Trump admin declares Chicago a ‘war zone’: What ‘war from within’ rhetoric means for US cities and democracy

The Trump administration on Sunday described Chicago as a “war zone” to justify deploying soldiers to the city against the wishes of its Democratic leaders, even as a judge blocked the White House from sending troops to another Democrat-run city.

The move has deepened a nationwide political standoff between President Donald Trump’s tough-on-crime agenda and Democrats who accuse him of an authoritarian power grab.

Late on Saturday, Trump authorised the deployment of 300 National Guard soldiers to Chicago, the United States’ third-largest city despite objections from Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the decision in a Fox News interview, claiming that “Chicago is a war zone.”

Pritzker, appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, accused Republicans of deliberately inciting chaos. “They want to create the war zone so that they can send in even more troops. They need to get the heck out,” he said.

A CBS News poll released on Sunday showed 42 per cent of Americans supported deploying the National Guard to cities, while 58 per cent opposed it.

Trump, who last week spoke of waging a “war from within,” appeared undeterred by mounting criticism. On Sunday, he falsely claimed that “Portland is burning to the ground” and that “insurrectionists” were “all over the place.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, one of Trump’s key Republican allies, echoed the president’s rhetoric, telling NBC’s Meet the Press that National Guard troops deployed in Washington had responded to what he called a “literal war zone.”

The administration’s actions and rhetoric have drawn sharp rebuke from Democratic governors and mayors, who say Trump’s deployment of troops to Democratic-led cities is an unprecedented federal intrusion into local governance.

Trump’s military plan hits roadblock

But Trump’s campaign to use the military on home soil hit a roadblock late Saturday in Portland, Oregon, when a court ruled the deployment was unlawful.

Trump has repeatedly called Portland “war-ravaged,” but US District Judge Karin Immergut issued a temporary block, saying “the president’s determination was simply untethered to the facts."

“This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law,” Immergut wrote in her ruling.

Although Portland has seen scattered attacks on federal officers and property, the Trump administration failed to demonstrate “that those episodes of violence were part of an organized attempt to overthrow the government as a whole” – thereby justifying military force, she said.

One of Trump’s key advisors, Stephen Miller, called the judge’s order “legal insurrection."

ICE raids and arrests spark outrage

Aside from the deployment of troops, the Trump crackdown is being spearheaded by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). The department is being rapidly expanded both in personnel and duties.

ICE raids around the country – primarily in cities run by Democrats – have seen groups of masked, armed men in unmarked cars and armored vehicles target residential neighborhoods and businesses, sparking protests.

Days of tense scenes in Chicago turned violent Saturday when a federal officer shot a motorist that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said had been armed and rammed one of their patrol vehicles.

DHS officials have said that ICE officers also shot and killed 38-year-old immigrant Silverio Villegas Gozalez during a traffic stop on September 12, accusing him of allegedly trying to flee the scene and dragging an ICE officer with the vehicle.

With inputs from agencies