Chicago Mayor Moves to Block Potential Trump Troop Deployment

(TJV NEWS) Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has issued an executive order aimed at preempting what he warned could be a federal military intervention in the city under President Donald Trump.

In a statement posted to X on Aug. 30, Johnson said he had signed the order to “protect Chicagoans and not collaborate with federal overreach.” At a press conference the same day, he emphasized that the measure “affirms” the city’s position that Chicago police will not work with military personnel or engage in immigration enforcement operations.

The executive order prohibits local police from taking part in joint patrols with federal agents, forbids them from assisting in immigration actions, and requires federal officers operating in the city to both identify themselves and wear body cameras. It also instructs city departments to explore legal and legislative means to resist federal action. Johnson further called on Trump to abandon any plans to send troops, warning, “We do not want to see tanks on our streets.”

The move follows Trump’s remarks that Chicago may be the next city targeted in his administration’s anti-crime crackdown. After deploying federal forces in Washington, D.C., the president said National Guard troops could “solve Chicago within one week.” “Chicago’s a mess. We’ll straighten that one out probably next,” Trump told reporters from the Oval Office. He added that he would only move forward if asked by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who has flatly rejected the idea.

“Mr. President, do not come to Chicago. You are neither wanted here nor needed here,” Pritzker said at an Aug. 30 press conference, accusing Trump of attempting to intimidate political opponents under the guise of fighting crime.

Meanwhile, Trump officials have outlined plans for increased immigration enforcement in the city. On Aug. 28, border adviser Tom Homan told NewsNation that a “large contingent” of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers would be dispatched to Chicago, though he declined to give a figure. A day earlier, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said a specialized ICE tactical team would also be deployed “soon.”

Chicago continues to grapple with violent crime. In 2024, the city recorded 573 homicides—the most in the nation, according to figures compiled by the independent research group Wirepoints.

Democrats in Congress and other cities have joined Johnson and Pritzker in opposing Trump’s plan. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) argued that the president had “no basis, no authority” to insert federal troops into Chicago or Baltimore, accusing Trump of trying to “manufacture a crisis” despite reported declines in crime.

Still, Trump has pointed to his Washington deployment as proof of success. Mayor Muriel Bowser reported on Aug. 27 that in the three weeks since federal forces took control of the city’s police department, carjackings had dropped by 87 percent compared with the same period the previous year. “When carjackings go down, when the use of guns goes down, when homicide or robbery go down, neighborhoods feel safer and are safer,” Bowser said. “This surge has been important to us for that reason.”