Photographer: Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Operation Midway Blitz, the immigration enforcement surge underway in Chicago since the beginning of September, continued with a large show of force targeting gang members. Tensions are running high among different leaders as Trump continues to execute on his deportation mandate.
On Tuesday, federal agents descended on a building in Chicago in a raid targeting illegal aliens, some with suspected ties to Tren de Aragua. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents surrounded a building, with some agents rappelling down from Black Hawk helicopters.
'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.'
Nearly 300 federal agents from FBI, Border Patrol, ICE, and the ATF assisted in the operation in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood. Newsweek reported that roughly 30 illegal aliens were detained, some with suspected Tren de Aragua affiliation.
President Trump designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization at the beginning of his second term.
Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino has spearheaded deportation raids in Illinois. (Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
On Tuesday morning, Trump called out the largest of the infamous sanctuary cities, describing the deportation operations as a "war from within": "What they've done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, they're very unsafe places. And we're going to straighten them out one by one."
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) fired back at Trump's message on X. "To Donald Trump: Stop using military troops and ICE to invade and disrupt American cities. Stop calling your political opponents 'enemies' of the U.S. Stop attacking the 1st Amendment. Our troops and our nation deserve better than you acting as a petty tyrant."
Operation Midway Blitz was announced on September 8, 2025, in honor of Katie Abraham, a young woman killed by an illegal alien in Illinois.
“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," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin at the beginning of Operation Midway Blitz. "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.”
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