Senator Dick Durbin has taken aim at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over the Trump administration's deportation 'blitz' in the Chicago area. The Illinois Democrat, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has sent a scathing letter to Noem demanding answers about U.S. citizens caught up in the recent immigration enforcement dragnet.
Noem had previously claimed that no American citizens were arrested or detained during Operation Midway Blitz, but Durbin disputes this, citing reports from the Chicago Sun-Times. He argues that Noem's assertion is "patently false" and highlights the disturbing reality of many U.S. citizens being caught in the Trump administration's indiscriminate and violent enforcement dragnet.
According to Durbin, at least 40 American citizens were arrested in Illinois during late August and early November, with some being held for days without access to their lawyers. He also mentions a recent Supreme Court decision that has left Black and Brown Americans fearing immigration stops based on their race, ethnicity, or job.
The senator highlights specific cases of wrongful detention, including a retired caterer and an Air Force veteran who were zip-tied during a military-style raid in September, as well as a 15-year-old boy held for hours without contact. Durbin stresses that despite federal judges' efforts to rein in the immigration agents, they continue to conduct chaotic and cruel raids.
Durbin has requested records related to the arrests of citizens in immigration raids by December 16, including state-by-state tallies and complaints policies. He emphasizes the need for Congressional oversight due to Noem's attempt to "gut" offices responsible for overseeing ICE officers' conduct and ensuring accountability for unlawful arrests and detention.
The Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to a request for comment on this matter.
Noem had previously claimed that no American citizens were arrested or detained during Operation Midway Blitz, but Durbin disputes this, citing reports from the Chicago Sun-Times. He argues that Noem's assertion is "patently false" and highlights the disturbing reality of many U.S. citizens being caught in the Trump administration's indiscriminate and violent enforcement dragnet.
According to Durbin, at least 40 American citizens were arrested in Illinois during late August and early November, with some being held for days without access to their lawyers. He also mentions a recent Supreme Court decision that has left Black and Brown Americans fearing immigration stops based on their race, ethnicity, or job.
The senator highlights specific cases of wrongful detention, including a retired caterer and an Air Force veteran who were zip-tied during a military-style raid in September, as well as a 15-year-old boy held for hours without contact. Durbin stresses that despite federal judges' efforts to rein in the immigration agents, they continue to conduct chaotic and cruel raids.
Durbin has requested records related to the arrests of citizens in immigration raids by December 16, including state-by-state tallies and complaints policies. He emphasizes the need for Congressional oversight due to Noem's attempt to "gut" offices responsible for overseeing ICE officers' conduct and ensuring accountability for unlawful arrests and detention.
The Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to a request for comment on this matter.
! i cant believe noem's trying to downplay the fact that american citizens were arrested in chicago during operation midway blitz 
. like, how can she just deny it and expect ppl to trust her? 
. i'm so glad durbin is all over this and demanding answers from noem 
. 40 americans caught up in these raids? that's wild 
. we need more accountability, like, now 
. durbin should def get those records by dec 16th 
. this is all so messed up 
.
. Something needs to change with how immigration enforcement is handled, and this whole thing just makes me wanna shake my head 
Durbin's demands for records and accountability are totally justified. I just hope the Department of Homeland Security comes clean about what really went down during these raids... 
I heard they have the best Korean BBQ tacos... anyway, back to the news - it's just crazy how the Trump admin is still causing problems even after he's out of office 
. Oh wait, what's up with the whole Supreme Court decision thing? Sounds like it could be really bad for innocent people 
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. it's crazy how noem is denying reports of american citizens being detained without access to lawyers 
what if they weren't even from here? wouldn't we want to protect our own 
?
. I mean, if Noem is saying something and Durbin is disputing it, someone should come forward with concrete proof one way or the other 
.
. And now Durbin wants records from Noem? That's a pretty big ask 
. I'm all for Congressional oversight, but this feels like a lot of armchair quarterbacking if you ask me 
.
. Maybe we'll get some answers once the records start coming out, but until then... I'm skeptical 
I don't understand why the government would do this, especially when they're supposed to be protecting us.
It's not okay for the government to just ignore people and sweep them away without any care or concern. We need more transparency and accountability, especially when it comes to protecting our own citizens. 
I'm totally blown away by Senator Durbin's response to Kristi Noem over the deportation 'blitz' in Chicago 
.
. It's like, we're living in some kind of dystopian nightmare.
. Either way, it's up to us to keep pushing for truth and justice 
. I mean, can't we just know what's really going on? Why all the secrecy? And 40 people, including U.S. citizens, getting zip-tied and held without their lawyers? That's just crazy! 
I don't get why Noem wouldn't want to be more transparent about all this. Is she trying to hide something? And what's up with the Department of Homeland Security not commenting on any of this? Are they just not answering the senator's questions because they're hiding something? 
, this is seriously messed up! I mean, who gets caught up in some immigration raid thinking they're U.S. citizens? It's like, come on Kristi, get your facts straight! 
️ But anyway, back to this stuff... isn't Homeland Security supposed to protect us? Like, what happened to all the safety measures? 
.
It's not rocket science! The fact that federal judges are still struggling to rein in the chaos is just a sign of how broken our immigration system is 
what's going on with trump admin? they're just making it up as they go along... noem is being super shady about this too 
i mean, why would she deny all american citizens were caught when there are reports from the chicago sun-times saying otherwise? it's not even a good cover story 
. I mean, what even is the point of having a Supreme Court if we can't trust our own immigration system? This whole thing reeks of racism and xenophobia 
...anyway, I'm all about fairness and transparency, so it's cool that Sen Durbin's speaking up about this.