Federal agents rappelled from a Black Hawk helicopter onto the rooftops of Chicago residential buildings, launching a sweeping immigration enforcement operation targeting suspected Tren de Aragua gang members, according to NewsNation.
The operation, led by ICE with support from the FBI and U.S. Border Patrol, was designed to apprehend high-priority targets connected to the Venezuelan crime syndicate that U.S. authorities have accused of trafficking, violence, and other cross-border crimes.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January designating Mexican drug cartels and other Latin American criminal groups like the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as terrorist organizations.
His administration is ramping up immigration enforcement operations in Chicago after he threatened to deploy the National Guard to quell crime in the city.
What To Know
Nearly 300 federal agents and officers descended upon a five-story apartment complex in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood, where U.S. Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino has claimed members of Tren de Aragua have been operating, according to NewsNation.
The outlet reported that roughly 30 undocumented immigrants were taken into custody, several of them suspected of gang affiliation.
Bovino told NewsNation that the operation proceeded “very smoothly” after federal officers and agents spent several days training for the targeted enforcement effort. Bovino, who is overseeing the ongoing operation in Chicago, added that residents of the South Side should expect an increased federal presence in the area.
“Midway Blitz was launched to remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens—including murderers, rapists, gang members, pedophiles, and terrorists—from Chicago communities,” A DHS spokesperson told Newsweek.
Chicago has recently become the focus of federal attention, as ICE has conducted a series of operations targeting individuals without legal status.
Under the Trump administration, immigration enforcement in the city has proceeded through Operation Midway Blitz, which focuses on individuals in the country without legal status who also have criminal records or pending charges.
The initiative was launched following the death of Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old Illinois College student killed in a hit-and-run.
The operations have sparked protests from immigrant advocacy groups and drawn criticism from state Democratic officials, who have expressed concern over the enforcement tactics used in residential communities.
What People Are Saying
A DHS spokesperson told Newsweek: “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, nowhere is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens. If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, deport you, and you will never return.”
Bovino told NewsNation: “We’re going to be taking it to those violent gang members and illegal aliens.”
“What I have been warning of is now being realized,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said at a news conference on Monday. “One thing is clear. None of what Trump is doing is making Illinois safer.”
What Happens Next
Chicago is expected to see an increased federal presence with more Border Patrol and ICE agents due to arrive in the city.
