The Trump administration has been planning for weeks to send the National Guard to Chicago, two officials told CNN, as President Donald Trump looks to expand his anti-crime agenda and crackdown on immigration in major cities across the United States.
It is not yet clear how many troops would be sent to Chicago, or when those deployments would start.
Trump seemed to preview those plans in the Oval Office on Friday, saying, “I think Chicago will be our next, and then we’ll help with New York.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, said Friday that the city has not heard from the White House about the deployment or any increased law enforcement presence, adding that such a move would be “uncalled for” and “unlawful.”
When asked for comment, the White House on Saturday referred CNN to Trump’s remarks in the Oval Office a day earlier. The president said Friday he hadn’t spoken to the Chicago mayor when asked by a reporter whether he had taken any “concrete steps” toward a crackdown in the city. CNN has reached out to the Pentagon for comment on the potential deployment of troops to Chicago, first reported by The Washington Post.
The plans align with the Trump administration’s unusual efforts to use the military for law enforcement and immigration actions within the US’ borders.
MNA
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