During Donald Trump's second presidency, United States immigration officials have engaged in mass deportation operations across the country. These operations involve the city-wide upsurge in presence of immigration enforcement officials, especially Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. These operations have been met with protests and significant public backlash. Enforcement officials have killed citizens and non-during these operations, most notably Alex Pretti and Renée Good during Operation Metro Surge.

Midway Blitz

These paragraphs are an excerpt from Operation Midway Blitz.[edit]

Operation Midway Blitz is an operation by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted in and around Chicago, Illinois, starting on September 9, 2025.[1] The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that the operation will arrest illegal immigrants with criminal records[1] and is intended to crack down on sanctuary policies.[2] Hundreds of DHS agents used a nearby naval base as a staging area.[1]

Some legal experts questioned the legality of the operation,[1] and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is planning legal action.[3] Pritzker's office has stated that the Trump administration did not communicate with his office about the operation.[1] The operation has caused anxiety among certain Chicago residents such as Latinos.[1] Religious organizations in Chicago have coordinated to schedule gatherings and make resources available for immigrants.[1][4] A hotline set up to report ICE sightings was very busy on the first day of the operation, confirming that enforcement actions increased.[3]

On December 31, 2025, the National Guard ceased to be a part of the Chicago deployments.[5]

Safeguard

These paragraphs are an excerpt from Operation Safeguard (United States).[edit]

Operation Safeguard is a law enforcement plan of the United States government originally scheduled to be activated on January 21, 2025, but delayed due to targeting leaks. Its objective is to rapidly detain and expel undocumented migrants living in urban areas in the United States. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the lead agency.

Charlotte's Web

On November 15, ICE and other federal agencies deployed in Charlotte, North Carolina, to conduct a blitz of immigration raids nicknamed "Operation Charlotte's Web" after the children's book of the same name.[6] 130 people were arrested in the first 48 hours of the operation with 81 of those 130 detained in the first five hours of the raids. Charlotte and Mecklenberg County officials denounced the raids for "causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty in our community". A 46 year old naturalized US citizen was stopped twice by ICE on the first day of operations in Charlotte, showing his papers to them both times. The second time, his window was smashed and he was dragged out of the car by federal agents. He was later released.[7]

On November 17, a Border Patrol agent smashed a woman's car window and pointed his gun at her before detaining her.[8]

On November 18, ICE deployed to Wake and Durham Counties,[9] as well as Cary, North Carolina. Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said that the federal presence had shut down "almost all" of the city's Mexican restaurants and forced other businesses to operate without their Hispanic staff.[10] The Wake County deployment provoked large protests in Raleigh.[11] Organizers in Charlotte, Evanston and Cary[10] monitored federal activities and used whistles to warn bystanders of a federal presence.[12] A Charlotte laundromat owner operated his business with the doors locked to prevent immigration agents from apprehending his customers.[13] OurBRIDGE, an immigrant services organization, was forced to suspend its afterschool programs after more than 20 agents arrived at the organization's childcare center at 10 AM on November 18.[14] Fear over immigration raids resulted in more than 30,000 students – nearly 20% of the district's enrollment – being absent from Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools on 17 November.[15] On 18 November, high school students in Charlotte staged a walkout to protest the raids.[16] By 21 November, DHS said more than 370 people had been arrested in Charlotte.[17]

Martha White, granddaughter of Charlotte's Web author E. B. White, criticized the use of the book's title for the operation.[18]

Metro Surge

These paragraphs are an excerpt from Operation Metro Surge.[edit]

Operation Metro Surge is an ongoing operation by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with the stated purpose of apprehending undocumented immigrants and deporting them. Beginning in December 2025, it initially targeted the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and Saint Paul), and later expanded to all of Minnesota.[19] The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called it "the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out".[20] The surge has been characterized by an escalation in the severity of ICE tactics,[21] harassment, and threats against observers.[22][23] It has involved the detention of US citizens[24] and the arrest of 3,000 people.[25]

Federal agents killed two civilian protestors during the operation: Renée Good and Alex Pretti, who were both US citizens. One person detained by ICE during the operation died while in custody. The operation has disrupted the economy and civil society of Minnesota, with schools transitioning to remote learning and immigration arrests disrupting everyday business activities.[26][27] Thousands in Minneapolis have protested the ICE activity.[28] The governor and attorney general of Minnesota have challenged the operation, stating that its primary purpose is "retribution" instead of immigration enforcement.[29][30] On January 28, 2026, Minnesota chief US District judge Patrick Schiltz found that ICE violated at least 96 court orders in Minnesota since January 1, 2026.[31][32] On February 3, Judge Jerry W. Blackwell said that the "overwhelming majority" of cases brought to him by ICE involved people lawfully present in the United States.[33]

On February 4, White House "border czar" Tom Homan announced that the administration was withdrawing 700 immigration officers from the state effective immediately,[34][35] which will bring the total number of officers deployed to the state down to 2,000.[36] On February 10, Minnesota governor Tim Walz said that he expected the operation would end over the next few days following discussions with Trump administration officials.[37][38] On February 12, Homan announced that the operation would end, but that the withdrawal would continue into the next week.[39][40] However, Homan subsequently said that a residual immigration officer force of an unspecified size would remain in the state.[41] In the following weeks, ICE continued to be active in the Twin Cities suburbs.[42]

Salvo

These paragraphs are an excerpt from Operation Salvo.[edit]

On January 8, 2026, Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem announced a New York City Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation named Operation Salvo during a press conference, one day after the killing of Renée Good. The operation's stated goal is to target the Trinitarios gang and will lead to increased ICE presence in New York City.

Catch of the Day

On January 21, an operation began in Maine titled "Operation Catch of the Day", conducted primarily in the cities of Lewiston and Portland.[43] As of January 23, federal officers had arrested about 100 people and DHS officials said the operation had approximately 1,400 targets.[44]

Despite claims that ICE was targeting violent criminals,[45] court records reportedly show that not all persons detained had been convicted of violent crimes.[46] Among those arrested were corrections officers for Cumberland County and York County who reportedly had approved federal work authorizations and no criminal histories.[47][48] At a press conference on January 22, Maine governor Janet Mills said that no one within her gubernatorial administration had any contact with Trump administration officials about the ICE operation and expressed skepticism that all 1,400 ICE targets had criminal histories.[49][50] After questioning the rationale for the operation in news interviews,[51][52] U.S. senator Susan Collins requested information from DHS about the operation's rationale and conduct, as well as the legal rationale for certain detentions.[53] Mills called on DHS officials to present judicial warrants when making arrests, to compile arrest statistics, and provide basic information to the state government that identifies detainees, while Collins generally avoided criticizing ICE's conduct other than arguing that immigrants lawfully within the country should not be targeted by ICE operations and in favor of body cameras and de-escalation training for ICE officers.[54]

On January 29, Collins announced that the large-scale ICE operation in Maine had ended after she spoke to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.[55][56]

References

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