Federal agents arrested six United States citizens in and around Chicago in one day, according to the Department of Homeland Security, as they faced backlash for their involvement in immigration enforcement efforts under Operation Midway Blitz.U.S. Border Patrol said Friday that it had faced “one of its most violent days” since the operation began in the city, including death threats and attempted vehicle ramming.Two of those detained, Elianne Bahena and Jacqueline Lopez, are staff members for Chicago Alderman Michael Rodriguez, who told Newsweek that he believed federal authorities were lying."The idea behind the raids initially was to get the worst and the worst, but we know that they're getting U.S. citizens and non-citizens alike, with absolutely no criminal record," Rodriguez told Newsweek on Friday afternoon. "There's indiscriminate, racial targeting happening. "The presence of federal agents with pistols as wide as my arms can reach, led by Greg Bovino, has created terror in my community. On a typical day, we have dozens of street vendors out. They are gone. Parents don't want to send their kids to school. They don't want to go to work, much less go to worship."Why It MattersThe arrests of U.S. citizens clashing with federal agents once again highlight the tension between Americans exercising their First Amendment rights and when the Trump administration views that as going too far. Chicago has become a focal point for that standoff, with protesters gathering daily for weeks as Operation Midway Blitz rolls across the city....What To KnowThe Border Patrol said that one incident occurred at a laundromat on Pulaski Road, where agents were conducting immigration enforcement. U.S. citizen Isabel Mata allegedly threatened officers after stating she would put a hit out on Chief Gregory Bovino, a threat which has been referred to the FBI.Bovino was accused of throwing at least one tear gas canister into a crowd of protesters the following day in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, per CNN, potentially violating a judge’s temporary restraining order banning the use of such tactics in the city.The Border Patrol also alleged Friday that three U.S. citizens—Jacqueline Lopez, Eliana Bahena, and Jonathan Uribe—tailed their vehicles on Wednesday, to draw attention to them at 26th St. and Kostner Avenue. After an alleged attempt to ram one vehicle, all three were taken into custody.Another U.S. citizen, who Border Patrol claimed is a Latin Kings gang member, was also detained after displaying an anti-ICE flag on his vehicle and allegedly following agents for several miles on 26th St. before attempting to ram a federal vehicle head-on. Alexis Correa has convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm, destroying evidence, and DUI, Border Patrol said.U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations (OFO) also arrested an American citizen accused of recklessly impeding operations and tailing government vehicles. Alexander Torres is accused of ignoring repeated commands from officers to stop before boxing in government vehicles in an alleyway.In Glendale Heights, agents arrested three Mexican nationals allegedly in the U.S. illegally, after also facing violence, the agency said. Driver Jose Mauricio Rosas-Hernandez allegedly reversed into a government vehicle and scraped another unit. An agent was struck in the knee.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has repeatedly said in recent months that its agents are facing an uptick in assaults while they are trying to enforce the law. In Chicago in particular, there have been other reports of alleged protester violence toward agents, but officers have also been documented using force toward citizens and immigrants alike....What People Are SayingChicago Alderman Michael Rodriguez, told Newsweek on Friday afternoon: "My staff were released in a manner of hours, they knew they had no reason to take them. They're citizens of the United States, they were upholding their 1st amendment rights, and were taken for no good reason whatsoever. These are Gestapo tactics. These are terror tactics meant to cause fear in communities. We're not going to stand for it, and we want ICE out of Chicago."Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy at the ACLU of Illinois, told Newsweek: "The recurring detention of American citizens is another disturbing manifestation of the Trump Administration’s illegal and violent immigration enforcement activities. The violations of these individuals’ rights, often by masked, heavily armed and unidentified agents needs to stop. It is clear that federal agents simply seek to create terror and fear, not enhance public safety. There is no justification for this ongoing lawlessness."DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, in a press release: “Our officers are facing a surge in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, and gang members. Secretary Noem’s message to the rioters is clear: you will not stop us or slow us down. CBP and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”Illinois Democratic State Representative Hoan Huynh, on X, after he was pulled over by Border Patrol: "We must fight back against this fascist regime that has no place in America."Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker, speaking about federal agents on Fox 32: "The tables will turn one day. These people should recognize that maybe they’re not gonna get prosecuted today, although we’re looking at doing that, but they may get prosecuted after the Trump administration because the statute of limitations would not have run out."What Happens NextProtests are continuing in Chicago and elsewhere across the country, where DHS has stepped up its immigration enforcement efforts.Update 10/24/25, 3:12 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Chicago Alderman Michael Rodriguez.