(NewsNation) — “Operation Midway Blitz” was underway in the Chicago area Tuesday, as immigration enforcement officers swarmed the city under the Trump administration’s latest directive.
State and local leaders have criticized the move, calling it a scare tactic and claiming they were kept in the dark about the operation altogether.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city has not received any formal notice of increased immigration enforcement, NewsNation local affiliate WGN reported.
More officers were expected on the ground as part of the operation, which Homeland Security said aims to “target the criminal 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.”
A spokesperson for Pritzker told NewsNation the administration’s announcement 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.”
Pritzker said Tuesday that Monday’s Supreme Court decision that lifts restrictions on ICE “takes away rights from across the United States”, which the governor said is something that White House Border Czar Tom Homan “cheers.”
“We don’t appreciate and frankly push back on, and will always fight what Tom Homan and what the Supreme Court decision represents,” Pritzker said at a news conference.
Pritzker said that ICE is “somewhere on the ground” in the greater Chicago area and has “already been effectuating their plans.” Although the governor said that officials have not seen the “bulk” of the number of ICE officers it expects, but knows that the agency is “gathering steam”.
“I’m worried for our communities,” Pritzker said. “Remember, this is bad for the state of Illinois. This is bad for the economy of the state of Illinois. As far as I’m concerned, ICE needs to take it down about three notches.”
Outside of Chicago, city officials in nearby Evanston have also urged residents to remain vigilant and report any sightings of federal agents in the area.
“In Evanston, we welcome our immigrant and refugee neighbors and protect each other,” the city said in a statement. “We will do all we can to safeguard our community and keep Evanston families together.”
DHS announces ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ in Illinois
In a post on social platform X, DHS said the operation was in honor of Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old woman from one of Chicago’s northwest suburbs who was killed in a hit-and-run crash in January by 29-year-old Julio Cucul-Bol, a Guatemalan national, according to NewsNation affiliate WGN.
Her friend, Chloe Polzin, was also killed in the crash.
According to the Urbana Police Department, Cucul-Bol was charged with leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death, aggravated driving under the influence resulting in death and reckless homicide.
He was also charged by the Justice Department with possession of a false permanent resident card, possession of a false social security card, false use of a passport, and making a false statement on a bank application.
NewsNation’s Jordan Perkins and Jeff Arnold contributed to this report.