Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailGet our free Inside Washington emailThe Department of Homeland Security is launching an immigration crackdown in Chicago dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.”The 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 agency said in a statement on X. The operation is being carried out “in honor of Katie Abraham,” the DHS says. Abraham, 20, and her friend Chloe Polzin were killed in a hit-and-run car wreck in January, allegedly caused by Julio Cucul-Bol, a citizen of Guatemala, the Urbana Police Department said. Cucul-Bol was arrested in Texas on a bus heading to Matamoros, Mexico, Urbana police said. He has since been charged with driving under the influence, reckless homicide and leaving the scene of the crash. In May, he was also charged with possessing a false permanent resident card, possessing a false Social Security card, false use of a passport and making a false statement on a bank application, the Justice Department said.open image in galleryDemonstrators gathered in Chicago on Saturday to protest against the Trump administration’s immigration policies (Getty Images)Abraham’s parents described her as a smart, spirited young woman in a video shared by the DHS.“Katie is one of these unique kids. She had such a unique personality,” her father, Joe Abraham, said. “She was very spirited. She made everyone feel seen. She’s very engaging. Her sense of humor was incredible. Her wit was so sharp.”open image in galleryPolice say Julio Cucul-Bol is responsible for a hit-and-run wreck that killed two women in Chicago (Champaign County Sheriff’s Office)The city should expect a wave of immigration enforcement actions this week, the White House’s border czar Tom Homan said over the weekend. The use of National Guard troops is also “on the table,” Homan noted. Some 300 federal agents are currently stationed at North Chicago’s Naval Station Great Lakes as the city prepares for an increase in immigration enforcement, ABC 7 reports.As the operation was announced, Immigration and Customs Enforcement posted a photo of an agency vehicle near the Willis Tower in downtown Chicago. CHICAGO: a sanctuary city that attracts and protects criminal illegal aliens to the detriment of law-abiding citizens.In an ICE-led operation, we are here to remove these dangerous public safety threats from American communities. pic.twitter.com/p8G2XFYM18— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) September 8, 2025 Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has criticized Trump’s immigration policies and recent remarks about Chicago. Pritzker slammed Trump’s recent Truth Social post criticizing gun violence in Chicago on Monday morning.“‘I want to help people, not hurt them,’ says the guy who just threatened an American city with the Department of War,” Pritzker wrote, sharing a screenshot of Trump’s original post.This comes after Trump wrote on Truth Social that Chicago is “about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.” Attached to the Saturday post was an AI-generated image of Trump in a cowboy hat and aviator sunglasses with the Chicago skyline in the background, engulfed in flames. The image included the words “Chipocalypse Now,” in an apparent reference to the 1979 Vietnam War movie Apocalypse Now.Pritzker also said he will not “pretend that any of this is normal” in a Sunday statement. “I refuse to concede that the abject cruelty that we’re seeing play out with the execution of Trump and Stephen Millers’ policies are OK or justified,” the governor said. “I refuse to fall into the pundit trap that demands we sacrifice vital Constitutional rights if it’s being done in the fake guise of fighting crime.”As Pritzker and Trump exchanged jabs, demonstrators flooded Chicago’s streets to protest the Trump administration’s immigration policies over the weekend.open image in galleryDemonstrators march through downtown Chicago on Saturday (Getty)Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also called sending in the National Guard “the wrong solution to a real problem,” in a guest essay for The New York Times published Monday.“But lowering crime rates here does not require an occupation of our city by armed members of the National Guard, as the White House continues to threaten us with,” Johnson wrote. “Chicagoans, including survivors of violence, have spoken out against such an extreme measure.”“If President Trump had listened to the city’s leaders, he would recognize that Chicago just experienced record-low homicide numbers, making this the safest summer since the 1960s, a result of effective collaboration between communities and law enforcement,” he added.This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Source link
DHS launches ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ unveiling plans for mass deportation arrests in Chicago
