Operation Midway Blitz is an operation by theUnited States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted inChicago, Illinois, starting on September 9, 2025.[1] TheUnited States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that the operation will arrestillegal immigrants with criminal records.[1] The DHS stated the operation is to crack down onsanctuary policies.[2] Hundreds of DHS agents used a nearbynaval base as a staging area.[1]
The legality of the operation was questioned by some legal experts,[1] and Pritzker is planning legal action.[3] GovernorJB Pritzker's office has stated that theTrump administration did not communicate with his office about the operation.[1] The operation caused anxiety among certain Chicago residents such asLatinos.[1] Religious organizations in Chicago have coordinated to schedule gatherings and make resources available forimmigrants.[1][4] A hotline set up to report ICE sightings was very busy on the first day of the operation, confirming that enforcement actions increased.[3]
Duringhis 2024 presidential campaign, Trump stated he would use the military to end protests without consent from state governors, actions which his aides had previously talked him out of during his first term.[5] Also during Trump'ssecondcampaign and current tenure his administration has pursued adeportation policy characterized as maximalist",[6] and a mass deportation campaign, affecting hundreds of thousands of immigrants through detentions, confinements, and expulsions. The Trump administration has also launched successive purges of top military and intelligence leadership whose views were seen as being at odds with Trump.[7] During a September 30 meeting with over 800 generals and admirals, Trump stated that the deployments should be used as "training grounds for our military" and described America as waging "a war from within"; saying that "America is under invasion from within" and that it was "No different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in many ways because they don’t wear uniforms".[8]
In 2025, the Trump administration had deployed forces of the federal government such as the National Guard to select US cities. Deployments began inLos Angeles in June 2025, followed withdeployment to Washington D.C in August 2025. and planned deployments to Memphis, Chicago and Portland amongst others.[9][10][11][12] On September 8, 2025, DHS announced that ICE would lead Operation Midway Blitz, a multi-agency surge aimed at “criminal illegal aliens” in Illinois. According to U.S. Rep.Lauren Underwood, the operation began on September 6, 2025.[13] According to DHS, the mission honors Katie Abraham, a Chicago woman killed earlier in the year by an undocumented driver inUrbana.[14]
While announced as a Chicago crackdown, the operation's jurisdiction covers the entire state of Illinois and neighboringLake County, Indiana.[15] In addition to ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), personnel from theU.S. Marshals Service,Drug Enforcement Administration andBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were included.[16] TheICE processing facility in the Chicago suburb ofBroadview was the site of clashes between protestors and federal agents.[17]ABC 7 Chicago reported that more than 250 people had been taken into custody during the first nine days, with detainees transferred to immigration detention centers in Indiana and Wisconsin.[18] Thirteen days after the operation began, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin stated that officials had arrested almost 550 people.[19]
| Part of2025 deployment of federal forces in the United States | |
| Date | September 6, 2025 – present (2025-09-06 – present) |
|---|---|
| Location | Chicago,Illinois |
| Participants | ICE,National Guard andfederal law enforcement |
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On September 6, thousands of people protested in theChicago Loop against Trump sendingICE and the National Guard.[20][21] A similar protest was held outside of theGreat Lakes Naval Base inNorth Chicago, Illinois, where federal agents were being sent for the operation.[22] Additional protests against Trump sendingICE and the National Guard to Chicago were held inJoliet, Illinois andRockford, Illinois.[23][24] That same day on Truth Social, Trump posted an AI image of himself depicting himself as an officer in the movie "Apocalypse Now", stating "“Chicago is about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR”, a post that was sharply criticized by state and city officials.[25]
