Sanctuary Policies Let Dangerous Criminal Aliens Stay Free Until ICE Arrests Them

CHICAGO, IL - This week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents carried out another round of arrests in Chicago as part of the ongoing Operation Midway Blitz, targeting some of the city’s violent criminal illegal aliens. 

On November 22, ICE's website issued an official press release going over details of the ongoing operation. Agents arrested multiple offenders across Chicago on November 19, including individuals convicted of domestic violence, sexual abuse of a child, armed robbery, and other violent crimes.

ICE officials noted that many of the suspects were in the country illegally and had benefited from so-called sanctuary policies that tied the hands of policemen and local officials. This in spite of the fact that many of these individuals were already racking up dozens of charges for their various illegal activities. 

The press release detailed the arrests of the following individuals:
 

• Angel Gonzalez Di Luca, a 27-year-old illegal alien from Venezuela, was convicted of domestic violence with strangulation. According to DHS, he attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended by ICE. He entered the country illegally at an unknown time and location and was later released under Biden-era catch-and-release policies. He never reported to ICE as required.
• Juan Toledo Vasquez, a 54-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child and possession of fraudulent identification. He has been removed from the United States twice, once in 2000 and again in 2007.
• Jose Juarez Soto, a 31-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, was convicted of domestic battery and criminal recklessness involving a deadly weapon. Border Patrol previously granted him a voluntary return to Mexico in March 2010, but he illegally reentered the country sometime afterward. 
• Hector Teja Solis, a 34-year-old Mexican national, was convicted of armed robbery that caused bodily injury. He also entered the United States illegally at an unknown date and location.
• Miguel Angel Portillo Pacheco, a 29-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador, has a lengthy criminal record that includes domestic battery, assault, violating a protective order, armed robbery without a firearm, and resisting a peace officer. He claims he first entered the country illegally in 2009. ICE encountered him at McHenry County Jail following his conviction and took him into custody after his sentence ended.
• Domingo Sanchez Hernandez, a 47-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, was convicted of DUI, along with several arrests for domestic battery. An immigration judge ordered him removed on August 12, 2024, but he was able to stay in Chicago for over a year since that time. 

ICE Chicago Field Office Director Sam Olson said, “These arrests are a drop in the bucket. ICE Chicago is out doing targeted enforcement every day to protect people where their local leaders have failed, and we have arrested thousands of dangerous criminal aliens.”

Olson continued, stating that if sanctuary officials had notified ICE before releasing these individuals, “they would be in their home countries rather than victimizing innocent people here in the United States.”

ICE confirmed that each of the individuals arrested will remain in federal custody pending immigration proceedings or removal.

Operation Midway Blitz was launched by the Department of Homeland Security in honor of Katie Abraham, who was killed by a drunk-driving illegal alien in Illinois.

Despite the operation's continued success in apprehending and removing violent criminal offenders from the streets of Chicago, ICE and its agents have continued to meet fierce resistance both from activists and from Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson.

In its release, ICE encouraged the public to report crimes or suspicious activity by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE or by submitting information online. DHS also directed the public to follow updates about its public safety mission on X at @ICEgov.