"It was 3:30 a.m. when 10 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers gathered in a parking lot in the Chicago suburbs for a briefing about a suspect they were hoping to arrest. They went over a description of the person, made sure their radios were on the same channel and discussed where the closest hospital was in case something went wrong. Let's plan on not being there, said one of the officers, before they climbed into their vehicles and headed out."
"Across the city and surrounding suburbs, other teams were fanning out in support of Operation Midway Blitz. It has unleashed President Donald Trump's mass deportations agenda on a city and state that has had some of the strongest laws preventing local officials from cooperating with immigration enforcement. ICE launched the operation on Sept. 8, drawing concern from activists and immigrant communities fearful of the large-scale arrests or aggressive tactics used in other cities targeted by the Republican president."
"Someone matching the description of the man that ICE was searching for walked out of the house, got into a car and drove away from the tree-lined street. Unsure whether this was their target, the officers followed. A few minutes later, with the car approaching the freeway, the voice over the radio said: He's got the physical description. We just can't see the face good."
Ten ICE officers coordinated a predawn operation with briefings on suspect description, radio channels and nearby hospitals. Multiple ICE teams spread across Chicago and suburbs under Operation Midway Blitz, reflecting an escalation of deportation efforts tied to the presidential agenda. The operation began Sept. 8 and prompted concern from activists and immigrant communities about large-scale arrests and aggressive tactics. Observers report a noticeable uptick in enforcement agents, though no military deployment occurred. During a ride-along, officers tracked a car matching a suspect description, followed it toward the freeway, and other vehicles overtook and boxed in the vehicle.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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