Trump Confirms Federal Troops Heading to Chicago Despite Pushback

President Trump confirmed Tuesday that federal troops will be sent to Chicago, escalating tensions with Illinois leaders who oppose the move.

“Well, we’re going in. I didn’t say when. We’re going in,” Trump said, adding that the decision was not political but an obligation. The announcement followed days of speculation after the administration hinted at deploying military personnel to the city.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker strongly objected, vowing to take legal action. “The president of the United States likes to go on television and beg me to call and ask him for troops. I find this extraordinarily strange as Chicago does not want troops on our streets,” Pritzker said.

The announcement comes after a violent Labor Day weekend in Chicago, where police reported at least 58 people were shot. Trump has frequently criticized Chicago’s crime rates, calling the city “a hellhole.”

City officials, however, argue that shootings, while still at troubling levels, have been trending downward in 2025. The Mayor’s Office of Violence Reduction acknowledged the city has far to go but stressed progress is being made. “They believe it’s acceptable to go from an unacceptable level of crime to an unacceptable level of crime and call that a win,” a spokesperson said.

Some residents also voiced concern that sending federal troops or National Guard members could worsen tensions rather than resolve them. “I believe that it will put us in a situation where the whole city of Chicago will be right back where we started,” one resident said.

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