In recent weeks, Chicago has witnessed a startling escalation in federal immigration enforcement. Federal agents, many attached to the Department of Homeland Security including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, have conducted raids and mass detentions across the city. These operations have unfolded under the banner of “Operation Midway Blitz,” a federal initiative that has rapidly transformed neighborhoods into militarized zones.
What is emerging from court documents, video evidence, and eyewitness accounts paints a troubling picture: federal agents not only using excessive force but also spreading false narratives to justify their actions.
Before I continue, I write this article tonight after TikTok suppressed a video discussing ICE’s actions in Chicago. While big tech and those around this White House try to silence my work, I will not stop. If you believe in journalism that holds power accountable, subscribe today to keep this work alive.
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According to the Chicago Sun-Times, body-camera video of a Border Patrol agent involved in the shooting of Marimar Martinez in Brighton Park shows the agent taunting her, saying “Do something, b----” before pulling over and shooting her five times.
The footage, described in federal court by Martinez’s attorney, directly contradicts the government’s allegation that Martinez drove toward agents before being shot. U.S. District Judge Heather McShain denied prosecutors’ request to detain Martinez and co-defendant Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, citing their lack of criminal records and strong community ties.
Prosecutors claimed Martinez rammed a Border Patrol vehicle, but their own criminal complaint omitted any mention of a loaded gun that the Department of Homeland Security had previously cited. The body-camera video, according to the defense, instead shows an agent turning his vehicle into Martinez’s car before opening fire.
Martinez survived with seven gunshot wounds and was taken into custody at the hospital. Witnesses said federal agents rushed to arrest her even as she bled profusely, later returning when her condition worsened.
The shooting prompted protests at West 39th Street and South Kedzie Avenue, where residents demanded accountability and transparency.
Reporter Laura Rodriguez Presa documented another disturbing encounter. A federal agent pointed a weapon at a woman named Jess, a U.S. citizen and member of a neighborhood patrol group that films and reports on ICE activity across Chicago. Jess was recording agents in Berwyn when one of them aimed his gun directly at her. This is a photo from Jess:
Incidents like this demonstrate how federal agencies are not only escalating physical violence but also trying to intimidate citizens who document their behavior. ICE’s growing hostility toward community monitors suggests an effort to suppress public accountability.
A joint investigation by PBS News and the Associated Press revealed that ICE and other federal immigration agents have adopted increasingly aggressive, militarized tactics throughout Chicago. Agents stormed an apartment complex by helicopter as families slept, deployed chemical agents near a public school, and even handcuffed a Chicago City Council member at a hospital.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemned the operations, saying on CNN, “They are the ones that are making it a war zone.” He noted that federal agents have been using tear gas and smoke grenades, transforming neighborhoods into occupied territories.
Over a thousand immigrants have been arrested since the crackdown began. But U.S. citizens, immigrants with legal status, and even children have been detained in these operations. In one South Shore raid, agents used unmarked trucks and a helicopter to surround a residential building. Witnesses reported that children and American citizens were zip tied and restrained without warrants.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem later released a heavily edited video of the operation featuring helicopters, agents in tactical gear, and adults in zip ties, accompanied by dramatic music but stripped of context. Noem claimed agents faced dangerous conditions, yet residents described agents as the source of the violence.
Local leaders and civil rights organizations are demanding investigations into the raids, chemical use, and detentions. State Representative Lilian Jiménez described ICE’s conduct as “an invasion,” while Alderperson Jessie Fuentes was handcuffed at a hospital for insisting agents show a warrant.
The village of Broadview, home to a major immigration processing center, has filed multiple lawsuits against federal agents. Officials are seeking the removal of an eight-foot fence they say was illegally constructed outside the facility, calling it a public safety hazard.
At the same time, attorneys have filed complaints over violations of a 2022 consent decree that limits how ICE can make arrests in Illinois. Advocates argue that federal agencies have repeatedly ignored constitutional limits, targeting neighborhoods already burdened by economic and racial inequities.
From Brighton Park to Berwyn to Broadview, the pattern is clear: ICE and Border Patrol are using military-style tactics in civilian communities while distorting facts to defend their actions. The agency’s initial claim that Marimar Martinez posed a deadly threat crumbled under body-camera evidence. Its portrayal of raids as “routine enforcement” has been undermined by footage of helicopters, chemical agents, and armed intimidation.
Chicago residents are left to confront a grim reality. Federal agencies sworn to enforce the law appear to be acting outside it, while lying to the public about what they have done.