Immigration Raids in Chicago: Polish Community Fears Brutal ICE Operations

Last fall, a wave of unprecedented federal actions swept through Chicago, shaking the local community, including the sizable Polish minority. As part of the operation codenamed Midnight Blitz, thousands of ICE officers conducted coordinated raids on workplaces and private residences. During the operation, violent clashes occurred with protesting residents, and over 1,600 people were detained in total. The use of tactics typical for special forces, including night raids using Black Hawk helicopters, was particularly controversial, heightening the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty among immigrants. U.S. immigration law underwent radical changes after the September 11, 2001 attacks, with the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security and, within its structure, the ICE agency, granting it broad deportation powers. Representatives of the Polish diaspora and lawyers warn that the narrative from President Donald Trump's administration about targeting only dangerous criminals does not match reality. Many of those detained in Chicago are individuals with unblemished reputations and clean records who have worked and paid taxes in the United States for years. Polish diplomacy has noted a twofold increase since October 2025 in the number of Poles deciding to leave the USA in the face of deportation threats. The brutality of the agency's actions triggered a nationwide wave of protests, especially after a tragic event in Minnesota, where agents shot and killed two people. Public pressure forced the White House to temporarily withdraw some officers from that state, but tensions remain high in Chicago. „None of my clients detained during this operation had a criminal past, which undermines the official reasons for the action.” — Anonymous lawyer The current legal situation for many members of the Polish diaspora is described as "living in limbo." Although immigrants from Poland constitute a relatively small percentage of all deportees, the radicalization of methods used by ICE means no one feels safe. Consular services of the Republic of Poland are monitoring the situation and trying to provide legal support to compatriots who have fallen into the hands of federal agents. The intensification of actions comes at a difficult political moment, just before new White House initiatives to tighten border controls and internal residency checks.