ICE Fires Anti-Crowd Projectiles at Chicagoans Aiming to Shut Down Trump’s Midway Blitz

ICE Fires Anti-Crowd Projectiles at Chicagoans Aiming to Shut Down Trump’s Midway Blitz

Chicago, Ill. September 12, 2025 Tensions boiled over late Thursday night outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility near Chicago’s Midway Airport, where federal agents fired anti-crowd projectiles to disperse demonstrators demanding the site’s closure. The confrontation marked the most heated moment yet in what activists have dubbed the fight to stop “Trump’s Midway Blitz,” a new enforcement surge targeting immigrant communities in the Midwest.

A Protest That Rarely Sleeps

For weeks, activists, students, labor groups, and immigrant-rights advocates have gathered outside the ICE facility at nearly all hours. Organizers said their goal is to shut the center down by sheer numbers and public pressure. On Thursday, crowds swelled into the hundreds, with protesters blocking entrances and chanting, “No ICE in our city.”

Police warned demonstrators to clear access points before federal agents in riot gear advanced. According to witnesses, agents deployed non-lethal rounds, described as rubber bullets and pepper-ball projectiles, after some protesters attempted to pull down temporary barricades.

Injuries and Arrests

Local medics treated several protesters for welts and breathing difficulties. At least a dozen people were arrested, though ICE officials did not immediately release an official tally.

One demonstrator, 22-year-old university student Camila Torres, described the scene as “chaos.” She said she was struck in the leg by a rubber round: “We came to peacefully demand justice, and they treated us like criminals.”

ICE defended its actions, saying agents acted “with measured force” to restore order and maintain operations. A spokesperson said protesters posed “a threat to federal property and officer safety.”

Political Reverberations

The clash drew swift reactions from local leaders. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson condemned the use of crowd-control projectiles against residents, calling it “an unacceptable escalation against people exercising their right to protest.”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker also weighed in, urging federal officials to respect local concerns. “Chicagoans will not be intimidated out of standing up for immigrant families,” he said.

The White House defended the enforcement surge, which Trump has touted as the “Midway Blitz”, part of a nationwide crackdown designed to increase deportations and expand detention capacity. “We will not allow mobs to shut down lawful federal operations,” a senior administration official said Friday.

Centrist Analysis

From a centrist perspective, the confrontation underscores the difficulty of balancing immigration enforcement with community trust and civil liberties. Federal officials have a mandate to carry out immigration law, but the deployment of force against protesters risks further eroding public confidence in government institutions.

The episode also highlights the widening gap between Washington and local leaders in cities like Chicago, where cooperation with ICE has long been fraught. In the middle are immigrant families, and residents, caught between federal crackdowns and civic unrest.