Following President Donald Trump’s pledge to intervene in Chicago, city officials and residents are preparing to resist a potential federal crackdown, which Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has indicated could commence as early as this weekend.
The Trump Administration has offered few specifics on the nature of a National Guard presence in Chicago, or when a deployment would begin—if it materializes at all. Asked on Tuesday whether he would dispatch troops to the city, as he had previously stated his intention to do, Trump told reporters, “We’re going in,” but added, “I didn’t say when.” Vice President JD Vance informed the press the following day that “no immediate plans” were finalized.
Pritzker, however, said this week that Illinois authorities have been informed that the National Guard will be in place by Friday and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations will start in the city beginning on Saturday.
The governor has committed to “hold the line,” and both Chicago officials and residents are getting ready to push back.
Here are some ways the city and state are making preparations.
Chicago Officials and Police
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order over the weekend instructing the city’s police force not to cooperate with federal agents during a potential crackdown on crime and immigration.
The order states that “no CPD personnel shall be assigned joint law enforcement patrols, arrest operations, or other law enforcement duties alongside federal law enforcement, or military personnel, or National Guard units engaging in civil immigration enforcement.”
Johnson also urged city departments, officials, and police to resist all efforts from the federal government to coordinate with state and city authorities.
“With this executive order, we send a clear message to the federal government: we do not need nor desire an unconstitutional and illegal military occupation of our city. We will take any necessary action to protect the rights of Chicagoans,” Johnson declared.
A “Protecting Chicago Initiative,” established within the executive order, aims to make information regarding residents’ rights readily available, coordinate with businesses and agencies to address community needs, and regularly submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in response to actions taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) against residents in Chicago.
The State
Pritzker has pledged that legal action would follow a deployment, though he stated on Tuesday that Illinois would only file a lawsuit against Trump once the President’s justification for deploying the National Guard in Chicago is known.
“We absolutely will go into court,” the governor affirmed.
Pritzker has refrained from speaking with Trump to discuss the Guard’s deployment, in order to legally safeguard himself, the governor explained on Wednesday.
“He wants to establish a factual narrative that the governor called him to ask for help. Why? Because he’s going to end up in court,” Pritzker remarked. “He’s going to end up in court, and that will be a fact they will use in court. That the governor called to ask for help, and I am not going to provide him with evidence to support his desire to have the court rule in his favor. I’m simply not going to do that.”
Illinois has previously filed or joined multiple lawsuits against the Trump Administration since Trump returned to the White House in January.
A judge ruled this week that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles earlier this summer was illegal due to the use of soldiers to perform law enforcement functions.
Chicago’s Black and Hispanic Communities
With Trump’s threat of a crackdown looming, many Black churches around Chicago are planning to participate in “Resistance Sunday” this week to provide information about citizens’ legal rights in the event they are stopped or questioned by officials.
Mayor Johnson has sharply criticized Trump’s targeting of Democratic cities and has characterized efforts to combat crime by sending more people to prison as “racist, immoral, and unholy.”
“We cannot resolve violence through incarceration; we’ve already attempted this, resulting in the world’s largest prison population without successfully addressing issues of crime and violence,” Johnson stated in a press conference last week.
“The president’s declarations about deploying federal troops to Chicago represent a clear and overt attack on both the Black and immigrant communities,” the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression said in a statement.
Pritzker on Tuesday said he was “deeply concerned” that increased federal immigration enforcement efforts would target Mexican Independence Day festivities planned for mid-September in the city. Event organizers intend to heighten security, recognizing that the risk of immigration-related arrests might discourage attendance.
“We have grounds to believe that Stephen Miller selected September for his arrival in Chicago due to the annual Mexican Independence Day celebrations held here,” Pritzker commented.
“A somber atmosphere hangs over us. However, we are organizing a secure event,” Teresa Fraga informed the Associated Press. Fraga is planning an event in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, where she said there will be enhanced security and lawyers present.
Protests
Activist networks in Chicago have circulated schedules for anti-Trump marches and training sessions on civil rights, alongside offering contact numbers for reporting immigration arrests.
Demonstrations against the Administration have already occurred this week, with hundreds of people participating in Chicago street marches labeled “Coalition Against the Trump Agenda” and “Workers Over Billionaires.” Additional protests are scheduled for the anticipated arrival of National Guard troops.
The Illinois has organized an emergency “Chicago Says No Trump, No Troops” protest for if and when the Guard is deployed.