about proceedings surrounding the misconduct allegations.
Boutros did not dispute the misconduct allegations, calling the conduct “upsetting” and the reason for the case’s dismissal. His office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Mecklenburg’s resignation letter. Joel Bertocchi, Mecklenburg’s attorney, also declined to comment.
The Broadview Six case originated from protests against the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz, a federal immigration enforcement initiative. The six protesters faced felony charges for conspiracy to impede an officer and misdemeanor charges for obstruction. After the felony charges were dismissed, Mecklenburg continued to pursue misdemeanor charges, but the case unraveled amid allegations of procedural improprieties in the grand jury process.
The dismissal marked the second time in recent months that federal prosecutions tied to immigration-related protests in the Chicago area had collapsed. Legal experts and advocacy groups have raised concerns about the handling of such cases, particularly regarding the use of felony charges for protest-related conduct and the transparency of grand jury proceedings.