Despite recent news of federal immigration agents’ departure from Chicago, families and community members are still reeling from the pain and violence that was felt by so many due to Operation Midway Blitz. While this reign of terror may feel like it’s subsided, we know that ICE continues to arrest neighbors across the city of Chicago, which is why our team continues to do whatever we can to educate, connect, and support community members who are most vulnerable to this harm and violence.
As many have seen, we have very little transparency – which include zero body camera footage – as to how these arrests are made. Recently, thanks to the work of journalists and public records requests, we learned that of the 1895 Illinois residents that have been arrested and detained in the first half of “Operation Midway Blitz”, ⅔ had no known criminal convictions or pending charages. Only 28 people, or 1.5%, had violent criminal felony records prior to arrest, making them a “high public safety risk.” Evidently, the vast majority of people enduring detention through “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicagoland aren’t the “worst of the worst”, but instead just like us — neighbors trying to make ends meet, take their kids to school, take care of their families, and contribute to their communities.
It’s hard to believe that just two years ago we were bringing food to undocumented families in police station lobbies, which was our way of helping to keep people alive in an untenable situation, as adults and children were caught up in multiple social and economic policy failures, including uncoordinated busing from Texas (for the record, NOBODY should be living in police station lobbies). Today, ICE is prowling, breaking down the doors, teargassing indiscriminately, and smashing the car windows of many of those same families, almost all without criminal warrants. All of this enabled by the $170B** in funding of immigration and border enforcement-activities in HR1, signed on July 4th.
Like many of you, I am carrying around the pain of this reality every day, and I know there is still so much work that needs to be done to protect our most vulnerable neighbors. One recent success — from late October — was the passage of a bill that protects the rights of individuals targeted by ICE. HB 1312 is a big bill package led by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and our Latino Caucus. The bill:
- Prohibits civil arrests in and around courthouses.
- Implements safeguards for individuals seeking medical care in hospitals.
- Protects student information and sets up safety protocols at public universities.
- Confirms that licensed daycare centers may not permit immigration enforcement officers to enter without a judicial warrant.
- Establishes a clearer process for individuals to pursue justice in cases of unlawful civil immigration enforcement.
Additionally, thanks to feedback from so many area residents, our office is playing a coordination role to expand rapid response efforts further into the far Northwest side. Ultimately, while we know that ICE may have calmed down, this does not mean harmful and illegal ICE enforcement activity will stop (as evidenced by their recent activity in neighboring city Elgin this weekend and in Jefferson Park early this week). Our team will continue to work with and support our neighbors through these difficult times however we can. I find immense hope and strength in the fact that so many of our far Northwest side neighbors continue to support each other — whether it’s volunteering with our local school patrols, organizing whistle-packing events, or simply sharing Know Your Rights resources. Community overcomes all, and we look forward to working alongside all of you in the coming months.
Sources:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/operation-midway-blitz-criminal-record/
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/border-patrol-chief-left-chicago-communities-remain-on-edge/
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/04/us/ice-arrests-criminal-records-data.html
