CHICAGO () — Almost a year after the immigration enforcement campaign known as “Midway Blitz” moved through Chicago, people in Little Village say the impact has not faded. Residents and business owners describe a neighborhood still grappling with lost revenue, heightened anxiety and continued immigration enforcement activity long after the high-profile operation ended.
The enforcement push extended across Chicago and surrounding suburbs, sparking what many residents remember as a period of confusion, disruption and fear. Federal agents were searching for individuals the Department of Homeland Security described as the “worst of the worst.”
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Little Village, a largely Mexican-born and Mexican-American community, is home to one of Chicago’s strongest and most recognizable commercial corridors.
For some local merchants, the economic fallout from the operation remains hard to ignore.
“It was a good summer, but not how it used to be at all. We used to have a lot of out-of-town customers,” said Michelle Macias of Carniceria y Taqueria Aguascalientes.
Macias is the third generation of her family to operate Carniceria Aguascalientes, the restaurant and grocery store marking 50 years in business at 3132 W. 26th Street.
The longtime business was thrust into the spotlight during “Operation Midway Blitz” after workers asked Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino to leave the store.
Although the moment brought some new customers through the door, Macias said it did not come close to offsetting the damage. She estimates the business has seen a 60% to 70% drop over the past year.
“People tell us all the time it’s because they’re scared. They are scared to come because of how hard ICE hit here in Chicago. Especially in this neighborhood,” Macias said.
As Little Village prepares for its annual Mexican Independence Day Parade next week, the neighborhood may appear to have returned to normal.
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However, community leaders say residents are still afraid.
“In the past two weeks we had about three incidents here in Little Village where they are chasing down people, trying to go into people’s homes,” said Baltazar Enriquez, president of the Little Village Community Council.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 4,500 undocumented immigrants were detained as a result of “Operation Midway Blitz.”
But an April 13 letter from ICE’s former acting director to the Illinois Congressional Delegation reportedly acknowledged that about 80% of those detained had no criminal convictions.
A spokesperson for DHS released the following statement:
“As a result of Operation Midway Blitz, DHS arrested more than 4,500 illegal aliens, including rapists, murderers, and gang members.”
“Nationwide nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.”
“This statistic doesn’t account for those wanted for violent crimes in their home country or another country, INTERPOL notices, human rights abusers, gang members, terrorists, etc.”
“The list goes on.”
“Operation Midway Blitz achieved what Chicago’s sanctuary politicians have refused to do for decades: decrease crime and remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens who put the American people in danger.”
