Chicago has experienced a dramatic double-digit decline in violent crime since the launch of the Department of Homeland Security's "Operation Midway Blitz," a federal crackdown ordered by President Donald Trump targeting illegal aliens protected by Illinois' sanctuary policies.
According to new DHS data, shootings are down 35% — the lowest in four years — robberies are down 41%, and carjackings are down 48% since the operation began in September.
Homicides have dropped 16%, while transit crime is down 20%, marking what the agency called "a historic win in the fight against violent criminal illegal alien crime."
"I am proud to announce that Chicago, Illinois, despite all of the radical opposition and obstruction we have from the Mayor and Governor, has seen Car Theft, Shootings, Robberies, Violent Crime, and everything else drop dramatically," Trump wrote on Truth Social, posting the aforementioned figures.
"And this is with just a small initial Federal Force, not the full 'surge' we have done in ... Memphis," Trump wrote. "As we ramp up more assets, these numbers will continue to drop."
Trump added, "This has been achieved despite the extraordinary resistance from Chicago and Illinois Radical Democrat ‘Leadership,' and the constant Violent Leftwing Terrorism against ICE Officers and Federal Agents that Insurrectionist Democrat Officials refuse to stop or prosecute, including constant physical assault and attempted assassination."
The DHS operation was launched in honor of Katie Abraham, an Illinois woman killed in a hit-and-run crash caused by an illegal alien.
It was designed to target violent offenders who, under Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's sanctuary policies, had previously found protection from deportation.
"For decades, sanctuary policies exasperated the crime crisis in Chicago," said DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin.
"Now, thanks to our brave DHS law enforcement, Chicago is experiencing a historic drop in violent crime. It's common sense — when you remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our country, crime rates plummet."
The release of the crime statistics followed reports that Gregory Bovino, the senior U.S. Border Patrol official leading the crackdown, may be leaving Chicago as early as this week.
According to Reuters, Bovino is expected to head next to Charlotte, North Carolina, and later to New Orleans, where similar operations could soon take shape.
When reached for comment by Newsmax, the DHS did not say whether Bovino is leaving Chicago.
And McLaughlin pushed back on speculation that ICE's operation is winding down.
She wrote on X: "We aren't leaving Chicago."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.