Illinois Democrats Resist Trump’s Plan to Send Federal Troops to Chicago

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said on Sept. 2 that they will fight President Donald Trump’s plan to send federal agents and National Guard troops to Chicago, saying it would amount to a “military occupation.”

“None of this is about fighting crime or making Chicago safer,” Pritzker said during a press conference with Johnson, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, state Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, all Democrats.

Accusing Trump of “testing his power and producing a political drama,” Pritzer said, “We are ready to fight troop deployments in court, and we will do everything possible to ensure that agents operating inside the confines of this state do so in a legal and ethical manner.”

The governor said the administration is positioning federal agents on property in the region, planning operations in Latino communities, and preparing to deploy the National Guard. He pledged to challenge the move in court.

Johnson said local leaders agree.

“We stand united, as the State of Illinois, Cook County, and the City of Chicago, to send a clear message to the White House: We do not want or need a military occupation of our city. We do not want or need militarized immigration enforcement in our city. We need to reverse the devastating cuts that this president has made to the ATF, violence prevention organizations, and Medicaid,” he said.

“We build safer communities by investing in people, not by sending in the military.”

Preckwinkle said Cook County has invested more than $110 million in community-based prevention programs and has seen a 35 percent drop in gun homicides from 2024.

“Strategic investments work,” she said. “Meanwhile, Trump’s agenda to deploy federal troops, freeze $158 million in funding for violence prevention programs in cities like Chicago, dismantle the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and terminate more than $800 million in anti-violence grants nationwide undercuts efforts while showcasing reckless actions and fear tactics that will disproportionately impact the communities that have been most harmed by gun violence.”

Raoul said federal law restricts military involvement in local law enforcement.

“The requirements for such deployment do not exist in Chicago, and I will not hesitate to take action to protect our residents if this administration breaks the law or violates our Constitution,” he said.

Trump Cites Weekend Shootings

Trump has indicated that Chicago is central to his law-and-order agenda.

In a Sept. 2 post on Truth Social, he wrote: “At least 54 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend, 8 people were killed. The last two weekends were similar. Chicago is the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far. Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesn’t know it yet. I will solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC.”

The White House defended the planned deployment in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times.

“It is despicable that state and local leaders in Illinois would rather let crime continue to plague their cities than partner with President Trump to make their communities safe again,” spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said.

“As the country’s ‘homicide capital’ for thirteen consecutive years, Chicago clearly has an out-of-control crime problem that has jeopardized the safety of law-abiding Americans for far too long. This is why the Democrats continue to be so unpopular—they refuse to adopt commonsense policies that Americans support.”

Trump confirmed on Sept. 2 that he decided to deploy the National Guard to Chicago to combat crime but did not specify when that would happen.

“Well, we’re going in,” he told reporters. “I didn’t say when we’re going in.”

In 2024, Chicago led the nation’s cities with 573 homicides, although it was the third straight year in which homicides dropped in the Windy City.

Illinois officials say that overall, violent crime has been falling in Chicago. According to the governor’s office, Chicago does not appear on U.S. News & World Report’s list of most dangerous U.S. cities, and Illinois ranks in the top half of states with the lowest violent crime rates.

The officials said the state’s Reimagine Public Safety Act invested $250 million in evidence-based programs to reduce gun violence and that Chicago is on track for the lowest number of homicides in decades—with murders and shootings down by more than 30 percent in the past year and by nearly half since 2021.

Stratton said those efforts are the correct approach.

“Our administration is working closely with community and advocacy organizations to prepare resources ahead of this attack,” she said. “While we can’t take the fear of this moment away, we can help equip Illinois for whatever comes next. No matter what, Governor Pritzker and I are with you, Illinois. Our only way forward is together.”