President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday, Sept. 2, he plans to mimic his actions in D.C. and deploy federal law enforcement to Chicago.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order on Aug. 30 denouncing Trump’s plan to send federal troops to Chicago over its supposed crime issue. The order demanded that Trump stand down from any attempt to deploy U.S. armed forces, stating “Federal law prohibits the use of the U.S. military for domestic law enforcement except in extraordinary circumstances- which do not exist in Chicago.” Johnson said the city had received “credible reports” that the federal government would be arriving sooner rather than later.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Trump responded to a reporter asking if federal troops would be sent to Chicago. “We’re going in,” he said. “I didn’t say when.” Trump took the question as an opportunity to expand on his plans for the militarization of other cities, calling the takeover of Washington, D.C., a “template.” He insulted both Baltimore and Chicago, calling them “hell holes”, and told the press of D.C.’s crime, “They were born to be criminals.”
Brian Schwalb, D.C.’s attorney general, sued the Trump Administration on Sept. 4. He said the deployment of what is now more than 1,000 troops in the District of Columbia amounts to “involuntary military occupation.” This will be the second time that Schwalb has sued the Trump administration since they declared a “public safety emergency” in D.C.. This lawsuit came after a California federal judge ruled on Sept. 2 that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in L.A. was illegal.
Trump additionally raised prospective plans during his press conference to move troops into New Orleans, which Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry commended on X. “We’ll straighten that out in about two weeks,” Trump said, referring to Louisiana. “It’ll take us two weeks — easier than D.C. But we could straighten out Chicago — all they have to do is ask us.”
The same day, Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois told the press during a news conference that the Trump administration indicated to Illinois law enforcement that ICE would begin operating in Chicago soon. Pritzker said the deployment of federal agents will endanger the citizens of Illinois. “We have made important progress on safety that Trump is now jeopardizing,”
He said. “In the coming days, we expect to see what has played out in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., to happen here in Chicago.”
This is a developing story.
