DHS announces "Operation Midway Blitz" in Chicago; Trump federalizing Illinois National Guard
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago area is seeing an increase in federal immigration enforcement.
President Donald Trump says the surge in immigration enforcement activity in the Chicago area is about getting dangerous criminals off the streets.
Some 300 federal agents are using North Chicago's Naval Station Great Lakes as the logistical hub for ramped-up operations.
Protesters and federal agents have continued to clash outside an ICE Processing Center in Broadview, Illinois.
ABC7 is tracking the latest news in the city and suburbs. Here are the latest developments.
More than 1,500 people have been arrested during the Department of Homeland Security's immigration operation "Midway Blitz," the agency said in a post on X Monday.
DHS says those arrested in Illinois include pedophiles, gang members, and armed robbers.
The countdown is on Monday for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to comply with a judge's ruling to remove a fence blocking the street in front of its Broadview processing center.
The village sued to have the 8-foot fence removed, saying it posed a public safety hazard because it blocks emergency responders.
The judge's ruling said the fence must be removed by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.
Monday morning, bulldozers were in position. But so far, there has been no apparent movement toward removing the fence, despite less than 36 hours remaining to comply with a federal judge's order.
Illinois leaders gathered in Broadview on Monday to denounce what they call a "symbol of division."
"Mr. Trump, tear down this fence now. Tear it down," said Democratic Speaker Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch, who represents the 7th District.
Welch convened state legislators, local mayors, and activist groups with a shared message of opposition to President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. The speaker drew parallels to the authoritarian regime of the former Soviet Union.
"An American president actually ordered an iron fence to be erected in American city. Just as the Berlin Wall did in 1961, this fence stands as a symbol of division," Welch said. Click here for more.
For the first time since the Trump administration began its immigration enforcement operation "Midway Blitz" in September, Cardinal Blase Cupich provided extensive remarks about the issue.
Back in Chicago after a trip to Rome last week, Cupich said it is important for the church to have a moral and ethical voice when it comes to the immigration issue. He says the safety of the United States should not come as the expense of violating human dignity.
"Their dignity as parents must be taken into account before they are ripped away in full sight from their children, who are now citizens, and hauled away as criminals," Cupich said.
Cupich called the administration's aggressive immigration tactics unnecessary and intolerable. He says those tactics are intended to terrorize.
"Our pastors are telling us attendance at mass, particularly in Latino communities, is down because people are afraid to come out. That is very sad. They are also afraid to grocery stores, get medical help," Cupich said.
The archbishop of Chicago's strong words about the current situation follows Pope Leo urging U.S. Catholic bishops to be more vocal and compassionate in their support of immigrants. Click here for more.
The Trump administration on Friday asked an appeals court for an immediate stay of a Chicago federal judge's ruling this week that blocked the National Guard from deploying in Illinois.
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Saturday upheld the judge's ruling, but did partially grant the Trump administration's request for stay by allowing troops to remain federalized pending their appeal of the judge's ruling.
For more information, click here.
