Extreme rhetoric, legal battles, and violent attacks by Chicago’s leftist leaders and anti-ICE protestors haven’t deterred immigration enforcement efforts in the Windy City.
In fact, Chicago has experienced a historic drop in crime during Operation Midway Blitz, according to officials from the Trump administration.
In a Truth Social post on Tuesday night that was shared to The White House’s X account, Trump declared victory, writing, “I am proud to announce that Chicago, Illinois, despite all of the radical opposition and obstruction we have from the Mayor and the Governor, has seen Car Theft, Shootings, Robberies, Violent Crime, and everything else, drop dramatically.”
"I am proud to announce that Chicago, Illinois, despite all of the radical opposition and obstruction we have from the Mayor and the Governor, has seen Car Theft, Shootings, Robberies, Violent Crime, and everything else, drop dramatically." – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/2yGelJLdMC
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 11, 2025
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also celebrated the “historic win,” with various officials speaking to news outlets and sharing updates on social media.
DHS launched Operation Midway Blitz in early September, despite over-the-top political rhetoric from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
According to a news release, crime is slowing down in Chicago:
- Homicides are down 16%
- Shootings are down 35% (the lowest in four years)
- Robberies are down 41%
- Carjackings are down 48%
- Transit crime is down 20%
During a recent press conference, DHS reported that more than 3,000 illegal immigrants have been arrested so far.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she is “thrilled” with the results in Chicago, and they plan to surge more resources there as well as other cities.
“@GovPritzker’s vile anti-law enforcement rhetoric will not stop us from protecting American families from criminal illegal alien murderers, rapists, and terrorists. These monsters belong in handcuffs—not in our neighborhoods,” Noem posted on X with a clip from Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.”
DHS said agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol have done what Chicago’s sanctuary politicians won’t do — address crime, remove criminal illegal aliens and put Americans first.
“For decades, sanctuary policies exasperated the crime crisis in Chicago. Now thanks to our brave DHS law enforcement, Chicago is experiencing a historic drop in violent crime,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “It’s common sense—when you remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our country—crime rates plummet.”
McLaughlin also shared the stats on social media, adding “We aren’t leaving Chicago.”
She reshared a post from a CBS immigration reporter saying Trump officials were “planning for Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino and many of his agents to leave Chicago.”
BREAKING — The Trump administration has made plans for Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino and many of his agents to leave Chicago as early as this week, after weeks of controversial arrests and clashes, 3 US officials tell CBS News.
W/ @NicoleSganga.https://t.co/n3H3j5S2nt
— Camilo Montoya-Galvez (@camiloreports) November 11, 2025
In another twist on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings sided with attorneys from the National Immigration Justice Center and the ACLU.
Cummings ordered the release of more than 600 people arrested during the immigration crackdown in Illinois, according to WLS outlet in Chicago.
Illegal migrants who have criminal records and pose a risk to the public would not be eligible for release. Those who are eligible for release could be monitored through alternative means like ankle monitors.
In response to the ruling, McLaughlin said the decision is putting the lives of Americans at risk.
“At every turn, activist judges, sanctuary politicians, and violent rioters have actively tried to prevent our law enforcement officers from arresting and removing the worst of the worst,” McLaughlin said in a statement to CNN Wednesday. “Now an ACTIVIST JUDGE is putting the lives of Americans directly at risk by ordering 615 illegal aliens be released into the community.”
Like other ICE operations across the country, federal agents have targeted criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois seeking protection under the state’s sanctuary policies.
To the bewilderment of many, officers have encountered violent resistance by rioters outside the Broadview ICE processing center in Broadview, Ill., and activists in neighborhoods in Chicago and area suburbs.
Operation Midway Blitz has created violent confrontations between members of the public and federal agents, including people blocking ICE vehicles, ramming federal officials and shooting at Border Patrol agents, Fox News Digital reported.
Initially, Trump wanted to deploy the National Guard to Chicago to help get a handle on crime but that was met with various legal battles and appeals. Trump said the numbers follow “just a small initial Federal Force, not the full ‘surge’” of federal resources.
All this, Trump said, “has been achieved despite the extraordinary resistance from Chicago and Illinois Radical Democrat ‘Leadership,’ and the constant Violent Leftwing Terrorism against ICE Officers and Federal Agents that Insurrectionist Democrat Officials refuse to stop or prosecute, including constant physical assault and attempted assassination.”
Pritzker’s office shared a statement from August with statistics indicating crime was already declining before Trump deployed federal law enforcement to the city.
In response to Trump’s post on Truth Social, Pritzker posted on X: “Trump is a liar. Tear gassing kids in peaceful neighborhoods makes no one safer. He cannot steal credit from our violence prevention and law enforcement efforts that have reduced crime for four years straight — long before his masked agents showed up.”
DHS announced the immigration roundup in honor of 20-year-old Katie Abraham, who died as a result of an illegal alien driving drunk in sanctuary Illinois.
In January 2025, Abraham and her friend Chloe Polzin, were killed in a DUI hit-and-run crash caused by Julio Cucul-Bol, a 29-year-old citizen of Guatemala who used multiple fake aliases and was caught on a bus headed to Mexico.
“He should have been removed long before he could take my daughter’s life,” said Joe Abraham, Katie’s father. “It would be unjust and unreasonable to separate my family’s loss from the policies that failed us. …Our leaders — from the governor’s office on down — have not treated immigration as a matter of public safety or national security.”
Federal officers continue to track down criminal illegal alien drunk drivers across Illinois and the nation in an effort to make the roadways safer.
DHS released the names of some of the individuals arrested for driving under the influence during Operation Midway Blitz. Many of the arrests highlight failed cashless bail and sanctuary policies that release repeat offenders so they can do it again.
- Benito Hernandez Ibarra, a previously deported criminal illegal alien from Mexico, was convicted of multiple counts of driving under the influence of liquor. ICE lodged a detainer following the arrest of Hernandez Ibarra in 2012 which was not honored, and he was released back into the community.
- Javier Castillo Hernandez, from Mexico, convicted of driving under the influence of liquor.
- Erick Antonio Huerta-Rojas, from Mexico, convicted of driving under the influence of liquor.
- Oscar Sinchi, from Ecuador, convicted of aggravated driving under the influence of liquor.
- Ismael Lopez-Suarez, from Mexico, convicted of multiple counts of driving under the influence of liquor.
- Hubert Stanislaw Solek, from Poland, who did not leave the U.S. in 2015 as his visitor visa required. He has multiple convictions for driving under the influence of liquor.
- Manuel Sanchez-Caceres, from Mexico, with multiple convictions for driving under the influence of liquor.
- Olegario Gomez-Perez, from Guatemala, convicted multiple times for driving under the influence of liquor.
- Francisco Velasquez Lopez, from Mexico, who has multiple convictions for driving under the influence of liquor.
