Editor’s note: This story is also available in Spanish. Read that version here.
Homeland Security began a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation targeting Illegal Immigrants on Monday, despite concerns from both Illinois government and public protesters.
ICE released a statement on Monday regarding Pritzker’s sanctuary laws and mentioning that there are going to be further attempts to reduce crime and make America a safer place.
The Department of Homeland Security announced “Operation Midway Blitz” in honor of Katie Abrahms, victim killed in a drunk-driving accident involving illegal immigrant Julio Cucul-Bol.
Since the implementation of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., Trump has made several statements implying that crackdowns will be made on crime in Chicago and at least two other democrat run cities.
“For years, Governor Pritzker and his fellow sanctuary politicians released Tren de Aragua gang members, rapists, kidnappers, and drug traffickers on Chicago’s streets—” Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at DHS Tricia McLaughlin says in a press release, ”putting American lives at risk and making Chicago a magnet for criminals. President Trump and Secretary Noem have a clear message: no city is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens.”
Trump expressed further statements regarding Chicago and unlawful immigration, with an AI photo as parody of film poster “Apocalypse Now” stating that he “loves the smell of deportations in the morning” and that Chicago would soon “find out why it’s called the department of WAR.”
Intentions were later restated by the president, stating that he’d instead be “cleaning up” the city.
Mayor Brandon Johnson says that he had received no notice of the operation, backed up by Governor Pritzker’s statement in a conference on Monday that they’re learning of presidential plans through social media, along with several other criticisms of Midway Blitz and the lack of cooperation.
“This isn’t about fighting crime,” Pritzker says. “That requires support and coordination — yet we’ve experienced nothing like that over the past several weeks.”
With Great Lakes Naval Base being flooded with Naval officers, some Illinois citizens are anxious about ICE and the Immigration effort spilling outside of Chicago.
Americans fear and have feared deportation. The fear having lived in their head so long, this doesn’t change much more than its likelihood.
“It’s always been there,” says Luis Aguilar, a multilingual assistant and esports advisor, “this fear of being deported so I have to pretend like it will never happen. I guess, it doesn’t happen in the light as much as it does now.”
“As Trump has said himself,” Pritzker says, “this is not about seriously fighting crime or reforming immigration – it’s about Trump’s plan to go to war with America’s third-largest city.”