CHICAGO – U.S. Border Patrol agents carried out a large-scale raid on a South Side apartment building this week, detaining 37 people in an operation authorities said targeted members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The late-night raid, involving helicopters and heavily armed agents, also swept up U.S. citizens and families, sparking criticism of the tactics used.
Residents reported doors being broken down, children taken from their parents, and several people held at gunpoint. Officials confirmed that some children were placed in temporary custody and that at least two of those arrested were alleged gang members.
The raid is part of President Donald Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” an intensified immigration crackdown in Democratic-led cities like Chicago. While the Department of Homeland Security said the operation complied with the law, critics warned the aggressive approach risks eroding trust in immigrant communities.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemned the deployment of armed Border Patrol agents in the city, calling it “authoritarianism.”
