NEWS
NEWS

Trump intensifies promises of federal law enforcement action in Chicago

Updated

President Donald Trump has amplified his promises to send National Guard troops and immigration agents to Chicago by posting a parody image from "Apocalypse Now" featuring a ball of flames as helicopters zoom over the nation's third-largest city

People march during Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights' "Chicago Says No Trump No Troops" protest
People march during Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights' "Chicago Says No Trump No Troops" protestAP

"'I love the smell of deportations in the morning,'" Trump wrote on his social media site. "Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR."

The weekend post follows Trump's repeated threats to add Chicago to the list of other Democratic-led cities he's targeted for expanded federal enforcement, including Los Angeles and Washington — marking the latest flashpoint in a broader national struggle over how far the federal government can push local authorities to cooperate with its immigration agenda.

Details on the expected intervention have been sparse, including its focus and when exactly it's expected to begin, though Trump's border czar Tom Homan said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that federal law enforcement action will come to Chicago this week.