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Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino speaks with a Chicago Police officer while searching for illegal immigrants in a southwest side neighborhood in Chicago, Ill., on Nov. 6, 2025. Scott Olson/Getty Images
Crime rates are down in Chicago since the Department of Homeland Security began immigration enforcement operation “Midway Blitz,” said President Donald Trump.
“I am proud to announce that Chicago, Illinois, despite all of the radical opposition and obstruction we have from the Mayor and the Governor, has seen Car Theft, Shootings, Robberies, Violent Crime, and everything else, drop dramatically,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Nov. 11.
Since it began in September, the federal operation has resulted in more than 3,000 arrests.
The president stated that in that two-month span, shootings were down 35 percent, robberies in the city were down 41 percent, and carjackings were down nearly 50 percent. He added that these statistics were achieved with “just a small initial federal force,” and that the numbers would continue to drop as the federal government ramped up its assets.
Trump said that the operation faced “extraordinary resistance” from Democrats and that federal officers have been threatened by “constant Violent Leftwing Terrorism” including “constant physical assault and attempted assassination.”
This increased vilification felt by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers has not been limited to Chicago’s city limits. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a recent press release that death threats against ICE agents have increased by 8,000 percent, and assaults against them have increased by more than 1,000 percent.
These physical threats include an incident on Nov. 8, where an unknown individual fired shots at ICE officials in Chicago, and others threw a paint can and bricks at border patrol vehicles. Chicago police were called to assist with the situation.
“This incident is not isolated and reflects a growing and dangerous trend of violence and obstruction,” the department stated. “Over the past two months, we’ve seen an increase in assaults and obstruction targeting federal law enforcement during operations. These confrontations highlight the dangers our agents face daily and the escalating aggression toward law enforcement. The violence must end.”
The department affirmed its commitment to its mission to remove all criminal illegal immigrants from the country, especially those who are convicted of crimes such as rape, and sexual abuse of a minor.
“Even while facing an 8000% increase in death threats against them, the brave men and women of ICE work tirelessly to get these worst of the worst offenders off our streets and out of the country,” McLaughlin said in a Nov. 10 press release.
“Yesterday’s arrests include criminal illegal aliens convicted of some of the worst crimes imaginable, including sexual abuse of a minor. These heinous criminals have no business remaining in the country any longer.”
T.J. Muscaro is an award-winning reporter and NASA Correspondent for The Epoch Times, covering the Artemis program, Space Force, and other public and private ambitions within the growing space industry. Based in Tampa, Florida, he also covers stories of extreme weather and disaster relief, as well as various matters of national and international politics.
