In a recent operation, federal law enforcement agents successfully located a missing girl in the company of two illegal immigrants in the vicinity of Chicago.
This operation comes as part of the Trump administration's intensified efforts to enforce immigration laws in sanctuary cities.
According to the Daily Caller, the U.S. Marshals, in collaboration with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, rescued a 13-year-old girl who had disappeared from Rochester, New York, hundreds of miles away. The girl was found in the company of an 18-year-old male and his father, both of whom Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) identified as illegal immigrants.
The trio was discovered in an apartment complex in Blue Island, Illinois, a suburb south of Chicago.
U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces Serralta expressed his relief in a public statement, saying, The United States Marshals Service worked tirelessly to recover this endangered child from the predators who should have never been in this country to take her from the safety of her family and home. Our children deserve safe cities!
This rescue operation follows a period of heightened immigration enforcement in Chicago. Earlier in September, ICE launched "Operation Midway Blitz" across the city and throughout Illinois. The operation targeted illegal immigrants allegedly exploiting sanctuary laws for protection.
Since the operation's commencement, federal immigration officers have arrested hundreds of criminal illegal immigrants, including members of the Tren de Aragua gang and others with criminal records including murder, child sexual assault, and armed robbery.
Despite these efforts, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, have staunchly opposed the escalated ICE operations in their jurisdictions. Johnson, a vocal critic of the crackdown, signed an executive order in August aimed at employing "legal action and legislation" against any immigration or National Guard deployment in Chicago.
The tension escalated when over 100 rioters surrounded an ICE processing center in Broadview, Illinois, blocking the entrance and allegedly resorting to violence. Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh was reportedly slammed to the ground by a federal agent after allegedly participating in the rioting.
The Trump administration, which has already conducted large-scale illegal immigrant crackdowns in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., had been preparing to extend its operations to Chicago. In August, the Department of Homeland Security requested logistical and infrastructure support from the nearby Naval Station Great Lakes to aid immigration operations.
Since President Donald Trump's return to office, U.S. Marshals, along with numerous other federal law enforcement agencies, have assumed a more prominent role in immigration enforcement. A DHS directive issued in January granted members across the federal government many of the same authorities as ICE agents.
This directive applies to agents working within the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
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