Washington, 9 September 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The US government on Monday announced an immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, intensifying its clash with Democratic leaders in the US state of Illinois.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on X the "Operation Midway Blitz" would target "criminal illegal aliens." It gave no details on how the raids would be carried out.

Chicago's Democratic mayor, Brandon Johnson, wrote on X that the city had not been informed in advance.

"We remain opposed to any potential militarized immigration enforcement without due process because of ICE's [Immigration and Customs Enforcement's] track record of detaining and deporting American citizens and violating the human rights of hundreds of detainees," Johnson said.

The agency is known for raids involving masked agents and has been criticized by rights groups over its tactics.

Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker accused US President Donald Trump of taking actions that are not aimed at fighting crime. "Instead of taking steps to work with us on public safety, the Trump Administration's focused on scaring Illinoisians," he said on X.

Trump has fuelled tensions in recent days with combative rhetoric and imagery. Over the weekend, he shared an image generated by artificial intelligence on his platform Truth Social, depicting the Chicago skyline in a style reminiscent of the war film "Apocalypse Now."

The image included the line "Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR," alongside the caption, "I love the smell of deportations in the morning," echoing the famous film quote about napalm.

Photo: MIA archive