ICE In Chicago: What Operation Midway Blitz Means For Residents

Scott Olson

ICE in Chicago: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has officially launched Operation Midway Blitz, a large-scale, multi-agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiative targeting “criminal illegal aliens” in Chicago and across Illinois.

The operation, which began on Sept. 8, was publicly announced on the DHS website and is named in honor of Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old Illinois resident, who was allegedly killed in a drunk driving hit-and-run involving an undocumented immigrant in Illinois.

DHS highlights “worst of the worst” criminals released under sanctuary policies.

Source: Anadolu / Getty

According to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, Operation Midway Blitz is focused on individuals the agency classifies as the “worst of the worst”—alleged gang members, drug traffickers, kidnappers, and violent offenders—who were released back onto Illinois streets despite ICE detainers and due to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s sanctuary policies in place to protect immigrants. The DHS official claimed that the laws allowed immigrants to enter cities like Chicago to carry out violent crimes. 

One of the key measures heavily criticised is the Way Forward Act, which became law in Illinois in August 2021, according to the Illinois Attorney General’s website. The legislation amended two existing state laws—the Illinois TRUST Act and the Voices of Immigrant Communities Empowering Survivors (VOICES) Act—to expand protections and set additional requirements for immigrant communities. The TRUST Act, in particular, restricts local law enforcement from participating in federal immigration enforcement efforts.

In the press release issued earlier this month, McLaughlin criticized Illinois leadership, accusing Governor Pritzker of enabling dangerous individuals to remain in Chicago and across the state through his administration’s sanctuary policies.

“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,” McLaughlin penned. “President Trump and Secretary Noem have a clear message: no city is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens. If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, deport you, and you will never return.”

The DHS already has several people on its target list for deportation. Some of the highlighted individuals include Gabriel J. Valle Galvez, 47, a Mexican national and alleged Latin King gang member, with convictions including battery, aggravated assault, DUI, criminal property damage, and more. ICE says it issued 12 detainers on Valle Galvez, all reportedly ignored by Cook County. Javier Carmelo Casillas Gomez, 46, also from Mexico, reportedly has convictions for procuring prostitution, domestic violence, drug possession, and an active warrant for drug manufacturing. An ICE detainer for his arrest was also issued at Cook County Jail, but problems are already arising from the massive immigration crackdown effort. 

Here’s everything we know about Operation Midway Blitz.

1. A 200-person protest was held in opposition to Operation Midway Blitz in early September.

The mass immigration crackdown has since sent shockwaves across Chicago and throughout Illinois. On Sept. 9, one day after Operation Midway Blitz began, around 200 demonstrators marched along Michigan Avenue in Chicago to protest ICE, calling out the unjust treatment of the local immigrant community.

2. Nearly 550 people have been arrested since the operation took effect.

As reported by Fox 32, DHS claims that since Operation Midway Blitz began, over 400 individuals have been detained. However, a more recent Associated Press report put that number closer to 550. While DHS insists the operation is focused on violent offenders, discrepancies in arrests have raised questions.

For instance, it was confirmed that a U.S. citizen was mistakenly detained near Elgin, Illinois, before being released, Fox 32 reported. According to WBEZ Chicago, federal agents also unlawfully arrested another U.S. citizen and a middle school special ed teacher in early September, calling it a “case of mistaken identity” after confirming their citizenship statuses.

Additionally, ICE officers were involved in the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, 38, an undocumented immigrant, on Sept. 12 in Franklin Park, Illinois. DHS alleges  Villegas-Gonzalez hit and dragged an ICE officer with his vehicle while resisting arrest, which prompted the shooting. While the agency cited his history of reckless driving, the recent operation has caused significant unease among Illinois residents this week. 

3. A major protest ignited over Operation Midway Blitz on Saturday outside an ICE detention center.

Tensions reached a boiling point outside the ICE processing facility in Broadview, Illinois, as ICE agents, DHS personnel, and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino stood together amid a growing protest on Sept. 27. Demonstrators gathered to voice their opposition to Operation Midway Blitz and several other Trump initiatives aimed at cracking down on immigration.

The situation escalated, with reports of tear gas and pepper balls deployed to disperse the crowd. Protesters had initially assembled peacefully outside the facility, facing repeated verbal warnings from ICE security to clear the area before the confrontation intensified, WGN News reported. 

4. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin has pushed back against Operation Midway Blitz.

Days after the Sept. 27 protest, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois questioned DHS’s data and motivations behind Operation Midway Blitz, pointing to arrest records showing that less than 30% of those detained have any criminal background, according to Fox News.

“Fewer than 30% of those who’ve been arrested have any kind of criminal background whatsoever. So 70% of the people who are being detained have no criminal record,” Durbin said, according to footage obtained by Fox 32. “The president can rant about rapists and murderers and terrorists and criminally insane people coming in as immigrants, but those who are being arrested don’t have any indication of that behavior. So if we’re going to make America safe, let’s put the resources into stopping criminals.”

5. The DHS says arrests will continue. Protests are expected to escalate.

A DHS spokeswoman blamed local political leadership for inflaming the situation.

“It is incumbent upon JB Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson, deterring down the rhetoric because they are repeating and really turning to violence,” the spokeswoman said during an interview with Fox News. “You see them really depraved individuals who are being held in this processing facility. Why do they want them out? Why do they want them released? It makes no sense, and you’re just putting Chicago residents in further danger.”

DHS has confirmed that the Broadview processing facility at the center of Saturday’s violent protest will remain open, and further demonstrations are expected throughout the week.