President Donald Trump and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker are in a public disagreement over a new federal immigration plan instituted in Chicago. The Trump administration has recently launched “Operation Midway Blitz”, which focuses solely on placing arrests on undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Trump’s plans have led to many questions about whether the National Guard troops or any other federal forces should also be placed in the city.
Trump states that the operation is meant to make Chicago safer by focusing on targeting gang members and people that were accused of committing violent crimes. “No city 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” Trump said in a Homeland Security publication. Illinois and Chicago leaders say that they were not told about the plan before it was implemented. They believe it could create fear in the immigrant communities and can surrender control of the local law enforcement.
Governor Pritzker has warned citizens that if federal troops are sent into Chicago without the state’s approval, Illinois will take this matter to court. He has stated that the state will not allow political stunts to put anyone’s family at risk. “You think they’re questioning them? Because that’s not what any of us are seeing in any of the bystander videos that have been made. People are being grabbed,” Pritzker said in an interview with NPR.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has also spoken out on the matter, saying that he was not made aware of these “immigration crackdowns’’. However, he is expected to take orders from the Federal government.
The Pentagon has approved the use of Naval Station Great Lakes, which is located north of Chicago, as a base for the ICE agents. Whilst no National Guard troops have been deployed yet, the approval of this operation has raised concern that a larger federal presence might be approaching the state of Illinois regarding immigration.
According to Chicago’s official fact website, the crime in Chicago has gone down by around 30% within the past year, according to the Mayor’s press office. But President Trump has said that the city remains unsafe and still needs strong enforcement. His public posts on truth Social have described Chicago as ‘dangerous’ and has even suggested using a ‘larger federal power’ to help alleviate the crime and immigration.
At the moment, ICE agents have already begun making arrests as part of their “Operation Midway Blitz”. The city and state leaders remain headstrong in stating that they do not want federal troops in Chicago. The situation is still developing, and even more changes could be made in the upcoming months as both sides stand firm in fighting what they believe is right.
