Gov. Pritzker and Illinois Leaders Reject Trump’s Military Deployment Plans ​

CHICAGO — Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined elected officials, business, faith, and education leaders, community advocates, and law enforcement leaders to condemn the Trump administration’s plan to deploy the National Guard or active duty military in Chicago despite objections from state and local leadership. After witnessing weeks of federal overreach from Washington, a broad coalition of leaders from across the city gathered to present a united front and denounce Trump’s abuse of power.

"There is no emergency in Chicago that calls for armed military intervention that will disrupt the daily lives of our people. What President Trump is doing is unprecedented and unwarranted. It is illegal. It is unconstitutional. And it is un-American,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Our civilian police force and elected leaders work every day to promote public safety – efforts that have successfully brought down crime. The State of Illinois is ready to stand against this military deployment with every peaceful tool we have. We will pull every lever at our disposal to protect the people of Illinois and their rights.” ​

During the press conference, Governor Pritzker emphasized that the City of Chicago is not in a state of emergency, refuting Trump’s false claim that the National Guard must be deployed for public safety purposes.

“Chicago is my home—it’s where I grew up and where I’m raising my family. I won’t let Donald Trump turn our city into his authoritarian playground,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. The truth is that while he’s staging these political stunts, rates of crime in Chicago are on the decline. I’ve spent my career tackling criminal justice and public safety the right way—by addressing the real root causes of violence, not parading an armed militia through our streets. Governor Pritzker and I will never roll out the red carpet for a wannabe dictator, and we’ll do everything in our power to keep Illinois families safe no matter what Trump throws our way.” ​

Chicago’s homicide rate has decreased by more than 30% since last year, and the State regularly collaborates with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) with the shared goal of addressing serious violent crime. Law enforcement leaders and local elected officials at the press conference highlighted Chicago's existing and effective public safety measures, including improved law enforcement training and numerous community violence intervention programs.

Stakeholders from communities across Chicago condemned Trump’s threats with the below comments:

ELECTED OFFICIALS

“Throughout my tenure, I have successfully collaborated with federal law enforcement partners, such as the FBI, DEA, ATF, Secret Service and Homeland Security – Investigations, to investigate and prosecute crime in Illinois, as have other local and state law enforcement partners around the state of Illinois,” said Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. “I appreciate the federal government’s contribution of their expertise, technology and manpower toward those efforts. In fact, violent crimes have decreased in the city of Chicago over the last year. But instead of dedicating more resources to that work, the president is focused on turning our military on American citizens in his ongoing attempts to move our nation toward authoritarianism. His actions are not just un-American. They are unwise strategically. Our cities are not made safer by deploying the nation’s service members for civilian law enforcement duties when they do not have the appropriate training.”

“It comes as no surprise Donald Trump is once again attacking Chicago, but that doesn’t change that Trump’s continuing pattern of politicizing and misusing our nation’s military for his own partisan gain and to crush dissent is deeply disturbing, is un-American and has no place in any of our cities,” said U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). “Forcing the military, uninvited, into Chicago to intimidate Americans in their own communities does not make our nation stronger, it simply distracts the military from executing its core mission of keeping Americans safe from real adversaries who wish us harm. It’s yet another unwarranted, unwanted and unjust move straight out of the authoritarian’s playbook that will only undermine our military’s readiness and ultimately weaken our national security.”

“President Trump’s crusade to ‘save’ Washington, D.C., and now Chicago, is purely political theater. ​ His actions are about creating enough chaos and fear to distract from his own disastrous policies like ripping 17 million people off their health care and raising costs for Americans,” said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). ​ “Chicago is a thriving city, full of people who care deeply about their community, and our elected officials are focused on pursuing bipartisan policies to further improve the lives of Chicagoans. ​ But a deployment of our nation’s military by the President, without the request or consent of the City, is nothing more than an illegal, hyper-partisan, and shameful exploitation of the military for political purposes.”

“Everyone wants safer communities. If the President really wants to help Chicago get crime under control, how about restoring community violence intervention grants, passing common-sense gun safety laws and stopping the cutting of funding for city and state resources that would allow us to hire more police, law enforcement and “de-escalation” officials,” said Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. "The National Guard was not established, nor trained, for crime fighting. Let’s make all our cities safer by pursuing policies that really work, not just pretending that we’re doing something as a way to divert attention from all the failures of the Trump Administration.”

