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After Washington DC, Trump eyes Chicago: Pentagon planning military deployment, says report
This move, which is linked to Trump's crackdown, could include mobilising at least "a few thousand members of the National Guard as soon as September."
After the federal takeover in Washington D.C, US President Donald Trump is reportedly eyeing a crackdown in Chicago, Illinois. As per a report by the Washington Post, the Pentagon has been working on a military deployment plan for Chicago for the past few weeks.
This move, which is linked to Trump's crackdown on crime, illegal immigration and homelessness, could include mobilising at least "a few thousand members of the National Guard as soon as September."
Also Read | National Guard troops will soon carry weapons in Washington DC
Earlier on Friday, Trump hinted that he had his eyes set on 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," said Trump as he named the cities he would like to "clean up."
As per the Washington Post report, officials familiar with the matter said that a military intervention in Chicago "has long been in planning," and in conjunction with expanded ICE operations to search for undocumented migrants in the city.
Trump has been slammed by mayors and state governors for his statements to takeover cities. Illinois governor JB Pritzker has accused the US president of trying 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 destabilize existing public safety efforts — all to create a justification to further abuse his power,' the governor added.
Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson cited grave concerns over Trump's statement and future plans. "The problem with the President’s approach is that it is uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound," the mayor said.
The report by the post adds that while Chicago officials have taken Trump's warnings seriously, the federal government has not reached out with any formal communication.
A spokesperson for the Illinois governor told WP that no one from the Trump administration has reached out to the governor's office to coordinate military planning.
Trump takes over Washington DC in bid to solve crime, New York on cards
Earlier this month, Trump invoked the Home Rule Act, bringing the Washington DC police department under direct central control of the federal government. Following this order, the US president also deployed the National Guard in the capital.
Citing high crime rates in the US capital, Trump termed his takeover as "liberation day" for Washington DC. As per reports, around 2,000 National Guard troops have been deployed to the capital.
Apart from Washington DC and Chicago, Trump has also expressed his plans to takeover New York soon, especially after Zohran Mamdani won the democrat primary for the mayoral polls.