On September 12, ICE agents inFranklin Park, Illinois shot and killed Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez. After Villegas-Gonzalez was stopped at a traffic stop, he tried to flee and struck an officer with his car. The injured ICE officer was released from the hospital after being treated for "severe back injuries, lacerations to the hand and substantial tears on his knee".[26] DHS officials released a statement stating: "During a vehicle stop, the subject resisted and attempted to drive his vehicle into the arrest team, striking an officer and subsequently dragging him as he fled the scene. Fearing for his life, the officer discharged his firearm and struck the subject".[27]
El Grito Festival, a festival celebratingMexican Independence Day scheduled to take place inGrant Park on September-13-14, was postponed due to news of increased ICE activity in Chicago. A separate celebration was held in thePilsen neighborhood of Chicago on September 15.[28]
In northwest suburbanElgin, federal agents in military uniforms used explosives to breach the door of a residence around 6:00 AM on September 16, while at least one helicopter circled the neighborhood. They detained at least six persons, two of whom were later determined to be U.S. citizens. Department of Homeland Security SecretaryKristi Noem may have been present. Noem shared a video of the operation on her social media channels.[29][30][31]
In downtownChicago on September 28, protesters heckled armedU.S. Border Patrol agents as they marched through the downtown andGold Coast neighborhoods, chanting "Shame", "Pigs", and "Get out of Chicago". Agents arrested a Latino family inMillennium Park, including an 8-year old and 3-year old child, during the patrolling.[32]
On September 30, ICE conducted a late night raid on aSouth Shore neighborhood of Chicago, using a Black Hawk helicopter to rappel onto residential buildings.[33][34] The FBI, U.S. Border Patrol, and ATF assisted in the operation. DHS stated it arrested 37 people in the raid.[35] Stephen Miller declared after the raid that the building was "filled" with Tren de Aragua "terrorists"[36] but later statements by DHS identified no more than two people as suspected gang members.[37] Eyewitness reports stated that several U.S. citizens were removed from their homes, zip-tied and detained by federal agents for around three hours before being released. Reports on the raid stated that some children were taken from the building while naked.[38][39][40]
In theChicago Loop, hundreds continued to protestICE and Trump threatening to send the National Guard.[41]
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On October 1, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a first-of-its-kind restriction on drones over Chicago.[42] According toNewsweek, the restriction was at the request of DHS.[43] Centered on Chicago, the restriction zone measured 35 miles (56 km) wide, larger than those imposed over Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon during similar law-enforcement operations.[43]
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On October 3, alderwomanJessie Fuentes ofChicago, a Puerto Rican US citizen, was handcuffed by federal agents inside of an ER. They threatened her with arrest before releasing her outside of the hospital.[44] InLogan Square, an ICE agent threw smoke grenades onto a crowded street, affecting several bystanders.[45]
On October 4,U.S. Border Patrol agents shot a woman after, according to a report from the Department of Homeland Security, their patrol vehicle was boxed in and then rammed by 10 other vehicles.[46] Local community groups disputed federal claims that the agents had been boxed in, claiming that federal agents crashed into a civilian car and caused amulti-car crash.[47][48] The victim was taken to a local hospital and discharged later that day. Protests broke out inBrighton Park in the area of the shooting, and federal agents shot pepper balls and tear gas at the protesters.[49][47] The tear gas also affected several Chicago police officers on the scene, and MayorBrandon Johnson called for an investigation.[50][51] Over 500 national guard troops were deployed to the Chicago area from Illinois and Texas by the White House.[52]
On October 6, MayorBrandon Johnson signed an executive order prohibiting federal agencies from using city property for civil immigration enforcement.[53] Dariana Fajardo, a U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE agents inWaukegan, Illinois. They claimed she was trying to box in ICE vehicles, a claim she and community leaders denied.[54]
On October 7, Trump sent the National Guard to Chicago against the wishes of GovernorJ.B. Pritzker and MayorBrandon Johnson, and a lawsuit filed by the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago to declare the deployment illegal was pending until a court hearing on October 9.[55] Four workers at a cemetery inForest Park, Illinois were detained by ICE agents after attempting to help a man who was struggling in theDes Plaines River near the cemetery's perimeter. ICE agents pepper sprayed them before tackling, zip-tying and shackling them.[56][57]
