The Summer has already had record heat in Illinois, and it’s only getting worse in more ways than one. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents sharply increased arrest activity in a wave that intensified through late June and early July 2026, and immigrant rights groups say the pace now rivals last fall’s Operation Midway Blitz, even without the same public visibility. This is leading to widespread fear amongst immigrants living in the state.
In a post shared on the Illinois Reddit, a report by NBC Chicago talks about the massive uptick in ICE arrests and presence as of late. Arrests had slowed after Operation Midway Blitz wound down in December, but legal groups say referrals and sightings have climbed steadily since spring, with the Southwest Side neighborhoods hit hardest over the last two weeks. Some arrests have also taken place at courthouses despite a state law and court order barring such arrests, prompting objections from the Cook County Defender’s Office.
Rapid response groups documented arrests in Chicago last week, and much more so far this week, part of a nationwide surge that saw ICE make more than 10,000 arrests recently. Requests for immigration legal help through The Resurrection Project rose significantly as a result. This led many folks to voice their concerns about ICE and what it might do.
“Notice how they say record arrests and not convictions or deportations. Abduction would be a better word.”
“Release the Epstein files, press charges, and have some consequences PLEASE!”
“I mean isn’t the blueprint there after what they have allowed with the Dept of Education? Fire everyone working for ICE since apparently you don’t need congressional approval to do that and then it’s done. They won’t do that, mind you, but SCOTUS already ruled a President can. Would love for it to bite them in the [expletive].”
“If anything this is gonna make the Hispanic community vote blue next election”
Ultimately, this sharp rise in ICE enforcement has not only overwhelmed local legal defense groups but has also caused some severe community anxieties. As residents and legal groups push back against these controversial ICE deportations and arrests, nobody knows how much will ramp up ahead of the upcoming midterms.
