In a move that has sent shockwaves through Chicago and drawn national scrutiny, the Trump administration is advancing plans for a sweeping immigration crackdown in the nation’s third-largest city. According to internal documents obtained by The New York Times and confirmed by statements from federal and local officials, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has requested use of Naval Station Great Lakes—a military base located 35 miles north of Chicago—as a staging ground for a large-scale immigration operation set to begin in September 2025.
The request, submitted to the Defense Department in late August, seeks “limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs to support DHS operations,” as Naval Station spokesperson Matt Mogle told the Associated Press. The documents detail a month-long operation involving 200 Homeland Security officials, with provisions for up to 250 personnel, a Tactical Operations Center, an Incident Command Post, and ample parking for vehicles and storage for medical supplies and non-lethal weapons such as rubber bullets and tear gas.
This development follows a series of similar deployments by the Trump administration, which in recent months sent National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles to support federal immigration enforcement and crime-fighting efforts. The administration’s actions mark a growing trend of utilizing military resources for civilian law enforcement—an approach that has drawn fierce criticism from local leaders and civil liberties advocates alike.
Chicago’s city leaders, blindsided by the federal request, have scrambled to prepare for a range of possible scenarios, from troops assisting in immigration arrests to military patrols on city streets. “We don’t want to raise any fears,” Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters on August 28, “and we don’t want to create any speculation around what’s going on.” Snelling, like many city officials, has called for greater communication and transparency from the White House, emphasizing the need to avoid panic and chaos in Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker have both pushed back forcefully against the prospect of a military mobilization in their city. Johnson, in a strongly worded statement, compared the plan to previous federal escalations in Los Angeles, warning, “We reject any attempts that put Chicagoans in danger as a means of furthering the president’s political ends.” The city has responded by circulating know-your-rights cards in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods and providing information about homeless shelters, underscoring a commitment to protecting vulnerable residents.
Pritzker, who some see as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, has spent recent days highlighting statistics that show violent crime in Chicago is on the decline. “There is no emergency in Chicago requiring military intervention,” he told the Associated Press, and suggested that the deployment is more about political theater than public safety. “This is a part of his plan to do something really nefarious, which is to interfere with elections in 2026,” Pritzker said, accusing Trump of seeking to intimidate voters with a show of force.
Despite these assurances, the city’s crime statistics present a nuanced reality. Chicago reported 573 homicides in 2024, the highest total of any U.S. city that year, and a homicide rate of 21.7 per 100,000 residents, according to federal data analyzed by the Rochester Institute of Technology. However, violent crime dropped by more than 22% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024—a decline city officials tout as evidence that their approach is working.
The Trump administration, for its part, has continued to single out Chicago as emblematic of what it describes as failed Democratic leadership. On his Truth Social platform, Trump posted, “The people are desperate for me to STOP THE CRIME, something the Democrats aren’t capable of doing.” At a White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt cited recent shootings in Chicago and declared, “This is JB Pritzker’s legacy, by the way.”
Meanwhile, the federal crackdown is part of a broader push to ramp up immigration enforcement nationwide. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported on August 28 that 200,000 people have been deported since Trump returned to office. White House Border Czar Tom Homan credited the administration’s policies—such as “Remain in Mexico” and the end of “catch and release”—for creating “the most secure border in the nation’s history.” Homan told reporters, “Part of the success... is because we’re showing the world there’s consequences.”
ICE has also unveiled a controversial “worst of the worst” web page, posting photos and details of crimes committed by those detained, many of whom were previously convicted of sexual offenses against children. The administration is seeking to expand detention capacity, even as it faces setbacks such as the court-ordered closure of the notorious “Alligator Alcatraz” facility in Florida’s Everglades, which must shut down due to environmental and legal concerns.
Since the National Guard deployments began, there have been more than 300 immigration-related arrests in Washington, D.C., and 5,000 in Los Angeles, according to DHS. Critics warn that the militarization of immigration enforcement is only the beginning, with millions of dollars now allocated to hire 8,500 new Customs and Border Protection employees and 10,000 new ICE agents and officers.
Some of the harshest criticism has come from prominent Democrats and former administration officials. Former President Barack Obama, a Chicago native, posted on X, “The erosion of basic principles like due process and the expanding use of our military on domestic soil puts the liberties of all Americans at risk, and should concern Democrats and Republicans alike.” Pete Buttigieg, former Transportation Secretary and Naval Reserve intelligence officer who trained at Great Lakes, echoed these concerns, saying he never imagined the base would be used “for surveillance and enforcement activity on American soil.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom, speaking at a Politico event on August 27, warned, “You have the largest private police force in the world. When they’re done with this, all that funding and that big beautiful betrayal allow more resources for this private police force that increasingly is showing a tendency not to swear an oath to the Constitution, but to the president of the United States. And he’ll be sending them to voting booths and polling places all across this country. This is a real and serious moment in US history.”
As Chicago braces for the possibility of a federal crackdown, city officials remain adamant that they will protect residents’ rights and resist what they see as federal overreach. The outcome of the Defense Department’s review of the DHS request remains uncertain, but the debate has already reignited tensions over immigration, policing, and the role of the military in American cities. With the eyes of the nation watching, Chicago’s response to the Trump administration’s plans may well set the tone for similar battles in cities across the country in the months ahead.
