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Krishnamoorthi flags business losses due to Illinois ICE raids
The request calls for a federal assessment of business losses and immediate support measures for firms impacted by the immigration raids.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 17, Apr 2026
- 17:32 EDT
- 19
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi / Photo: X/@CongressmanRaja
Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has urged the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to support Illinois small businesses affected by Operation Midway Blitz, a series of federal immigration raids in the Chicago area.
In an April 16 letter to SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler and the agency’s Office of Advocacy, Krishnamoorthi raised concerns over the “severe economic impact that Operation Midway Blitz has had on the small business community in Illinois” and urged the agency “to immediately take action to support small businesses across the state.”
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The letter outlines reported year-over-year revenue declines of 20 to 50 percent for many local businesses since the operation began in September 2025. It also cites reduced foot traffic, workforce instability, and declining access to capital as factors affecting long-term business viability.
Krishnamoorthi pointed to Broadview, Illinois, as a focal point of the economic fallout, describing it as “ground zero for DHS and its unlawful actions during Operation Midway Blitz.”
Citing Mayor Katrina Thompson, he said businesses in the village have collectively lost more than $350,000 in revenue as a direct result of the operation.
“For a small community, this level of economic loss is devastating and underscores how quickly federal enforcement actions can destabilize local economies,” he wrote.
The letter also references analysis indicating that a large majority of individuals detained in recent enforcement actions had no criminal record, while local business owners reported impacts exceeding those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Krishnamoorthi called on the SBA Office of Advocacy to “immediately undertake a formal economic impact assessment of Operation Midway Blitz, including neighborhood-level data on business closures, revenue losses, and employment disruption,” and requested that the findings be made public and submitted to his office by June 15, 2026.
He added that “the scale of these impacts raises serious questions regarding the absence of safeguards or mitigation measures for small businesses caught in the wake of federal operations,” and urged the SBA to use “any tools at your disposal” to support affected businesses in the Chicago area.
Operation Midway Blitz, led by the Department of Homeland Security, involved coordinated raids across Chicago and surrounding areas beginning in September 2025, with enforcement continuing into 2026. The operation has drawn legal challenges, including court rulings against warrantless detentions and ongoing appeals over enforcement limits.
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