At least two Border Patrol boats carrying uniformed armed officers cruised through downtown along the Chicago River toward Thursday in the fed’s latest show of force as part of Operation Midway Blitz.

The boats — one of which carried at least seven Border Patrol officers armed with long guns — could be seen passing through the river near Dearborn and State streets before heading toward the Chicago Harbor Lock.

“It’s an escalation of tension,” said Colin Smalley, president of local 777 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, the union that represents the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees who man the harbor lock separating the river from Lake Michigan.

A government communication sent Wednesday and reviewed by the Sun-Times showed that a request was ma

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