Hundreds of federal agents executed a “targeted immigration enforcement operation” early Tuesday in Chicago, Illinois, focusing on suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
The FBI confirmed the operation to FOX32 Chicago, stating that its agents worked alongside the U.S. Border Patrol in the city’s South Shore area. The operation included nearly 300 agents aiming at six individuals linked to the Venezuelan criminal organization, as reported by Fox News senior correspondent Mike Tobin.
This event follows the announcement made by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is “considering the deployment of 100 military troops to Illinois.”
The FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the DHS did not provide immediate responses to inquiries from Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
Multiple people were seen being taken into custody during the immigration operation in Chicago, Ill., on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (Fox News)
“Over the weekend, we received multiple confirmed reports that federal agents from ICE and Customs and Border Patrol are misusing their authority, intimidating innocent people, and creating unrest,” Pritzker told journalists on Monday. “This seems to be a ploy to introduce chaos and justify the deployment of military forces against Chicago, Broadview, and nearby suburbs, mirroring actions being taken by the president in Oregon.”
Pritzker continued, “Just moments ago, the Illinois National Guard was informed that the Department of Homeland Security sent a memorandum to the Department of Defense seeking the deployment of 100 military troops to Illinois, citing the necessity of safeguarding ICE staff and facilities.”
“What I have been warning of is now being realized. One thing is clear — none of what Trump is doing is making Illinois safer,” he also said.
The immigration operation targeted an apartment building in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. (Fox News)
ICE launched Operation Midway Blitz earlier this month, describing the operation as one that, “will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets.”
