Durbin, Duckworth Urge Bondi, Noem, Hegseth, Patel To Provide Immediate Information About President Trump's Imminent Military Deployment And Increased Federal Law Enforcement[...]

Durbin, Duckworth Urge Bondi, Noem, Hegseth, Patel To Provide Immediate Information About President Trump's Imminent Military Deployment And Increased Federal Law Enforcement Presence In Chicago

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today sent a letter to Attorney General Bondi, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Noem, Department of Defense Secretary Hegseth, and FBI Director Patel requesting immediate information regarding President Trump's imminent actions to send the military and increase federal law enforcement presence in Chicago.

The Senators wrote, "We strongly object to President Trump's threats to deploy the military in Chicago against American citizens and over the objections of state and local officials. Reports indicate that the Pentagon has been planning this dangerous, unwarranted, and unconstitutional military deployment at President Trump's direction 'for weeks.' While he claims his intent is to 'crack down on crime,' this threatened intrusion of the federal government into state and local affairs comes at a time of falling crime rates in Chicago."

In the letter, the Senators cite the Administration's efforts to deploy the military and federal law enforcement against the American people on American soil-as well as spread fear throughout immigrant and minority communities-in both Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

The Senators continued, "Despite President Trump's claims that he needed to commandeer the California National Guard and deploy active-duty Marines against their fellow Americans because of protests against his cruel and ineffective policies, his extreme actions in Los Angeles were unnecessary and unhelpful. In Washington, D.C., the President claims that sending in National Guard troops from neighboring states is necessary to drive down crime and restore order, but these purely performative tactics have not even focused on violent crime."

According to analysis of the criminal cases filed since President Trump declared a "crime emergency" in our nation's capital, no case yet charged involves a violent offense, and nearly half the cases involved charges for minor offenses, including misdemeanors. Moreover, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia has been unable to secure indictments in a number of arrests resulting from this deployment. Notably, the Administration is not yet seeking to deploy military personnel to states and cities with high violent crime rates that are governed by Republican elected officials, further underscoring the partisan nature of this endeavor.

The Senators wrote, "Violent crime is a serious concern for the American people, whether they live in cities, suburbs, or rural areas, and it should be addressed using proven, effective, and lawful measures-not treated as a political game to justify sending troops into American cities, while wasting limited resources and harming local communities."

"Beyond the damage that President Trump's political posturing is doing to efforts to reduce violent crime at the local level, the Administration's actions do not align with the President's promise to be tough on crime. In fact, the redirection of federal law enforcement, Homeland Security, and military personnel-most of whom are ill-equipped for the daily responsibilities of walking the neighborhood beat-from their core missions makes Americans less safe. The Administration has reassigned officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations from their important missions working on critical national security matters, such as counterterrorism, cyber-hacking, trafficking, and counterespionage," the Senators continued.

Given President Trump's continued threats to use the military in several American cities and divert federal personnel from their critical duties, and pursuant to the oversight responsibilities under the U.S. Constitution, the Senators call on the agencies to provide information to a number of questions no later than September 24, 2025.

The Senators concluded, "The President's improper and politicized abuse of the military and federal law enforcement to distract from his own failures to abide by the Constitution and effectively address the challenges facing Americans requires immediate attention. This redirection of military and federal law enforcement assets away from key national security responsibilities endanger the homeland in a heightened threat environment. Not providing prompt answers to these vital questions would be an abdication of each of your oaths of office and further risks the safety of the American people."

Just yesterday, Durbin and Duckworth requested a meeting with the Secretary of the Navy to discuss reports that immigration officials will be housed in Naval Station Great Lakes.

Full text of the letter can be found here.

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