Secretary Noem Visits Gary to Highlight "Operation Midway Blitz"

GARY, Ind. — Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced recent results of “Operation Midway Blitz” while in Gary, Indiana on Thursday.

“Operation Midway Blitz” is an immigration enforcement initiative that started in early September in and around Chicago, Illinois. The U.S Department of Homeland Security said there has been an increase in masked, armed agents arresting illegal immigrants with criminal records.

According to Secretary Noem, 223 illegal aliens have been arrested in Indiana during the time of this operation with 146 of them being drivers of semi-trucks, box trucks, buses or moving vans. Noem said most of the CDL’s that were given to those individuals were issued from over a dozen different states and overwhelmingly from “sanctuary states” like California, Illinois and New York.

“If you are here driving on our streets and highways illegally, you are endangering our citizens and your days are numbered,” Noem said.

The arrests haven’t stopped there. Secretary Noem said there have been thousands of total arrests made since the beginning of “Midway Blitz.”

“ICE, CBP and our state partners have arrested more than 3,000 illegal aliens including rapists, murderers and gang members that have been brought to justice,” she said.

Noem was joined at the press conference by Indiana Governor Mike Braun, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons, ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan, and Indiana Secretary of Public Safety Anthony Scott.

Gov. Braun thanked Secretary Noem, DHS, and the Trump administration for monitoring illegal drivers in Indiana and including the state in their immigration enforcement efforts. He said those driving illegally through the “Crossroads of America” put others in peril.

“When many of the major interstates run through your state, you’re going to end up with more issues disproportionately,” said Gov. Braun. “Every state is a border state when you’ve got to contend with stuff like this and ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ is working to make our highways safer.”

The visit did face some criticism from local officials including Gary’s Mayor Eddie Melton and Hammond’s Mayor Thomas McDermott. In nearby Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker has requested a pause in ICE activity around certain locations for Halloween weekend.