A major federal immigration operation, dubbed "Operation Midway Blitz," is set to begin in the Chicago area this week, and former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief Jonathan Fahey said the effort will focus on "known targets" — primarily individuals with criminal records and alleged gang ties.
The Department of Homeland Security said the operation will target "the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in Chicago," as federal authorities step up immigration enforcement that officials say follows a broader effort to crack down on crime in several large cities. The operation comes amid an expanded national push since President Donald Trump took office in January.
Fahey, who served as acting ICE chief, told Fox News the Chicago operation is likely to resemble recent enforcement activity in Los Angeles, another jurisdiction that identifies as a sanctuary. "I think it's 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," he said, adding the focus would include "criminals, gang members and things of that nature." He cautioned that arrests of targeted individuals would not necessarily trigger mass detention of others present at arrest scenes.
The federal surge follows what administration officials have described as a successful, multi-agency operation in the nation's capital that they say reduced crime and resulted in hundreds of immigration-related arrests. President Trump has publicly pushed for stepped-up enforcement in Chicago and has proposed sending the National Guard to the city alongside bolstered ICE activity, proposals that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have rejected.
Mayor Johnson posted on X that "the City of Chicago received no notice of any enhanced immigration action by the Trump administration," and said his office "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." Governor Pritzker has likewise pushed back against federal plans for a large-scale deployment.
A recent Supreme Court order could affect how similar enforcement actions are challenged in court. On Monday the justices temporarily stayed a California district court's restraints on ICE patrolling strategies in Southern California, a move Homeland Security officials hailed and civil liberties advocates criticized. Fahey said the stay "could help [federal authorities] legally" in other jurisdictions, though he did not predict it would alter operational plans in Chicago.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California called the Supreme Court's stay "a devastating setback for our plaintiffs and communities who, for months, have been subjected to immigration stops because of the color of their skin, occupation, or the language they speak," said Mohammad Tajsar, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin described the stay as a win for public safety and the rule of law.
Local responses to recent federal immigration activity have included protests and confrontations. In Los Angeles, community groups and opponents of ICE actions have repeatedly demonstrated during and after raids, and litigation over the scope and legality of enforcement tactics is ongoing.
Federal officials have emphasized that the operation in Chicago will concentrate on individuals with criminal convictions or pending criminal matters rather than a broad sweep of undocumented residents. Advocates for immigrant communities, city officials and civil rights groups have warned that intensified enforcement risks civil liberties violations, mistaken detentions, and heightened fear in immigrant neighborhoods.
Operation Midway Blitz marks the latest flashpoint in an escalating national debate over enforcement priorities, public safety and local control. As the operation proceeds, legal challenges and public protests are expected to follow, and officials in Chicago have signaled they will scrutinize federal tactics and seek to protect due process for residents.
The unfolding operation and its outcomes are likely to influence ongoing discussions about federal immigration policy, the authority of local sanctuary policies, and the courts' role in reviewing enforcement practices.