ICE launches Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago against undocumented immigrants

DHS is launching Operation Midway Blitz in honor of Katie Abraham who was killed in a drunk driving hit-and-run car wreck caused by criminal illegal alien Julio Cucul-Bol in Illinois.

This ICE operation will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois… pic.twitter.com/OjbgtTE1Au

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) September 8, 2025

People march during Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights’ “Chicago Says No Trump No Troops” protest Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

“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. 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 said in a statement.

‘Criminal illegal aliens released in Chicago’

DHS also released a list of “a handful of the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens—including gang members, drug traffickers, kidnappers, and rapists released back onto Illinois streets,” adding that “these criminal illegal aliens remain at large.”

‘Love the smell of deportations’

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump on Monday doubled down on his promises to send National Guard troops and immigration agents to Chicago.

“I love the smell of deportations in the morning,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”

People hold up signs as they gather during Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights’ “Chicago Says No Trump No Troops” protest Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The post follows Trump’s repeated threats to add Chicago to the list of other Democratic-led cities he’s targeted for expanded federal enforcement, including Los Angeles and Washington — marking the latest flashpoint in a broader national struggle over how far the federal government can push local authorities to cooperate with its immigration agenda.

Details on the expected intervention have been sparse, including its focus and when exactly it’s expected to begin, though Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that federal law enforcement action will come to Chicago this week. The Trump administration has said it will send immigration agents and the National Guard to Chicago to crack down on immigration enforcement and crime.