Pentagon drafts plan to deploy US troops in Chicago as Trump targets crime and immigration. Illinois leaders strongly oppose move. Photo/X.
The Pentagon is reportedly drafting plans to deploy US military forces to Chicago, following President Donald Trump’s pledge to intensify his crackdown on crime, homelessness, and undocumented immigration. The Washington Post reported on Saturday that the Defense Department has been evaluating such a move for several weeks. According to the report, options under consideration include activating several thousand National Guard troops as early as September.
“Chicago is a mess,” Trump told reporters on Friday, sharply criticizing the city’s leadership.
“And we’ll straighten that one out probably next.”
The president, a Republican, has frequently attacked Democratic-led cities, often singling out Chicago over violent crime rates and governance.
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In a brief response late Saturday, the Defense Department declined to confirm any plans.
“We won’t speculate on further operations,” the statement read. “The department is a planning organisation and is continuously working with other agency partners on plans to protect federal assets and personnel.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, said the federal government had not contacted the state regarding any possible deployment. He stressed that Illinois was not facing a crisis warranting such measures.
“Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicise Americans who serve in uniform and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families,” Pritzker said.
Last weekend, Trump asked several Republican governors to send National Guard troops to Washington, DC, with hundreds already deployed from three states. The president has painted the capital as a city overwhelmed by crime.
However, Justice Department data shows violent crime in Washington fell to a 30-year low last year. While Congress has authority over the self-governing federal district, the Home Rule Act of 1973 grants the city the right to elect its own mayor and council. It remains unclear how Trump could override this law without congressional approval.
The potential move in Chicago follows a precedent set earlier this year. In June, Trump deployed 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles during protests over mass immigration raids—despite objections from California’s Democratic leadership.
California has since challenged the federalization of its National Guard troops in court. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized Trump’s decision at the time, arguing that law enforcement challenges should not be met with military action.
“In a democratic society,” Bass said, “law enforcement problems should never need military solutions.”
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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