The FBI announced Friday that a sweeping, multi-agency law enforcement operation in the Chicago area resulted in 305 arrests and the recovery of 24 missing children during a 60-day crackdown targeting violent crime, drug trafficking and child exploitation.
Dubbed Operation New Dawn, the initiative brought together 11 federal agencies under the leadership of the FBI and the Department of Justice as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to combat violent crime in major American cities.
“Operation New Dawn represents a massive, whole-of-government approach under President Trump’s leadership to cracking down on violent crimes and crimes against children in great American cities,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Patel said the operation led to the arrest of suspects facing allegations including robbery, kidnapping, drug trafficking, child exploitation, firearms offenses, firearms trafficking and immigration violations.
The operation also resulted in the recovery of 24 children, many of whom had been reported missing or kidnapped, according to officials.
Patel said the effort demonstrated the FBI’s commitment to aggressively pursuing criminal organizations.
“The success of this op and more to come through initiatives like Summer Heat 2.0 should be a clear message that this FBI, our partners, and the Justice Department led by AG Todd Blanche are full throttle on crushing criminal networks in this country no matter where they are,” Patel said.
Participating agencies included the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations and several other federal law enforcement partners.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, the operation was conducted as a “badgeless” initiative, with participating agencies operating under the banner of the U.S. rather than individual departments, per WFIN News.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros said the collaborative effort reflected a new approach to combating violent crime.
“It is my view that to combat violence, federal law enforcement must move at the speed of violence,” Boutros said. “The remarkable success of Operation New Dawn resoundingly proves that point.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon said cooperation between agencies played a key role in the operation’s success.
“Law enforcement has always been, and always will be, a team sport,” Amon said. “Together, we made a meaningful impact by removing shooters and other violent offenders from our streets making Chicago safer for all.”
Officials highlighted several arrests made during the operation, including Felipe Dejesus Gomez Ramirez, whom Homeland Security Investigations identified as a convicted murderer who was in the United States illegally.
Authorities also arrested alleged Traveling Vice Lords gang members David Collins and Tyrone Thomas, who were federally charged with conspiracy to possess heroin and fentanyl with intent to distribute.
DEA Chicago Field Division Special Agent in Charge Todd C. Smith said the operation demonstrated the importance of coordinated enforcement efforts.
“Operation New Dawn demonstrates the power of coordinated law enforcement efforts to address the interconnected threats of violent crime and drug trafficking,” Smith said.
The operation began May 1 and has so far resulted in 179 criminal defendants being charged in federal court across 140 newly filed criminal cases.
