Pentagon weighing National Guard deployment in Chicago: Reports

The US Department of Defense is preparing plans to deploy military forces in Chicago as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to combat crime, homelessness, and illegal immigration, according to reports in The Washington Post and Reuters.

Planning for September

The plans, which have been under development for weeks, include options to mobilize at least several thousand National Guard troops beginning in September, with the possibility, though considered remote, of using active-duty forces.

Official responses

The Pentagon, in a statement, declined to discuss specifics but said it “continuously works with interagency partners on contingency plans to protect federal assets and personnel.” The White House referred questions to Trump’s comments on Friday, in which he described Chicago as being “in chaos” and vowed to act soon.

Pushback from Illinois officials

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, criticized the idea, saying the state had received no outreach from federal officials and that no emergency exists to justify a deployment. He accused Trump of “fabricating a crisis and politicizing service members to distract from the hardship his policies cause working families.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also voiced “serious concerns” over any unauthorized deployment of Guard troops, calling Trump’s approach “uncoordinated, unjustified, and unsound.” Johnson pointed out that murders in the city fell by more than 30 percent last year, robberies dropped by 35 percent, and shootings declined by nearly 40 percent.

The reports noted that Trump has already requested National Guard support for Washington, D.C., and other cities, moves that have sparked resistance from local leaders and prompted legal scrutiny. Despite Trump’s claims of surging crime, Justice Department data show that violent crime in the US capital hit its lowest level in three decades last year.