On October 8, a federal grand jury refused to indict a couple arrested while legally carrying firearms inBroadview, Illinois in September. Prosecutors also abandoned charges against a third protester arrested on September 27 after reviewing new body camera footage of their arrest.[58] InChicago andMilwaukee, Wisconsin, protests continued over Trump sending ICE and the National Guard to Chicago.[59][60][61]
On October 9, after detaining four people in theRogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, ICE wrote a man a $130 ticket for not having papers on him proving that he was a legal resident.[62] An anti-ICE protest was held at theUniversity of Illinois Chicago, following aviral video showing ICE arresting two women near campus.[63]
On October 10, Debbie Brockman, an employee ofWGN-TV, was detained in theLincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago by federal agents for seven hours after videotaping agents detaining a Latino man and asking if they had a warrant.[64][65] On October 14, Brockman's attorney released a statement saying that Brockman was pursuing legal action against ICE and theDepartment of Homeland Security for assault and wrongful arrest.[66] InBroadview, Illinois, protests continued outside of an ICE facility guarded by Illinois State Police instead of the National Guard, which was suspended from being deployed into Illinois by a federal judge. Meanwhile, Illinois SenatorsDick Durbin andTammy Duckworth were denied entry to the building for a fourth time.[67]
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On October 11, inHoffman Estates, Illinois, ICE agents detained a 15-year old girl in a video that wentviral. Over 400 people protested in theRogers Park neighborhood after 4 people were detained there by ICE two days earlier.[68]
On October 12, ICE agents deployedtear gas in theAlbany Park neighborhood, in direct violation of a court order that had been handed down by a federal judge just days before.[68] A procession offering Catholiceucharist to detainees at theBroadview ICE facility was denied[69].
On October 14, several people were detained in ICE raids in thePullman andRoseland neighborhoods. In theEast Side neighborhood, hundreds of residents confronted ICE agents after they rammed a vehicle and caused a multi-vehicle car crash during a chase. ICE agents deployedtear gas for the second time in violation of a court order handed down on October 9. The tear gas also affected Chicago police officers who were at the scene.[70] Three people who gathered around the site of the crash were arrested.[71]
On October 15, a Cook County judge signed an order barring ICE from arresting people while going to court proceedings, including arrests outside courthouses, in parking lots, surrounding sidewalks and entryways.[72] A U.S. citizen with the first name "Angel" was grabbed off the street and pulled into a vehicle byU.S. Border Patrol agents in theSouth Chicago neighborhood on October 15, 2025. The incident was captured on his cousin's ring camera. After interrogating him, agents dropped him off a half a mile away from where they had pulled him into the vehicle.[73]
On October 16, inHanover Park, Illinois, ICE detained a police officer named Radule Bojovic, an immigrant fromMontenegro, claiming that his tourist visa had expired in 2015. Hanover Park officials stated that Bojovic had a current work authorization card from the federal government and was legally authorized by the federal government to work in the U.S.[74]
Lake County was the site of several raids on October 17.[75]
On October 22, during an ICE raid in the neighborhood ofLittle Village and neighboringCicero, Illinois, ICE detained eight people, including four U.S. citizens and two members of AldermanMichael Rodriguez's staff.[76][77]
On October 23, ICE returned toLittle Village and firedtear gas at a crowd, the third time ICE used tear gas in the city in direct violation of a court order handed down on October 9. They detained around five people, including a high school student.[78][79]
On October 24, ICE detained several people in theLakeview andLincoln Park neighborhoods and deployedtear gas into a crowd of approximately 50 people, going against a court order handed down on October 9 for the fourth time. Judge Sara Ellis orderedGregory Bovino to appear in court on October 28 as part of an ongoing inquiry into potential violations of her restraining order on crowd-control tactics used during “Operation Midway Blitz,” including tear gas.[80][81]
Chicago journalists and unions filed a lawsuit againstICE and theDepartment of Homeland Security, alleging that the federal government used "extreme force" against reporters and television crews during protests inBroadview, Illinois. The village of Broadview also filed a lawsuit over fencing surrounding the facility, and three criminal investigations intoICE activity.[82][83]
