Durbin On Trump's Threat To Deploy Military To Chicago: Dangerous, Illegal, And Unconstitutional

Durbin On Trump's Threat To Deploy Military To Chicago: Dangerous, Illegal, And Unconstitutional

In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin slammed the President for vowing to deploy the military to Chicago, increase ICE agents

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today condemned President Trump's threat to deploy the military to Chicago and increase U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. Even though crime rates in Chicago have been falling for years, President Trump has decided to create a political spectacle in Chicago to distract from his plunging poll numbers.

Durbin began his speech by noting that the National Guard has already been unjustly deployed in both Los Angeles and in the District of Columbia.

"For months now, President Trump has been looking for any excuse to send National Guard troops and active-duty forces into American communities. And over the past few weeks, he has boasted that, 'Chicago will be' next. Let me be clear: This would be yet another dangerous, illegal, and unconstitutional abuse of power by Donald Trump," said Durbin.

Durbin explained that the Trump Administration's use of federal troops for domestic law enforcement threatens to undermine the U.S. military's readiness and funding.

"Using the military to [occupy] an American city takes a financial toll on our readiness... Why do we spend so much time on the National Defense Authorization Act? To make sure our military has the money they need to keep America safe... Now we have this prospect, that some other agencies, for some other political reason, are going to be using Department of Defense funds… If we are going to stand by our men and women in uniform and make sure they're adequately financed, we cannot allow these raids that are being considered by the Trump Administration," Durbin continued.

In Los Angeles, the deployment of the National Guard cost $134 million, and in D.C., estimates say that it costs $1 million a day to keep the National Guard there.

Durbin continued, "While the National Guard is meant to serve American communities in true emergencies, like pandemics and natural disasters, what is it doing in D.C. at the President's request? Patrolling neighborhoods for political theater, picking up trash, and spreading mulch… these men and women are being trained to defend our country. [Instead,] they're being used by this President for political purposes in D.C."

Durbin emphasized that while crime rates in Chicago are still unacceptably high, successful community-based strategies have helped lower them over the past few years, although the President has cut these strategies' funding in the recent budget cycle.

"We are reaching out to the most vulnerable members of our communities-directly and personally-and working with trusted, trained leaders who understand the impact that trauma can have on communities… Community-based violence prevention represents a historic federal investment in programs designed to help prevent and reduce violent crime… Ask professional law enforcement, and they will tell you… you can't arrest your way out of a crime wave. You have got to analyze the basic causes of crime and what to do about it."

Durbin continued, "Replacing these efforts with troops not trained for urban policing risks alienating residents, destabilizing neighborhoods, and harming the National Guard's reputation."

Durbin then went on to highlight the hypocrisy of the Trump Administration for focusing only on crime in blue states, despite the high rates of crime across the country.

"You would think if the President were setting out to eliminate crime across America, he could find many examples in red states… If he's going after crime, why is he ignoring the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, or Texas? Because they voted for him for President. All of these states have high violent crime rates, but President Trump doesn't target them because they're led by Republican officials. It's a political decision."

Durbin noted that the unchecked use of the military against American citizens was exactly what the founding fathers feared.

"The founders of this nation understood that an unchecked power to turn the military on the American people poses a grave threat to democracy and individual liberty. Trump's decision to deploy the military in American cities is more fitting for an authoritarian regime than the democracy that our nation's founding fathers fought for."

Despite the attempts of the Trump Administration to focus the nation's attention on crime, Durbin remarked that the real goal of these deployments is to distract from the other unpopular actions taken by the Administration.

"These tactics are all smoke and mirrors to distract from the real issues. Trump is hoping the American people will forget about his so-called 'Big, Beautiful Budget' that rips away health care and food aid from millions across America-all to give tax breaks to the wealthiest. Or forget how his reckless tariff policies are increasing costs on the everyday goods and essentials that working people rely on. Or forget about the Epstein cover-up being orchestrated by this White House. Well, America won't forget."

Durbin promised to hold the Trump Administration accountable as Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Durbin concluded, "We will continue to put pressure on this Administration to explain to the American people why we would waste millions of dollars appropriated for the defense of this country on a political stunt by this president that applies only to blue states… The bottom line is the American people want to be safe in their homes, safe in their neighborhoods, and safe as a nation. This strategy by Donald Trump is not going to achieve that goal."

Video of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Audio of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Footage of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

Today Durbin joined U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) in a letter with 10 Members of Congress from the Illinois delegation to demand that President Donald Trump and the Pentagon suspend plans for the deployment of military personnel to Chicago. The letter comes as the Administration reportedly prepares to use the Naval Station Great Lakes to deploy federal agents and military personnel in Chicago.

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