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The Pentagon has been preparing for a possible military deployment to Chicago as President Donald Trump intensifies efforts to clamp down on crime, homelessness, and illegal immigration, according to reporting by The Washington Post.
Sources told the paper that several thousand National Guard troops could be mobilized as early as September. The move would extend a federal security model first carried out in Los Angeles in June, when Guard members and active-duty Marines were deployed despite pushback from local and state leaders. While officials have reportedly discussed using active-duty troops in Chicago, that option is considered less likely at this point.
The planning signals how the administration is developing wider federal interventions in cities led by Democrats.
“Chicago’s a mess,” Trump said Friday, criticizing the city’s leadership and calling its mayor “grossly incompetent.” He suggested Chicago would be the next focus after ongoing federal operations in Washington, D.C.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson denounced the president’s remarks, arguing that any unilateral deployment would be unlawful.
“Trump’s goal is to incite fear in our communities and destabilize existing public safety efforts,” Pritzker said in a statement.
Johnson said his administration had not been formally contacted about military involvement but expressed concerns over its potential effects.
The Pentagon said in a statement that it is “a planning organization” that works with other agencies to “protect federal assets and personnel.”
The proposed mission in Chicago comes as the Trump administration ramps up enforcement against sanctuary cities and directs Immigration and Customs Enforcement to increase arrests.
The White House says more than 910 people have been arrested since Trump ordered federal control of public safety operations in Washington, D.C. Officials reported that 93 arrests took place on Saturday.
Among them was a suspect accused of striking a Homeland Security Investigations agent with his vehicle the previous day. Authorities said the man tried to escape custody by ramming several law enforcement cars before being detained.
Of those arrested on Saturday, 46 were identified as being in the country illegally, according to the White House. The arrests included a range of charges still being detailed by federal officials.
