CHICAGO (AP) — In late September, immigration agents launched a massive raid on a Chicago apartment building, deploying heavily armed agents who stormed the building from the ground floor while others rappelled onto the roof from a Black Hawk helicopter.
The raid ended with 27 immigrants arrested, officials said. However, the apartments of numerous U.S. citizens were also targeted, with at least half a dozen Americans zip-tied and held for hours.
This uncompromising show of force indicates a sharp escalation in the White House’s immigration crackdown, raising tensions in a city already on edge.
A raid targeting a Venezuelan gang
The operation was led by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and primarily targeted the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Yet, only two of the 27 immigrants arrested were actual gang members. Few details about the arrests were provided.
The raid occurred in the context of the Chicago immigration initiative dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz,” which started in early September, intensively impacting Latino neighborhoods and including heightened patrols by armed agents, detentions of U.S. citizens and legal immigrants, as well as marked escalations in protests.
By early October, authorities stated that over 1,000 immigrants had been arrested throughout the area.
The aftermath of the raids has shaken the city.
“We have a rogue, reckless group of heavily armed, masked individuals roaming throughout our city,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson after the September 30 raid. “The Trump administration is seeking to destabilize our city and promote chaos.”
American citizens were also detained
Among those affected was Tony Wilson, a long-time South Side resident, who described the event as feeling like an attack. He alleged that agents used a grinder to break through his door, causing extensive damage and leaving him barricaded for safety.
Wilson, who was detained for over two hours, remarked, “It was terrible, man.”
What the raid was really about
The White House claims that gang members and illegal immigrants are prevalent in Chicago and cite a need for military protection against chaos. However, many see it as a much more relaxed reality. In fact, the city has seen a significant reduction in violent crime since the 1990s.
Critics of the crackdown argue it’s a political maneuver designed to provoke unrest in a region run by Democratic leaders. They contend that portraying Chicago as chaotic serves a dual purpose: augmenting Trump's tough-on-crime narrative while undermining local leaders like Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, a potential presidential candidate.
The raid was broadcast widely, framed as part of the narrative, drawing extensive media attention. "This was a crazy-looking military response for their reality show,” commented LaVonte Stewart, a local community leader. “It’s not like there are roving bands of Venezuelan teenagers out there.”
Despite ongoing scrutiny, officials maintain the operation was a response to months of intelligence and community complaints. The strength and scale of the raid, however, has led many to question the appropriateness and effectiveness of the tactics used.
