The Trump administration has escalated its hardline stance on immigration, announcing a sweeping police operation in Chicago targeting undocumented migrants accused of violent crimes.
The initiative, named “Midway Blitz”, was launched by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), with the stated aim of dismantling networks of “criminal illegal immigrants terrorizing American communities” in Illinois.
Deputy Secretary of DHS, Tricia McLaughlin, defended the action in uncompromising terms, accusing Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker of “releasing gang members, rapists, kidnappers and drug traffickers onto Chicago’s streets, making the city a magnet for criminals.” The ministry’s press release included profiles and photos of ten men allegedly involved in multiple crimes but released by local authorities.
The announcement comes amid a political clash between Washington and Illinois. Chicago has been repeatedly singled out by Donald Trump, who for weeks has threatened to send the National Guard to the city, as he did in Washington in mid-August. However, this prospect has been strongly rejected by local officials and lawmakers, who accuse the White House of trying to militarize public safety for political gain.
The tensions escalated after another bloody weekend in Chicago, where six people were killed and twelve others wounded by gunfire. Trump took to Truth Social, blasting Pritzker for refusing federal help:
“Six people were murdered in Chicago this weekend, twelve others shot and in critical condition… The governor says he doesn’t want federal support. Why? What’s wrong with this guy? I want to help Chicagoans, not harm them.”
The former president further argued that “the state and the city are incapable of doing their job,” calling on Illinois residents to “demand action.” He concluded with a grim warning: “The situation will get worse!!!”
Trump has also adopted highly inflammatory language, branding Chicago “the murder capital of the world” and “a rat’s nest.” In one controversial post, he declared: “Chicago will soon learn why DHS is called the Department of War.” The message was accompanied by a heavily stylized photo of Trump dressed in military-style attire, with helicopters flying over the Chicago skyline under an orange sky, captioned “Chipocalypse Now” — a clear reference to Francis Ford Coppola’s film Apocalypse Now.
Democrats, however, condemned the operation as a dangerous stunt. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin stated on X (formerly Twitter) that such measures “do not make us safer, they waste taxpayer money, and they fuel fear rather than security.”
