Midway Blitz: 85% of Chicago Detainees Had No Earlier Conviction, ICE Data Shows: REPORT

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 06: Federal agents stand guard as they are confronted by residents after making a stop while driving in a caravan through the Brighton Park neighborhood on November 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Federal agents participating in Operation Midway Blitz, engage in daily patrols through Chicago neighborhoods and surrounding suburbs searching for undocumented immigrants. (Credit: Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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  Of the 3,841 people detained during the 68-day Midway Blitz surge, 85% carried no earlier conviction, according to a Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ analysis of ICE records. That is not the same as having no record, since some faced pending charges.

• Five Latin American countries (Mexico, Venezuela, Guatemala, Ecuador and Colombia) supplied about 79% of detainees, based on the newsrooms' published country counts.
• Removal totals depend on who is counting: the Tribune documented at least 2,479 deportations, while the Sun-Times and WBEZ tally 2,732 removals, including 1,254 self-deportations.

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CHICAGO — When federal agents fanned out across the Chicago area on Sept. 8, 2025, Homeland Security promised to pursue dangerous offenders. A year on, detention records tell a different story: the Sun-Times and WBEZ found that most of those held carried no earlier conviction, and that the group was drawn overwhelmingly from Latin America.