Federal agents descended on a South Shore apartment building in Chicago earlier this week in an immigration sweep targeting alleged cartel and gang members.
The overnight operation Tuesday involved nearly 300 federal agents and officers raiding a five-story apartment complex. News reports have said between 30 and 40 people were arrested.
The effort was part of the ongoing Operation Midway Blitz, a widespread immigration enforcement campaign targeting criminal illegal aliens in the Chicago area. Midway Blitz began Sept. 8 and has resulted in more than 800 arrests, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.
Officials said they targeted the building because violent members the Tren de Aragua prison gang are terrorizing residents and carrying out illegal operations.
“How about you live in the apartment next-door to the Tren de Aragua members that are trafficking prostitution, guns, drugs and taking advantage of American citizens in a violent way,” said U.S. Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino, who is on the ground and spoke in an interview with News Nation.
Agents from the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms all were part of the operation, per NewsNation, which aired raw footage from the raid.
DHS issued a news release listing the latest round of criminal illegal aliens apprehended during Operation Midway Blitz. They have criminal histories for rape, aggravated assault, fraud, driving under the influence, sexual assault, drug offenses, armed robbery, burglary, gang activity and illegal re-entry into the country.
Federal agents are after criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois seeking protection under the sanctuary policies of Governor JB Pritzker, DHS said.
“The Trump Administration will not allow violent criminals or repeat offenders to terrorize our neighborhoods or victimize our children and innocent Americans,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
The TdA bust occurred after federal agents rappelled from a Black Hawk helicopter onto the rooftops of Chicago residential buildings, which startled many residents caught up in the chaotic situation, Chicago’s ABC7 News reported.
Some residents of the building were temporarily detained, which DHS officials have said is part of the agency’s protocol to keep residents safe during an ongoing operation, NewsNation reported.
On Wednesday morning, DHS issued a statement to Chicago’s ABC7 News, saying: “In the early morning hours of Sept. 30, 2025, allied federal law enforcement agencies with CBP, FBI, and ATF, executed an enforcement operation in Chicago’s South Shore area, a location known to be frequented by Tren de Aragua members and their associates. Some of the targeted subjects are believed to be involved in drug trafficking and distribution, weapons crimes, and immigration violators.”
The overnight operation targeted high-priority criminals and illegal aliens connected to the Venezuelan crime syndicate that U.S. authorities have designated a transnational terrorist organization, Newsweek reported.
Trump officials have accused TdA members of human and drug trafficking, violence and other cross-border crimes.
DHS law enforcement has made OVER 900 ARRESTS during Operation Midway Blitz in Illinois.
To every criminal illegal alien: Darkness is no longer your ally. We will find you. pic.twitter.com/m9PxbuK5Ua
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) October 2, 2025
Bovino told NewsNation that the operation proceeded “very smoothly” after federal officers and agents spent several days training for the targeted raid. He said residents of the South Side should expect an increased federal presence in the area.
“We’re going to be taking it to those violent gang members and illegal aliens,” Bovino told NewsNation on Tuesday. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Despite pushback from local and state officials, federal officials said Operation Midway Blitz underscores their commitment to removing the “worst of the worst” despite protests and sanctuary policies.
“We do care about our community and we make it our personal responsibility to make this community and our nation safe,” Bovino told NewsNation.
The feds launched the effort in honor of an Illinois woman, Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old college student who died in a drunk driving hit-and-run car wreck in Illinois. Police later arrested criminal illegal alien, Julio Cucul-Bol, a repeat offender who tried to flee the country, was not properly vetted and used a fake ID and other documents.
Some Republicans have called on the governor to tone down the extreme rhetoric in the wake of recent attacks on ICE facilities nationwide. Pritzker continues to resist any offer of help from President Donald Trump and does not want the National Guard deployed in Chicago.
“I think in order to keep things under control, you have to get things under control,” said Assistant Illinois House Minority Leader and Republican state Rep. C. D. Davidsmeyer, in the ABC7 News report.
Some officials believe the National Guard could help restore order, as they did in Washington, D.C., especially as tension escalate between ICE agents and protesters.
“I believe that the governor and the mayor are afraid, what if? What if it works? What if additional support actually lowers crime and keeps people safe?” Illinois House Minority Leader and Republican state Rep. Tony McCombie told ABC7 News.
Other anti-ICE protests have occurred within the city in response to the raids, but the most contentious demonstrations have taken place at the Broadview Processing Center in suburban Broadview, NBC5 Chicago reported.
Protestors have held weekly protests on Friday outside of the facility for months, but they have escalated to clashes with federal agents in recent weeks.
The violent agitators taunt agents, hurl insults and rocks, and block vehicles going in and out of the facility, prompting the feds to use pepper balls, flash bangs and other chemical agents to disperse crowds.
“We will not allow sanctuary politicians or violent rioters to stop us from enforcing the law and arresting pedophiles, murderers, gang members, rapists, and domestic abusers from American communities,” McLaughlin said.
In the last week, Border Patrol agents have had a notable presence in downtown Chicago, including on the Chicago River and popular tourist areas such as the riverwalk and Michigan Avenue, escalating tensions in the city.
On Tuesday evening, demonstrators protesting ICE and the federal troops in Chicago marched in the downtown area, shutting down part of westbound Wacker Drive at Michigan Avenue during rush hour, NBC 5 Chicago reported.
