Duckworth Joins Pritzker, Illinois Leaders to Reject Trump’s Military Deployment Plans
Broad coalition of business, education, faith, public safety, civil rights, and other community leaders join forces to showcase Chicago as the City of Big Shoulders
[CHICAGO, IL] — Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Governor JB Pritzker and elected officials, business, faith and education leaders, community advocates and law enforcement leaders to condemn the Trump administration’s plan to deploy the National Guard or active-duty military in Chicago despite objections from state and local leadership. After witnessing weeks of federal overreach from Washington, a broad coalition of leaders from across the city gathered to present a united front and denounce Trump’s abuse of power. Photos from today’s event are available on the Senator’s website.
“It comes as no surprise Donald Trump is once again attacking Chicago, but that doesn’t change that Trump’s continuing pattern of politicizing and misusing our nation’s military for his own partisan gain and to crush dissent is deeply disturbing, is un-American and has no place in any of our cities,” said Duckworth. “Forcing the military, uninvited, into Chicago to intimidate Americans in their own communities does not make our nation stronger, it simply distracts the military from executing its core mission of keeping Americans safe from real adversaries who wish us harm. It’s yet another unwarranted, unwanted and unjust move straight out of the authoritarian’s playbook that will only undermine our military’s readiness and ultimately weaken our national security.”
"There is no emergency in Chicago that calls for armed military intervention that will disrupt the daily lives of our people. What President Trump is doing is unprecedented and unwarranted. It is illegal. It is unconstitutional. And it is un-American,” said Pritzker. “Our civilian police force and elected leaders work every day to promote public safety – efforts that have successfully brought down crime. The State of Illinois is ready to stand against this military deployment with every peaceful tool we have. We will pull every lever at our disposal to protect the people of Illinois and their rights.”
During the press conference, Governor Pritzker emphasized that the City of Chicago is not in a state of emergency, refuting Trump’s false claim that the National Guard must be deployed for public safety purposes.
Chicago’s homicide rate has decreased by more than 30 percent since last year, and the State regularly collaborates with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) with the shared goal of addressing serious violent crime. Law enforcement leaders and local elected officials at the press conference highlighted Chicago's existing and effective public safety measures, including improved law enforcement training and numerous community violence intervention programs.
Leaders in Attendance:
Elected Officials
- Governor JB Pritzker
- Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton
- Attorney General Kwame Raoul
- Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias
- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson
- Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
- Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)
- Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL-05)
- Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08)
- Cook County State’s Attorney, Eileen O'Neill Burke
Law Enforcement & Emergency Management Leaders
- Brendan Kelly, Director, Illinois State Police
- Larry Snelling, Police Superintendent, Chicago Police Department
- Ted Berger, Acting Director, Illinois Emergency Management Agency - Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS)
Business Leaders
- Derek R. B. Douglas, President and CEO of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago
- John Atkinson, Chair, Illinois Economic Development Corporation (Illinois EDC)
- Christy George, President & CEO, Illinois Economic Development Corporation (Illinois EDC)
- Joe Ferguson, President, Civic Federation of Chicago
- Jaime di Paulo, President & CEO, Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Smita N. Shah, P.E., LEED AP BD+C, CEO, SPAAN Tech, Inc
- Richard S. Price, Executive Chairman & CEO of Mesirow
- Jack Lavin, President & CEO of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
- Larita Clark, CEO of Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority | McCormick Place
- Jennifer Aguilar, Director, Little Village Chamber of Commerce
- Jim Reynolds, Chairman & CEO, Loop Capital
- Oswaldo Alvarez, Director, Latino Caucus Foundation
- Kristen Reynolds, CEO, Choose Chicago
Community Organization and Faith Leaders
- Father Michael Pfleger, Chicago Activist and Faith Leader
- Rev. Ciera Bates-Chamberlain, Executive Director, Live Free Illinois
- Paco Amador, New Life, Board President and Pastor
- Ricardo Estrada, President & CEO, Metropolitan Family Services
- Ameya Pawar, President & CEO, