President Donald Trump said Friday his administration could target Chicago next in its crackdown on crime, even as city data show shootings, homicides, and robberies have all sharply declined in the past year.
“After we do this, we’ll go to another location and we’ll make it safe also. Chicago is a mess. You have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent, and we’ll straighten that one out, probably next.”
He added that he has not spoken with Mayor Brandon Johnson but insisted his administration would act “when we are ready.”
Pentagon Mobilization Elsewhere
The Pentagon confirmed to Fox News that up to 1,700 National Guard troops are being mobilized across 19 states under Title 32 authority, which keeps them under state control while receiving federal funding. Officials said the mission is focused on immigration support tasks, such as helping the Department of Homeland Security with administrative and logistical needs, rather than direct crime enforcement.
The deployments will include troops from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming, according to The Independent.
While President Trump has also publicly named Chicago and New York as possible next targets in his federal crime crackdown, Politico reported there have been no official Pentagon orders to deploy National Guard troops to either city.
Crime Falling in Chicago
According to city police data cited by Time, crime in Chicago has dropped by 15% since 2023. Fatal and nonfatal shootings are down nearly 38% this year compared with the same period in 2024. Homicides and robberies have both fallen about 32%, and carjackings are down almost 49%.
Those figures follow years of fluctuation. Time reported shootings rose 55% in 2020 compared with 2019, increased by another 9% in 2021, then dropped by nearly 21% the next year. The University of Chicago Crime Lab found homicides climbed 58% between 2015 and 2016, while nonfatal shootings increased 43%.
Trump’s History With the City
Time states that Trump has criticized Chicago for more than a decade. In 2013, he called it “a shooting disaster.” While running for president in 2016, he wrote on social media:
“Crime is out of control, and rapidly getting worse. Look what is going on in Chicago and our inner cities. Not good!”
In 2020, during his first term, Trump deployed federal agents to Chicago under a Justice Department program meant to curb what he described as “a shocking explosion of shootings, killings, murders, and heinous crimes of violence.”
The initiative drew concern from local leaders and ended after Trump left office in 2021.
Legal Questions Raised
Trump’s remarks on Chicago came less than two weeks after he federalized Washington, D.C.’s police department and deployed National Guard troops. He utilized the D.C. Home Rule Act of 1973, which grants the president control in emergencies.
His authority to act in other U.S. cities is far more limited, since state governments control their own police forces and National Guard units.
Local Pushback
According to Time, Mayor Brandon Johnson rejected Trump’s comments, pointing to the city’s “historic progress” in reducing violence.
“The problem with the President’s approach is that it is uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound,” Johnson said.
Johnson added that Trump isn’t being lawful.
“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.”
Concerns come as residents in other cities have already witnessed federal interventions firsthand. In Washington, D.C., Trump invoked emergency powers on Aug. 11 to seize control of the police department and deploy National Guard troops across the city, even though violent crime was already declining. In California, local leaders also clashed with the administration over the use of federal resources in cities including Oakland, raising fears of heightened tension between residents and law enforcement.
What’s Next
If Trump is to follow through on similar action in Chicago to previous cities, residents could expect an increased federal and military presence in neighborhoods, with the possibility of checkpoints, surveillance, and demonstrations against the move. Community organizers and legal experts have emphasized steps locals can take to protect themselves, including:
Know Your Rights: Carry documentation, understand protest rights, and be aware of how to safely interact with law enforcement.
Stay Informed: Follow updates from trusted local news outlets, community leaders, and city officials to track changes in law enforcement presence.
Connect Locally: Lean on neighborhood networks, mutual aid groups, and advocacy organizations that monitor federal activity and provide legal or community support.
Document Encounters: Use phones or community hotlines to record incidents if tensions escalate, as transparency can deter misconduct.
While Chicago’s crime rate has been falling, the President continues to frame the city as a symbol of urban violence.
That contrast sets the stage for a potential clash: a White House promising a show of force, and local leaders arguing the city’s progress comes from community investment, not troops in the streets.
