ICE preparing to target Chicago for immigration crackdown

The Trump administration has requested a military base near Chicago for assistance on upcoming federal immigration operations.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asked Naval Station Great Lakes, a military installation roughly 35 miles north of Chicago, for limited logistical and infrastructure support to aid Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, according to multiple media reports. The request follows a widespread federal immigration crackdown in Washington, D.C., and pledges by the Trump administration to expand to other cities.

“President Trump has been clear: we are going to make our streets and cities safe again,” a senior DHS official stated to the Daily Caller News Foundation when asked for confirmation on the request. “Across the country, DHS law enforcement are arresting and removing the worst of worst including gang members, murderers, pedophiles, and rapists that have terrorized American communities.”

“Under Secretary Noem, ICE and CBP [Customs and Border Protection] are working overtime to deliver on the American people’s mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens and make America safe again,” the senior official continued.

Specifically, DHS has requested Naval Station Great Lakes for “limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs to support DHS operations,” base spokesperson Matt Mogle stated, according to the Associated Press. Despite these prior public statements, Mogle referred the DCNF to DHS when asked on Thursday about the request.

ICE and other federal immigration agents would be housed at the Naval Station Great Lakes from Sept. 2-30, according to a Monday email from Navy Captain Stephen Yargosz to his leadership team, which was first obtained by the Chicago-Sun Times.

“These operations are similar to what occurred in Los Angeles earlier this summer. Same DHS team,” Yargosz, the commanding officer of the Illinois base, said in the email. “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.”

Preparations for a heightened crackdown on Chicago come as the Trump administration, which has long prioritized immigration enforcement, has recently honed in on Washington, D.C., with much success.

President Donald Trump’s crackdown on the nation’s capital has led to significant improvement in public safety, per a Daily Caller review of Metropolitan Police Department data. When comparing crime statistics from a two-week period over the president’s federal law enforcement takeover to the same time periods in 2024 and 2023, there is a sharp drop in crime — a 21% drop in 2024 and 33% drop in 2023.

On the other side of the country, DHS celebrated Tuesday the arrest of its 5,000th illegal migrant in Los Angeles since heightened operations began in June.

Despite the precipitous drop in crime in Washington, D.C., and major busts taking place in Los Angeles, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, has vehemently pushed back on the idea of federal law enforcement descending upon the Windy City.

“Our nation has already tried over-policing and incarcerating our way to safety, and that is how we ended up with the largest prison population in the world without solving our challenges with crime and violence,” Johnson said in a Wednesday press release. “I urge our federal government to listen to the advocates, experts, and Chicagoans who are calling for resources that stop the endless flow of guns in our city as well as transformational investments in housing, education, mental health, and community safety.”

A spokesperson for the mayor did not respond to a request for comment from the DCNF about the possible cooperation between DHS and Naval Station Great Lakes.

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