Topline
The Trump administration is reportedly planning a major immigration enforcement operation in Chicago next week, sources told CNN and “border czar” Tom Homan alluded to—but local leaders have heard no official communications about the National Guard being deployed there, which President Donald Trump has threatened to do.
“Mr. President, do not come to Chicago,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker told President Donald Trump at a press conference earlier this week.
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Key Facts
“Operations are ramping up across the country, but you can see a ramp up of operations in Chicago, absolutely,” Homan told reporters Thursday, adding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would also “ramp up” operations in other sanctuary cities.
The Department of Homeland Security asked Naval Station Great Lakes, a military base just north of the city, for “limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs,” a spokesperson for the base told the Associated Press on Thursday.
The base has not received an official request to support a National Guard deployment.
Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told local media at a press conference Thursday they heard no communication from the Trump administration about a possible National Guard deployment, but would keep “manpower” ready to respond to potential protests.
Key Background
Earlier this month, the Trump administration took control of Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard to the city, citing a crime problem the president said made it “one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World.” Shortly after the crackdown started, Trump said he was planning to deploy the National Guard for similar efforts in other major cities, singling out Chicago as “probably next.” However, his legal ability to do so is much more limited. The president cannot take over the Chicago Police Department or other police departments like the administration did in D.C., which was possible due to provisions in the city’s Home Rule Act. Trump could potentially use the Insurrection Act to deploy the military to cities, but the National Guard would likely be limited in what laws they could enforce. In June, Trump deployed roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 800 Marines to Los Angeles in what the administration billed as an effort to protect federal property when protests against ICE’s enforcement actions in the city grew violent, although he did not invoke the Insurrection Act in that case.
Chief Critic
Trump and other administration officials point to Chicago’s crime rate as justification for targeting the city, but local officials insist crime has fallen dramatically in recent years. Johnson’s office said violent crime was down 21% year-to-date, which includes 33% fewer homicides. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat who has frequently been floated as a future presidential candidate, was blunt in his rejection of help from the National Guard. “Mr. President, do not come to Chicago,” Pritzker said to applause at a press conference earlier this week. “You are neither wanted here nor needed here. Your remarks about this effort over the last several weeks have betrayed a continuing slip in your mental faculties, and are not fit for the auspicious office that you occupy.”
Tangent
Chicago was the site of one of the first major ICE operations after Trump took office in January. Just days after being sworn in, Homan joined federal law enforcement in operations to target what the administration called “criminal aliens” in the city. “When this administration first came to power, Brandon Johnson, the mayor there, he said I wasn’t welcome in Chicago,” Homan boasted to reporters Thursday. “Where was I the first day? Chicago.”
Crucial Quote
Although mostly speaking about immigration enforcement Thursday, Homan also praised Trump’s use of the military to support law enforcement efforts in D.C. “As far as the National Guard going to cities and making it safe again, I see great success in Washington, D.C., and I agree with the president sending them to cities that have a high crime rate. If these mayors choose to not address the crime rate, President Trump is going to” Homan said. However, he did not speculate on where the National Guard could be deployed in the future. “I won’t get ahead of the president in where we go next.”