DHS: Operation Midway Blitz Yields 1,000+ Arrests in Illinois; Chicago Episodes Include Vehicle Ramming, Agents Shot, and One Fatality
DHS says Operation Midway Blitz has produced more than 1,000 arrests across Illinois, framed as targeting suspected members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and people linked to terrorism or violent crime, with Secretary Kristi Noem praising agents and posting operation footage. Episodes in Chicago included a South Shore raid where agents rappelled from a Black Hawk and arrested 37 amid allegations zip ties were used on children and U.S. citizens, a Brighton Park incident in which a vehicle rammed a federal car and agents shot a driver who was hospitalized, and a Franklin Park encounter in which ICE agents shot and killed Silverio Villegas‑Gonzalez after authorities say he attempted to flee and dragged an officer; Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered state investigations and prepared lawsuits while DHS and Border Patrol officials rebuked his criticism.
Immigration
Crime
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📌 Key Facts
- DHS’s Operation Midway Blitz in Illinois has resulted in more than 1,000 arrests since it began last month, a citywide crackdown federal officials say targets gang and terror ties.
- In multiple violent episodes in Chicago, agents were confronted with resistance: in Brighton Park a vehicle rammed a federal car and agents opened fire, striking a driver who was hospitalized; in Franklin Park ICE agents shot and killed Silverio Villegas‑Gonzalez after authorities say he attempted to flee and dragged an officer.
- A high‑profile South Shore operation involved agents rappelling from a Black Hawk helicopter, surrounding a five‑story apartment building and arresting 37 people.
- PBS and other reporting include allegations that zip ties were used on children and on U.S. citizens during door‑to‑door searches in parts of the operation, prompting concern about tactics used in some raids.
- DHS has publicly framed the raids as targeting ties to the Tren de Aragua gang and says the operation has led to apprehensions of alleged Tren de Aragua members and people listed in the terrorist‑screening database; DHS also highlighted arrests of individuals it named, including Wilmer Alexander Gonzalez Garaban, Ricardo Gervasio‑Gervasio and Jorge Mario Ramirez‑Lopez.
- Fox News reports included a related arrest of a suspected Latin Kings member accused of placing a bounty on Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino, which DHS/Border Patrol cited in describing threats encountered during enforcement.
- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem posted edited video clips of operations to X and praised agents, saying arrests proceeded ‘despite violent resistance,’ while DHS issued a release rejecting Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s characterization of the deployments as an ‘unconstitutional invasion’ and denying the agency targets racial minorities.
- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered state agencies to investigate the treatment of children and detainees (calling the tactics ‘making it a war zone’), said his legal team — including Attorney General Kwame Raoul — has prepared federal lawsuits, and both state and federal officials have publicly traded sharp criticisms over the operations.
📚 Contextual Background
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executes search warrants at residences and family homes as part of criminal investigations.
- Department of Defense contingency guidance listed priority missions during a shutdown in the following order: operations to secure the U.S. Southern Border; Middle East operations; the U.S. missile defense project Golden Dome for America; depot maintenance; shipbuilding; and critical munitions.
- Video footage captured an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer pushing a visibly upset Ecuadoran woman to the ground outside an immigration court at the 26 Federal Plaza building in Manhattan.
- The Department of Homeland Security released a statement saying the officer was being relieved of current duties while a full investigation was conducted and denouncing the officer's conduct as unacceptable.
- New York City has sanctuary city status.
- New York Representative Dan Goldman and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the ICE officer and consider potential prosecution related to the incident.
- A crime statistician testified that rates of murder and violent crime were falling nationwide and in Charlotte after increases early in the 2020s (as of 2025-09-29).
📰 Sources (4)
Border Patrol chief fires back after Pritzker calls federal operations 'unconstitutional invasion'
New information:
- Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino publicly rebuked Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Fox & Friends First, calling Pritzker ineffective and using a pointed personal line ('I doubt the governor could fill custard in a pie factory...').
- DHS issued a press release explicitly rejecting Pritzker’s characterization of the deployments as an 'unconstitutional invasion' and rebuked claims the agency targets racial minorities.
- Pritzker thanked Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and said his legal team had prepared federal lawsuits in anticipation of the administration's deployments (a concrete legal escalation).
- Fox reports DHS/Border Patrol say Operation Midway Blitz has led to apprehensions of Tren de Aragua members and people listed in the terrorist‑screening database; the article also notes a recent arrest of a suspected Latin Kings member accused of placing a bounty on Chief Bovino.
DHS arrests Chicago’s ‘worst of the worst’ amid surge in domestic terror attacks
New information:
- Names of multiple individuals cited by DHS as arrested (Wilmer Alexander Gonzalez Garaban; Ricardo Gervasio‑Gervasio; Jorge Mario Ramirez‑Lopez) identified in the DHS statement.
- Specific violent incidents in Chicago: agents reportedly surrounded in Brighton Park, one vehicle rammed a federal car and agents opened fire, striking a driver who was hospitalized.
- A separate Franklin Park incident in which ICE agents shot and killed Silverio Villegas‑Gonzalez after authorities say he attempted to flee and dragged an officer.
- Direct quote from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem praising agents and describing the arrests as proceeding 'despite violent resistance.'
Immigration agents become increasingly aggressive in Chicago
New information:
- Specific operation in South Shore described: agents used a Black Hawk helicopter to rappel, surrounded a five‑story apartment building and arrested 37 people.
- Allegations that zip ties were used on children and U.S. citizens during door‑to‑door searches in that operation.
- An updated arrest tally in the citywide crackdown: 'more than 1,000 immigrants have been arrested' since the campaign began last month.
- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker publicly ordered state agencies to investigate the treatment of children and detainees and explicitly called the tactics 'making it a war zone.'
- DHS publicly framed the raids as targeting ties to the Tren de Aragua gang; DHS Secretary Kristi Noem posted edited video clips of the operation to X.