Immigration and Customs Enforcement has reportedly arrested about 250 people in Chicago since the Department of Homeland Security launched “Operation Midway Blitz” earlier this month.
The operation targets illegal immigrants with criminal records living in Chicago and Illinois.
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Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), who oversees the district that contains parts of the Chicago suburbs, disclosed that an estimated 250 people have been taken into custody since Sept. 6 based on ICE data she received. The congresswoman’s statement suggests the operation started that Saturday, two days before DHS publicly announced the initiative.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community. Like all Illinoisans, I’ve been concerned and alarmed by reporting about ICE’s conduct and operations in our state under Donald Trump,” Underwood said in a press release. “As Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, I requested a briefing from agency leadership on the enhanced operations that started last Saturday, and I’m sharing what I heard with our community.”
The Washington Examiner contacted DHS for confirmation on the number of arrests and the start date for the operation.
Underwood expressed concern that ICE officers have been conducting their law enforcement activities outside Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, noting the operation extends to the rest of Illinois and Lake County, Indiana. The neighboring county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.
In its Sept. 8 announcement of Operation Midway Blitz, DHS primarily focused on Chicago but mentioned that illegal immigrants in the entire state would be targeted.
The operation was launched in honor of Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old woman who in January was killed in a hit-and-run car crash allegedly by a Guatemalan national illegally living in the United States. He was arrested shortly thereafter.
On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Chicago to witness law enforcement arresting illegal immigrants.
“President Trump has been clear: if politicians will not put the safety of their citizens first, this administration will. I was on the ground in Chicago today to make clear we are not backing down,” Noem said in a statement. “Just this morning, DHS took violent offenders off the streets with arrests for assault, DUI, and felony stalking. Our work is only beginning.”
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SHOT DEAD AFTER STRIKING OFFICER WITH VEHICLE
Last week, an illegal immigrant was killed in Chicago when an officer stopped his vehicle. After getting dragged by the vehicle, the officer fatally shot the suspect. DHS defended the officer’s actions, saying he feared for his life.
At the moment, Chicago is witnessing a surge in federal officers tasked with detaining and removing illegal immigrants rather than a broader policing mission led by the Trump administration. Despite the president’s repeated threats to begin a federal takeover of Chicago, he instead sent the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee.