At least 53 people were shot in Chicago over the Labor Day weekend, seven of them fatally. The violence coincided with renewed threats from President Donald Trump to send federal agents and National Guard troops to the city, a move strongly opposed by Illinois leaders.
What happened over the weekend?
Police recorded at least 31 shooting incidents between Friday night and early Monday. Among those hit were a 17-year-old girl struck inside her home when a bullet entered through a window, a 25-year-old woman killed in her apartment and a 43-year-old woman shot outside her residence.
One of the largest shootings occurred late Saturday in Bronzeville, where a drive-by left seven people between the ages of 28 and 32 wounded. Early Sunday in Pilsen, a 46-year-old man was killed and two others injured in a triple shooting. Police said investigations are ongoing, with no arrests announced in several cases.
What is the political dispute?
On social media, Trump warned Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to “straighten it out, FAST, or we’re coming!” He compared Chicago to Washington, D.C., where he recently declared a public safety emergency and placed the city’s police under federal control.
Pritzker rejected the threat, calling it “unprecedented and unwarranted. It is illegal. It is unconstitutional. And it is un-American.” He accused the president of trying to use military force to punish opponents and gain politically.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also objected, saying a deployment would be “uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound.” Over the weekend, he signed an executive order directing the city’s legal department to prepare lawsuits if federal forces arrive.
What has DHS said?
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that ICE operations in Chicago will be stepped up and may be staged out of Naval Station Great Lakes. She stressed that the decision on whether to include National Guard troops rests with Trump.
Noem said additional ICE resources were being deployed but denied the moves were politically driven, insisting they were intended to improve public safety.
How are local leaders responding?
Pritzker said any attempt to place troops in the city would face an immediate court challenge. He also argued that stepped-up immigration raids harm neighborhoods by targeting people who have lived in Illinois for decades.
At a Labor Day rally speech, Johnson repeated his opposition: “No federal troops in the city of Chicago. No militarized force in the city of Chicago. We’re going to defend our democracy in the city of Chicago.”
Despite the weekend shootings, police data show violent crime in Chicago has declined overall this year. Compared with the first half of 2024, shootings are down 37 percent and homicides 32 percent.
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Author: Ally Heath
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