The Trump administration is considering deploying the National Guard to Chicago, drawing fresh attention to how immigration-related arrests have become a focal point of its enforcement strategy in Washington, D.C.
Many of the arrests since President Donald Trump announced the crackdown earlier this month have involved immigration violations, including alleged members of Tren de Aragua and MS-13.
The federal surge in the capital has sparked discussions about extending similar operations to Chicago and other Democratic-led cities. In Chicago, ICE is reportedly planning to use the Great Lakes Naval Station as a base for a significant immigration enforcement effort in the area, according to The New York Times.
“Chicago’s a mess. You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent,” Trump said on Friday.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and other local leaders are already voicing opposition to the proposed measures.
“Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities,” Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement. “An unlawful deployment would be unsustainable and would threaten to undermine the historic progress we have made.”
Since taking office in January, President Trump’s administration has highlighted a series of high-profile ICE arrests in Chicago as part of its broader enforcement efforts. Officials say the agency continues to focus on mass deportations while encouraging undocumented immigrants without additional criminal records to voluntarily leave the country.
Guatemalan national Francisco Dominguez-Chon was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor, and Adonias Garrido-Virul, also from Guatemala, was convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault of a minor. Mexican national Hector Bonaparte-Contreras was convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child under 13, and Israel Cobian-Sandoval, another Mexican national, was convicted of homicide.
“President Trump has been clear: We are going to make our streets and cities safe again. Across the country, DHS law enforcement is arresting and removing the worst of the worst, including gang members, murderers, pedophiles and rapists that have terrorized American communities. 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,” a senior DHS official said in a statement.
Some local voices in Chicago are calling for major changes to address crime in parts of the city.
“The city is not safe,” restaurateur Sam Sanchez told Fox News Digital. “For the mayor and the governor to go on TV and use us as statistics, as numbers, I mean, we’re human beings, we’re talking about real time.”
