President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security has officially launched Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago, marking the beginning of a high-profile ICE crackdown targeting criminal illegal aliens — a move already sending Democratic leaders into a frenzy.

The Monday operation, according to DHS, is dedicated to the memory of Katie Abraham, who was killed in a hit-and-run crash by an illegal alien, Julio Cucul-Bol, in Illinois. ICE agents, who have been quietly preparing in the city for over a week, are now arresting illegal immigrants with criminal records — a population the administration says has thrived under Governor J.B. Pritzker’s sanctuary policies.

“President Trump and Secretary Kristi Noem stand with the victims of illegal alien crime while Governor Pritzker stands with criminal illegal aliens,” DHS stated bluntly.

DHS is launching Operation Midway Blitz in honor of Katie Abraham who was killed in a drunk driving hit-and-run car wreck caused by criminal illegal alien Julio Cucul-Bol in Illinois.

This ICE operation will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois… pic.twitter.com/OjbgtTE1Au

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) September 8, 2025

Chicago Democrats spent the weekend protesting the federal presence — and Trump made no effort to soften the blow. On social media, the president posted a meme titled “Chipocalypse Now,” spoofing “Apocalypse Now” with the tagline: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning.”

Trump clarified Monday that the ICE raids are currently limited to immigration enforcement and not a full policing surge — “yet.” He emphasized that the White House remains open to sending broader federal reinforcements to the city, but is awaiting a formal request.

“We’d love to go into Chicago,” Trump said. “We’re waiting for a call from Chicago.” He highlighted the staggering crime statistics that continue to plague the city, pointing to six murders just over the weekend and nearly 50 killings in recent weeks. “Only the criminals will be hurt,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Pritzker has responded with characteristic indignation, calling Trump a “wannabe dictator.” “The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wrote on X.

But for many residents, the crisis is less about optics and more about survival. Chicago experienced 572 homicides in 2024 — leading the nation for the 13th straight year. And over Labor Day weekend alone, nearly 60 people were shot, with nine killed.

Despite public outcry and media pressure, both Pritzker and Johnson have repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s offers for help. “There is not an emergency,” Pritzker has insisted, while Johnson shouted to a crowd, “No federal troops in the city of Chicago.”

Trump isn’t buying it. “We’re going in,” he told reporters last week. “I didn’t say when … but we have the right to do it. I have an obligation to protect this country.”

Operation Midway Blitz is now underway — and the battle between Washington and Illinois Democrats is only heating up.

President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would take action to protect students’ rights to pray at public schools. 

Trump made the announcement during the second official hearing of the Religious Liberty Commission at the Museum of the Bible. The focus of the hearing was on religious liberty and public education, featuring testimony from students who claimed their religious beliefs were challenged at school. 

“For most of our country’s history, the Bible was found in every classroom in the nation, yet in many schools, today’s students are instead indoctrinated with anti-religious propaganda and some are even punished for their religious beliefs,” Trump said. 

Trump pointed to a young girl from Texas named Hannah Allen, who was reprimanded for meeting with a group of her classmates during lunch to pray for an injured friend. 

“To support students like Hannah, I’m pleased to announce this morning that the Department of Education will soon issue new guidance protecting the right to prayer in our public schools,” Trump said. 

What the guidance will look like is not clear. The Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of a high school football coach from Washington who was fired for leading voluntary prayers on the field after games. The court ruled that the school district violated the coach’s rights by disciplining him. 

The new protections for prayer come as the Trump administration on Monday rolled out an “America Prays” initiative to encourage Americans to meet with 10 others once a week to pray for the country. 

During the hearing, Trump also said that his administration would work to get answers about the attack at a Catholic school in Minnesota last month by a transgender-identifying male. 

“Two weeks ago, in Minneapolis, a demonic killer shot 21 people and murdered the two precious children at a Catholic school,” Trump said. “Our hearts are shattered for the families of those beautiful children.”

“The Trump administration will have no tolerance for terrorism or political violence, and that includes hate crimes against Christians, Jews, or anybody else,” he added. 

The Religious Liberty Commission was established in May through a Trump executive order directing it to produce a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious freedom and the leading threats it faces in the United States today.