Human-rights attorneys in Chicago are sounding the alarm after more than 3,000 people arrested in a federal immigration crackdown known as Operation Midway Blitz have effectively vanished from the system. The operation — a joint initiative between ICE, CBP, and Homeland Security — was launched just seven weeks ago but is already facing accusations of secret detentions, coerced deportations, and civil rights abuses.
Attorneys with the National Immigrant Justice Center say that despite repeated inquiries, federal authorities have failed to provide information on where thousands of those detained are being held — or whether many of them have already been deported without hearings.
“It is quite dire,” said Mark Fleming, a lawyer with the National Immigrant Justice Center, which has filed a federal lawsuit over the operation. “These are folks that have been here for decades — people with families, jobs, and deep community roots. Their lives are being torn apart, and the government won’t even tell us where they are.”
According to court filings, lawyers fear detainees are being placed into unlawful mandatory detention and then pressured into so-called voluntary departures — agreements that strip away legal rights and send immigrants back to their countries without judicial review. Homeland Security has refused to release a full list of arrestees or deportations, citing “ongoing operational security.”
Tear Gas, Court Orders, and Alleged Abuses
In a separate set of filings Monday, attorneys also accused Border Patrol agents of violating a federal restraining order by using tear gas in residential neighborhoods. ABC7 Chicago reported that several communities have complained of repeated chemical exposure — including one incident where a pregnant woman was reportedly caught in the gas.
The complaints center on Commander Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol official overseeing Midway Blitz. In an interview with ABC News, Bovino defended the actions of his officers, claiming that “chemical agents were the least amount of force necessary.”
But court filings tell a darker story. They accuse federal officers of deploying gas without warning — sometimes during peaceful gatherings — and of tackling residents at a neighborhood Halloween parade. Plaintiffs allege that agents used excessive force and acted “as if operating under martial law.”
DHS issued a statement late Monday defending the operation, saying agents had come under attack by “rioters and terrorists,” and that both ICE and CBP “use the minimum amount of force necessary.”
Constitutional Questions and Supreme Court Involvement
The crisis now sits before multiple courts, with one case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court to determine whether National Guard troops can legally be deployed to Chicago in support of immigration enforcement.
Legal experts warn that if the government’s actions are upheld, it could mark a watershed moment for civil liberties — allowing secret detentions and chemical force under the banner of immigration control.
For now, the question remains unanswered:
Where are the thousands of people taken from their homes and workplaces under Operation Midway Blitz — and will they ever be heard from again?
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