The Department of Homeland Security announced that federal agents arrested over 1,000 undocumented immigrants in Illinois during Operation Midway Blitz, a crackdown launched in September. The operation, led by ICE and U.S. Border Patrol, targeted individuals with serious criminal histories including gang members, armed robbers, and those convicted of crimes against children.
The Lake County Coroner's Office refuted earlier claims that Megan Bos, 37, was decapitated, stating she was not beheaded before or after her death. Her body was discovered in a storage container at the home of Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez, a Mexican national who was initially released under Illinois' no-cash bail law but was later arrested by ICE.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who succeeded his father Joaquin Guzman Loera (El Chapo) as one of the heads of the Sinaloa Cartel, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Chicago to federal drug charges. Guzman Lopez admitted to coordinating the transportation of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and other drugs from Mexico to the United States in shipments of hundreds or thousands of kilograms.
House Speaker Mike Johnson visited a Chicago Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and criticized Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for opposing federal immigration enforcement efforts. Johnson argued the ICE agents are understaffed and overwhelmed while attempting to remove dangerous criminals, noting Chicago has received over 51,000 migrants from the southern border since August 2022.
Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) is urging Illinois sheriffs to disregard Governor J.B. Pritzker's sanctuary policies and cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Miller has been a vocal opponent of Democratic efforts to limit immigration enforcement in the state.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrests of two Venezuelan nationals suspected of perpetrating a December 2024 mass shooting at a Chicago house party that killed three people. The suspects were linked to the Tren de Aragua gang, and authorities also arrested sixteen additional gang members and associates in connection with the incident.
Fernando Lorenzo-Raymundo, a 36-year-old Guatemalan national released into the U.S. by the Biden administration after crossing the southern border in March 2024, was arrested and charged with a fatal hit-and-run in Champaign, Illinois. The incident killed James McCammon, a 58-year-old man in a wheelchair, in early March 2025.
Illinois law enforcement officials argue that the state's sanctuary laws preventing cooperation with federal immigration authorities compromise public safety. The Illinois Sheriffs Association warns that approximately 700,000 active ICE administrative arrest warrants cannot be addressed, and local police may be unaware of immigration enforcement activities in their jurisdictions.
Two migrants in the U.S. illegally have been charged with murdering a 63-year-old Chicago resident whose body was discovered bound with duct tape. The suspects allegedly met the victim through a dating app and robbed him during what may have been a targeted attack.
Olivia Hayes, whose husband Wesley was killed in a drunk-driving crash allegedly involving an undocumented immigrant in October 2024, praised President Trump's immigration enforcement policies. She emphasized that border security measures have resulted in a significant decrease in illegal crossings and argued such policies prevent tragedies like hers.
