Now in its second month, the Operation Midway Blitz immigration crackdown is causing staffing shortages and other problems at Chicago-area restaurants, industry insiders say.

In addition to employees not reporting for shifts to avoid arrest at workplaces, restaurants are booking fewer reservations and welcoming fewer walk-in customers, said Sam Toia, president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association .

It’s not just the increased presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that’s impacting restaurants, Toia said through a spokesperson. The U.S. Border Patrol’s recent activity in the Loop and the activation of National Guard troops from Illinois and Texas — ostensibly to protect federal agents — have many citizens and noncitizens on edge, too.

“The deployments

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