Federal immigration agents are reportedly preparing to withdraw from Chicago, just as President Donald Trump renewed his call to send troops into the city to fight what he describes as rampant “murder and crime” in the downtown area.
According to The Chicago Tribune, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents under Commander Gregory Bovino are expected to end their two-month presence in the city as part of Operation Midway Blitz.
Highlights
- Federal immigration agents preparing to withdraw from Chicago after two months of Operation Midway Blitz targeting undocumented immigrants.
- President Trump renewed his call to send troops to Chicago, citing rampant crime and a 28% vacancy in the 'Miracle Mile,' misnaming the Magnificent Mile.
- Operation Midway Blitz led to over 3,000 arrests but caused clashes, including pepper spray, tear gas use, and injuries to civilians during raids.
- Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemned the federal raids, calling for enforcement to pause near schools and community events like Halloween.
However, in a late-night post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump claimed the “Miracle Mile Shopping Center,” a popular commercial district, is suffering from murder and crime.
Trump renewed his call to send troops to Chicago as agents withdraw from the city
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
“The Miracle Mile Shopping Center in Chicago, once considered our Nation’s BEST, now has a more than 28% vacancy factor, and is ready to call it quits unless something is done about the murder and crime, which is prevalent throughout the City,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
However, Trump appeared to misidentify the location. The correct name is Magnificent Mile, not Miracle Mile.
“CALL IN THE TROOPS, FAST, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE! ‘Just the News.’”
Operation Midway Blitz, launched in early September, focused on arresting undocumented immigrants.
The administration claims the operation has led to more than 3,000 arrests. The operation also sparked clashes with residents and criticism from local officials.
The Tribune reported Monday that Bovino is expected to leave within days to take up another assignment elsewhere.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declined to confirm when or where his agents will be redeployed.
“Every day DHS enforces the laws of this country, including in Chicago,” a DHS spokesperson said. “We do not comment or telegraph future operations.”
During the two months of raids, several confrontations broke out between protesters and federal agents.
Image credits: Jamie Kelter Davis/Getty Images
One person was reportedly shot after two vehicles struck an agency van. In another incident, a local minister was hit with pepper balls during a demonstration, and tear gas was fired on residential streets.
Border Patrol agents also allegedly injured a 76-year-old U.S. citizen during a children’s Halloween parade in Chicago’s Old Irving Park neighborhood.
These incidents led to a federal court hearing in October, where Bovino faced allegations of aggressive and unsafe tactics. The court also brought up one incident in which an agent was accused of pointing a gun at a demonstrator and saying, “Bang, bang,” and “You’re dead, liberal.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, has strongly opposed the federal operations, comparing the raids to authoritarian crackdowns.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (pictured below) has repeatedly urged the Trump administration to stand down
Image credits: John J. Kim/Getty Images
He has repeatedly urged the administration to stand down, including in an October letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, “respectfully requesting” that the DHS suspend immigration enforcement “in and around homes, schools, hospitals, parks, houses of worship, and other community gatherings where Halloween celebrations are taking place.”
“Illinois families deserve to spend Halloween weekend without fear. No child should be forced to inhale tear gas or other chemical agents while trick or treating in their own neighborhood,” Pritzker wrote.
“Greg Bovino and his masked agents are not here to make Chicago safer. As children are tear gassed and U.S. citizens detained, they are posing for photo ops and producing reality TV moments,” Pritzker said on Monday after officers posed for a group photo in front of Chicago’s Cloud Gate sculpture, known as ‘the Bean.’
Image credits: Jacek Boczarski/Getty Images
The dispute over federal involvement continues to play out in the courts. The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm the legality of his National Guard deployment to Illinois, and show “extraordinary deference” to Trump as commander-in-chief.
It argues that federal agents are unable to conduct immigration enforcement on their own.
According to Section 12406 of the federal code, a president may call up the National Guard when he is “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”
The court responded, saying it was interested in finding out what the term “regular forces” means.
A federal judge recently extended a restraining order blocking the use of the Guard in Chicago while the case proceeds.