Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that a major surge of federal resources will be sent to Chicago in the coming days, following President Trump’s suggestion he could deploy National Guard troops and federal agents to fight crime and accelerate deportations.
Appearing on Face the Nation, Noem was pressed about reports of a large-scale ICE operation in Chicago that could begin as early as next week. Guest host Ed O’Keefe also asked if the effort would mirror recent operations in Los Angeles, where ICE actions have been reinforced by military personnel after anti-ICE riots.
“Well, we’ve already had ongoing operations with ICE in Chicago and throughout Illinois and other states, making sure that we’re upholding our laws. But we do intend to add more resources to those operations,” Noem responded.
“I won’t disclose the details, because they are law enforcement and investigative folks that are on the ground there, and I wanna make sure we keep their security our number one priority,” she continued. But we will continue to go after the worst of the worst across the country, like President Trump has told us to do, focusing on those that are perpetuating murder and rape trafficking of drugs and humans across our country, knowing that every single citizen deserves to be safe.”
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President Trump has said the planned surge in Chicago will build on what he calls successes in Washington, D.C., where he federalized the city’s police under the Home Rule Act and deployed federal agents and National Guard troops to combat crime and illegal immigration.
Even D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a frequent Trump critic, acknowledged improvements. In a recent report, she noted carjackings have fallen 87 percent since the federal takeover, while overall crime is down 15 percent and violent crime down 45 percent compared with the same 20-day period last year.
While Trump can only take direct control in the nation’s capital, he has suggested additional federal deployments in more blue cities to address crime, disorder, and illegal immigration. “After we do this we’ll go to another location, and we’ll make it safe, also. We’re going to make our country very safe,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office last week. “We’re going to make our cities very, very safe. Chicago’s a mess.”