Juan Muñoz, Oak Park Township trustee and owner of Sugar Fixé, recently joined 14 other Illinois residents in a lawsuit against the federal government for alleged misconduct by immigration enforcement agents last year.
This is just one of the legal battles Muñoz’ has fought since last fall while also leading as a local government official, running a local business, and most importantly to him, doing what is best for his family as a father of three.
“It’s been a year of really trying to understand what my role is, one, as a representative of the community, but then also to use the situation I was put in to try to seek accountability and limit the harm that’s happening,” said Muñoz.
On Oct. 3, 2025, he was detained outside of the Broadview immigration detention facility, just one week after the “Broadview Six” arrests. He once described feeling as if the detainees that day, himself included, were being put “on display” for then Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem as she visited Broadview.
“I saw the possible consequences of being used in that way. That it became clear that the reason that we were being detained and being used was for this propaganda, this show of force,” said Muñoz. “In the moment, it was more a fear of the real immigration system that I had experienced and seen people disappear into, which was once I was put inside of that facility, my name made me vulnerable.”
After he witnessed the “unsanitary conditions” of the facility during his own arrest, Muñoz participated in a lawsuit which successfully advocated for a better environment and better access for legal representatives. He also testified in a second legal case about the actions of federal officers during Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago.
In addition to legal action, he also participated in the HART Truth-Telling Commission earlier this year, to record the incidents that occurred and continue to pursue accountability.
“It’s important to continue to give voice to the communities that are not able to show up and have too much of a risk, too much at stake, to be able to show up themselves,” said Muñoz. “In the past, especially growing up in small communities, there was a silence when immigration raids happened, when workplace audits happened, and people disappeared. That silence has its own arm, that it does not lead to change.”
He said there is also a need to move forward and heal, even as accountability is pursued. Muñoz not only had to learn the federal legal system, but how to balance his life and responsibilities with the new reality that he was “thrust into.”
Earlier in 2025, Muñoz became an owner of Sugar Fixé in downtown Oak Park. He also holds his elected position as township trustee in addition to a new position as board president for a non-profit for early childhood education. His family also grew in the past year with their third child.
All of these individual aspects of his life intersect as “each kind of responsibility affects the other,” something his advocacy and legal action only highlights.
“I think that it hasn’t made me shy away from pursuing these pieces of accountability, but it has informed, how I talk about them, how I approach them, how I discuss it with others,” said Muñoz.
He said he has been cautious associating himself with Sugar Fixé out of concern for his staff and how his actions could cause them to be targeted. He also highlighted how he represents and is responsible for Oak Park as a community.
Ultimately, it comes down to family for Muñoz, as his “responsibility is, first and foremost, to them.”
“It’s always a conversation with our family of what we pursue and how we pursue it,” said Muñoz. “I think for me that I am always more on the pursuit of accountability, pursuit of justice, and make sure that I’m doing everything that I can.”