On September 8, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the launch of Operation Midway Blitz, a sweeping immigration enforcement initiative targeting what officials described as "the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens" in Chicago and across Illinois. The move has ignited a fierce debate among federal officials, state and city leaders, and immigrant rights advocates, with each side offering sharply contrasting perspectives on the operation’s necessity, execution, and broader implications for public safety and civil rights.
According to ABC News, a White House spokesperson framed the operation as a long-overdue response to years of what they called lax enforcement by Democratic leaders. "For years, Democrat politicians looked the other way while criminal illegal aliens terrorized American communities—even embracing ‘sanctuary’ policies to protect these sick criminals. No more. The Trump Administration is committed to arresting and deporting these dangerous criminal illegal aliens and Operation Midway Blitz, honoring Katie Abraham who was killed by a criminal illegal alien, will make Illinois communities safer," stated Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman.
The operation is named in honor of Katie Abraham, a young woman tragically killed earlier this year in Urbana, Illinois, about 130 miles south of Chicago. The driver in the fatal crash, Julio Cucul Bol, a 29-year-old Guatemalan national, was apprehended in Texas days after the incident as he allegedly attempted to flee to Mexico. He is now in custody in Illinois. The loss of Abraham—and her friend Chloe Polzin, who also died in the crash—has become a rallying point for proponents of stricter immigration enforcement. Katie’s father, Joe Abraham, told CBS News Chicago, "Hopefully, no other children will have to go through this Russian roulette that the state is playing. (Cucul Bol) didn't have a driver’s license, he shouldn't have been on the roads, he had been pulled over before. ... Say what you want about Donald Trump. He at least acknowledged me, looked me in the eye, said, 'We're going to clean things up.'"
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the Department of Homeland Security asserted, "This ICE operation will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets." Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin added, "DHS is launching Operation Midway Blitz in honor of Katie Abraham who was killed in Illinois by a criminal illegal alien who should have never been in our country. This operation will target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in Chicago."
Federal officials have repeatedly criticized Illinois’ sanctuary policies, arguing that these measures have led to the release of gang members, rapists, kidnappers, and drug traffickers onto Chicago’s streets. The DHS released a list of individuals—including Gabriel J Valle Galvez, a Latin King gang member with multiple convictions; Dany Daniel Hernandez Colina, a Tren de Aragua gang member from Venezuela; and Abdul Raza Al Kaby, a 60-year-old Iraqi national with a murder conviction—who were allegedly released from local custody despite ICE detainers. The department contends that such releases have endangered American lives and made Chicago a magnet for criminal activity.
However, the operation has faced immediate pushback from local and state leaders. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, in a statement on September 8, said the city had received "no notice of any enhanced immigration action" ahead of the DHS announcement. Johnson expressed deep concern over what he described as "potential militarized immigration enforcement without due process because of ICE’s track record of detaining and deporting American citizens and violating the human rights of hundreds of detainees." He cited more than 500 documented incidents of human rights abuses at detention facilities since Trump took office, including deaths of detainees and alleged cases of sexual abuse of minors by federal immigration agents. "Because of these incidents and more, we remain opposed to militarized immigration enforcement that runs afoul of the Constitution in our city," he said. Johnson encouraged residents to visit the city’s "know your rights" resource hub for more information and support.
Governor JB Pritzker also criticized the Trump administration, accusing federal officials of failing to coordinate or communicate with state and local leaders. "Once again, this isn't about fighting crime. That requires support and coordination—yet we've experienced nothing like that over the past several weeks. Instead of taking steps to work with us on public safety, the Trump administration's focused on scaring Illinoisians," Pritzker wrote on X.
Community response was swift and visible. Following a 24-hour wave of ICE sightings across the city on September 7, which resulted in at least five detentions at various intersections in the Archer Heights and West Lawn neighborhoods, rapid response teams, local leaders, and advocacy groups rallied together in Archer Heights on September 8 to stand in solidarity and resistance. The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights urged residents to know their rights and provided a family support hotline for those in need or wishing to report ICE activity. ICE confirmed their presence in the area, but did not specify the planned duration of the operation.
Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, denounced the administration’s actions, arguing, "These actions don't make us safer. They are a waste of money, stoke fear, and represent another failed attempt at a distraction." Durbin and other critics have pointed to ICE’s history of detaining and even deporting American citizens, as well as the broader pattern of reported abuses in federal detention facilities.
Meanwhile, President Trump himself weighed in on social media, invoking imagery from the film "Apocalypse Now." In a post on Truth Social, he wrote, "I love the smell of deportations in the morning ... Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR." The president’s rhetoric, combined with the operation’s aggressive branding, has only heightened tensions in a city already grappling with the complexities of immigration and public safety.
Public opinion on the use of federal resources and even the potential deployment of the National Guard for such operations remains deeply divided. A recent poll cited by CBS News Chicago shows that 58% of Americans oppose sending the National Guard to cities beyond Washington, D.C., while 42% support it—a split that falls sharply along party lines.
As Operation Midway Blitz unfolds, the city of Chicago finds itself at the intersection of a national debate over immigration, federal authority, and local autonomy. With both sides marshaling emotional stories, statistics, and political rhetoric, the coming weeks will test not just the effectiveness of the crackdown but also the resilience of Chicago’s communities and the relationship between city, state, and federal government. For now, the only certainty is that the eyes of the nation are fixed on Chicago, waiting to see what happens next.
