Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents swept through Chicago this week in Operation Midway Blitz, arresting a group of undocumented immigrants the agency labeled “some of the worst of the worst.” Local reporting confirms at least 13 arrests tied to violent offenses during the targeted enforcement action, a reminder that enforcing immigration law is not optional when public safety is on the line.
Details released by federal officials show the arrested included individuals with convictions or pending charges for horrific crimes ranging from sexual assault of a child to armed robbery and domestic violence. These are not victims or people merely looking for opportunity — they are dangerous offenders whose freedom should not be protected by soft-on-crime sanctuary policies.
Instead of defending law-abiding citizens, Chicago’s progressive leadership reflexively attacked the operation, with Mayor Brandon Johnson calling the raids “fearmongering” and accusing the federal government of trying to “surrender our humanity.” That moral equivalence between community safety and criminality is reckless; a mayor’s first duty is to the safety of his constituents, not to providing cover for violent lawbreakers.
Scenes from the protests and confrontations that followed make the stakes plain: in Broadview, federal agents used crowd-control munitions after some protesters attempted to block a vehicle trying to access an ICE facility, underscoring the chaotic environment these operations can create when local leaders stoke outrage instead of cooperating. Law enforcement had to act to protect personnel and property — and to prevent obstruction that would allow dangerous suspects to slip away.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Johnson have loudly condemned federal deployments and even threatened legal pushback, portraying the move as an overreach and millitarization of cities. That political theater ignores the basic fact the federal government has a responsibility to remove violent criminal aliens who prey on American citizens, and when cities refuse to cooperate the feds must step in.
Even federal ICE leadership pushed back on the mayor’s criticism, calling his comparison to a militarized force “disgusting” and defending agents who carry out difficult work to keep neighborhoods safe. Conservatives should stand with the men and women doing that work rather than with permissive policies that turn our cities into havens for repeat offenders.
Voters who care about safety, law and order must remember who is standing with them and who is standing with criminals. The Midway Blitz should serve as a wake-up call: elect leaders who respect the rule of law, support enforcement when it targets violent offenders, and refuse to sacrifice everyday Americans on the altar of political correctness.
