Overview

• Customs and Border Protection deployed four marine patrol boats on the Chicago River as part of the ongoing Operation Midway Blitz.
• CBP leaders framed the move as extending enforcement reach on the water, sharing posts that highlighted the unit’s ability to access areas beyond city streets.
• Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino joined the patrols and posted videos from the boats, with images circulating that showed agents near Trump Tower.
• Mayor Brandon Johnson said the armed river ride was not communicated to local law enforcement, and Ald. Brendan Reilly labeled it a photo op.
• Reported totals for the broader campaign exceed 500 arrests, while agents with long guns were observed near the Chicago Harbor Lock and protests and legal pushback continue.