BREAKING: Trump asks Chicago-area military base to back up feds on area mass deportations

President Donald Trump has asked for a military base near Chicago to assist in the administration's illegal immigration crackdown efforts. This comes after the National Guard has been backing up federal and local law enforcement on crime and illegal immigration in Washington, DC.

The Department of Homeland Security asked for "limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs to support DHS operations,” said Naval Station Great Lakes spokesman Matt Mogle. The base is 35 miles outside Chicago, per the Associated Press.

The story was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, which said that the naval base will be used to house ICE agents and possibly the National Guard. 

“These operations are similar to what occurred in Los Angeles earlier this summer. Same DHS team,” the commanding officer of the Naval Station Great Lakes, Stephen Yargosz, told the outlet. “This morning I received a call that there is the potential to also support National Guard units. Not many details on this right now. Mainly a lot of concerns and questions.” 

Yargosz added in an email to the outlet that the planned operation would target the area of "downtown Chicago," however, a formal approval is still required from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

After Trump used the National Guard in both Los Angeles and Washington, DC to quell crime and assist ICE in cracking down on illegal immigration in the cities, Trump has said that the federal government may be sending the Guard troops to various cities, including Chicago and New York, to curb criminality. 

On Thursday, Trump posted to Truth Social, "Governor Pritzker had 6 murders in Chicago this weekend. 20 people were shot. But he doesn’t want to ask me for help. Can this be possible? The people are desperate for me to STOP THE CRIME, something the Democrats aren’t capable of doing. STAY TUNED!!!"

Democrat leaders in Illinois have countered Trump in his suggestions that the federal government will crack down on crime in Chicago. The city's mayor, Brandon Johnson, said earlier this week that the people of Chicago will "rise up" if the National Guard was brought in to crack down on crime. 

Chicago was among the top 10 cities with the most homicides per capita in 2024. Three times greater than LA and almost five times greater than New York City, per the RIT Center for Public Safety Initiatives. 

Despite the high crimes, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker also has taken issue with Trump's potential crackdown on crime in the city with the National Guard, and claimed earlier this week, "Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families. We will continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect the people of Illinois.”