Chicago on one year since Midway Blitz
On Sept. 8, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security launched the ICE operation known as Midway Blitz to target “Criminal Illegal Aliens Terrorizing Americans in Sanctuary Illinois.”
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Time
It’s been one year since DHS announced ICE operation Midway Blitz in honor of Katie Abraham who was killed in a drunken hit-and-run in Urbana, allegedly by a Guatemalan man without legal status. The aim of the operation was to target who DHS considers “criminal illegal aliens.”
But according to data analysis by WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times, 85% of the people who were detained during Midway Blitz had no prior criminal conviction. In fact, immigration enforcement were often more successful at holding criminals before and after their highly publicized deportation campaign.
Say More hears from listeners about reflections on that time and where we are today.
GUEST: Adriana Cardona-Maguigad, WBEZ immigration reporter