Back in early September, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it would be cracking down on the sanctuary state of Illinois in honor of a girl named Katie Abraham who was hit and killed by an illegal alien drunk driver. The Operation, called “Midway Blitz”, has already been a large success and expanded into neighboring states.
For reference, Illinois, where the operation began, is a sanctuary state because its governor, far-left Gov. JB Pritzker, refuses to cooperate with immigration authorities. As such, his state is one that ICE has targeted with special severity, seeing it as a locus of illegal aliens that can be targeted, and a place where the citizenry needs to be freed from the burden of criminality foisted upon it by the government.
Announcing the major operation targeting the state, DHS said, in a September 8 press release, “Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced Operation Midway Blitz in honor of Katie Abraham who was killed in a drunk driving hit-and-run car wreck caused by criminal illegal alien Julio Cucul-Bol in Illinois. This ICE operation will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets.”
Continuing, DHS noted that Pritzker’s government has been releasing unspeakably awful criminals back out on the streets, saying, “The worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens—including gang members, drug traffickers, kidnappers, and rapists—who were RELEASED back on to Illinois streets because of Governor Pritzker’s sanctuary policies.”
DHS then went on to give examples of the sorts of criminals that Illinois had been releasing. One was “Gabriel J Valle Galvez, a 47-year-old criminal illegal alien from Mexico” who had “convictions for battery, aggravated assault, DUI, trespassing, criminal damage to property, public indecency, violation of order of protection, and multiple assaults.”
Despite that lengthy criminal record, and the fact that “Valle Galvez has been identified as a Latin King gang member,” each and every time that ICE lodged arrest detainers for him, something it tried to do twelve different times, “Cook County Jail did not honor the detainer and released him.” Many of the other cases listed were similarly awful.
Commenting on the operation, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “DHS is launching Operation Midway Blitz in honor of Katie Abraham who was killed in Illinois by a criminal illegal alien who should have never been in our country. This operation will target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in Chicago.”
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Continuing, she added, “For years, Governor Pritzker and his fellow sanctuary politicians released Tren de Aragua gang members, rapists, kidnappers, and drug traffickers on Chicago’s streets—putting American lives at risk and making Chicago a magnet for criminals. President Trump and Secretary Noem have a clear message: no city is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens. If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, deport you, and you will never return.”
The operation was quickly a success, with DHS announcing by the beginning of October that over 1000 illegals had been arrested. Commenting on the matter, McLaughlin said, “Operation Midway Blitz is making Illinois safe again. Our brave law enforcement has made more than 1,000 arrests — even while working without pay because of the Democrats’ shutdown.”
Further, it came out on Thursday, October 9, that DHS is expanding Operation Midway Blitz and is now carrying out raids not just across Illinois, but into northern Indiana as well. They are, in particular, targeting the northwestern Indiana county of Lake County.
Watch the Chicago police chief try and fail to dispute the claims of a stand-down order allowing ICE agents in Chicago operating as part of Midway Blitz to be attacked here: