The Trump administration is considering sending the National Guard into Chicago as part of its expanding crackdown on violent crime and illegal immigration.
However, the move has already triggered fierce pushback from Democrat officials.
Many of the arrests in Washington, D.C., since President Donald Trump announced his federal crime crackdown earlier this month have been immigration-related, including alleged members of Tren de Aragua and MS-13.
The same model may soon be deployed in Chicago and other blue cities with severe violent crime problems.
According to the New York Times, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is expected to use the Great Lakes Naval Station as a staging ground for a major immigration enforcement operation in the Chicago area.
“Chicago’s a mess,” Trump said Friday.
“You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, lashed out at the prospect of National Guard involvement, calling the idea illegal and counterproductive.
“Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities,” Johnson said in a statement.
“An unlawful deployment would be unsustainable and would threaten to undermine the