WASHINGTON—The Trump administration has asked a military base outside Chicago for support on immigration operations, according to the base.
Naval Station Great Lakes was asked by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for “limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs to support DHS operations,” said Matt Mogle, a spokesperson for the base, which is 35 miles north of the Windy City.
No decision has been made regarding the request, Mogle said.
White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed that discussions have taken place about Immigration and Customs Enforcement using the base.
“The planning is still being discussed,” he told reporters outside the White House on Aug. 28.
However, Homan said Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations could still increase in Chicago.
“Operations are ramped up across the country, but you could see it ramp up around places like Chicago, absolutely,” he said.
The Chicago Sun-Times first reported on the Trump administration’s request, which would need to be approved by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said he does not want the National Guard in Chicago.
“We want to make sure and show off that there’s no emergency happening in Chicago,” he said. “We’ve been fighting crime. We’ve been trying to prevent crime, and it’s been working.”
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Aug. 26: “A really DEADLY weekend in Chicago. 6 DEAD, 27 HURT IN CRIME SPREES ALLOVER THE CITY.
“Panic-stricken Governor Pritzker says that crime is under control, when in fact it is just the opposite. He is an incompetent Governor who should call me for HELP. Mayor Johnson is no better. Make Chicago Great Again!”
Pritzker has warned Trump and the White House not to intervene in Chicago.
“To Donald Trump and his administration: If you hurt my people, nothing will stop me—not time or political circumstance—from making sure you face justice under our constitutional rule of law,” he posted on X.
There has been a National Guard presence in Washington since Aug. 11, when Trump deployed them to the nation’s capital to deal with crime.
Trump invoked Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act of 1973, which grants the president control of the Metropolitan Police Department for 48 hours, a period that can be renewed for up to 30 days by notifying Congress.
After that time period, Congress has to green-light further extensions.
The president put Attorney General Pam Bondi in charge of the police department and made Drug Enforcement Administration chief Terry Cole the police commissioner.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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