Trump sends National Guard to Chicago: chaos or security?

Trump sends National Guard to Chicago: chaos or security?

US President Donald Trump has ordered the National Guard to Chicago to combat rising crime. He repeatedly referred to the city as a “hellhole” and argued that this operation was necessary to ensure safety. National Guard forces from Texas have already arrived in Illinois and will be deployed centrally in Chicago. Meanwhile, a legal battle is underway between the city government and Illinois leaders against Trump's decision to send in the National Guard to prevent the deployment. Mayor Brandon Johnson has announced that the National Guard will not be allowed to intervene in the city without legal representation.

The situation in Chicago remains tense as Trump also plans to station members of the border protection agency ICE in the city. There is already regional resistance to these measures. Chicago aims to ban ICE from certain areas of the city and plans to establish ICE-free zones. The mayor has made it clear that ICE can only gain access to private facilities with a search warrant. This comes against the backdrop of massive allegations against ICE regarding its actions in the city, where raids are perceived as a show of force.

Reactions from politics

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has accused Trump of bringing chaos and fear to the city. The governor and the city of Chicago have filed a lawsuit against the deployment of the National Guard. Pritzker makes it clear that the deployment of the National Guard in cities is illegal and calls on the federal government to refrain from the project. Trump has already mobilized 400 National Guard troops from Texas to deploy not only to Illinois, but also to Oregon and other cities.

Interestingly, a US federal court has temporarily halted the deployment of the National Guard in Portland. This could set an important precedent for the legal challenges that also exist against the Chicago operation. In this context, Trump has indicated that he might consider the Insurrection Act to legitimize the use of the military for law enforcement tasks. This 1807 law allows the military to intervene in domestic law enforcement activities.

Rising accommodation prices and tourist attractiveness

As political tensions rise, hotel prices in Chicago's Trump Tower have skyrocketed. Accommodation costs vary from $461.25 to $858.75 per night, which is considered high for travelers planning to visit the city. Despite Trump's negative comments, Chicago continues to be promoted as an attractive destination for city trips. The city is seeing a surge in tourist inquiries, even as Trump claims that 20 people have died violently and 75 have been shot in Chicago in the last two and a half weeks.

However, the city of Chicago has contradicted Trump's statements, pointing to police statistics that show a 28% decrease in murder cases and a 35% decrease in firearms incidents. The divergence between Trump's public statements and the actual statistics is creating additional tension between the city government and the presidential office.

In order to continue monitoring the situation, it remains to be seen how the legal battles surrounding the National Guard and ICE in Chicago will turn out.