On Sept. 8, 2025, the federal government invaded Chicago. In Operation Midway Blitz, President Donald Trump and his top officials deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents across Chicagoland in a brutal, unjustified operation designed to criminalize immigrants, instigate civil unrest and terrorize our communities. The operation also showed the strength of our community.
Trump promised to deport criminals. But the reality in Chicago was a spree of violence committed by masked agents against nonviolent civilians without criminal records. ICE agents killed Silverio Villegas González, a father dropping off his young children at school, and then lied about it. Border Patrol agent Charles Exum shot Marimar Martínez, a teacher’s assistant, five times and then bragged about it.
Agents racially profiled people, pepper-sprayed neighborhoods, ripped children from their parents and conducted military-style raids. These actions were targeted based on people’s skin color and their jobs — construction workers, landscapers, street vendors and day laborers. These individuals were held in appalling conditions at the ICE holding facility in Broadview. Adding more harm, the agents beat up and detained protesters.
My 8-year-old grandson will never forget seeing and hearing helicopters flying low over our home in Little Village. He was scared, and at times, I struggled to find the words to explain to him what was happening.
Agents tried to take our dignity and divide our community, but Chicagoland organized. Armed with whistles, phones and the Constitution, we faced these violent agents and challenged their abuse of authority. Rapid response organizers kept the community informed. Local volunteers and community organizations coordinated walking groups and carpools to get children safely to school. Churches and nonprofits delivered groceries to those who were too scared to go out.
I worked with a coalition of local, state and federal officials to ensure a coordinated response and opposition, including by supporting Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s successful effort to get the National Guard out of Chicagoland after Trump tried to deploy troops here. I brought a delegation of nearly 20 members of Congress to our community to hear about these abuses and our community’s response.
I also worked with my congressional colleagues to conduct sustained oversight of the Broadview facility, where we saw firsthand a system designed to wear people down. I led oversight efforts related to the shooting of Villegas González and attempted killing of Martínez, and used my platform on the Progressive Caucus and Judiciary Committee to ensure Democrats refused to give the Department of Homeland Security one more dollar.
In the face of massive opposition and organizing, the federal government largely backed down. A year after this invasion, people in Chicago are stronger, but many continue to be fearful and traumatized. Families have been destroyed, and small businesses are still trying to recover from the economic impact of the raids. In Little Village, which collectively generates $1 billion in annual sales, many businesses reported year-over-year revenue drops of up to 50% because people were afraid to leave their homes to go shopping or go to work.
Today, we continue to see agents in Chicagoland. They never left; they are just operating more quietly. Community organizations confirmed nearly 45 enforcement operations throughout Chicago neighborhoods last May, twice as many as in April. They continue to prowl with impunity, and our immigration courtrooms are being used to conduct mass hearings that destroy any notion of due process.
Efforts to hold these agents accountable for their crimes are moving forward, despite the administration’s lies and resistance. Illinois is the first state to investigate the second Trump administration’s federal law enforcement misconduct and produce a thorough report of its findings. The Illinois Accountability Commission has been highly effective in producing a detailed public record and official legal referrals regarding immigration agents’ conduct during Midway Blitz. The evidence is overwhelming, and to continue to allow these crimes to go unprosecuted would send a signal that criminals receive impunity for their heinous acts if they work for DHS. It’s long past time for the Cook County state’s attorney to prosecute these crimes, just as Minnesota has done.
While individual accountability is critical, we also need structural reform. Midway Blitz only reinforced my long-standing view that we must dismantle DHS. We need a border and immigration enforcement apparatus that complies with the law, includes strong oversight and accountability measures, and keeps us safe, not one that spreads death and destruction.
It’s been 40 years since the last time we had true immigration reform. Congress must pass the American Dream and Promise Act, which would provide permanent legal protections and a clear pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and Temporary Protected Status holders. My House colleagues and I are leading an effort to force a vote on it in Congress, and every Democrat (except one) and two Republicans have signed it. We need to get this bill across the finish line and give people a real chance to come out of the shadows.
And when Democrats retake Congress and ultimately the White House, they must act on immigration: Communities such as Chicagoland can’t wait any longer.
U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García represents Illinois’ 4th Congressional District.
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