John,
Donald Trump’s military occupation of Los Angeles and Washington, DC were just test runs. This week, Trump announced that he’s expanding his authoritarian power grab and sending troops to Chicago, and possibly beyond.
As the president stated:1
“If the governor of Illinois would call up, call me up, I would love to do it. Now, we’re going to do it anyway. We have the right to do it, because I have an obligation to protect this country, and that includes Baltimore.”
Trump is claiming the need to enter these cities is because of crime, but PBS reports that as of July 2025, gun violence in Chicago is down 40% from where it was one year earlier.[2] A similar story has unfolded in Baltimore, with homicides down 40% since 2020 and on track to reach its lowest level since the 1980s.2
There’s no surge in violence in Washington, Chicago, or Baltimore. Municipal governments there are elected to protect against crime. There’s no threat that justifies sending in troops with loaded weapons. Putting live ammunition in civilian areas increases the risk of tragedy. And, just this week, a federal judge ruled that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles was an illegal act, violating the Posse Comitatus Act—a law that bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement.3
Send a message to Congress demanding they end Trump’s National Guard deployments now.
SEND A MESSAGE
Even after the judge’s ruling, Trump claims he still has the right to invade Chicago. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker made the following statement:4
“None of this is about fighting crime or making Chicago safer. None of it. For Trump, it’s about testing his power and producing a political drama to cover up for his corruption.
Any rational person who has spent even the most minimal amount of time studying human history has to ask themselves one important question: Once they get the citizens of this nation comfortable with the current atrocities committed under the color of law, what comes next?”
Congress must stop Trump’s authoritarian takeover now.
Send a message to Congress demanding they stop Trump from politicizing the National Guard and taking over our cities through authoritarian rule.
Thank you for all you do,
Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action
1 Trump contradicts Vance, says National Guard will be ‘going in’ to Chicago
2 Chicago sees historic drop in violent crime during first half of 2025
3 L.A. Ruling Complicates Trump’s Threats to Send Troops to More Cities
4 Pritzker: Trump is Preparing to Deploy Texas National Guard Troops to Illinois
