Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says sending military troops to Chicago would be an "invasion" by Trump administration [View all]

Source: CBS News

Updated on: August 29, 2025 / 8:37 PM EDT


Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told CBS News the Trump administration has not communicated with his state on a reported plan to send military forces to Chicago, calling the idea an "invasion" and arguing President Trump has "other aims" aside from cracking down on crime. Asked about a possible military deployment to America's third-largest city, which was recently reported by The Washington Post, Pritzker told CBS News: "It's clear that, in secret, they're planning this — well, it's an invasion with U.S. troops, if they, in fact, do that."

Mr. Trump has deployed National Guard forces and federal agents to the streets of two other major cities — Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. — in recent months, part of what the president casts as a crackdown against illegal immigration, violent crime and civil unrest. Last week, the president said his administration could take similar steps in Chicago. Mr. Trump called the city a "mess" and lashed out against Mayor Brandon Johnson, saying, "We'll straighten that one out probably next."

Mr. Trump is planning major immigration enforcement operations in Chicago that could start as soon as next week, echoing a similar operation in Los Angeles, sources told CBS News. And The Washington Post has reported that the Pentagon is drawing up plans to potentially send thousands of National Guard members to the Midwest's largest metro area as early as September — though those plans haven't been publicly confirmed.

Pritzker told CBS News that, if Mr. Trump sends the Guard to Chicago, voters "should understand that he has other aims, other than fighting crime." The governor argued that the president's gambit may be part of a plan to "stop the elections in 2026 or, frankly, take control of those elections." He also called the idea "an attack on the American people."

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/illinois-gov-pritzker-military-national-guard-chicago-invasion-trump/