Washington, DC — As president Trump made clear, he wants to double down on his anti-immigration agenda. This is despite the strong rebuke delivered by the American majority, including Latino voters, who think the Trump administration’s mass deportation and immigration crackdown has gone too far. They now plan to take the chaotic, dangerous, and unpopular “Operation Midway Blitz” approach – on display in Chicago in recent months under Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino – to other American cities, including potentially Charlotte and New Orleans.
Here’s what other cities can expect based on Chicago’s experiences:
- Lies from Bovino and allies: Federal judge Sara Ellis issued a preliminary injunction where she discovered that Border Patrol Commander Gregory was not hit on the head with a rock prior to deploying tear gas during a “Midway Blitz operation” altercation in Chicago. This discovery directly contradicts the statements released from DHS justifying forceful tactics. “Defendant Bovino admitted that he lied,” she said.
- Violent measures that stoke, rather than prevent, conflict: For example, federal agents riding in camouflaged cars with swapped-out license plates, making their vehicles extremely hard to identify. Or having Border Patrol agents use overly aggressive and combative tactics by deploying and shooting their weapons, injuring individuals instead of providing conflict resolution.
- Schoolchildren facing trauma and negative effects: Trump’s mass deportation enforcement policies have caused a huge disruption in the classroom and in their communities. Children who were once high performers in the classroom are now having their grades suffer as a result.
- Economic damage: Different business sectors are sounding the alarm on Trump’s policies harming the national and local economies, as noted by the Chicago Sun Times, “More than 30 business and civic leaders gathered Friday to denounce the federal government’s aggressive deportation campaign in Chicago. Recent tactics used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents harm the city’s residents, economy, workforce and communities, they said at a press conference at the University Club of Chicago.”
- U.S. citizens being ensnared: After getting into a car accident, federal agents violently dragged U.S. citizen Dayanne Figueroa out of her car and pinned her to the asphalt as she was driving to work. Federal officers also “roughed up” and arrested Sabrina Medina, a pregnant 28-year-old U.S. citizen, causing her to be hospitalized. And since last May, Leonardo Garcia Venegas, a U.S. citizen, has been detained by ICE twice, stating that they could not be sure his Real ID was real.
According to Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
“This administration is flouting the rule of law and the will of the American people. Instead they are doubling down on chaos with an agenda of militarization and mass deportation that is making us poorer, weaker and less safe. The American people have had enough and are sending a very clear signal for a common sense way forward that works for a stronger, more secure and economically vibrant America.”
