Politics
Feds Tout New Immigration Operation in Illinois as Communities Await ICE Raids
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle is pictured in Chicago in an image uploaded to social media by the agency on Sept. 8, 2025. (Credit: ICE)
Homeland Security officials on Monday said they intend to target “criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois” in a new immigration operation after an Illinois woman was killed in a drunk driving crash allegedly involving an undocumented immigrant early this year.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announced what they are dubbing as Operation Midway Blitz, which the department says will “honor” Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who was killed in a January car crash.
Julio Cucul Bol, whom authorities said entered into the country with false documents, has been charged in connection with Abraham’s death.
Abraham’s death was also cited in June by Republican lawmakers during an appearance by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker at a U.S. House Oversight Committee hearing.
“This ICE operation will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a social media post.
The operation comes as local officials and communities continue to brace for a possible deployment of National Guard troops or other armed military personnel in Chicago after U.S. Military officials granted immigration enforcement agents access to the Naval Station Great Lakes, located about 35 miles north of the city.
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday said his office has not received any word from federal authorities about any “enhanced immigration action.”
“We are concerned about potential militarized immigration enforcement without due process because of ICE’s track record of detaining and deporting American citizens and violating the human rights of hundreds of detainees,” Johnson said in a statement Monday.
Johnson pointed to the case of a a 4-year-old American citizen with kidney cancer who was swept up in an ICE operation and sent to Honduras and said there have been more than 500 documented incidents of human rights abuses at detention facilities since Trump took office.
“Because of these incidents and more,” he said, “we remain opposed to militarized immigration enforcement that runs afoul of the Constitution in our city.”
U.S. Sen Dick Durbin called the planned operation “a waste of money” he believes will “stoke fear and represent another failed attempt at a distraction.”
“To the hardworking immigrant families who are now scared to send your children to school, go to the hospital, or report crimes to the police: we stand with you,” the Illinois Democrat said in a statement. “Please know that a majority of Americans do not support these anti-immigrant actions by the Trump Administration. While the President exhibits disdain for immigrants, Chicago embraces them as family who help make our economy thrive and our city strong.”
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he plans to send troops into Chicago as part of his promise to carry out the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history.”
While those deployments have not yet been carried out, at least five people were reportedly detained by immigration officials on Chicago’s Southwest Side over the weekend, according to Ald. Jeylú Gutiérrez (14th Ward) who said it appeared that “reports indicate that these operations are still ongoing.”
“This is an attack on our hardworking people and our community as a whole, not just those who are undocumented” she said.
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)
On Monday, Trump said in a social media post that he wants to “help the people of Chicago, not hurt them,” after six people were killed in separate shootings across the city over the weekend.
“Only the Criminals will be hurt!” he said. “We can move fast and stop this madness. The City and State have not been able to do the job. People of Illinois should band together and DEMAND PROTECTION. IT IS ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE!!! ACT NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!!”
Trump over the weekend also amplified his deployment promises by posting a parody image from the Vietnam War film “Apocalypse Now” featuring a ball of flames as helicopters zoom over the nation’s third-largest city.
“I love the smell of deportations in the morning,” Trump wrote on his social media site. “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
Pritzker responded to the post, calling Trump a “wannabe dictator.”
Trump later downplayed the language in the post, saying Sunday that his administration is “not going to war,” while adding he instead plans to “clean up our cities.”
Trump’s Immigration Czar Tom Homan on Sunday also said on CNN that the president intends to take action “in most sanctuary cities” sometime this week, claiming “That’s where the problem is.”
Chicago’s Welcoming City ordinance prohibits local police officers from cooperating with federal immigration agents unless they are presented with a valid criminal warrant, while the Illinois TRUST Act similarly prohibits local law enforcement statewide from participating in immigration enforcement.
The Trump administration has repeatedly used rhetoric tying violent crime in Chicago to the issue of illegal immigration.
During the first eight months of the year, homicides are down 31%, as compared with the same period a year ago, reaching the lowest level since 2014, according to Chicago Police Department data. In addition, the number of people shot has dropped 36% so far this year, according to CPD data.
Studies have shown immigrants have consistently been incarcerated at lower rates than U.S.-born citizens.
Suburban Actions
The city of Evanston on Monday said it received word late Sunday about the “likelihood that federal immigration agents will be present in our community in the coming days,” with city officials saying they “take this potentiality seriously.”
“In Evanston, we welcome our immigrant and refugee neighbors and protect each other,” the city said in a statement. “The City has not requested the presence of federal immigration officers targeting our community members, and we will do all we can to safeguard our community and keep Evanston families together.”
The city said all Evanston Police Department officers will wear uniforms or vests clearly marked with “Evanston Police” to allow for quick identification, clarity and public trust, and called on residents to report any sighting of ICE agents to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
“During this time of uncertainty and fear, it is critical to maintain a strong sense of community, as well as provide accurate information,” the city said in its statement. “The City stands alongside the community during these challenging times and will share well-sourced information from credible sources.”
Heather Cherone and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
