CHICAGO (WLS) — The federal government has officially started it’s immigration crackdown on the Chicago area.

They’re calling it “Operation Midway Blitz” and some local community leaders continue to fight back.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

The announcement of this latest anticipated crackdown targets undocumented here in Illinois and invokes the name of Katie Abraham. The 20-year old Chicago area woman died in January when the vehicle she and her friends were riding in was struck by an undocumented drunk driver.

RELATED: Katie Abraham’s father speaks out on DHS’ operation ‘Midway Blitz’ in Chicago area

While Trump administration officials say the operation is necessary to apprehend undocumented who they say are being given refuge in sanctuary cities, immigration rights advocates say the roundups are creating fear and uncertainty and are clearly not about public safety.

“And people that have been productive in society and people who have worked in society are now afraid to even leave their homes,” Justin Burton, Chicago immigration attorney said. “People are afraid to go to court. People are afraid to travel. People are afraid to go to work. People are afraid to send their kids to school.”

SEE ALSO: ICE confirms 4 Chicago-area arrests as Trump administration’s ‘Midway Blitz’ operation gets underway

“We’re out here doing our operations with our surge in mainly because of to catch the criminal alien population that sanctuary city policies attract these criminal aliens,” Marcos Charles, ICE official, said. ” We want to get them out of the city, make the public safe, help with national security and to make sure that everybody in the community is safe no matter what they feel or their political views. We’re here to make everybody safe.”

There’s plenty of resistance to the Trump administration’s anticipated immigration crackdown.

More local faith leaders are planning to speak out against the ICE operation Tuesday on the West Side and any deployment of the National Guard in Chicago. There’s also a protest planned for Tuesday evening.