DHS to Launch Operation Iron Ledger Raids in Chicago on Jan. 8, Targeting 2,500 Arrests

The Operation and Its Targets

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5: The Department of Homeland Security will launch a coordinated immigration enforcement operation on Jan. 8 in the Chicago metropolitan area, targeting approximately 2,500 individuals for arrest and expedited removal, according to two Border Patrol agents familiar with the planning. The operation, designated "Operation Iron Ledger," marks the first phase of a broader enforcement campaign expected to expand to Denver and Los Angeles by Jan. 13, the agents said.

According to a DHS official familiar with the operation, agents will execute warrants at residences, workplaces, and probation offices across Cook County and surrounding suburbs beginning at 5 a.m. local time on Jan. 8. The official said the targets are individuals with final orders of removal, prior criminal convictions, or outstanding immigration warrants. The operation is expected to involve roughly 400 personnel from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

A Texas law enforcement source said Chicago was chosen as the opening phase because of its sanctuary policies and because ICE field offices there have accumulated a backlog of roughly 8,000 unresolved removal orders. The source, who was briefed on the planning during a Dec. 29 conference call, said the operation will avoid schools, hospitals, and places of worship unless agents have specific criminal warrants.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office ended its 287(g) agreement with ICE in 2019 and no longer honors immigration detainers at the Cook County Jail, according to the Texas source. The source said the absence of local cooperation means federal agents will rely on surveillance, employment records, and tips from state probation officers to locate targets.

The DHS official said the campaign was approved during a Jan. 3 meeting at DHS headquarters in Washington. The meeting lasted two hours and included senior officials from ICE, CBP, and the DHS Office of the General Counsel, the official said. A written operations order, labeled "Enforcement Surge Directive 2026-001," was signed later that afternoon, the official said.

Logistics and Interagency Coordination

The DHS official said the agency has chartered six daily flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to ICE detention facilities in Harlingen, Texas, beginning Jan. 9. The flights will be operated by Berry Aviation under a contract worth roughly $14 million for the first 30 days, the official said. Detainees will be held initially at the Hilton Garden Inn in Aurora, Illinois, which the government has block-booked through Jan. 31, according to the two Border Patrol agents.

The operation will be directed from the ICE Chicago Field Office at 101 West Congress Parkway, with a tactical command center established at a nearby federal building at 525 West Van Buren Street, the DHS official said. Daily briefings are scheduled for 6:30 a.m., and agents will use a secure radio channel named "Tac-Ledger" to coordinate arrests across multiple jurisdictions, the official said.

The DHS official said the Department of Justice signed off on the operation on Jan. 3 through the enforcement surge directive. The memo authorizes deputized state and local law enforcement officers in non-sanctuary jurisdictions to assist federal agents, the official said. Illinois State Police have not agreed to participate, but officers from at least two Indiana sheriff's departments are expected to provide perimeter support, according to the Texas source.

The Texas source said agents will transport detainees to a processing center at O'Hare in white passenger vans leased from Enterprise Holdings. The source said each van will carry no more than 12 detainees and will be escorted by marked CBP vehicles on the route to the airport. Detainees with medical conditions will be screened at the processing center before boarding, the source said.

The Berry Aviation flights are scheduled to depart O'Hare at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 6 p.m. each day, with two aircraft assigned to each departure window, the DHS official said. The official said each flight can carry up to 135 detainees and will arrive at Valley International Airport in Harlingen, where buses will transport detainees to the Port Isabel Detention Center.

The Hilton Garden Inn block booking includes 140 rooms and a conference room converted into a processing area, the two Border Patrol agents said. The agents said the government is paying $149 per night per room plus $3,200 per day for the conference room, bringing the hotel portion of the operation to roughly $890,000 through Jan. 31.

Legal Context and Political Stakes

The operation comes as the new administration seeks to demonstrate rapid action on border security following campaign promises to increase interior enforcement. A DHS official said the agency expects to arrest between 1,800 and 2,100 people during the Chicago phase, with the remainder of the 2,500 target list composed of individuals who may already have left the area or been detained on other charges. The official said the operation will cost approximately $38 million through Jan. 31.

Civil liberties groups are preparing legal challenges. A Texas law enforcement source said attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union have been monitoring the planning and plan to file emergency motions in the Northern District of Illinois if agents enter private residences without judicial warrants. The source said DHS lawyers believe the operation is insulated from immediate court intervention because the arrests are based on final removal orders.

The DHS official said the Office of the General Counsel issued a legal memorandum on Dec. 30 concluding that arrests based on final orders of removal do not require additional judicial warrants. The memo also states that local sanctuary policies do not invalidate ICE detainers, the official said. The official said the department expects similar legal memos to be issued for the Denver and Los Angeles phases.

The planned surge represents a significant expansion of interior enforcement compared with the final year of the previous administration, when ICE averaged roughly 6,000 interior arrests per month nationwide, according to agency data cited by the DHS official. The official said the new administration has set a target of 15,000 interior arrests per month by March 2026.

What to Watch in the Next 48 to 72 Hours

In the next 48 to 72 hours, watch for the first arrests in Chicago, the activation of the O'Hare charter flights, and a possible statement from the White House press office. If the Chicago phase proceeds without major legal setbacks, the Denver and Los Angeles phases are expected to begin on Jan. 13 and Jan. 16, respectively, the DHS official said.

The two Border Patrol agents said the operation could become a template for similar surges in New York, Miami, and Seattle by late January. The agents said internal planning documents reference a target of 15,000 arrests nationwide by the end of February, though that figure depends on court rulings and cooperation from state and local agencies.