"Trump is abusing the power of the military to attack cities that resist his authoritarian agenda,” said Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (IL-03). “The threatened deployment is meant to terrorize and break us. We won't retreat. As he continues his unlawful militarization in democratic cities, remember that there is power in community. ​ We take care of us. We know our rights. And we will protect our neighbors and our communities. Let's remain informed, create safety plans, and only share verified information. We resist when we remain united and informed.”

“You can fool some of the people, some of the time, but you can never fool all the people, all the time,” said Congressman Danny Davis (IL-07). We know that the scurrilous attacks on blue cities by President Trump have nothing to do with crime prevention or interruption; they are designed to try to convince the American people that Democratic Leaders in blue states are ineffective and don’t know how to manage, especially Black Mayors of large urban centers. ​ I say just the opposite. ​ Kudos to Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson for their leadership of our State and our City. ​ I would not want to live anywhere else. What the State of Illinois and City of Chicago need from President Trump is fairness, not National Guards, but good National Policy and monies appreciated during the Biden Administration.”

“There is nothing more important to me than Chicago’s public safety. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I have secured more than $2.5 million in federal funding for our police department, including bulletproof vests and squad car technology. If Trump really wanted to fight crime, he would join us in funding local police and cracking down on gun violence,” said Congressman Mike Quigley (IL-05). “Instead, he’s deploying the military to our streets and undercutting our local law enforcement. Chicagoans will not be intimidated by a thug. The moment Trump deploys troops here; our city should sue.”

“Trump’s threat to deploy the National Guard to Chicago is an authoritarian power grab and a complete misuse of federal resources,” said Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11). Protecting our communities means investing in bipartisan solutions to violent crime—not exploiting our men and women in uniform for political gain.”

“If he is committed to public safety and making life better for all communities, as he claims, President Trump should stop blocking hundreds of millions in funding for violence prevention programs for cities like Chicago,” said Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10). “The President should instead be supporting cities as they take steps to reduce the root causes of crime, not taking pages out of the playbook of authoritarian regimes to abuse the office of the President for his own benefit. We must not accept these actions as normal. President Trump should work with Congress and local officials and police to improve public safety across the nation. Let’s give communities the resources and tools they need, rather than politicizing our security concerns for political and personal vendettas. I’m proud to stand with Gov. Pritzker as he shows the people of Illinois that we will not back down against the egregious overreach of a would-be king President.”

“President Trump's security theater is making us less safe,” said Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06). “Not only would sending the national guard into Chicago violate Illinois’ state sovereignty, but it would also take law enforcement resources away from their actual jobs, all in the name of politics.”

“Donald Trump even considering deploying the National Guard to Chicago is outrageous and nothing but a power grab by an aspiring dictator,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09). “This is not the first time he has used the National Guard as a political weapon. We all remember when Trump ordered a militarized crackdown on our nation’s capital in 2020 and then failed to deploy the National Guard on January 6, 2021, Washington, D.C.’s most lawless and violent day. Now, five years later, we are seeing history repeat itself, this time, under the guise of a public safety emergency. Crime rates in Chicago have gone down. Our communities need investment, not intimidation. Sending troops into our neighborhoods will not help public safety, it will only escalate tensions. No American city should be ruled through force, surveillance, and intimidation. We will not stand by as our city is used as a backdrop for political theater. Chicagoans do not want, or need, our city turned into a military state.”

"President Trump believes he can make an easy target out of Chicago — but he's never understood our city," said Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02). "He dares call Chicago a 'killing field' while crime has gone down due to our efforts, our local law enforcement rebuilding trust, and our people working to end gun violence. Chicago has been safer due to community violence intervention organizations working around the clock, and President Trump threatens to unravel all their work. If he truly cared about law and order, he would send the National Guard home, pass gun safety laws, and release frozen funds to CVI organizations."

“This is not about public safety–it’s about creating chaos to consolidate power. It’s a show of force, an exercise in authoritarian control. Trump is targeting Chicago to punish us for our inclusive, progressive values,” said Congressman Jesus “Chuy” García (IL-04). “As the nation’s first sanctuary city, Chicago stands as a symbol of resistance. We will not allow fear and division to become excuses for an authoritarian agenda. Federal troops have no place in our beloved community–and they will not be welcomed here.”

