Chicago prepares for an influx of National Guard troops and immigration
agents
[September 04, 2025]
By SOPHIA TAREEN
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago community leaders forged ahead Wednesday with
preparations for the influx of National Guard troops and immigration
agents the city is expecting, advising residents about their rights and
organizing protests with fresh urgency.
Details about the operation are scant, but President Donald Trump has
amped up the rhetoric about crime in the nation’s third-largest city,
saying an immigration crackdown and National Guard deployment are
planned despite the objections of local leaders and a federal court
ruling that a similar deployment in Los Angeles was illegal.
The preparations seem familiar in the Democratic stronghold that’s often
found itself in Trump’s crosshairs.
Still, leaders of schools, churches and community groups — particularly
in the city’s immigrant enclaves and Black and Latino neighborhoods —
say there’s increased gravity and coordination in preparing for the
expected troop deployment and its accompanying deluge of attention.
Here’s how Chicago is preparing.
Protesters say they're ready
Even without knowing what will unfold, Chicago’s energetic activist
networks circulated “emergency protest” schedules, vowing to demonstrate
within hours of federal intervention.
Organizers from immigrant rights groups, unions, clergy and
anti-violence organizations said they’re working together more than
ever.
“We have a stronger broader movement preparing to mobilize,” said
Lawrence Benito, head of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and
Refugee Rights. “People still have to go about their lives. We’re making
sure folks are prepared and we’re ready to respond.”
Immigrant communities have been on high alert since Trump took office
for the second time in January and kicked off a nationwide immigration
enforcement operation in Chicago.
Activists say they’ve already offered countless know-your-rights
training sessions and have added hours for a hotline where people can
report immigration arrests. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson recently
signed an executive order reiterating the city’s longtime sanctuary
policies, which bar local police from coordinating with federal
immigration agents.
Trump's plans for Chicago
Trump signaled this week that he’s ready to order federal authorities to
mobilize and combat crime in Chicago despite the objections of Johnson
and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Trump hasn't given a timeline for the
Chicago operation, and he muddied the outlook again on Wednesday by
suggesting New Orleans as the next possible location.
Trump's administration indicated that it would soon expand immigration
operations in Chicago, and the Department of Homeland Security requested
limited logistical support at the Naval Station Great Lakes outside the
city.
The administration deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles over the
summer and as part of his unprecedented law enforcement takeover in
Washington, D.C., where he has direct legal control. His administration
plans to appeal the California deployment ruling.
Trump has often singled out Chicago and other Democrat-led cities.
Recently, his administration started playing up the city’s daily crime
log, including using shootings over Labor Day weekend as justification
for sending in troops.
“I want to go into Chicago and I have this incompetent governor,” Trump
said Wednesday.
He and Pritzker have traded barbs for days about the issue. Pritzker, a
two-term governor and frequent Trump critic, has been floated as a
possible 2028 presidential contender.
“I can’t live in a fantasy land where I pretend Trump is not tearing
this country apart for personal greed and power,” Pritzker posted
Wednesday on X. At an event later in the day, he told reporters his
office had not received any additional information from the federal
government.
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks during a press conference
Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
There has been little outward support for Trump’s plans in Chicago,
with only a handful of Republicans and conservative leaders saying
they’d welcome the intervention.
Johnson and Pritzker have repeatedly pointed to the city's drop in
crime, and asked for more federal funding for prevention programs
instead.
Echoing a trend in other major U.S. cities, Chicago’s violent crime
has dropped significantly overall, though it remains a persistent
issue in parts of the city.
A damper on Mexican Independence Day celebrations
Chicago is home to a large and thriving Mexican community, and the
threat of the troop deployment and immigration crackdown has put a
damper on Mexican Independence Day celebrations planned over the
next two weeks.
Organizers acknowledged the threat of immigration arrests might keep
some people at home, but they’re boosting security measures and
inviting more allies. It’s a similar tactic that activists tried for
annual May Day protests, when fears about public gatherings were
also high.
Teresa Fraga, who is organizing an event in the city’s heavily
Mexican Pilsen neighborhood, said the event has hired more security,
lawyers and neighborhood patrols.
“It’s a dark cloud that is hanging over our heads,” she said. “But
we are planning a safe event.”
Worries in Black neighborhoods
Worries are also high in many of the city’s Black neighborhoods,
where organizations have been busy advising residents about what
their rights are should they interact with law enforcement.
Dozens of Black churches plan to take part in “Resistance Sunday”
this weekend, to disseminate information about legal rights during
traffic stops and other encounters.
“We need resources, not troops,” said the Rev. Marshall Hatch, a
prominent civil rights activist. “We’re not interested in this
charade of troops.”
Johnson and other Black mayors have called Trump’s targeting of
Democratic cities racist. And Trump has often used racist narratives
about urban crime when talking about the unprecedented deployment of
troops in the nation's capital.
“The president’s threats to send federal troops to Chicago are a
clear blatant attack on the Black community and the immigrant
community,” the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political
Repression said in a statement.
City schools prepare
Chicago’s public school system suggested that families create phone
trees to quickly share information and organize walk-to-school
groups to “provide safety in numbers.”
“We know that the potential of increased federal presence is
creating anxiety and fear about safety at school and safety within
the broad community,” Chicago Public Schools wrote in a letter to
parents.
Members of the Chicago Teachers Union planned to distribute
materials at schools this week with tips on legal rights and
creating a buddy system on the school commute.
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