Pentagon plans to deploy military in Chicago after Washington DC amid Trump’s crackdown, New York may be next: Report

The US headquarters of Defence, the Pentagon, is reportedly planning to deploy the military to Chicago as President Donald Trump aims to curb crime, homelessness and undocumented immigration, according to a report by the Washington Post citing officials familiar with the matter.

Trump had previously indicated his plans for Chicago.

“Chicago’s a mess. You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent. And we’ll straighten that one out probably next. That’ll be our next one after this. And it won’t even be tough,” Trump said on Friday while naming the cities he wanted to “clean up.”

‘Long been planning’

A military intervention in Chicago “has long been in planning,” coinciding with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) measures to search for illegal migrants in the state, the report said, citing people aware of the development.

Meanwhile, Trump’s latest move has been criticised by mayors and state governors for suggesting a takeover of Democratic states. Illinois governor JB Pritzker has alleged that the US president is seeking to ‘create chaos.’

“After using Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. as his testing ground for authoritarian overreach, Trump is now openly flirting with the idea of taking over other states and cities,” Pritzker said.

“Trump’s goal is to incite fear in our communities and destabilise existing public safety efforts — all to create a justification to further abuse his power,” he added.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson highlighted severe concerns over Trump’s move and other plans.

“The problem with the President’s approach is that it is uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound,” the mayor said.

No formal notice yet

Even though Trump’s statement has been taken seriously by the officials, the federal government has not issued any formal communication regarding the military deployment, the report noted.

Trump enforced the Home Rule Act earlier this month, bringing the Washington, D.C., police force directly under the central control of the federal government. Following this order, the US president also dispatched the National Guard to the capital.

In addition to Washington, D.C., and Chicago, Trump has announced plans to target New York soon, particularly after Democratic leader Zohran Mamdani won the mayor polls.