Kristi Noem to discuss Chicago immigration operations in Gary

(GARY, INDIANA) Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is set to deliver an update on federal immigration enforcement in the Chicago region on October 30, 2025, arriving in Gary, Indiana to discuss the results and next steps of the sweeping crackdown known as Operation Midway Blitz. The visit comes amid rising tension between federal officials and Illinois leaders, mounting criticism from nearby mayors, and plans for counter-protests in Gary later Thursday morning.

Noem will be joined by Indiana Governor Mike Braun, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons. The officials are expected to highlight arrest figures, address growing concerns over tactics used during raids, and respond to a late Wednesday plea from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for a pause in immigration enforcement over the Halloween weekend in and around homes, schools, hospitals, parks, and places of worship. Pritzker’s request followed reports from Old Irving Park in Chicago, where federal agents allegedly interrupted a children’s Halloween parade and deployed tear gas without warning on residents who were peacefully celebrating.

Operation Midway Blitz began in September 2025 and has led to nearly 3,000 arrests in the Chicago area, according to Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, who described the operation as

“wildly successful”
in an interview with ABC News earlier this week. The scale and pace of the enforcement drive have reshaped daily life across several neighborhoods, with community groups organizing rapid response networks to monitor federal activity and warn neighbors when officers appear on their blocks.

The operation’s visibility and force have drawn attention far beyond Chicago. A high-profile September 30 raid on South Shore apartments involved Blackhawk helicopters, according to accounts shared with local media, underscoring how aggressively federal agents have pursued targets in dense, residential areas. Tensions escalated earlier in the month after the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez by an ICE agent on September 12, moments after he dropped his children off at school. The shooting has fueled anger among families and activists who say the enforcement push is spreading fear and confusion from home driveways to school pickup lines.

Officials have defended the tactics, even as critics cite reports of aggressive conduct and mistakes in the field. In a segment reported by ABC News national correspondent Stephanie Ramos, one official said,

“If they’re scared and they’re illegal aliens… they have a reason to be scared, we’ll deport them. If we see them, we will arrest and deport. Make no bones about that.”
The blunt message has resonated in immigrant communities already rattled by surprise raids and visible deployments of federal agents.

Local leaders in Northwest Indiana have distanced themselves from today’s event. Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said his office was not involved in planning the appearance and will not participate. In neighboring Hammond, Mayor Thomas McDermott criticized the press conference announcement on Facebook, adding to the political friction surrounding Noem’s stop in Gary, Indiana. Organizers expect counter-protests to gather near the venue Thursday morning, reflecting a broader regional debate over the human and civic costs of the stepped-up enforcement.

The enforcement surge has strained detention capacity across the Midwest. Federal officials have expanded available beds by several thousand, including at a state prison and a military base in Indiana, to hold people transferred out of Illinois. That shift has created new hurdles for attorneys and families trying to locate loved ones and secure representation, with cases scattered across multiple facilities and state lines. Legal service providers, including the National Immigrant Justice Center, say they are filing habeas petitions and distributing “know your rights” materials to thousands of people seeking guidance on what to do if approached by federal agents.

Behind the statistics are families trying to navigate sudden arrests and, at times, deadly encounters. In January 2025, Abel Orozco was detained by half a dozen armed ICE agents in what his family described as a case of mistaken identity. Despite realizing Orozco was not their target, agents refused to release him, even as he suffered an asthma attack, according to advocates familiar with his case. Orozco’s son, Eduardo, a U.S. citizen, intervened to stop agents from breaking into the family home. Their story has circulated among community groups as an example of the risks and confusion that can accompany large-scale operations like Operation Midway Blitz.

As the operation has rolled through Chicago neighborhoods, residents have reported more frequent stops and a climate of fear, especially around schools and community events. Volunteers in several districts have launched hotlines, group chats, and neighborhood patrols to track where agents are operating and advise people to stay indoors or avoid certain blocks. In some areas, residents told reporters,

“They’re interfering wearing masks, terrorizing community. They are interfering with our right to…”
The unfinished sentence, recorded during a tense street scene, captures how quickly calm sidewalk gatherings can turn into confrontations and how difficult it is for people to finish a thought when flash-bang devices or tear gas are deployed.

