CHICAGO (Saturday, October 4, 2025) – After weeks of threats, President Trump has ordered troops into the Chicago area to assist with ICE’s unwanted and unnecessary attack on local immigrant communities.
Hands Off Chicago, a coalition of Chicago and Illinois advocacy organizations, released the following statement in response:
“The scenes coming out of our communities in recent weeks are a stain on our nation’s history. Families snatched off the street by masked agents while hardworking immigrants with no criminal history are openly profiled and detained by sneering federal thugs. Peaceful protestors and press shot with tear gas and pepper bullets for no reason other than the nonviolent expression of their constitutional rights. Brutality and racism glamorized in pathetic social media videos posted by weak bullies desperate to feel powerful. All while the president explicitly and gleefully targets Chicago and other American cities as ‘training grounds’ for our armed forces.
“Now, Trump’s federalization and deployment of members of the Illinois National Guard escalates the prospect of violence in an obvious act of authoritarianism designed to intimidate and threaten. There has never been any emergency condition that justifies deploying military personnel to occupy Chicago.
“Advocacy organizations, elected leaders, faith leaders, labor, business, community groups, and more have and will continue to peacefully exercise our constitutional rights in protest of military occupation by the Trump Administration. We urge our state and local elected leaders to think creatively and aggressively about the assets available to warn residents and protect peaceful protestors. Simply asking people to know their rights and speak out has already proven insufficient.
“Chicago does not want and does not need troops or ICE in our region. Recent polling shows nearly two-thirds of Chicagoans oppose the deployment of federal troops to Chicago and more than 70% of residents think Trump’s actions are more about politics than safety. But clearly, Chicago’s opposition to Trump is exactly the reason why he is attempting to break our spirit through violence and intimidation. He will fail.
“Chicago is united, and in that solidarity we will find the strength to fight back and defeat the Trump regime.”###
Hands Off Chicago is supported by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights, Indivisible Chicago, Personal PAC, Equality Illinois, Sierra Club Illinois, the Illinois AFL-CIO, the Chicago Federation of Labor, and other Chicago advocacy organizations. Learn more at handsoffchicago.com.