From hunting people down through the aisles of retail stores, to intentionally crashing into a vehicle on a residential street and then deploying tear gas against a gathered crowd of residents and protesters, agents with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been wreaking havoc in Chicago as part of their “Operation Midway Blitz”.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, federal agents have made more than 1,500 arrests in the greater Chicago area since September 8 when the operation was announced – although data reveals some of these arrests to be outside of the state of Illinois. ICE operations in Chicago have been notable for episodes of brutality, resulting in at least one death – that of immigrant worker and father Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, shot dead by ICE agents after his attempted arrest.
Yet as enhanced ICE operations in greater Chicago continue with no end in sight, local residents have created a powerful frontline against Trump’s incursion into their communities.
On October 14, federal agents intentionally crashed into a vehicle after a car chase through a residential street, a maneuver which was caught on a nearby security camera and has led to car crash deaths nationwide.
Instead of staying inside to avoid federal agents, however, onlookers and protesters gathered outside the scene, which took place in the Southeast Side of Chicago.
Federal agents responded to these protesters with brutality, deploying smoke grenades, pepper balls, and tear gas, even with children and elderly people in the area, according to reporting by the Chicago Sun Times. At least four protesters were arrested, including a 15-year-old teenager who was held in a garage for five hours according to his attorneys.
“People refuse to budge”
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act provides USD 75 billion in additional funding over four years, more money than the military budget of most countries. This makes immigration enforcement the most well-funded federal law enforcement agency nationwide.
And despite ICE’s formidable army, “people refuse to budge,” says Chicago resident and teacher Nino Brown, who has been present at protests since the onset of Operation Midway Blitz and has witnessed ICE agents violating the rights of residents. As Brown recounted to Peoples Dispatch, everyone, from children to elderly people, “refused to leave their own neighborhood and go inside” when ICE agents were present.
When Brown and other protesters were tear gassed at actions in neighborhoods throughout the midwestern city, Brown “witnessed people spontaneously support each other,” whether that be providing water, goggles, masks, or food. Chicago residents are “standing firm and steadfast in their resistance and occupation of their neighborhood,” Brown described.
Protests continue
Protests have been consistent throughout Chicago since the onset of Operation Midway Blitz. Thousands of people marched through downtown Chicago on October 8 to protest the arrival of Texas National Guard troops. While hundreds of these National Guard troops remain at a military facility outside of Chicago, their deployment was temporarily blocked on October 9 by a federal judge.
Other forms of protest include staging noise demonstrations outside of where ICE agents are stationed, and high school students walking out of classes to protest ICE in downtown Chicago.
This Saturday, October 18, thousands of protesters are expected to take the streets of Chicago as part of nationwide “No Kings Day” protests. These protests took place previously across the nation on June 14, mobilizing thousands in a broad opposition to Trump administration policies.
The post In Chicago, residents “refuse to budge” as ICE terrorizes communities appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.
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