State leaders say they worry about Halloween weekend, when families expect to be out at night with young children. In his Wednesday night letter, Pritzker urged Noem to suspend enforcement near sensitive locations through the holiday to prevent escalation and confusion while trick-or-treating is underway. The governor’s office said the request targets where people live, learn, worship, and seek medical care, mirroring long-standing debates over whether immigration enforcement should avoid so-called sensitive sites. Noem is expected to address the request directly during the Gary event.

For federal officials, the case for Operation Midway Blitz rests on arrest totals and the claim that the approach is deterring future lawbreaking. Bovino’s description of the operation as

“wildly successful”
has become a shorthand for the administration’s view that the effort is working on its own terms. Noem’s team says the Gary appearance will detail results to date and map out future steps in the Chicago area. The inclusion of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at the event suggests the discussion will range beyond arrests to logistics, custody transfers, and the transportation infrastructure needed to sustain large-scale operations across state lines.

Attorneys and community groups counter that enforcement-only strategies are ripping families apart, overwhelming courts, and triggering costly transfers that make it hard for people to secure counsel or attend hearings. The National Immigrant Justice Center has mobilized staff to respond to surges in detained removal defense, filing emergency petitions to challenge prolonged detention and distributing materials explaining rights during encounters with federal agents. Those efforts have intensified since September, as families call hotlines to report nighttime knocks on doors, unmarked vans idling near school routes, and helicopter overflights that rattle apartment windows.

In Gary, Indiana, the politics are complicated. The city is hosting a high-profile federal event but not embracing it. Mayor Eddie Melton’s decision to sit out the appearance reflects how quickly national policy debates can land in local halls without local input. Hammond’s Thomas McDermott amplified that point with his Facebook criticism, a rare public rebuke from a nearby mayor when a cabinet secretary comes to town. The result is a day in which Kristi Noem will try to rally support for Operation Midway Blitz under the watch of skeptical neighbors and organized protesters.

The fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez on September 12 looms over the conversation. Family advocates say the incident — which unfolded just after he dropped his children at school — underscores the risk that rapid, aggressive enforcement can lead to deadly outcomes in everyday settings. Federal officials have not publicly shifted tactics in response, pointing instead to arrest totals and ongoing investigations when pressed about whether officers will alter when and how they act near schools.

Coverage of today’s Gary event will be closely watched in Chicago, where local TV stations and national outlets have chronicled the operation’s ebb and flow. ABC7 Chicago and CBS Chicago plan live updates, while national reporters continue to press officials for arrest breakdowns, detention locations, and any written guidance concerning enforcement around schools and hospitals. Advocates say they want federal agencies to publish clearer rules and notify local governments in advance of large raids to prevent crowded scenes from spiraling.

As Noem steps to the microphone, the stakes extend beyond a single press conference. The administration has invested significant resources in detention capacity, aerial support like the Blackhawk helicopters used in South Shore, and expanded transportation corridors to move detainees across the Midwest. Any indication of a temporary pause over Halloween — or a longer-term shift in where and how agents operate — will ripple through Chicago’s neighborhoods and into court calendars in Indiana, where thousands of new detention beds have come online.

For families still deciding whether to send children out to trick-or-treat, clarity cannot come soon enough. Pritzker’s letter stresses the need to keep enforcement away from places where children gather this weekend, a request that pits safety concerns against federal resolve. In the words broadcast by ABC News,

“If they’re scared and they’re illegal aliens… they have a reason to be scared, we’ll deport them. If we see them, we will arrest and deport. Make no bones about that.”
Immigrant families and their supporters say statements like that are why they are bracing for a heavy federal presence, even at moments meant for community joy.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately release new written guidance ahead of the Gary event, but officials say further details on Operation Midway Blitz are expected during Noem’s appearance. For background on agency roles and responsibilities during enforcement actions, readers can consult the Department of Homeland Security’s official resources at the DHS website.