Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday the federal government has “no immediate plans” to send National Guard forces to Chicago, one day after President Trump again suggested he will send federal forces to the nation’s third-largest city — drawing criticism from local leaders.
The president had told reporters Tuesday that “we’re going in” to Chicago, but “I didn’t say when.” The comments came weeks after Mr. Trump deployed Guard forces to the streets of Washington, D.C., as part of a controversial anti-crime push, and suggested during that time that Chicago could be next.
Asked by reporters for details on a possible Guard deployment in Chicago, Vance deferred to Mr. Trump on Wednesday, before saying: “There are no immediate plans, but the president has said he has the legal authority to protect American citizens, whether that’s in Chicago or in Washington, D.C.”
Vance said the Trump administration hopes to work with Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, echoing the president, who said Tuesday he wants Pritzker to request that military forces be sent to Chicago to quell violent crime.
Pritzker called the president’s comments “unhinged” and vowed to take legal action against any potential military deployment. He argued that there isn’t an emergency that would justify sending troops to Chicago, citing city statistics that show violent crime is on the decline.
According to Department of Homeland Security sources, the Trump administration is also planning a major expansion of immigration enforcement operations in Chicago as early as this week, CBS News has reported.
If Guard forces are sent to Chicago, it could become the third major U.S. city to face a military deployment under Mr. Trump’s orders. Other cities could follow: Mr. Trump suggested Tuesday he’s also planning to take action in Baltimore, and he said Wednesday he’s weighing a deployment in New Orleans.
Thousands of California National Guard forces were sent to Los Angeles starting in June, part of a mission to protect federal immigration agents and property from what Mr. Trump described as out-of-control, violent protests. And last month, the president sent members of the D.C. National Guard and federal law enforcement agents to the streets of the nation’s capital.
The potential move could draw legal challenges in Chicago. California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the Trump administration over the Los Angeles deployment, arguing the federal government didn’t have the legal right to take control of the state’s Guard forces and alleging the troops were unlawfully engaged in law enforcement.
An appellate court allowed Mr. Trump to keep Guard forces in Los Angeles, deferring to Mr. Trump. But a district court judge found Tuesday that the deployment violated a 19th-century law that prohibits the military from being used for law enforcement.
Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston.
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