President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing an immigration enforcement surge in Chicago that could bring in hundreds of federal officers and rely on a nearby naval installation for support, according to internal planning documents and officials. A draft request from the Department of Homeland Security, reviewed by The New York Times, asks to use Naval Station Great Lakes, about 35 miles north of Chicago, for a month-long operation.
The proposal calls for housing as many as 250 staff, setting up a command center and storing equipment that includes medical supplies, tear gas and rubber ammunition.
“Chicago’s a mess,” Trump said this week. “You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent. And we’ll straighten that one out probably next.
“That’ll be our next one after this,” he added, referring to a federal operation in Washington D.C., “And it won’t even be tough.”
Tom Homan, Trump’s border adviser, acknowledged conversations about using the base but declined to share specifics, saying only that a sizable force was being considered. Claire Trickler-McNulty, a former senior ICE official, told the Times that the request pointed to an operation larger than standard Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.
“This appears to be a large-scale sustained plan,” Trickler-McNulty said. “Having a tactical operations center and incident command center indicates the type of preparation you would see in a military setting.”
The Times reported ICE has made about 1,400 arrests in Illinois since Trump returned to office, most of them in the Chicago region.
How are local leaders responding?
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, D, dismissed the plan as a repeat of tactics used elsewhere. He stated that the city would reject actions that put residents at risk and would assist people in understanding their rights if detained.
“Unless there’s a warrant, these federal agents do not have the right and the authority to bullguard their way through our institutions,” Johnson said, “and we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that we stand up to tyranny.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, D, has also pledged resistance, arguing there is no emergency that would justify federal intervention. He called the plan illegal and unconstitutional, and vowed to use “every peaceful tool” available to oppose it.
Other elected officials, including Illinois’ two Democratic U.S. senators, joined in the criticism. Sen. Tammy Duckworth described the proposal as “unwarranted, unwanted and unjust,” while Sen. Dick Durbin called it a “shameful exploitation of the military for political purposes.”
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said his department would not block federal agents, but urged coordination to prevent clashes. He also asked demonstrators to stay peaceful if protests occur.
Macquline King, the interim CEO of Chicago Public Schools, told families that federal immigration agents cannot enter school grounds. She promised to enforce existing safety procedures.
What is the political backdrop?
Trump has pointed to Chicago as the next city in his law-and-order campaign, after earlier deployments in Los Angeles and Washington. He has repeatedly portrayed the city as unsafe, despite police data that shows killings are down more than 30% from 2024.
Business and civic leaders across Illinois have also voiced opposition, warning that the operation could harm Chicago’s reputation and economy.
Pritzker said the state would “pull every lever at our disposal to protect the people of Illinois and their rights.”
