Launched on Sept. 8, Operation Midway Blitz targets criminal illegal immigrants who came to Illinois, and specifically Chicago.
More than 1,500 illegal immigrants have been arrested in Illinois by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel during Operation Midway Blitz, including criminals, the agency said in an Oct. 14 post on X.
Operation Midway Blitz is making Illinois SAFE again.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) October 13, 2025
DHS law enforcement has made over 1,500 arrests across Illinois including of pedophiles, vicious gang members, and armed robbers.@POTUS Trump and @Sec_Noem WILL NOT allow criminal illegal aliens to terrorize our cities. pic.twitter.com/msJALvcGy2
“Operation Midway Blitz is making Illinois SAFE again. DHS law enforcement has made over 1,500 arrests across Illinois, including of pedophiles, vicious gang members, and armed robbers,” DHS said.
“@POTUS Trump and @Sec Noem WILL NOT allow criminal illegal aliens to terrorize our cities.”
Launched on Sept. 8, Operation Midway Blitz targets criminal illegal immigrants who came to Illinois, and specifically Chicago, “seeking protection under the sanctuary policies of Governor Pritzker,” DHS said in an Oct. 1 statement.
Jurisdictions following sanctuary policies prohibit local officials from enforcing immigration laws and complying with federal authorities. Both Chicago, and Illinois broadly, are included in a list of such sanctuary jurisdictions maintained by the Department of Justice.
In an Oct. 3 statement, DHS said that some of the criminal illegal immigrants arrested under Operation Midway Blitz include a Mexican national convicted of aggravated domestic battery of a three-year-old child, a Mauritanian national who was previously arrested for battery against a public official, and another Mexican national arrested for criminal sexual assault and domestic battery.
“Our patriotic law enforcement officers are making these arrests despite working without pay because of the Democrats’ shutdown,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said.
According to McLaughlin, President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem “will not allow continued violence or repeat offenders to terrorize our neighborhoods and victimize our children.”
On Oct. 11, DHS announced the arrest of a Chicago rioter suspected of having ties to Antifa. The individual was arrested with a loaded firearm and magazines outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE’s) Broadview facility near Chicago.
The rioter, Elias Cepeda, works as a journalist and also teaches at the University of Illinois. According to the agency, Cepeda has promoted social media posts glorifying violence against federal law enforcement officers.
In a Sept. 26 statement, DHS said that since Operation Midway Blitz began, rioters have assaulted law enforcement officers and vandalized vehicles. ICE officers have seen a 1,000 percent increase in assaults against them.
