Did ice raid any cartel strongholds and the raids in Chicago where they found large amounts of drugs and guns?
Executive summary
ICE carried out multiple large, militarized immigration operations in Chicago this fall as part of “Operation Midway Blitz,” detaining dozens in high‑profile raids such as a South Shore apartment sweep where 37 people were held and a separate September operation that detained dozens of Venezuelan migrants alleged to be linked to the Tren de Aragua gang [1] [2]. Reporting and court documents show the raids sparked community outrage, heavy use of force allegations and a ProPublica/PBS finding that some touted “anti‑terror” claims did not translate into criminal charges [3] [2] [4].
1. ICE’s Chicago operations: scope and official framing
Federal authorities, including ICE and U.S. Border Patrol, launched a broad enforcement campaign in Chicago beginning in September called Operation Midway Blitz; agency releases and reporting emphasize arrests of people the government describes as “violent criminal illegal aliens” and members of foreign gangs, and ICE has promoted these sweeps as targeted enforcement to protect public safety [5] [6]. Local and national outlets chronicle repeated raids across neighborhoods — Little Village, Pilsen, South Shore and others — often accompanied by heavy federal presence and coordination with other agencies [6] [7].
2. High‑profile raids and what was actually seized or alleged
In one large South Shore apartment raid at 7500 S. South Shore Drive, reports say 37 people were detained and the operation left residents traumatized, with doors smashed and residents zip‑tied; an FBI spokesperson acknowledged supporting a “targeted immigration enforcement operation” [1] [4]. In a September raid that the administration touted as an anti‑terror success, dozens of Venezuelan migrants were detained amid allegations of Tren de Aragua membership — but subsequent reporting found that the claims did not produce criminal charges in that case [2].
3. Force, protest and judicial scrutiny
Independent reporting and a federal judge’s 223‑page opinion document extensive use of force by federal agents in the Chicago crackdown: tear gas, rubber bullets and alleged unjustified actions against protesters and journalists have been cited in a scathing judicial account and AP reporting [3]. Community resistance — whistle networks, ICE‑watch groups, trainings and mass protests — has become a persistent counterforce to the operations, as detailed by The Guardian and local outlets [6] [8].
4. Conflicting narratives: security victory versus overreach
Federal spokespeople and ICE press releases frame the raids as necessary public‑safety enforcement, stressing arrests of dangerous individuals and thousands of apprehensions [5]. Investigative accounts from ProPublica and follow‑up coverage by PBS/NewsHour, Reuters and local outlets present an alternate view: some high‑profile raids touted as anti‑terror wins produced no criminal charges and swept up noncriminal residents, including U.S. citizens and families, amplifying claims of overreach [2] [1] [4].
5. Allegations of cartel‑linked threats and community impacts
A DHS release alleges cartel‑originated bounties and “spotter” networks targeting ICE and CBP officers in Chicago and other cities, portraying a heightened security risk linked to transnational criminal orders [9]. Local coverage, however, emphasizes civil‑liberties harms, school absences, lost business and trauma experienced by communities who say many arrested were not violent criminals, exposing a tension between national security framing and local human‑impact reporting [8] [4].
6. What the sources do — and don’t — say about drugs, guns and cartel strongholds
Available reporting documents large immigrant‑enforcement raids, detentions and allegations of gang ties, and DHS warns of cartel‑linked threats such as bounties and spotter networks [2] [9]. The supplied sources do not report ICE seizing “large amounts of drugs and guns” or dismantling identified cartel strongholds in Chicago during these specific raids; those specific claims are not found in the current reporting set (not found in current reporting).
7. Bottom line for readers: competing claims and evidentiary gaps
Federal agencies present the Chicago operations as targeted law‑enforcement measures against dangerous individuals; investigative and local reporting show many of those raids produced administrative detentions, trauma, and in at least one lauded case no ensuing criminal charges, prompting judicial criticism and community backlash [5] [2] [3] [4]. Readers should note DHS’s public warnings about cartel tactics [9] alongside the absence, in the supplied accounts, of on‑the‑record seizures of large narcotics or firearms tied to cartel strongholds in these particular Chicago raids (not found in current reporting). Limitations: this analysis relies only on the provided reporting and government releases and does not include documents or statements beyond those sources (p1_s1–[10]2).