President Donald Trump ignited a firestorm of controversy on Thursday after announcing that the administration is fully prepared to send federal resources to the city of Chicago in order to enforce immigration laws and round up illegal aliens. Both Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. Pritzker have already expressed anger about the imminent deployment of federal agents and officers to the city.
Resources sent to the Windy City will include Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and possibly National Guard troops. This move is part of a broader policy established by the Trump administration to enforce U.S. immigration laws, which was outlined in writing on January 21, 2025. The policy is based on the faithful execution of immigration laws against those who have entered the country without proper authorization.
There’s a specific focus on illegal aliens who have proven themselves to be a threat to public safety.
As one would expect, there’s been significant pushback from Democratic leaders in Chicago, with Mayor Johnson putting his signature on an executive order to counter President Trump’s impending crackdown, claiming Trump’s operation is unconstitutional. Gov. Pritzker, a Democrat, is complicating matters as he opposes the president, but has stated his belief that violent criminals, regardless of immigration status, should be booted out of Illinois.
To provide additional context, Chicago has received over 51,000 migrants since December 2022, which has cost the state a whopping $2.5 billion. The majority of this has come from covering the cost of healthcare for illegals. Local sanctuary policies are making things even more difficult, tying the hands of local law enforcement when it comes to enforcing immigration laws.
Further evidence of the suggestion that the Trump administration is about to, metaphorically speaking, pull the trigger on sending federal resources to Chicago comes from the Pentagon. According to The Washington Post’s latest report, the Pentagon has approved the use of a Navy base just outside the city as a staging ground for launching immigration enforcement operations, two defense officials close to the issue said.
“Naval Station Great Lakes will serve as a hub in upcoming operations overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue,” it added.
If President Trump decides to deploy National Guard troops, the space could be used for housing, similar to what he did earlier in the summer in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
