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Fact check: Is Operation Midway Blitz related to the Biden administration?
Executive Summary
Operation Midway Blitz is not a Biden administration initiative; sources in the provided packet consistently identify it as launched under the Trump administration and executed by federal immigration and law-enforcement components, primarily in Chicago beginning in September 2025. Coverage shows a sharp federal–local conflict, with Illinois officials describing the campaign as aggressive and establishing state-level responses and documentation efforts [1] [2].
1. What supporters and federal officials say the operation is trying to accomplish
Federal accounts framed Operation Midway Blitz as a targeted immigration enforcement and crime-fighting campaign initiated by the Trump administration, with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement as principal actors. Reporting in the packet notes the operation began in early September 2025, detained large numbers of people, and was presented by federal leaders as part of a broader nationwide push against illegal immigration and criminal activity [3] [4] [5]. Federal messaging emphasized law enforcement objectives and removal of individuals suspected of criminal conduct or unlawful presence.
2. How local leaders and state authorities responded — resistance and legal countermeasures
Local and state officials in Illinois responded with strong institutional pushback, characterizing federal tactics as excessive and harmful to communities. Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson publicly criticized the operation, filed lawsuits, and created the Illinois Accountability Commission to document alleged abuses and to attempt to rein in federal agents operating in the state. The governor likened the campaign to a “military-style assault,” reflecting the heightened political and legal confrontation between state and federal authorities [5] [2].
3. Numbers and operational scale reported in available accounts
Contemporaneous summaries in the packet indicate hundreds to over a thousand detentions associated with the operation, describing a large-scale enforcement presence in Chicago and surrounding suburbs. The Department of Homeland Security and ICE are reported to have detained at least 1,000 people by some counts, underscoring the operation’s substantial scale and the resulting civil-society and governmental responses. Operational scale is a central part of why municipal and state leaders framed the effort as disruptive and worthy of formal inquiry [4].
4. Allegations of misconduct, documentation efforts, and public reaction
Sources in the packet document allegations of aggressive tactics and abuses by federal agents, prompting public protests and litigation. Illinois officials set up the Accountability Commission aimed at collecting evidence and reporting on raids and detentions. Media descriptions in the supplied material use strong language — including “war zone” framing in some pieces — and portray a highly charged atmosphere that has catalyzed formal state action and civil opposition [2] [6].
5. Conflicting emphases: federal law enforcement narrative vs. local civil-rights framing
The materials present a clear contrast: federal sources emphasize enforcement, removal, and public-safety rationale, whereas state and local leaders emphasize community harm, legal overreach, and civil-rights violations. This divergence produces different factual emphases: one side focuses on detention numbers and nationwide policy aims; the other highlights alleged abuses, lawsuits, and institutional accountability measures. Both frames rely on the same timeline and actors but assign different weights to legality, necessity, and community impact [3] [5] [2].
6. Who is credited with launching the operation — attribution and timing
All documents in the packet attribute the launch and operational oversight to the Trump administration and federal agencies rather than to the Biden White House. The operation’s start in September 2025 occurred during the Biden administration’s calendar term, but the materials consistently state it was initiated by, coordinated under, or described as a Trump administration-led campaign. Attribution to the Trump administration is the recurrent factual claim across the provided reports [1] [2] [3].
7. Political context and potential agendas shaping coverage and responses
The packet shows clear partisan and jurisdictional stakes: federal leadership tied to Trump-era policy frames the campaign as part of nationwide enforcement priorities, while Democratic state and city leaders frame it as politically motivated and harmful to immigrant communities. Media language and commissioned reports reflect advocacy and accountability aims by local officials and enforcement rationales by federal proponents, indicating that both factual reporting and interpretive framing are influenced by institutional agendas. Readers should treat assertions about motives and necessity as competing claims that require examination of primary documents, legal filings, and agency records [5] [6].
8. Bottom line: answering the user's question directly with the available evidence
Based solely on the materials provided, Operation Midway Blitz is associated with the Trump administration and federal law-enforcement agencies, not the Biden administration, even though actions occurred during the Biden administration’s calendar period. The available packet shows substantial operational activity in Chicago with concomitant state-led accountability efforts and legal challenges; this dual reality—federal enforcement and state pushback—is the core fact pattern emerging from the sources [1] [4] [2].