# ICE's Chicago 'Midway Blitz' and the National Guard fight escalate
> 1,000+ arrests, a blocked move to federalize Illinois troops, and a fourth 'No Kings' day of protest

**Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-06-14 · heads: من يقرّر, كيف تتغيّر الحياة · 9 takes · 3 lenses · 1 regions

## Summary

The [United States](/ar/entity/united-states) enforcement surge under [Donald Trump](/ar/entity/donald-trump) reached Chicago in mid-2026 through
"Operation Midway Blitz," with [Ice](/ar/entity/ice) making 1,000+ arrests in and around the city. The
administration moved to federalize 300 Illinois National Guard members over Governor J.B.
Pritzker's objection; a federal judge blocked it, finding no "danger of rebellion," and the
Supreme Court sided with the lower court. Both Chicago and Illinois are suing. The clash mirrors
the 2025 Los Angeles deployment — the first Guard mobilization without a governor's consent since
1965. On 14 June (Trump's 80th birthday) the "No Kings" movement held its fourth nationwide
action, a "Rise Up, Sing Out" event with roughly 500 watch parties, building on protests that drew
millions through 2025–26. The raids are funded by the [Trump signs $70bn Secure America Act, locking ICE and CBP funding through 2029](/ar/n/trump-secure-america-act-ice-funding).

## By the numbers

- 1,000+ — arrests in the Chicago "Midway Blitz."
- 300 — Illinois Guard members the administration sought to federalize.
- ~500 — "No Kings" watch parties on 14 June.
- 1965 — last prior Guard deployment over a governor's objection (the LA precedent).

## Why it matters

The fight tests whether a president can override a governor to put troops into a US city for
immigration enforcement. Courts have so far said no, but the administration keeps pressing — a
constitutional contest over federalism and domestic military use, with mass protest tracking the
escalation.

## What to watch

- Outcomes of the Chicago and Illinois lawsuits.
- Whether the administration extends the Guard tactic to other Democratic-run cities.
- Scale of the next "No Kings" mobilization.

## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens)

### unlabelled
- **ABC7 Chicago** (United States, en) — Reports the administration's confirmed bid to federalize 300 Illinois National Guard members over Governor Pritzker's objection during the Chicago 'Operation Midway Blitz' raids.
  Source: https://abc7chicago.com/post/donald-trump-administration-seeking-federalize-300-illinois-national-guard-members-amid-chicago-ice-raids-gov-jb-pritzker/17938396/
- **PBS NewsHour** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/ice-escalates-aggressive-raids-in-chicago-as-trump-moves-to-deploy-national-guard
- **NBC Chicago** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/chicago-protesters-rally-against-california-national-guard-deployment/3763711/
- **WTTW Chicago** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://news.wttw.com/2025/09/08/potential-ice-raids-national-guard-intervention-poses-challenges-chicago-police-ground
- **The Hill** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/5899878-no-kings-movement-protests-trump-birthday/
- **Fast Company** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.fastcompany.com/91556549/trump-birthday-protests-rally-june-14-no-kings-rise-up-sing-out-events-schedule-cities-locations
- **National Immigrant Justice Center** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://immigrantjustice.org/blog/chicago-field-hearing-background-stories-of-impacted-individuals/

### US national, civic-resistance angle
- **TIME** (United States, en) — Sets the Chicago escalation against the Los Angeles precedent, foregrounding mayoral and gubernatorial resistance to Guard deployments and the legal novelty of federalizing troops over a governor's objection.
  > "Inside the all-out assault: ICE raids and the National Guard in the city."
  Source: https://time.com/7300803/los-angeles-ice-raids-macarthur-park-national-guard-bass-trump/

### Black-press, city tracker
- **Capital B News** (United States, en) — Maintains a city-by-city tracker of Guard deployments and raids, centring affected Black and immigrant communities and documenting the spread from Los Angeles to Chicago and beyond.
  > "Tracking where Trump is deploying the National Guard, city by city."
  Source: https://capitalbnews.org/trump-national-guard-city-updates/

## Across the graph
- Related: [[trump-secure-america-act-ice-funding]]
- Entities: Donald Trump, United States, Ice

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