DHS Arrests 800 Undocumented Immigrants in Illinois Raids During Shutdown

While the federal government may be partially shut down, the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement machine is not. In a bold move to secure American communities, the Department of Homeland Security announced that over 800 illegal immigrants were arrested in Illinois as part of “Operation Midway Blitz” a sweeping federal operation that shows no signs of slowing down.

Among those apprehended were convicted rapists, drunk drivers, gang members, and repeat deportation offenders. In one of the most dramatic moments of the operation, 300 federal agents raided a single apartment complex suspected of harboring members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, a brutal transnational criminal organization with ties to drug trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion.

“The Trump Administration will not allow violent criminals or repeat offenders to terrorize our neighborhoods or victimize our children and innocent Americans,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

The raids which began in Chicago and surrounding suburbs in September mark one of the largest single-state crackdowns under President Trump’s ongoing immigration enforcement efforts. The operation deploys both Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents deep into urban strongholds long protected by so-called “sanctuary” policies.

But not everyone welcomed the enforcement. Left-wing protesters emboldened by Illinois’ Democrat leadership attempted to physically block arrests, rioted outside ICE facilities, and even attacked federal agents.

Agents in Broadview, Illinois reported being assaulted, having their vehicles’ tires slashed, and tear gas canisters hurled at them by an enraged mob.

Despite this chaos, DHS remains unwavering. “We will not allow sanctuary politicians or violent rioters to stop us from enforcing the law and arresting pedophiles, murderers, gang members, rapists, and domestic abusers from American communities,” McLaughlin said firmly.

But Illinois Governor JB Pritzker sees it differently. “The Trump Administration’s DHS officers appear to be carrying large weapons around downtown Chicago in camouflage and masks. This is not making anybody safer it’s a show of intimidation,” he wrote on X.

Apparently, for Pritzker, appearance matters more than safety. While federal agents risk their lives to remove violent criminals from U.S. streets, the governor is more concerned with optics than results. Chicago a sanctuary city now plagued by illegal immigration and violent crime has become the latest battleground between law enforcement and the left’s dangerous policies.

Let’s put this in perspective:

• ICE data shows more than 46,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records were arrested nationwide in 2023 alone.

• Chicago’s murder rate remains among the highest in the country, and the influx of unvetted migrants has only worsened conditions in already-overstretched neighborhoods.

• Sanctuary city policies are preventing cooperation with federal agencies, leaving dangerous criminals to roam free until DHS steps in.

President Trump has made it clear: border security doesn’t stop at the border. From Texas to Illinois, his administration is restoring law and order even in cities that would rather harbor criminals than protect citizens.

And despite Democrat tantrums and violent mobs, Trump’s deportation campaign continues full steam ahead shutdown or not.

Share this if you support law enforcement doing their job or subscribe to our newsletter for more updates on Trump’s fight to take our country back.