Illinois Democrats on Monday condemned Donald Trump’s threat to send National Guard troops to Chicago, denouncing what they called an “unconstitutional” abuse of presidential power. Governor JB Pritzker, joined by Mayor Brandon Johnson, state attorney general Kwame Raoul, and other elected officials, accused the president of manufacturing a crisis to justify a federal takeover of a Democratic-run city.
“Mr President, do not come to Chicago. You are neither wanted here nor needed here,” Pritzker said at a news conference along the Chicago River. He highlighted recent crime reductions in the city, asking: “Does this look like an emergency?” Pentagon sources confirmed planning is under way for the operation, though no final decision has been announced. Up to 1,700 National Guard personnel could be mobilised from 19 predominantly Republican states from August to mid-November for immigration enforcement.
Pritzker said neither he nor the mayor had been contacted by the White House, but they are prepared to take legal action to prevent the “invasion” of their streets. He called the plan “unprecedented and unwarranted”, adding: “It is illegal. It is unconstitutional. It is un-American.” Mayor Johnson argued that if the federal government wanted to improve public safety, it should invest in anti-gun violence programmes and mental health resources, not threaten military occupation.
The proposed deployment would expand Trump’s domestic military operations, which already include National Guard patrols in Washington DC and Los Angeles, despite ongoing legal challenges. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries accused the president of “playing games with the lives of Americans”, while Senator Tammy Duckworth called the plan a distraction from Trump’s unpopular policies. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi branded it an “illegal attempt to militarize Chicago”.
