In response to President Trump’s plan to militarize Chicago by senselessly deploying federal agents into the city, the MacArthur Justice Center firmly denounces this abuse of power and warns of the lingering harm to immigrant communities and communities of color as a result.  

Increasing police and military presence invites a violation of safety and civil rights for all Chicagoans. The deployment of federal agents is not a solution, but a threat to the millions of residents who will likely be overpoliced, surveilled, and unlawfully detained because of this order. 

“The militarization of Chicago is an alarming threat to civil rights across the city,” says Alexa Van Brunt, director of the MacArthur Justice Center’s Chicago office. “Chicagoans – particularly immigrants and communities of color – have already endured the harms of abusive policing and oversurveillance for years. Deploying federal troops threatens to repeat that history on a larger scale. Chicagoans deserve better than the fearmongering and destabilization of our communities that this action will inevitably bring.”  

“This deployment is not just a local issue, and it is no coincidence that Trump’s militarization plans prey on cities with thriving immigrant communities and communities of color,” says David Shapiro, Executive Director of the MacArthur Justice Center. “This targeted attack sets up communities across the U.S. to feel unsafe, surveilled, and threatened – all under the guise of increased public safety. It also signals a dangerous expansion of federal power that undermines legal limits and sets troubling precedent that threatens the rights of all people and communities across the country. The abuse of power must end, and the MacArthur Justice Center will stand by Chicago, Washington D.C., and other cities as they face the administration’s overreach.” 

For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact media@macarthurjustice.org