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President Donald Trump said Tuesday that violent crime in Chicago has dropped sharply since the start of a federal crackdown known as Operation Midway Blitz“, attributing the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security to orchestrating shootings and robberies throughout the Windy City.
The President's Truth Social said that since the operation began several weeks ago, shootings have dropped by 35%, robberies by 41% and car thefts by nearly 50%.
“This was achieved despite extreme resistance from Chicago and Illinois Radical Democratic Leadership“Trump wrote.
The post marks the president's first public communication about the initiative since late October, when DHS confirmed nine arrests, including three undocumented immigrants, after what officials called “one of the most violent days” of the operation.
Homeland Security “Charges” Chicago, Making “Multiple Arrests” as NOEM for Immigration Crackdown
On Tuesday, President Trump wrote on Truth Social about Chicago's positive progress against crime thanks to Operation Midway Blitz. (Craig Hudson/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
According to DHS Statements Obtained by Fox News Digital, agents faced multiple assaults and vehicle rammings during coordinated raids Oct. 22 in the Chicago suburbs of Cicero and Glendale Heights.
DHS Assistant Secretary Trisha McLaughlin called it “one of the most brutal days we've had,” confirming that one agent was injured and several patrol units were damaged. The raids targeted individuals who had committed violent crimes and previously deported foreign citizens with a criminal record.
The operation's namesake is named after Katie Abraham, a Chicago woman killed in September in an attack involving an alleged illegal immigrant.
DHS MARKS 'ONE OF THE MOST VIOLENT DAYS' OF OPERATION MIDWAY BLITZ WITH MULTIPLE ARRESTS
Although President Trump did not personally name Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, the Illinois Democrat has been adamantly opposed to reforms imposed by the Trump administration on the Windy City. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo)
The “Midway Blitz,” launched in September, is part of a broader DHS initiative aimed at “criminal illegal aliens terrorizing Americans in Illinois sanctuaries,” according to the DHS secretary. Kristi Noemwho said the suspects who attacked the agents “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Trump's post also reignited tensions with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who have previously opposed large-scale immigration raids. The president accused them of obstructing law enforcement and “encouraging violent resistance to ICE officers.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has taken President Donald Trump to task on social media before. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Trump says the next phase of the Midway Blitz will involve a “full surge” federal agents in Chicago and Memphis, arguing that the first wave has already produced measurable results.
“As we add more assets, these numbers will continue to fall,” he wrote on Tuesday.
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The Illinois governor's office and the Chicago mayor's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment. The White House directed Fox News Digital back to the president's comments about Truth Social.
Fox News Digital's Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
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