‘The worst of the worst’: ICE confirms their new Chicago operation will only target criminals, but community advocates say otherwise

A new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation, “Operation Midway Blitz,” has officially launched in the Chicago area. ICE is targeting what authorities call “the worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens, but anyone who sees the track record wouldn’t believe that.

This latest action is part of the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on immigration, which has been seen in other major cities like Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. According to former acting ICE Chief Jonathan Fahey, this specific operation is going to be “very targeted towards a lot of people with criminal records either that have been let out of jail and maybe have been convicted or let out of jail pending trial.”

Per Fox, Fahey also added that the focus will likely be on “criminals, gang members and things of that nature.” This isn’t just about a few people, though; Fahey noted that if agents are arresting a targeted individual and that person is with a “bunch of other people that are here illegally, those people are gonna get locked up as well.” So, it sounds like the real focus is what it’s always been, and ICE just needed an excuse for the people who blindly believe them.

ICE is in Chicago doing what few people want them to do

While the federal government is moving forward with its plan, Chicago officials are pushing back. Both Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have been vocally opposed to the federal surge. Mayor Johnson made it clear on X that the city “received no notice of any enhanced immigration action by the Trump administration.” He went on to say that Chicago remains “opposed to any potential militarized immigration enforcement without due process because of ICE’s track record of detaining and deporting American citizens and violating the human rights of hundreds of detainees.”

The legal landscape is also a bit murky, especially since Los Angeles is a sanctuary city, just like Chicago. Fahey thinks a recent Supreme Court temporary ruling could help ICE “legally” and “prevent some sort of injunction,” but it’s important to note that this specific ruling only applies to Southern California. So, it’s not a done deal for Chicago just yet.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sees this from a different angle. Mohammad Tajsar, a senior staff attorney for the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, called the court’s decision “a devastating setback” for people who, according to him, have been subjected to immigration stops “because of the color of their skin, occupation, or the language they speak.” This shows a clear divide in how different organizations view the legality and impact of these operations.

The whole situation is a mess for residents and local officials, with the federal government saying one thing and community advocates saying another. This is especially difficult for a city like Chicago, which has a large immigrant population. It’s a classic case of the federal government attempting to enforce its will while local governments fight to protect their residents. It sounds like this is just the beginning of a long and complicated battle. Given the city’s strong opposition, it’s very likely we’ll see more of this back-and-forth in the coming weeks and months.