CHICAGO (WLS) — A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News Sunday that the Pentagon is drafting plans for the potential use of National Guard troops in Chicago.
A Pentagon spokesperson said “We won’t speculate on further operations. The Department is a planning organization and is continuously… working with other agency partners on plans to protect federal assets and personnel.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson says he’s in contact with county and state officials, but says he’s heard nothing from the White House. He called a possible National Guard deployment in Chicago “costly, illegal, and unconstitutional.”
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Citing a report from The Washington Post, Johnson joined Illinois leaders in condemning President Donald Trump’s proposed expansion of his crime crackdown efforts following his deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C.
“Brave men and women who signed up to serve our country did not sign up to occupy American cities,” Johnson said.
According to The Washington Post, the Pentagon has been planning a military deployment to Chicago for weeks. The Post is also reporting that plans could involve several options, including sending at least a few thousand members of the National Guard to Chicago as soon as September to target crime, homelessness and illegal immigration.
In a statement, a Pentagon spokesperson said, “We won’t speculate on further operations. The Department is a planning organization and is continuously working with other agency partners on plans to protect federal assets and personnel.”
“What this president is attempting to do is not just unconstitutional, but it is very much a threat to our democracy,” Johnson said.
The mayor said he has heard nothing from the White House since President Trump’s Friday comments that he’ll expand National Guard deployments to cities other than Washington.
“We are in active communication with our counterparts at the County and the State as we prepare for any potential unconstitutional military deployments to Chicago,” Johnson said in a statement Sunday. “The Governor, the Cook County Board President, and I are in complete alignment: Chicago is not calling for a military occupation of our city. We are currently evaluating all of our legal options to protect the people of Chicago from unconstitutional federal overreach. In Chicago, we have effectively reduced all forms of violent crime by doing what works: constitutional policing, violence prevention, and investing in our communities. This past year alone, we have seen a more than 30% reduction in homicides, a 35% reduction in robberies, and an almost 40% reduction in shootings. We need to keep building on this work. No matter what happens, the City of Chicago will not waver. We are Chicago. We will not bend or cower, and we will never break.”
The president has called Chicago a very dangerous place, but crime data from Chicago police analyzed by the ABC7 data team shows that year to date totals compared to last year show overall crime is down 13%, violent crime is down 23%, and property crimes are down 11%.
“What President Trump is doing in DC is purely political theater. His actions are creating chaos and sowing fear rather than making our nation’s capital safer, and now he says Chicago will be his next target,” Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said in a statement Sunday. “Chicago is a beautiful, vibrant city with people from all walks of life, which I see firsthand all the time. While there is more work to do, violent crime in the city has significantly declined in recent years. These unprecedented threats and manufactured emergencies from President Trump are nothing more than a power grab to distract from his disastrous policies like ripping 17 million people off their health care and raising costs for Americans. We should be focusing on proven bipartisan solutions to continue to reduce violent crime rather than using our brave men and women in uniform for political purposes.”
“As a commander and chief over his two terms, he has only deployed and put boots on the ground in American cities, never overseas, and just think about what that means as a country,” former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.
During a visit at the UIC Forum Sunday, Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders had harsh words for the president.
“This is a demagogue whose function in life is to serve the oligarchy and to try to divide us up,” Sanders said.
Local leaders say Trump’s motives have nothing to do with bringing down crime, calling it a political stunt.
“It’s another step toward authoritarianism, that he is operating as a dictator,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton spoke out Saturday about the Washington Post report.
“The State of Illinois at this time has received no requests or outreach from the federal government asking if we need assistance, and we have made no requests for federal intervention,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said in a statement Saturday. “The safety of the people of Illinois is always my top priority. There is no emergency that warrants the President of the United States federalizing the Illinois National Guard, deploying the National Guard from other states, or sending active duty military within our own borders. Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families. We will continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect the people of Illinois.”
RELATED | Trump expands cities targeted for possible military deployment to Baltimore in a spat with governor
“Tonight’s reporting from the Washington Post that President Trump is preparing to deploy federal troops in Chicago proves what we all know: he is willing to go to any lengths possible to create chaos if it means more political power-no matter who gets hurt,” Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton said in a statement Saturday. “As Lieutenant Governor and throughout my career, I’ve fervently fought for the reformation of our criminal legal system and under the Pritzker-Stratton administration, we’ve made tremendous progress. Crime in Chicago is declining and there’s absolutely no rationale for this decision, other than to distract from the pain Trump is inflicting on working families with his dangerous agenda. Illinois, Governor Pritzker and I are here to stand for your rights, your freedoms, and will protect you against whatever storms of hate and fear come our way.”
Mayor Johnson spoke at a block party earlier Saturday, addressing crime in the city.
“One shooting, one homicide is one too many, and that’s why this block club today is so powerful, because it’s a reminder of how much work we have to do,” Johnson said. “Look at all of these young people and these families that are here today. This is who Chicago really is. What’s being painted by the federal government is false. We love one another, we support one another. We put our arms around one another, we invest in one another, because we know that we are our best keepers of one another.”
On Friday, Trump said Chicago will likely be the next target of his efforts to crack down on crime, homelessness and illegal immigration while speaking in the Oval Office.
Trump indicated that the Midwestern city could receive similar treatment to what he’s done in Washington, D.C., where he’s deployed 2,000 troops on the streets.
“I think Chicago will be our next,” Trump told reporters at the White House, later adding, “And then we’ll help with New York.”
Trump has repeatedly described some of the nation’s largest cities – run by Democrats, with Black mayors and majority-minority populations – as dangerous and filthy.
He singled out Chicago on Friday, calling it a “mess” and saying residents there are “screaming for us to come.”
“We’ll straighten that one out probably next. That will be our next one after this,” Trump said.
SEE ALSO | Judge blocks Trump from cutting funding from 34 cities and counties over ‘sanctuary’ policies
The president, who was sitting in the Oval Office and wearing a red hat that said, “Trump Was Right About Everything,” claimed people in Chicago are “wearing red hats just like this one.”
He added, “African American ladies, beautiful ladies, are saying, ‘Please, President Trump, come to Chicago, please.'”
Some in Chicago agree with the president’s plans.
“It’s too much crime, so it needs to be some type of law and order, and if this administration cannot get it done, the Johnson administration can’t get it done… then yeah, we need the National Guard,” said Zoe Leigh with Chicago Flips Red.
Mayor Johnson has vowed legal action if the Guard is deployed in Chicago, but it’s unclear what impact that would have. Weeks after National Guard troops were sent to Los Angeles amid mass protests over immigration enforcement raids, a judge has yet to rule on California’s lawsuit.
ABC News and the Associated Press contributed to this report
Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Source link
