Suspected Tren de Aragua members arrested in Chicago operation

CHICAGO (NewsNation) — About 300 federal officers and members of other agencies targeted an apartment building on Chicago’s South Side, where officials say violent members of the Tren de Aragua prison gang are terrorizing residents and carrying out illegal operations.

NewsNation got an exclusive look at one of the largest enforcement operations of the ongoing Operation Midway Blitz, which took place early Tuesday in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. Federal agents who rappelled from Black Hawk helicopters secured the perimeter of the complex, where officials say members of the designated foreign terrorist organization have been operating.

Preliminary reports from officials indicate that at least 30 immigrants who entered the United States illegally and who were being targeted in the operation were arrested, NewsNation has confirmed.

Agents and officers representing the U.S. Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms all were part of the operation, which targeted a five-story apartment building. After suspected members of the Venezuelan gang refused to open the doors, agents forced their way into the building.

Federal agents targeted an apartment building in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood as part of the ongoing Operation Midway Blitz. (NewsNation video image)

Some U.S. citizens were temporarily detained, which Department of Homeland Security officials have said is part of the agency’s protocol to keep residents safe during an ongoing operation.

U.S. Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino told NewsNation that the operation went “very smoothly” after federal officers and agents trained for the targeted enforcement effort for days. But Bovino, who is overseeing the ongoing operation in Chicago, said that South Side residents can expect to see more of a federal presence.

“We’re going to be taking it to those violent gang members and illegal aliens,” Bovino said.

Ongoing enforcement efforts in Chicago’s neighborhoods and surrounding suburbs continue despite harsh criticism from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Pritzker said his office received numerous confirmed reports of ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers "abusing their power," intimidating innocent people, and waging war on local neighborhoods.

"What I have been warning of is now being realized," Pritzker said at a news conference on Monday. "One thing is clear. None of what Trump is doing is making Illinois safer."

Trump said again Tuesday that the National Guard will be coming to Chicago “soon.” He included Chicago in a collection of Democrat-run cities he characterized as “dangerous” and that Trump said should be used as “training grounds” for the U.S. military and National Guard, despite Pritzker’s opposition and threats by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to explore legal fights if troops are deployed to Chicago.

Pritzker announced Monday that the Illinois National Guard received a memo from the Department of Homeland Security regarding a request for 100 troops to be deployed to Chicago to protect ICE officers and facilities.

But Bovino has pushed back against Pritzker’s allegations and characterizations. Pritzker on Monday referred to Bovino as the “chief offender,” saying on Monday that Bovino has wasted taxpayer dollars for the sake of appearing in TikTok videos and other social media posts. Bovino has told NewsNation on multiple occasions in recent days that residents should expect to see more federal officers and agents “all around Chicago.”

He told NewsNation on Tuesday that more Border Patrol agents will be coming to Chicago’s South Side, which has remained a hotbed for criminal gang activity and gun violence for years.

“We’re not going anywhere,” Bovino told NewsNation on Tuesday.

Local community groups, including the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, denounced the enforcement operation in a statement issued on Tuesday. The groups planned to hold a news conference on Tuesday evening on the city's South side to address the early-morning activity.

The groups said the raid "represents a further escalation of ICE and CBP’s operation in Illinois, and a further militarization of Black neighborhoods in Chicago."

"This is part of a prolonged attack on Chicago communities by Trump and other MAGA leaders to sow discord and divide communities," the statement read.

Meanwhile, Bovino criticized Pritzker and other elected officials, saying that "they don't know their community or, even worse, they don't care about their community." Bovino previously told NewsNation that the governor is out of touch with what Chicago residents want, which has necessitated the presence of federal officers and agents.

"We do care about our community and we make it our personal responsibility to make this community and our nation safe," Bovino told NewsNation.