Chicago Residents Welcome Border Patrol Amid ICE Operations
Social media videos have surfaced showing residents of Chicago greeting U.S. Border Patrol agents sent to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in capturing criminal aliens. This friendly reception is notably different from the activities of organized anti-ICE groups.
A crew from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) documented the operations led by Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino as he navigated various shopping areas in the city. Business owners and customers greeted him with handshakes, smiles, and even fist bumps.
Local residents seem to back the Border Patrol’s efforts under President Donald Trump’s Operation Midway Blitz, as federal law enforcement has detained hundreds of violent criminal aliens since deploying to Chicago. Some of those captured include individuals from Guatemala, which Chief Bovino referred to as “child rapists.”
Another individual detained is a Mexican national with a history of nine previous arrests, including a serious case where he allegedly assaulted a woman in Chicago while pretending to be a rideshare driver. Bovino noted that due to the city’s sanctuary policy, this individual was released just two days after being apprehended.
Not all reactions have been positive. Criminal aliens, for instance, are clearly not pleased with the increased presence of Border Patrol. In fact, Chief Bovino himself was targeted with a bounty on social media, alleging a $2,000 reward for capturing him and $10,000 for his death, attributed to some illegal aliens believed to be part of the Latin Kings gang.
Bovino responded to this threat by commenting that in sanctuary cities like Chicago, “gangsters feel far too comfortable,” leading them to believe they can endanger law enforcement officers without consequence.
On a recent Friday, he shared a video highlighting the arrests of violent offenders in both Chicago and Los Angeles. Those captured included rapists, murderers, fugitives, drug traffickers, child molesters, and gang members.
However, not everyone in Chicago is onboard with the Border Patrol’s activities. One video featured an unidentified resident giving an obscene gesture to agents as they passed by on a riverboat.
Agents on the river are part of a coordinated effort to support ground operations in the downtown area. Chief Bovino’s team of volunteer Border Patrol agents was sent to Chicago by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to assist ICE, particularly after reports of assaults on federal agents by criminal aliens and radical left groups. Reports indicate a 1,000 percent increase in attacks due to Illinois’ sanctuary policies.
The violence from radical leftist groups prompted President Trump to deploy 450 members of the Texas National Guard to cities like Chicago and Portland—places known for their sanctuary policies. Democratic Chicago City Councilman Raymond Lopez voiced concerns that statements from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have endangered the city and the country, highlighting the necessity of the National Guard’s presence in the area.
