President Donald Trump continued to highlight Chicago’s crime record on Monday as he edges closer to a final decision on whether to authorize a federal takeover of the Illinois metropolis.
Similar to his temporary takeover of Washington, D.C., Trump has floated sending military troops into Chicago for weeks to combat crime, while top White House advisers have promised that, at the very least, federal officers will conduct further operations to target illegal immigrants for deportation, with the Department of Homeland Security confirming one such operation just before noon on Monday.
Hours after pledging to make a final determination on whether to federalize the Midwest hub “in the next day or two,” Trump issued a message on Truth Social again denouncing the city’s crime statistics, while refraining from revealing a decision. Trump again denounced Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) for opposing the idea of sending National Guard troops to the state, arguing that militarizing the situation is necessary to “stop this madness.”
“6 people were murdered in Chicago this weekend, 12 others were shot, and in serious condition,” Trump said Monday morning, appearing to reference multiple media reports stating that five or seven residents were killed. “This would mean that over the past number of weeks, approximately 50 people were killed, and hundreds were shot, many expected to die.”
“I want to help the people of Chicago, not hurt them,” he continued. “Only the Criminals will be hurt! We can move fast and stop this madness. The City and State have not been able to do the job. People of Illinois should band together and DEMAND PROTECTION. IT IS ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE!!! ACT NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!!”
Federalization of U.S. cities is a controversial and rarely invoked policy viewed by critics as an unconstitutional and totalitarian tactic, and framed by supporters as necessary to combat problems such as crime. The measure saw mixed responses when it was carried out in the district, where murders and other acts of lawlessness plunged when troops started patrolling neighborhoods.
Like Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has denounced Trump for considering authorizing troops to deter criminal acts in his city. Johnson rolled out an executive order on Aug. 30 designed to undermine any such action from the White House.
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The plan seeks to tamp down the extent to which the Chicago Police Department can cooperate with the National Guard and aims to protect residents without legal status from federal removal, among other priorities.
“We do not want to see tanks in our streets,” Johnson said. “That’s not who we are as a city, and that’s not who we are as a nation.”
