One year later, Rep. Chuy Garcia reflects on Chicago immigration crackdown

CHICAGO - It has been exactly a year since the federal government began its controversial immigration enforcement efforts in Chicago, which it called "Operation Midway Blitz."

Now, we're hearing from a congressman who's been in the middle of the battle over immigration enforcement.

Chuy Garcia reflects on Chicago immigration crackdown

What they're saying:

Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia is stepping down at the end of his term but tells Fox Chicago's Dane Placko that what he witnessed a year ago still makes him angry.

"I thought this [Operation Midway Blitz] is what they had been telegraphing for the past year plus. Donald Trump, I think had a vendetta against Chicago," Garcia said.

A vendetta, the congressman says, based on Chicago's status as a sanctuary city.

But Garcia says what came next was far worse than even he expected.

"I had no clue that it would be a declaration of war, and then the subsequent invasion that we experienced in the fall of last year. I never imagined it would be so lawless, so cruel, and that it would be on display for the country to see," he said.

One of the most controversial Midway Blitz confrontations happened at 39th and Kedzie, just around the corner from Garcia's congressional office in Brighton Park.

Nearly a year later, we went back to the site.

"Yes, the crowd gathered here to question why this man was being detained," Garcia said.

On October 4, 2025, protesters confronted ICE agents as they attempted to take a man into custody at a gas station.

Heading to the scene was Marimar Martinez.

"She was driving south on Kedzie, I believe. And she became part of a caravan of people who were warning community residents that ICE was in the neighborhood. And that's where she became a target," Garcia said.

Immigration agents shot Martinez five times after they claimed she tried to ram them with her car. The scene quickly escalated, with agents throwing teargas into the crowd, including some of Garcia's staff.

"I thought this is going to persist for quite some time and people are going to get hurt, or killed," Garcia said.

Martinez survived the shooting and was charged with attacking the federal agents. But bodycam video undermined their narrative, and all charges against Martinez were later dropped.

In January, Garcia invited Martinez to be his guest at President Trump's State of the Union speech.

"I wanted people to see the truth. And I wanted people to see that this woman was no threat to anyone," he said. "And of course she's become a martyr in many respects of a cause that really underscores the cruelty and the lies and the coverup of the federal government to try to portray the immigrant community as a threat to this country."

Garcia also made news when he joined three other Illinois congressional Democrats on a tour of the Broadview ICE detention center after being refused entry for weeks.

The center had become a flashpoint in the protest against federal immigration policies.

The lawmakers got to go inside the facility in December, following an order from a federal judge granting immediate access.

"It had been sanitized quite a bit. There were only two individuals being held at that time. It had been cleaned up," Garcia said. "We had heard stories from constituents who had come through my door here who had told us of the conditions there. That they were filthy. That there were no mattresses for people to sleep in. That people could smell urine all the time."

Now, one year after the start of Midway Blitz, Garcia said, "I would have never imagined that something like this would be lived by this community."

He believes the crackdown backfired by coalescing opposition to President Trump's policies and creating momentum for immigration reform.

"I think that the cruelty inflicted on neighborhoods across the Southwest Side and then extending to other communities… is what helped turn the tide. Changed public opinion. And I think lowered the President's favorability rating in a big way," Garcia said.

The congressman is also calling for new leadership at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago, saying the dropped charges against multiple protesters shows the prosecutions were politically motivated, which the office has denied.

The other side:

We reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for a response regarding some of the points Garcia raised in his interview.

They sent us the following statement:

"As a result of Operation Midway Blitz, DHS arrested more than 4,500 illegal aliens, including rapists, murderers, and gang members. Nationwide nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. This statistic doesn’t account for those wanted for violent crimes in their home country or another country, INTERPOL notices, human rights abusers, gang members, terrorists, etc. The list goes on.

"Operation Midway Blitz achieved what Chicago’s sanctuary politicians have refused to do for decades: decrease crime and remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens who put the American people in danger.

Below are just a handful of the worst of the worst law enforcement removed from Chicago streets. If you are doing a recap of the operation, we know you will do your journalistic duty and report on these arrests and the victims of illegal alien crime.

Luis Chavez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico and member of the Latin Kings who was previously deported, convicted of burglary, obstruction of justice, two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, two DUIs, illegal reentry and previously arrested for possession of a controlled substance.

Carlos Barrera-Vega, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico and member of the U-Boys violent street gang, convicted for predatory criminal sex assault and burglary.

Samphan Pakhotama, a criminal illegal alien from Thailand and member of the Maniac Latin Disciples, convicted of domestic violence, robbery, shoplifting (three counts), larceny (five counts), burglary, possession of burglary tools, resisting an officer and obstructing justice and previously arrested for identity theft, shoplifting (twice), larceny, resisting an officer and flight to avoid.

Victor Orozco, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of first degree murder.

David Montoya-Guillen, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of possession of a firearm and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Isaias Quintanilla-Guzman, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, convicted of two counts of robbery.

Yasmin Buari, a criminal illegal alien from Ghana who has overstayed her visa for 13 years, convicted of aggravated battery on a peace officer, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and battery causing bodily harm.

Ricardo Waldron, a criminal illegal alien from Trinidad and Tobago, convicted of selling a weapon.

Efrain Garcia-Gomez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of explosives possession and illegal entry.

Gabriel Castro-Pascual, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of driving under the influence of liquor and negligent manslaughter homicide vehicle."