President Donald Trump is preparing to deploy more than 200 Homeland Security officers to Chicago as part of a nationwide immigration crackdown targeting sanctuary cities, as reported by The New York Post.
According to the New York Times, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to use Naval Station Great Lakes, located just north of Chicago, as a staging ground for the operations, which are set to begin in September.
Border Czar Tom Homan confirmed the administration’s plans during remarks to reporters on Thursday.
“Look at the crime rate in Chicago. Operations will ramp up across the country, you’re going to see a ramp up of operations in Chicago, absolutely, you’re going to see a ramp up of operations in New York, you’re going to see a ramp up of operations continue in LA, and Portland, Seattle,” Homan said.
“All these sanctuary cities that refuse to work with ICE, where we know public safety threats are being released every day into this country, especially those cities. We’re gonna address that,” Homan added.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson criticized the plan, calling it a repeat of what he described as federal escalation in Los Angeles.
“This plan seems to be a rerun of their tactics in Los Angeles, where ICE agents were used as a pretext to justify further escalation by federal agents and National Guard troops,” Johnson said.
“We reject any attempts that put Chicagoans in danger as a means of furthering the president’s political ends.”
Earlier this month, Trump sent DHS officers and National Guard units into Washington, D.C., to address crime in the nation’s capital. At the time, he suggested Chicago could be “next.”
A DHS spokesperson defended the new operation, saying it is part of Trump’s broader commitment to remove dangerous individuals from U.S. communities.
“President Trump has been clear: we are going to make our streets and cities safe again. Across the country, DHS law enforcement are arresting and removing the worst of worst including gang members, murderers, pedophiles, and rapists that have terrorized American communities,” the spokesperson said.
“Under Secretary Noem, ICE and CBP are working overtime to deliver on the American people’s mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens and make America safe again,” the official added.
A formal Pentagon review is underway regarding the request to use Naval Station Great Lakes. Documents reviewed by the New York Times describe “30 days of operations in the Chicago Metropolitan area.”
The base would provide infrastructure for up to 250 DHS personnel, as well as facilities for a Tactical Operations Center and an Incident Command Post.
The plans also call for parking for more than 100 vehicles, laundry and bathroom access, and storage space for medical equipment and non-lethal crowd control devices such as rubber bullets and tear gas.
If approved by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, specialized Homeland Security teams could begin operating from the base on September 2.
