The Trump administration has launched a new immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, describing it as a crackdown targeting “the worst of the worst criminals.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the operation — codenamed “Midway Blitz” — days after President Donald Trump threatened to send National Guard troops into Illinois, sparking a war of words with Democratic Governor JB Pritzker.
“For years, Governor Pritzker and his fellow sanctuary politicians released Tren de Aragua gang members, rapists, kidnappers, and drug traffickers on Chicago’s streets — putting American lives at risk and making Chicago a magnet for criminals,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
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Pritzker pushed back, accusing the administration of political theater. In a post on X, he wrote that the raids “aren’t about fighting crime” since federal authorities had not coordinated with state or local officials. “The Trump Administration is focused on scaring Illinoisians,” he said.
DHS released names, images, and criminal records of 11 individuals it labeled “criminal illegal aliens” who had been released onto Illinois streets and are now being sought for arrest.
The Chicago operation follows earlier enforcement drives in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Trump has frequently called Chicago a “hell-hole” plagued by gun violence and is using the city as a flashpoint in his broader anti-immigration campaign.
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin criticized the raids, saying they “don’t make us safer. They are a waste of money, stoke fear, and represent another failed attempt at a distraction.” He accused the administration of targeting “hardworking immigrants with no criminal convictions.”
Trump continued to push anti-immigrant messaging on social media, sharing memes, cable clips, and declaring, “I want to help the people of Chicago, not hurt them. Only the criminals will be hurt!”
The tone was a partial step back from his earlier provocative posts, including one over the weekend where he shared an AI-generated image of himself as the ruthless Colonel Kilgore from Apocalypse Now, with the caption: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning” over an image of the Chicago skyline in flames.
“This is not a joke. This is not normal,” Pritzker said in response. “Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”
The governor also posted advice on how residents should handle Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) encounters, urging people to assert their rights and deny agents entry without a valid warrant.
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