Overview
- The operation, which began Sept. 8, 2025, deployed hundreds of federal agents across Chicago and, according to DHS, produced more than 4,500 arrests.
- Independent tracking and media analyses counted roughly 4,400 people detained during the campaign and found only 674 had criminal convictions, leaving about 85 percent without convictions.
- Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago presented a study estimating $1.26 billion in foregone restaurant and retail spending in Cook County and $107 million in lost local tax revenue tied to the enforcement surge.
- Residents and business owners in neighborhoods such as Little Village report persistent fear, lower foot traffic, family separations and ongoing patrols after protests and violent confrontations that included the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas González.
- The operation has produced sustained legal and political fallout, including a judge-ordered visit to the Broadview detention center, an investigation into Border Patrol leadership, calls for new U.S. Attorney leadership, and public DHS statements defending the campaign.