Trump claims Chicago crime dramatically reduced by Operation Midway Blitz
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President Donald Trump said Tuesday that violent crime in Chicago has fallen sharply since the federal crackdown known as “Operation Midway Blitz” began, crediting Department of Homeland Security efforts to spur shootings and robberies in the Windy City.
The president’s Truth Social post claimed that shootings are down 35 percent, robberies are down 41 percent, and carjackings are down nearly 50 percent since the operation began a few weeks ago.
“This was accomplished despite extraordinary resistance from the Radical Democratic leadership of Chicago and Illinois,” Trump wrote.
The post marks the president’s first public update on the initiative since late October, when DHS confirmed nine arrests, including three illegal immigrants, following what officials described as “one of the most violent days” of the operation.
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President Trump told Truth Social on Tuesday about the positive progress made against crime in Chicago thanks to the “Midway Blitz” operation. (Craig Hudson/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Agents faced multiple assaults and vehicle crashes during coordinated raids in the Chicago suburbs of Cicero and Glendale Heights on Oct. 22, according to DHS statements obtained by Fox News Digital.
DHS deputy secretary Tricia McLaughlin called it “one of the most violent days we’ve ever had,” confirming one agent was injured and multiple patrol units were damaged. Violent criminals and foreign nationals with previous criminal records were targeted during the raids.
The operation’s name honors Chicago-area resident Katie Abraham, who was killed in a hit-and-run incident involving a suspected illegal immigrant in September.
DHS commemorates ‘ONE OF THE MOST VIOLENT DAYS’ OF OPERATION MIDIWAY BLITZ WITH MANY ARRESTS
Although President Trump did not personally name Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, the Illinois Democrat has strongly opposed the reforms the Trump administration has imposed on the Windy City. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo)
The “Midway Blitz,” launched in September, is part of a broader DHS initiative targeting “criminal illegal aliens terrorizing Americans in Illinois,” according to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who said suspects who attack agents “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Trump’s post also reignited tensions with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who had previously opposed large-scale immigration raids. The president accused them of obstructing enforcement and “encouraging violent resistance against ICE officers.”
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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker had previously targeted President Donald Trump on social media. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Trump said the next phase of the “Midway Blitz” would include a “full surge” of federal agents in Chicago and Memphis, claiming the first wave had already produced measurable results.
“These numbers will continue to decline as we raise more assets,” he wrote Tuesday.
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The Illinois governor’s office and Chicago mayor’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. The White House directed Fox News Digital to the President’s comments on Truth Social.
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
