The USA they are faced with a new institutional conflict on immigration policy. In Chicago, a federal judge has ordered parole for about 600 people arrested since September as part of Operation Midway Blitz, a campaign by Donald Trump against what his government describes as “illegal immigrant criminals”.
According to the decision, revealed by local media, the arrests in Chicago and other cities in Illinois in the US were made without a warrant and without reasonable cause, which makes the detention of these people illegal by the Donald Trump administration. Those arrested will be able to be released on $1,500 bail, and in some cases will be given electronic monitoring “bracelets” when they are deemed to be a security risk.
The Trump administration’s fury at justice
The Department of Homeland Security reacted angrily, accusing the judge through X of being an “activist” who was “endangering American lives” by releasing 615 illegal immigrants. It’s another blow to the Trump administration in Illinois: In October, a federal court and a federal appeals court struck down the deployment of the National Guard to Chicago.
Operation Midway Blitz, which began in September, had been touted by the White House as a major public safety success. The ministry claimed it had contributed to a “historic reduction” in crime, citing figures for homicides, armed assaults and robberies — figures that are now in doubt after the court ruling.
Trump is making immigration a central political issue
Since June, Donald Trump has sent the National Guard to several major cities — Los Angeles, Washington, Memphis — despite opposition from Democratic local authorities. The US president talks about an “invasion” from abroad and has made cracking down on illegal immigration a top priority of his second term, widely publicizing arrests and deportations through friendly media.
With this new judicial development, the political conflict over immigration — already at the center of the election campaign — is expected to intensify even more in Chicago and across Illinois.