Officials say the operation gets dangerous criminals off Chicago’s streets, while Gov. JB Pritzker says it spreads fear.
Immigration authorities have arrested nearly 550 people in the Chicago area in less than two weeks as part of “Operation Midway Blitz,” a major crackdown that officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) describe as targeting dangerous criminals shielded by Illinois’s sanctuary policies.
“Operation Midway Blitz in honor of Katie Abraham has resulted in almost 550 arrests,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.
“Every arrest is a testament to DHS and its law enforcement’s dedication to enforcing the laws of our nation. We will not be deterred by sanctuary politicians or violent rioters.”
Abraham was a 20-year-old Illinois college student killed in January in a hit-and-run allegedly caused by a drunk-driving illegal immigrant. Authorities charged Julio Cucul-Bol, a Guatemalan national living in the United States unlawfully, with leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death, aggravated DUI resulting in death, and reckless homicide.
DHS said the Chicago operation, launched Sept. 8, is aimed at removing individuals with serious criminal records and longstanding deportation orders.
“This operation will target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in Chicago,” McLaughlin said at the time, alleging that Chicago had become a “magnet for criminals” due to sanctuary city policies.
“President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [of Homeland Security Kristi] Noem have a clear message: No city is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens,” she said.
“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 Trump administration has repeatedly criticized Illinois’s sanctuary policies, which restrict cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Officials say such policies allow dangerous offenders to remain on the streets rather than being transferred to ICE custody to be deported.
Noem, who traveled to Chicago to highlight the operation, said recent arrests included suspects charged with assault, DUI, felony stalking, and murder.
“President Trump has been clear: if politicians will not put the safety of their citizens first, this administration will,” Noem said on Sept. 16.
“Our work is only beginning.”
By Tom Ozimek
