ICE operations to surge, federal troops could be deployed to Chicago by later this week

CHICAGO — A surge in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and the deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago could happen as soon as later this week.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Gov. JB Pritzker both appeared in separate interviews on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” over Labor Day weekend.

While Pritzker continues to say sending federal troops to Chicago is dangerous, Noem says the governor should be welcoming ideas to better protect the city, rather than opposing them.

Pritzker said on “Face the Nation” that the city would indeed welcome federal help to crack down on crime and gun violence, but not in the form of troops being sent.

“This is dangerous. They shouldn’t be doing it, it’s anti-American, it’s un-American,” Pritzker said. “We would like ATF agents to help us take more guns off the streets. We would like (the) FBI, again, to coordinate with our local law enforcement to help catch perpetrators of crimes.

“If they would do that, we would welcome that.”

During her appearance on “Face the Nation,” Noem said the governor should be open to any suggestions on crime from President Donald Trump and his administration.

“This seems like it’s more about Governor Pritzker’s ego now, rather than actually protecting his people,” Noem said. “If he has one murder in the City of Chicago, he should be calling President Trump and saying, ‘What’s your ideas?'”

According to the city, from the beginning of the year until now, Chicago has recorded a 21% decline in overall crime, a 32% decline in homicides, a 31% decrease in robberies, and a 49% decrease in vehicular hijackings.

However, those numbers don’t yet account for what’s been a violent Labor Day weekend around the city so far.

Noem: Immigration ops expanding

Noem in her interview Sunday said the Trump administration will soon expand immigration operations in Chicago, confirming plans for a stepped-up presence of federal agents in the city as Trump continues to lash out at Illinois’ Democratic leadership.

Meanwhile, Mayor Brandon Johnson has said he’s received credible reports that Chicago will see some type of military activity in the coming days.

In response, the mayor on Saturday signed an executive order establishing the “Protecting Chicago” initiative, which seeks to protect residents from the potential mobilization of National Guard troops in the city and demands that Trump stand down on his threats to send in troops to help crack down on crime and immigration.

The executive order states that when Chicago Police Department officers engage in crowd control or safety operations, they’re required to wear outer gear clearly identifying themselves as CPD officers in order to help residents distinguish between a CPD officer and federal law enforcement.

Johnson says there’s no need for military checkpoints or armored vehicles in the city and that if troops come to Chicago, the executive order directs the city to pursue all available legal and legislative avenues to resist efforts by the federal government.

Additionally, the executive order is aimed to protect the rights of Chicagoans amid stepped-up ICE enforcement.

“We will protect our Constitution, we will protect our city, and we will protect out people,” Johnson said Saturday. “We do not want to see tanks in our streets. We do not want to see families ripped apart. We do not want grandmothers thrown into the back of unmarked vans. We don’t want to see homeless Chicagoans harassed or disappeared by federal agents.

“We don’t want to see Chicagoans arrested for sitting on their porch.”

Johnson’s executive order comes as Noem says a surge of ICE operations is expected in Chicago as soon as Friday, though she didn’t mention if that would also be accompanied by National Guard troops.

The mayor is expected to be at Museum Campus for a rally at 11 a.m. Monday, during which Chicagoans will be speaking out against troops being deployed to Chicago.