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ruled that ICE agents illegally arrested 22 people inChicago without warrants, in violation of theCastañon Nava consent decree.[84] Such arrests violated a three-year consent decree banning warrantless arrests unless agents have probable cause to believe someone is in the United States unlawfully and is a flight risk. The judge ordered ICE to reimburse all bond payments and lift any imposed conditions of release, in addition to making monthly disclosures of how many warrantless arrests agents make each month until the agreement’s new expiration date.[85]
Local and state leaders filed a lawsuit objecting and challenging the deployment of the national guard to Chicago in early October 2025. US District Judge April Perry, stated at an emergency hearing that the deployment could continue forward but any troop action before the October 9 hearing could be used as evidence against the Trump administration.[86][87] On October 9, 2025, Judge Perry temporarily blocked Trump's deployment of the National Guard in Chicago for 14 days, stating that the federal government did not meet the burden needed to send the National Guard into Illinois and that the deployment was unconstitutional, violating thePosse Comitatus Act and theTenth Amendment.[88] That same day, US District Judge Sara Ellis issued a temporary 14-day restraining order against ICE and Border Patrol agents, ruling that federal agents can't use tear gas, pepper spray and other weapons against journalists and peaceful protesters who don't pose a serious threat to law enforcement officers or others. Ellis also prohibited federal agents from using physical force against journalists or arresting them unless they are suspected of committing a crime. The order also required federal agents to wear badges or other “visible identification” so the public can know who they are, with exceptions for those officers who work undercover.[89]
On October 15, 2025, a Cook County judge signed an order barring ICE from arresting people while going to court proceedings, including arrests outside courthouses, in parking lots, surrounding sidewalks and entryways.[72]
On October 16, 2025, Judge Ellis ordered Chicago U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Field Office Director Russell Hott to appear in court on October 20 to answer for several violations of the court order regarding usingtear gas, rubber bullets and other crowd control methods in the Chicago area, in addition to answering questions regarding an ICE-caused vehicle collision following a car chase in theEast Side Neighborhood on October 14. Judge Ellis also modified the temporary restraining order on ICE, requiring all agents to wear body cameras and keep them on during operations.[90][91] That same day, a federal appeals court panel denied a request from the Trump administration to lift a lower court's order blocking the president from deploying National Guard troops in Illinois.[92]
MayorBrandon Johnson said Chicago received "no notice of any enhanced immigration action," calling the operation "militarized immigration enforcement."[13][93] GovernorJB Pritzker accused federal officials of undermining the authority of local officials and suggested the possibility of taking legal action to challenge the surge.[94][95] RepresentativeLauren Underwood said she learned about the arrest counts at a meeting with ICE leadership.[96][97]
Local advocacy organizations organized protests outside the suburban ICE facilities while distributing "Know Your Rights" flyers in English and Spanish.[98] Community hotlines reported a surge in calls from community members looking for advice and reporting sightings of federal agents.[99]
In a post onTruth Social, President Trump called for the arrests of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, and raised claims that the two were failing to protect ICE agents in Chicago. Pritzker responded onTwitter, calling Trump's demand part of the path to "full-blown authoritarianism" and that he and Johnson were elected officials checking Trump on his actions.[87]
On October 5, while speaking withFox NewsHomeland Security SecretaryKristi Noem alleged that Chicago was a "war zone" and spoke out against comments made by Johnson against Trumps policies. Noem argued that the administrations actions have resulted in a safer Chicago, while Pritzker argued onCNNs State of the Union the Noem and Trumps actions were causing Chicago to become a warzone.[100]
A soccer friendly betweenArgentina andPuerto Rico set to be played atSoldier Field on October 14 was moved toFort Lauderdale, Florida due to unrest from the operation.[101] Another soccer friendly on same day betweenVenezuela andBelize and set to be played atSeatGeek Stadium inBridgeview was cancelled.[102]
Donald Trump made no secret of his willingness to exert a maximalist approach to enforcing immigration laws and keeping order as he campaigned to return to the White House.
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