Topline
The Trump administration is reportedly planning a major immigration enforcement operation in Chicago next week, sources told CNN and “border czar” Tom Homan alluded to—but local leaders have heard no official communications about the National Guard being deployed there, which President Donald Trump has threatened to do.
Key Facts
“Operations are ramping up across the country, but you can see a ramp up of operations in Chicago, absolutely,” Homan told reporters Thursday, adding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would also “ramp up” operations in other sanctuary cities.
The Department of Homeland Security asked Naval Station Great Lakes, a military base just north of the city, for “limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs,” a spokesperson for the base told the Associated Press on Thursday.
The base has not received an official request to support a National Guard deployment.
Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told local media at a press conference Thursday they heard no communication from the Trump administration about a possible National Guard deployment, but would keep “manpower” ready to respond to potential protests.
Key Background
Earlier this month, the Trump administration took control of Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard to the city, citing a crime problem the president said made it “one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World.” Shortly after the crackdown started, Trump said he was planning to deploy the National Guard for similar efforts in other major cities, singling out Chicago as “probably next.” However, his legal ability to do so is much more limited. The president cannot take over the Chicago Police Department or other police departments like the administration did in D.C., which was possible due to provisions in the city’s Home Rule Act. Trump could potentially use the Insurrection Act to deploy the military to cities, but the National Guard would likely be limited in what laws they could enforce. In June, Trump deployed roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 800 Marines to Los Angeles in what the administration billed as an effort to protect federal property when protests against ICE’s enforcement actions in the city grew violent, although he did not invoke the Insurrection Act in that case.
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