President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that violent crime in Chicago has significantly decreased since the commencement of a federal crackdown called “Operation Midway Blitz,” attributing the Department of Homeland Security-led initiative with reducing shootings and robberies throughout the Windy City.
The president’s Truth Social message asserted that shootings are down 35%, robberies down 41% and carjackings almost 50% since the operation’s inception several weeks ago.
“This has been achieved despite the extraordinary opposition from Chicago and Illinois Radical Democrat leadership,” Trump wrote.
The message constitutes the president’s initial public update on the effort since late October, when DHS confirmed nine arrests, including three illegal immigrants, after what officials characterized as “one of the most violent days” of the operation.
DHS ‘BLITZES’ CHICAGOLAND, NETTING ‘MANY ARRESTS’ AS NOEM ONSITE FOR IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN
According to DHS statements received by Fox News Digital, agents encountered multiple assaults and vehicle rammings during coordinated Oct. 22 raids in the Chicago suburbs of Cicero and Glendale Heights.
DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin described it as “one of the most violent days we’ve had,” confirming that one agent was injured and several patrol units sustained damage. The raids targeted violent offenders and previously deported foreign nationals with criminal histories.
The operation’s name commemorates Katie Abraham, a Chicago-area resident killed in September in a hit-and-run involving a suspected illegal immigrant.
DHS MARKS ‘ONE OF THE MOST VIOLENT DAYS’ OF OPERATION MIDWAY BLITZ WITH SEVERAL ARRESTS
“Midway Blitz,” which began in September, is part of a wider DHS initiative focused on “criminal illegal aliens terrorizing Americans in sanctuary Illinois,” according to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who stated suspects who attacked agents “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Trump’s post also renewed tensions with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both of whom have previously opposed large-scale immigration raids. The president accused them of hindering enforcement and “encouraging violent resistance against ICE officers.”
HUNDREDS OF FEDERAL AGENTS IN CHICAGO CARRY OUT OPERATION TARGETING SUSPECTED TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS
Trump indicated the next stage of “Midway Blitz” will involve a “full surge” of federal agents in Chicago and Memphis, claiming the first wave has already produced measurable results.
“As we increase more assets, these numbers will continue to decline,” he wrote Tuesday.
The Illinois governor’s office and the Chicago mayor’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. The White House directed Fox News Digital back to the President’s comments on Truth Social.
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
