What to know about ICE’s immigration operation in Chicago

The Department of Homeland Security announced the start of a stepped-up immigration enforcement operation in Chicago on Monday as President Donald Trump has escalated his rhetoric about the city and pledged to crack down on violent crime.

Before “Operation Midway Blitz” began, Trump signaled he may also send National Guard troops to Chicago — a deployment that would mark the third time in recent months that he has moved to federalize the Guard over the objections of state and local leaders. The president’s critics say the push is unconstitutional overreach meant to punish Democratic-run cities.

Protests and lawsuits followed ramped-up immigration enforcement and National Guard deployments to Los Angeles in June and D.C. in August. While Trump had more latitude in the nation’s capital to send the Guard to work alongside police, the governors of California and Illinois have challenged Trump’s authority to use their Guard troops to enforce civilian laws. A federal judge ruled Sept. 2 that Trump’s deployment to Los Angeles was unlawful, in a narrow opinion that does not apply to other states.

Here’s what else to know.

What is ICE’s Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago?

DHS launched its push as part of an effort to target “sanctuary cities,” where policies limit cooperation with immigration enforcement, the agency said Monday. The move is separate from a potential National Guard deployment.

Advocates reported an escalation in enforcement actions and said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents appeared to be stopping and arresting people on the street as part of the operation.

DHS has not provided details of the scale or duration of the operation in Chicago. During a news conference Tuesday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said he was made aware that the administration’s push includes “more than 200 agents on the ground” and the use of about 100 vehicles.

“We have not seen the bulk of those ICE agents yet in communities,” Pritzker said. “But we have seen some, and we know that they are gathering steam.”

The Pentagon last week approved the use of Naval Station Great Lakes for Homeland Security operations. The base could also be used to house National Guard members if they are ordered to the city.

How many ICE arrests have there been so far?

Neither DHS nor ICE has disclosed how many people have been detained under Operation Midway Blitz. ICE declined to share an arrest total Tuesday but listed 13 immigrants it said it had detained since Monday.

But local officials and immigrant advocates told The Washington Post on Monday that at least five people — including a well-known flower vendor, a man outside a gas station and a person waiting at a bus stop — had been taken into custody by immigration officials since Sunday.

The arrests set off alarm in immigrant neighborhoods, where residents reported unmarked vans circling and rushed to connect families with legal aid. Videos also showed far-right activist Ben Bergquam — who, like Stephen K. Bannon and Charlie Kirk, is tied to the conservative network Real America’s Voice — emerging from an ICE vehicle to confront neighbors questioning an arrest.

What has Trump said about deploying troops to Chicago?

Trump amped up his rhetoric against Chicago on Sept. 2, citing the city’s violent Labor Day weekend, when at last nine people were killed and more than 50 others injured in shootings. He wrote on social media that it is “the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far.”

Asked Sunday whether he was “threatening to go to war with Chicago,” Trump responded: “We’re not going to war. We’re going to clean up our cities.” He added in a Truth Social post Monday: “I want to help the people of Chicago, not hurt them. Only the Criminals will be hurt! We can move fast and stop this madness.”

Trump has consistently portrayed Chicago as a “hellhole” and a “mess” in recent weeks, claiming residents are “screaming” for federal intervention. He has also signaled readiness to bypass Pritzker, saying his administration will act even if the governor declines assistance.

The Post reported last month that the Pentagon had already spent weeks preparing a military deployment to Chicago — a mission that, if approved, would have parallels to the legally contested operation in Los Angeles.

What does the data say about crime in Chicago?

Chicago has seen a decrease in both violent crime rates and homicides throughout the years, data from the FBI and the city show.

Violent crime rates dropped by 40% in the past decade — falling from about 904 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2015 to about 540 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2024, according to a Post analysis of FBI data. Violent crime in Chicago is down 22% so far this year compared with the same period last year, per Chicago Police Department data.

According to data from the city of Chicago, there were 278 homicides in the first eight months of the year — the second lowest total for that period in the past 35 years.

There is little recent research on the connection between crime and immigration in Chicago, in part because of local laws that limit the collection and sharing of individuals’ immigration status. However, researchers have found that immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans.

How have Illinois officials responded?

Democratic city and state leaders have decried Trump’s rhetoric about Chicago and his plans to deploy the military.

“The president’s absurd characterizations do not match what is happening on the ground here. He has no idea what he’s talking about. There is no emergency that warrants deployment of troops,” Pritzker said during a news conference Sept. 2. Addressing what he anticipated would be aggressive raids on immigrant communities, Pritzker said, “Let’s be clear, the terror and cruelty is the point, not the safety of anyone living here.”

Pritzker said Tuesday that Illinois was prepared to push back — in court if necessary — and accused Trump of weaponizing enforcement for political gain.

“We’re, frankly, standing up and speaking out and ready to take them to court and do everything that we can to protect the people who live here from what Donald Trump is trying to do, which is to disrupt the country,” Pritzker said during a news conference. “Not because he’s going after criminals, but because he has a nefarious plan, frankly, to bring military into cities so that ultimately, in the 2026 election, people will be normalized to the idea of militarization during the next election, so that he can affect the outcome of that election.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) signed an executive order Aug. 30 instructing police not to cooperate with “unlawful or unconstitutional actions” from troops or federal agents, an expansion of sorts of Chicago’s long-standing sanctuary city ordinance.

“We send a resounding message to the federal government: we do not need nor want an unconstitutional and illegal military occupation of our city,” Johnson said Aug. 30 in a statement.

Pritzker and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul (D) have vowed to take legal action if Trump sends the military into the city.

Where else has Trump discussed deploying troops?

Trump has repeatedly floated sending National Guard troops into other Democratic-led cities, naming New Orleans, Baltimore, New York, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland, Oregon, even as most violent crime has fallen in many of those places, The Associated Press reported.

The threats have prompted sharp pushback from state and local leaders. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said there is no need for federal troops and highlighted falling crime. New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) likewise dismissed the notion of outside intervention. In Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey (D) and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (D) have decried Guard deployments as unnecessary.

And in Maryland, where Trump has repeatedly singled out Baltimore as a target, officials have been equally critical. Gov. Wes Moore (D) has characterized Trump’s strategy of deploying troops to combat crime as “performative” and said that in general, he is “not just going to bend over because the president asked me to.” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) has cited double-digit percentage drops in homicides and nonfatal shootings since last year in rejecting Trump’s description of Baltimore as “crime-ridden” and “out of control.”

Trump doubled down Sept. 2 on sending troops to Baltimore, saying inside the Oval Office that he has an “obligation to protect this country — and that includes Baltimore.”

The next day, Trump floated the idea of working with a Republican governor and said he was “making a determination” of whether to send troops to Chicago or New Orleans, where Gov. Jeff Landry (R) “wants us to come in.” Landry publicly welcomed the president’s offer.

• Kevin Crowe contributed to this report.