The mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, forcefully denounced the new repression of immigration from the Trump administration in Illinois, named the Midway Blitz operation, describing it as an unconstitutional escalation which does not take into account the regular procedure.
In a series of messages on X, Johnson said that the city of Chicago had not received a remark on the initiative, and that it had raised concerns about the history of immigration and customs and links with human rights violations.
Nowsweek Contacted the Ministry of Internal Security for Comments by E-mail Tuesday outside regular work hours.
Why it matters
The Midway Blitz operation is the latest example of the Trump administration intensifying federal immigration repression on the cities led by democrats this summer, citing crime and public security problems as justification.
This decision has aroused strong criticism from local leaders – notably Johnson and the Governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker – who argue that it is intended to intimidate rather than reduce crime, noting that the federal authorities have not tried to coordinate with local officials.
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What to know
The Ministry of Internal Security said on Monday that it launched the initiative in Chicago and Illinois after the death of Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old student killed in a draft driving in a state of drunkenness allegedly caused by the National of Guatemalan Julio Cucul-Bol.
The ministry said that “illegal criminal foreigners” had flocked to the state because Pritzker sanctuary policies allowed them to walk freely in the American streets “.
Johnson said on X that the city of Chicago had received no opinion on the new ice operation before its launch.
He said the city had remained opposed to “any potential application of militarized immigration without regular procedure” and cited the history of ICE to “hold and deport American citizens and violate human rights of hundreds of detainees”.
The mayor then appointed several examples of law enforcement practices and reported a fault.
He cited an incident in which Ice expelled an American child with stadium cancer IV in Honduras with his mother, a case that is now the subject of a trial.
Johnson also referred to a report by the Bureau of the Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff who identified hundreds of cases of human rights violations in the immigration detention centers around the county.
What people say
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday, with a meme referring to the 1979 Vietnam war film Apocalypse now:: “‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning …’ Chicago about to find out why it is called the Ministry of War.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker wrote on X: “It is not a question of fighting crime. This requires support and coordination – but we have not felt anything in recent weeks. Instead of taking measures to work with us on public security, the Trump administration has focused on the frightening of Illinois.”
The mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, wrote on X: “Chicago does not want to see the application of reckless, unconstitutional and militarized immigration in our city.”
What happens next
The government has published some details on the Midway Blitz operation.
It remains to be seen if Trump will send members of the National Guard to Chicago to accompany the ice, as he did in Los Angeles and Washington, DC, during the summer.
Pritzker said he would immediately carry the question in court if Trump sends the National Guard to Chicago.
