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Reports of Militarized Tactics in Chicago ICE Raids as National Guard Backs ‘Operation Midway Blitz’

Chicago's mayor has restricted civil immigration enforcement on city property.

Overview

  • Residents on Chicago’s South Side reported helicopters, loud blasts and masked agents using flash-bang devices during predawn raids, according to witnesses and ACLU Illinois.
  • Physician-researcher Rohini J. Haar warned that flash-bang grenades are restricted by many police departments and can cause severe burns, hearing damage or death.
  • Latino-owned businesses posted “raid-free” notices asserting no entry without a judicial warrant, with Illinois Workers in Action providing signs, trainings and a hotline (1-855-435-7693).
  • U.S. Northern Command acknowledged National Guard personnel in Illinois to support ICE, while “Operation Midway Blitz” focuses on arrests of noncitizens with criminal records.
  • Telemundo reported unannounced checks at secondhand stores with detainees transported by bus, and KRGV said some people in McAllen were released after showing U.S. birth certificates.