The operation continues to affect families across Illinois nearly a year later. While some relatives of those detained and deported describe lasting economic and emotional hardships, other Illinois residents support the immigration enforcement effort.
Maria Alvarez said her brother was detained during Operation Midway Blitz.
"He had been here for 24 years. He worked in construction," Alvarez said. "He has a wife and 4 kids."
Alvarez, who said she feared immigration officials, declined to show her face. She said her brother was detained for six months in Kentucky before being deported to Mexico.
"They didn't tell him or warn him. He was in Kentucky and they simply deported him," Alvarez said.
According to ICE government data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, ICE arrested about 3,391 people across Illinois during the height of Operation Midway Blitz, from Sept. 7 through Nov. 10, 2025.
The data show that 16.4% of those arrested were convicted criminals, 25.2% had pending criminal charges and 58.4% had no criminal history.
Of those arrested, 3,304 people were detained, and more than 71% were deported, according to the data.
SEE ALSO | Operation 'Midway Blitz' cost Cook County $1.26 billion in restaurant, retail activity, report finds
Alvarez said her brother had no criminal record and was the primary support for his family.
"Now, it tough, economically, they owe rent," Alvarez said.
She also said all four of her brother's children are now in therapy.
Meanwhile, Antioch resident Jennifer Bos said she strongly supports ICE.
"My daughter's perpetrator would not be locked up if it wasn't for them," Bos said.
Bos' daughter, Megan, was missing for 51 days before her body was found doused in bleach and stuffed in a garbage can in Jose Luis Mendoza Gonzalez's backyard. Mendoza Gonzalez, an undocumented immigrant, was released on pretrial release because he was charged with concealment of a body and abuse of a corpse.
"If somebody cannot be detained after they've hidden a body in their yard in a garbage can for 51 days, that's a real problem," Bos said.
Bos later attended an unrelated event at the White House, where she said she told President Donald Trump about the case. Three days later, ICE arrested Mendoza Gonzalez, and Lake County upgraded the charges to concealment of a homicidal death.
Bos remains an outspoken supporter of the Trump administration's immigration policies and is joining Trump in Dallas this week for the Republican midterm convention.
As the Mexican Independence Day parade approaches next weekend, many residents in Little Village say they hope the celebration will be safe and peaceful while the debate over immigration enforcement continues in their community.