Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is sweeping up criminal illegals and illegal aliens in the state of Illinois through Operation Midway Blitz. This is occurring despite Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s vociferous demonization of any federal infiltration of the state. As my colleague Ward Clark reported, it took three days for ICE to round up a violent gang member whom the prison released to the street, despite an active ICE detainer to hold him at the jail after he served his 20-year sentence.
Read it Here: Winning: ICE Ramping Up Chicago Operation With Multiple Arrests
Trump’s Not Playing with Democrat-Run Cities: Operation Midway Blitz Is On
Tragically, with the removal of the illegal element, crime is still business-as-usual in Chicagoland. On Tuesday afternoon, two people were murdered in front of a middle school, then the shooter turned the gun on himself.
Three people were killed in a “domestic-related” shooting outside a Berwyn middle school Tuesday afternoon, according to Berwyn police.
About 4:05 p.m., Berwyn police responded to a call of shots fired near Lincoln Middle School in the 6400 block of 16th Street and found a man in a vehicle firing a rifle into another vehicle. He also fired at the officers, police said. Officers took cover but didn’t return fire.
The man firing the rifle shot himself after fatally shooting two people in the other vehicle, according to police. Officials said the shooting was “domestic-related” and are treating it as an isolated incident, but they did not release other details.
The fortunate part: No students or school staff were caught in the maelstrom and the violence. But this comment from the police commander is a gut punch.
“At this time we’re still working on identifying all the victims involved,” Berwyn police Cmdr. Michael Fellows said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “No students or staff were hurt in any way. … This is a very rare occasion in Berwyn.”
The assistant principal of the school sent a note saying most students had left for the day and students at after-school activities were all safe and accounted for, CBS2 reported. School officials couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
What a horrible reflection on the elected officials and how they treat the people they claim to serve. Crime, murders, and citizens caught in the crossfire should not be the norm. That is what should be the “very rare occasion,” not the fact that expected and typical harm was somehow escaped. Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.” There is collective groaning in the state of Illinois because wicked men like Pritzker and Johnson hold tightly the reins of power and play political games with people’s lives.
But in Memphis, there is anticipation and rejoicing ahead of the federal intervention. They are so thankful to the National Guard for helping with their crime problem that certain restaurants are serving up free lunch plates for the service members.
Since the announcement from President Trump where he said the National Guard was coming to Memphis, restaurants around the city have been taking to social media.
While the timeline is still unclear, restaurants around Memphis are welcoming the National Guard with open arms.
The Rum Boogie Café posted on Facebook “We will be providing a complementary pulled pork sandwich with a side.”
Mortimers posted something similar, saying “We will be offering a free lunch plate.”
The restaurant posted on Facebook welcoming the National Guard to town.
Another spot that was one of the first ones to post was Elwood’s Shack and their manager said they felt like it was the right thing to do.
“It is just a way to get people more involved, and they are going to be here anyway,” Mandy Edwards said.
She said since they made the post over the weekend a lot of customers have come in supporting it.
“They love it, I think supporting people who do what they do for the country it always a good thing,” Edwards said.
Dive Deeper: Trump’s Crime Crackdown Spreads to Surprising Red State-Blue City
WATCH:
“We just offered any of them that want to come in a free lunch plate just to say thank you for coming in and helping with the crime issue,” says a Memphis restaurant owner on the federal deployment.
“I’m very concerned about crime, like everybody else.” pic.twitter.com/x4ew1A6BFk
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 16, 2025
It’s a stark contrast, and we have yet to see how the Memphis intervention will change the landscape. But if the shift is as dramatic as D.C., then Pritzker and Johnson may wind up eating crow in the long run.
Editor’s Note: The days of lawlessness in Washington, D.C. are over. Thanks to President Trump, our nation’s capital will be SAFE once again.
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