Immigration and Customs Enforcement has launched “Operation Midway Blitz” across Chicago and its suburbs, stepping up arrests as teams work predawn to detain people they say are in the country illegally. ICE officials call recent sweeps successful and say most arrests were targeted, while community leaders and activists accuse agents of aggressive tactics and say the operation has destabilized neighborhoods. The campaign intensified after a fatal shooting during an arrest and has become a flashpoint in the city’s fight over cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
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Pre-Dawn Briefing
It was 3:30 a.m. when ten ICE officers gathered in a suburban parking lot to review a suspect description, radio channels, and medical contingency plans. Before departing, one officer said, “Let’s plan on not being there,” reflecting the cautious approach teams used as they fanned out across neighborhoods. ICE teams then moved into coordinated vehicles to locate and detain people they believed met the criteria for arrest.
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Arrest Sequence Described
Agents followed a man who matched a description from a house to a car, then boxed in the vehicle on a freeway and detained him after identifying him as undocumented. A short time later they located their primary target, leaving the house, and arrested him as well. Acting head Marcos Charles directed the field team, saying, “Do it,” as officers closed in and completed the operation…