WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security kicked off a crackdown on illegal immigrants in Chicago Monday — after local Democrats spent the weekend protesting President Trump’s threat of a federal law enforcement surge in America’s third-largest city.
“DHS is launching Operation Midway Blitz in honor of Katie Abraham who was killed in a drunk driving hit-and-run car wreck caused by criminal illegal alien Julio Cucul-Bol in Illinois,” the department tweeted.
“This ICE operation will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew [Democratic] Governor [JB] Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets.”
The statement concluded that “Trump and [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem stand with the victims of illegal alien crime while Governor Pritzker stands with criminal illegal aliens.”
ICE has been positioning staff to carry out operations for more than a week, leading sources to say that a crackdown was imminent.
The mission isn’t yet a full-blown policing intervention — and Trump has vacillated in public remarks on whether he will order a surge of federal agents into the Windy City to fight violent crime.
Lately, Trump has said he will wait to be invited by Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, also a Democrat.
“We’d love to go into Chicago,” Trump said in a speech in DC Monday morning. “We’re waiting for a call from Chicago.”