Crime & Law
US Attorney Andrew Boutros Touts Scores of Arrests in Violence Disruption Operation Amid ‘Broadview Six’ Fallout
Andrew Boutros, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, speaks during a press conference on July 2, 2026. (WTTW News)
Nearly 200 people have been arrested as part of a new “badgeless” violence disruption initiative led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago and nearly a dozen other federal agencies.
Chicago’s U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros on Thursday announced the results of “Operation New Dawn,” a two-month law enforcement initiative that included 11 federal agencies working together in what he called a “cohesive, unified partnership” targeting dangerous criminals.
“No distractions, no noise, no nonsense, no spin, no subterfuge, no treachery, no reckless reporting can take away from our results, from the incredible work that we are doing for the people and the unity of the federal apparatus that exists in Chicago,” Boutros said.
In speaking Thursday, Boutros marked his first public appearance following the collapse of the “Broadview Six” protester case in late May, in which his office was accused of grand jury misconduct as it secured an indictment in the politically charged case.
He has since faced repeated calls to resign from several elected officials.
Asked if his remark about “reckless reporting” was related to the Broadview scandal, Boutros on Thursday said there has been “an incredible amount of reckless reporting” as well as “spin” and “falsities” presented in stories about that case.
Boutros went so far as to claim, in his view, some of the reporting may violate the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 1964 decision which established the “actual malice” standard for defamation lawsuits brought by public officials.
“I will say, again, there has been a lot of reckless reporting, including reporting that, I think, rises to the level of violating New York Times v. Sullivan,” he said. “And I think people in this room should know what I mean when I say that.”
The former Broadview defendants have filed a motion seeking to recoup their legal fees in fighting the charges and a federal judge may appoint a special prosecutor to investigate any wrongdoing by Boutros’ office.
Amid that backdrop, Boutros addressed the news media about his office’s latest operation.
Since the start of May, Boutros’ office said that operation resulted in the arrests of 179 individuals who are now charged in 140 separate cases, as well as the apprehension of 305 fugitives.
Two dozen children, many of whom had been kidnapped, were also recovered and returned to their families as part of this operation, according to Boutros.
“Violence is unacceptably high in many neighborhoods of this great American city,” he said during a press conference Thursday. “That is why today I’m pleased to present some good news. The new dawn of crime fighting is underway in Chicago.”
Boutros described the enforcement effort as “badgeless” because the agencies operated “under the banner of the United States flag” rather than under the shield of any single agency.
According to Boutros’ office, the agencies worked together in a partnership that sought to disrupt violence in the Chicago and Rockford areas by arresting the “worst of the worst offenders” and charging them with federal offenses.
Boutros said those arrested now face allegations of murder, robbery, kidnapping, firearms and drug trafficking, immigration violations, child exploitation and various other federal violent crimes.
Agencies that worked in the partnership include: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force; the Internal Revenue Service; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; the U.S. Marshals Service; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Chicago Police Department also provided “strong, sustained support and assistance” throughout Operation New Dawn, according to a news release.
However, when asked by WTTW News about the department’s role in the effort, a CPD spokesperson made clear that any involvement by Chicago officers was “focused solely on criminal enforcement.”
“In accordance with state and City law, including the Welcoming City Ordinance, the Chicago Police Department does not assist federal authorities with civil immigration enforcement,” the spokesperson said Thursday.
Boutros called the operation an experiment wherein various agencies had to set aside any “territorial battles” and actually work together as a cohesive unit. He said those efforts were a “remarkable success” and he expects other U.S. attorney’s offices elsewhere across the country to copy this model.
