Duckworth, Durbin Demand Trump Administration Cease Its Misuse of Critical Chicago Infrastructure for Its Dangerous and Unnecessary Enforcement Actions

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) are demanding that the Trump Administration stop misusing the Chicago Harbor Lock as it continues its dangerous, extreme and inhumane federal invasion of Chicago. In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the Senators questioned why DoD and DHS have utilized critical U.S. Army Corps of Engineer facilities—meant for flood control, directing boat traffic, commerce and environmental stewardship—toward Trump’s harmful “Operation Midway Blitz” after vessels and vehicles associated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) were recently deployed on the Chicago River.
“Sending armed Federal officers into Chicago Harbor Lock USACE Civil Works water infrastructure facilities to advance armed patrols down the Chicago River—one of the safest locations in the City—is not an effective or legitimate immigration or border control measure,”the Senators wrote.“DHS’s use of this infrastructure strikes confusion and fear in American communities and has the potential to erode the trust of the public in the services USACE provides.”
“The surge of Federal law and immigration enforcement activity in Chicago has been conducted in an ad hoc, unprofessional manner that dodges constitutionally established oversight and accountability to the citizens of this country. We urge DOD and DHS to immediately cease the use of any USACE facilities for immigration or border patrol enforcement purposes,”the Senators continued.
Full text of the letter is available below and onSenator Duckworth’s website.
Dear Secretary Hegseth and Secretary Noem:
We write to urge you to reverse the use of and refrain from future use of the Chicago Harbor Lock—a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Civil Works facility—for Federal immigration enforcement operations conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), without the consent of the local elected officials and a formal memorandum of understanding with USACE.
According to recent reports, personnel, vessels and vehicles associated with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been observed staging at and near the Harbor Lock with armed personnel as part of what this administration is calling “Operation Midway Blitz,” a dangerous and imprecise enforcement action in the Chicago area. The use of the Chicago Harbor and its infrastructure as a staging ground for armed Federal operations undermines public trust and risks politicizing Federal assets and agencies.
This is yet another example of the U.S. Department of Defense diverting military assets and facilities from their own critical missions. We are deeply troubled by how these DHS actions in the Chicago Harbor Lock and Dam will affect the activities of USACE that the local community relies on and the public’s trust of USACE.
The Chicago Harbor Lock and Dam is a vital piece of civil infrastructure designed for navigation, commerce, flood control and environmental stewardship. It is critical to facilitating safe boat traffic between the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, for American citizens and companies, not border control or immigration operations.
Sending armed Federal officers into Chicago Harbor Lock USACE Civil Works water
infrastructure facilities to advance armed patrols down the Chicago River—one of the safest locations in the City—is not an effective or legitimate immigration or border control measure. DHS's use of this infrastructure strikes confusion and fear in American communities and has the potential to erode the trust of the public in the services USACE provides.
USACE Civil Works and its infrastructure are intended to improve navigable channels, reduce flood and storm damage, restore aquatic ecosystems, provide hydropower, manage recreational areas and ensure water supplies for irrigation and municipalities. This campaign in Chicago by CBP and ICE does not appear to be a lawful, coordinated, transparent or mission-aligned use of federal infrastructure. These actions serve as another example of removing a core Department of Defense (DOD) mission for non-military purposes.
Utilizing any of USACE Civil Works facilities, including Chicago Harbor Lock, for CBP and ICE immigration enforcement operations, raises serious concerns about statutory authority, mission alignment and transparency. This is not the purpose of USACE Civil Works, nor is it the purpose of their properties, facilities, employees or programs.
We are further concerned by reports that CBP and ICE’s use of the USACE facilities was not coordinated between agencies or local authorities. Expanding the mission of USACE facilities in such an egregious manner should require written documentation, such as a memorandum of understanding, that lays out guardrails on appropriate activities by these two very different agencies with different legal governing frameworks. To not even have completed such basic coordination is highly reckless. This is one of the busiest locks in the country and failing to coordinate is at best reckless and at worst legally questionable.
This administration has demonstrated unprecedented disregard towards our country’s laws and norms, undermining the American people’s rights and our democracy itself. The surge of Federal law and immigration enforcement activity in Chicago has been conducted in an ad hoc, unprofessional manner that dodges constitutionally established oversight and accountability to the citizens of this country. We urge DOD and DHS to immediately cease the use of any USACE facilities for immigration or border patrol enforcement purposes. DOD and DHS should specifically refrain from using the USACE Civil Works Chicago Harbor Lock facilities and the Chicago River as a staging area to demonstrate force in pursuit of partisan ends instead of our national interest. This use undermines the integrity of the Chicago District and the entire USACE Civil Works mission.
To better understand the nature and scope of the use of this property and coordination with state and local officials, we request responses to the following questions:
Please provide a written response by October 20, 2025. If you have any questions, please contact our offices.
Sincerely,
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