More than 97% of immigrants detained in the Trump administration's 'Operation Midway Blitz' in Chicago had no criminal conviction, according to federal court records. The data, released on Friday and first reported by the Chicago Tribune, sharply contradicts the administration's portrayal of the immigration sweeps as targeting the 'worst of the worst' criminals.
Of the 614 immigrants arrested in the Chicago operation, which began in September, just 16 had significant criminal histories, according to data submitted to the court by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as part of a lawsuit. Ten detainees were convicted of or faced charges for assault, battery or domestic violence; one had been convicted of enticement of a minor and kidnapping; one was labelled a 'foreign criminal'; and two had drunk-driving convictions.
The rest had neither criminal convictions nor pending charges. Federal authorities classified three dozen others as 'high' risk to public safety, but the vast majority were labelled low risk, though almost all were described as flight risks.
The data was submitted in the case of Castañon Nava v Department of Homeland Security, where plaintiffs accuse the DHS of violating a 2022 consent decree limiting warrantless arrests. A separate document described an additional 39 detainees as security threats without stating reasons, according to a spokesperson for the National Immigrant Justice Center.
The gap between detainees' criminal histories and the administration's portrayal has emerged as a recurring theme since Trump retook office. Similar patterns were seen in immigration sweeps in southern California, where over two-thirds of 722 migrants arrested in June had no criminal convictions.
DHS assistant secretary Tricia Mclaughlin called the Chicago data 'horrendously misleading', stating that 70% of migrants arrested by ICE nationally had criminal convictions or pending charges. However, the Guardian's data tracker shows that figure is actually 64%, marking a shift since Trump took office. Those without criminal records now make up the largest group of detainees in ICE custody, at approximately 36%.
