CHICAGO () A Chicago alderman is advocating for the acceptance of President Donald Trump’s proposal to send National Guard troops to aid in fighting crime in the nation’s third-largest city.
Alderman Raymond Lopez, a Democrat representing the 15th Ward on Chicago’s West Side, stated that residents “live in a state of fear” and emphasized the need for city officials to collaborate with Trump rather than refuse federal assistance.
“If the mayor and the governor continue to claim that crime is down and that everything’s great, why not accept Donald Trump’s offer and make even more progress,” Lopez noted during ’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.”
His comments followed Trump’s pledge to send troops to Chicago after a Labor Day weekend marred by eight fatalities and 58 injuries due to shootings. Trump described Chicago as a “hellhole” and “the murder capital of the world,” although 20 American cities actually have higher murder rates.
Governor JB Pritzker dismissed Trump’s suggestion to request federal troops, stating “Chicago does not want troops on our streets” and expressing his refusal “to engage in a reality game show with Donald Trump again.”
Trump indicated he wanted Pritzker to call him and recognize the city’s issues. “The people have to be protected,” Trump stated, commending Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser for her cooperation with federal authorities.
A federal judge in California ruled Tuesday that Trump violated the Posse Comitatus Act which prohibits military forces from acting as law enforcement when he deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June.
Lopez wants Guard at tourist spots to free police for neighborhoods
Lopez said National Guard members could provide security at tourist attractions like Navy Pier and the Magnificent Mile, freeing up police officers to patrol neighborhoods.
“We need the actual presence of the National Guard to focus on the assets of the city so that our police can go into the communities and go after those individual gang members, drug dealers and human traffickers,” Lopez said.
The alderman criticized Mayor Brandon Johnson’s response to weekend violence, mocking Johnson’s claim that gun trafficking from red states was to blame.
“I’m actually quite surprised he didn’t blame the Confederacy, Richard Nixon or colonialism,” Lopez said.
Lopez also supported federal immigration enforcement, saying he welcomed ICE agents to identify what he called “2,000 high priority targets” who came from Texas and were “identified as serious dangers” to the city and country.
Trump said Tuesday he was sending federal agents to Chicago but declined to specify when a National Guard deployment might occur. “We’re going in,” Trump said. “I have an obligation this isn’t political, I have an obligation.”
Lopez blamed all sides for engaging in “political performance” instead of coordinating efforts to address violence. He said two teenagers were shot in his ward the same day city and state leaders said they didn’t need help.
“It’s shameful, really, because that’s what actually is driving a lot of the concern,” Lopez said, urging leaders to communicate directly rather than engage in “social media, TikTok battles.”