"The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office works with local, state, and federal law enforcement officers every day to get illegal guns and violent criminals off our streets,” said Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke. “We prosecute crimes in collaboration with our law enforcement partners when they are properly presented with appropriate jurisdiction and sufficient evidence. Federal intervention in our public safety efforts will never result in a deviation from our core mission of following the law and representing all victims of crime in Cook County."

BUSINESS LEADERS

“Chicago has a long history of tackling its challenges by working together across the public, private and civic sectors to develop and implement solutions,” said Derek R. B. Douglas, President and CEO of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago. “Public safety is no different. ​ We stand by the Governor, the Mayor, Superintendent Snelling, all of our partners in this work, and the city we love, to insist that any offer of federal support be closely coordinated and integrated with our one table approach to reducing gun violence and its impact on our communities. We need aligned action — not disruptions to our economy and businesses.”

“Chicago is the nation’s number one metro area for corporate expansion and relocation, with Illinois ranking second among all states — a powerful vote of confidence from the business community and a far cry from Trump’s characterization,” said John Atkinson, Chair, Illinois Economic Development Corporation (Illinois EDC). “Perhaps the President is retaliating because Trump Tower has the longest running retail vacancy in Downtown Chicago. The Illinois business community has had enough volatility from his tariffs and other bad policies and we certainly don’t need or welcome a military presence which would cause more disruption to our businesses and communities.”

“Like any big city, Chicago faces its own challenges, but there is national narrative perpetuated by those who would rather see it fail and today is a showing of unity around a city and state that is meeting those challenges together,” said Joe Ferguson, President, Civic Federation of Chicago. “We are looking for partnership and support from the federal government, rather than stretching the rule of law to the breaking point. I hope Washington hears the voices of our business and civic leaders today when we say the National Guard is neither legally justified and that investment and partnership is what is needed to move this City and State to a better future.”

“The consideration of deploying National Guard troops to Chicago by the Trump Administration is detrimental to business,” said Jaime di Paulo, President & CEO, Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “It conveys a negative impression to investors, customers, and workers, depicting our city as unsafe instead of showcasing its resilience and economic strength.”

“Chicago is great because of the contributions of everyone,” said Oswaldo Alvarez, Executive Director, Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation. “And yes, Latinos and immigrants complete the picture of this vibrant city. What our communities need are investments in jobs, education, and opportunity, not troops patrolling our streets. Deploying the National Guard only escalates tensions in our city, especially in Latino neighborhoods that are too often targeted by heavy-handed tactics. We deserve solutions that reflect the dignity and resilience of our people.”

“McCormick Place is a convener, a place of global business and commerce. This year alone, our clients will bring more than 1.5 million people to Chicago. ​ They come to showcase their products, to share life-saving medical research, to learn from each other, and most importantly to do business.” said Larita Clark, CEO of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, owner of McCormick Place. “We are in constant communication with our clients, and none of whom have expressed the need for federal intervention in Chicago. In fact, just a few weeks ago we met with nearly two dozen of our largest clients. What we heard from them, was that public safety concerns in Chicago had actually lessened in the past year.”

“As the Little Village Chamber of Commerce, we represent 26th Street, Chicago’s second-largest commercial corridor after Michigan Avenue,” said Jennifer Aguilar, Executive Director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce. “We are also an immigrant community, where fear is already present. Federal troops would only deepen that fear, discouraging customers, hurting tourism, and lowering morale at a time when businesses are already struggling with rising costs. What we need are investments in our community, restored federal grants, and policies that ease everyday costs, not a disruptive show of force that risks slowing our economy and destabilizing our communities.”

“Chicago has made progress in improving public safety thanks to the leadership of Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson, and collaboration among business leaders, local law enforcement, violence prevention organizations, and community and faith groups,” said Jack Lavin, President and CEO of Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.

“We have seen how the sudden deployment of federal troops in other cities can needlessly disrupt communities and businesses, hurt local economies, and deter tourism. The best path forward is partnership and collaboration. If the federal government wants to work constructively with local leaders and community partners, we welcome that engagement to keep making progress toward a safer, stronger city.”

