Federal immigration officials have moved a key architect of aggressive enforcement operations in Los Angeles to Chicago as the Department of Homeland Security begins a new initiative targeting criminal noncitizens in the Windy City.
Gregory Bovino, a former Border Patrol section chief for the El Centro sector who helped lead Operation At-Large in Los Angeles, has been reported in Chicago this week as the department rolls out "Operation Midway Blitz," a campaign officials say is modeled on recent Los Angeles enforcement efforts. DHS has described Midway Blitz as focused on the "worst-of-the-worst" criminal noncitizens residing in Illinois.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the operation was launched in honor of Katie Abraham, who federal officials say was killed in a DUI crash caused by a noncitizen. "This operation will target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in Chicago," McLaughlin said in public remarks announcing the campaign. DHS released a list of targets that includes an Iraqi national, Abdul Raza Al Kaby, whom the agency said has prior convictions for felonious assault and intent to kill and has been released multiple times by Illinois judges despite active ICE detainers.
Federal officials have sought temporary staging space in the Chicago region, and media reports say a Naval station in nearby Waukegan has been identified as a potential staging area. CBS News reported an internal DHS request to the Pentagon describing the need to accommodate hundreds of agents and vehicles for the operation.
Bovino, a North Carolina native who joined the Border Patrol in 1996, became a prominent face of federal enforcement in Los Angeles, participating in high-profile raids at locations such as MacArthur Park and at regional Home Depot stores and ordering operations that reached inland agricultural areas including Bakersfield. In early September he told reporters Operation At-Large would be "taking the show on the road" and "trading palm trees for skyscrapers." Bovino has also told journalists that enforcement is needed because "what happens at the border – even 100 years ago – didn’t stay at the border and still doesn’t."
His tenure has drawn scrutiny. House Republicans cited a whistleblower who said Bovino was reassigned to a "vague, indefinite and temporary headquarters assignment" after giving a transcribed interview to lawmakers in 2023; DHS has denied that his reassignment was retaliatory. Bovino has maintained a public profile that includes social media postings featuring weaponry, a detail that figured in internal personnel disputes noted by federal officials and news reports.
Illinois authorities pushed back against the federal operation. Gov. J.B. Pritzker called reports of Bovino’s arrival "evidence that they have terrible plans for the communities of Illinois," and other state and city leaders have criticized the federal move as politically motivated. The governor and other officials have defended sanctuary policies and questioned the effectiveness and local coordination of the federal campaign.
The Trump administration has framed the operations as part of a broader commitment to remove criminal noncitizens from communities nationwide. "No city is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens," McLaughlin said, adding that those who enter the country illegally and break U.S. law will be pursued for arrest and deportation.
Federal officials said the Chicago operation will prioritize individuals with serious criminal histories and outstanding deportation orders. Local law enforcement agencies in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois have at times expressed concern about federal operations that proceed without local coordination, citing potential impacts on community trust and public safety reporting.
Homeland Security and Border Patrol spokespeople declined to provide specific details about Bovino’s role in Midway Blitz beyond confirming that agents with experience in prior enforcement efforts are participating. A Border Patrol spokesman in response to questions about Bovino said only, "Stay tuned."
As Midway Blitz proceeds, the administration’s use of tactics similar to those employed in Los Angeles is likely to prompt further debate about federal-local cooperation, the targeting of specific noncitizen populations, and the legal and logistical parameters of large-scale enforcement actions in major U.S. cities.