“As a business leader, and a proud Chicagoan, I’m fully invested in seeing our city thrive and while we still have work to do, collaborative efforts have led to significant progress on crime,” said Jim Reynolds, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Loop Capital.

"Organizations like Chicago Loop Alliance continually monitor and address the challenges and successes of downtowns across the country and the Trump administration's proposed actions harm our efforts in encouraging Chicagoans and visitors to feel safe and enjoy the Loop's bountiful amenities," said Michael Edwards, President & CEO of Chicago Loop Alliance. "With a longstanding ambassador program, constant communication with local and state officials and enhanced services that position the Loop as a destination, we risk losing the momentum we've gained over the last five years. Positive economic activity in office growth, investment opportunities, residential life and arts and entertainment are jeopardized by the false narrative and detract from positive strides our city, state and neighborhood make by working collectively, not chaotically."

COMMUNITY ADVOCATES AND FAITH LEADERS

“Militarizing our streets will not stop violence, but provoke it,” said Father Michael Pfleger, Chicago Activist and Faith Leader. “We don’t need the National Guard. We need resources.”

“Chicago and the entire state of Illinois are witnessing 4 consecutive years of double digit drops in gun violence,” said Ric Estrada, President and Chief Executive Officer of Metropolitan Family Services (MFS). “This year, Chicago is on track to have the lowest number of homicides in 60 years. ​ As the state's first chartered human service organization, MFS asks the federal government to release the bi-partisan approved CVI (community violence intervention) grants you abruptly canceled without cause. Cities are laboratories of innovation. Together with the community, philanthropic, business and public sectors, Chicago has built the most sophisticated civil infrastructure for public safety in the country. We have evidence that our efforts are contributing to making the city safer. ​ We ask that the federal government play its role in supporting local efforts.”

"Chicago's strength lies in its civil society—where philanthropy, community organizations, business leaders, policymakers, and neighbors work hand in hand every single day to drive public safety and community development,” said Ameya Pawar, President and CEO of Michael Reese Health Trust. “If the federal government wants to be a partner, we should engage on Medicaid, SNAP, and funding for public health. Deploying troops threatens to undermine years of collaborative work and data-driven solutions. True safety comes from building community, not military intervention."

“New Life Centers will continue to provide community care for ALL neighbors and build peace, hope, and opportunity together,” said Matt DeMateo, Executive Director of New Life Centers. “We have built an ecosystem of love and care and are seeing great results locally including an 80% drop in shootings and homicides locally in Little Village. ​ We are committed to standing with our neighbors and ensuring their safety and care. ​ We will continue to partner with our local community agencies and government partners in these efforts. ​ We believe we are stronger together.”

"If Mr. Trump were serious about reducing crime, he would restore C.V.I. grants and maintain consent decrees driving needed police reforms,” said Arne Duncan, Managing Partner of Chicago CRED. “He would support common-sense gun safety laws that even gun owners support. Maybe he’d even try to address the economic inequality at the root of so much crime and disorder."

“Chicago is a city that, for centuries, has welcomed people from all over the United States and the world who come to build secure lives, and we are proud to be part of a city where neighbors and civil society work together to overcome challenges and keep each other safe,” said Mary Meg McCarthy, Executive Director of the National Immigrant Justice Center. “The biggest threat to our city’s public safety right now is the Trump administration’s authoritarian overreach. Putting federal troops on the streets of our city will cause confusion and fear and put all of us, regardless of immigration status, at greater danger. We are particularly concerned about the safety of our city’s unhoused residents, who we have seen swept up and disappeared in other cities as a result of the administration’s takeover of law enforcement.”

“Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness (CCH) is deeply troubled by reports that the Trump Administration plans to expand the unlawful and inhumane use of military force by deploying federal troops to Chicago. We know from what has happened in Washington, D.C. that such actions will directly harm Chicagoans experiencing homelessness and have devastating effects on our communities. This is a clear abuse of power with no justifiable basis,” said Doug Schenkelberg, Executive Director of the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness. “The actions in D.C. are alarming. People have been forcibly displaced to undisclosed locations, belongings destroyed, and no progress has been made toward real solutions. What we need is investment in housing and essential services, not militarization of our neighborhoods.”

Leaders in Attendance:

Elected Officials

Law Enforcement & Emergency Management Leaders

Business Leaders

Community Organization and Faith Leaders

Education Leaders

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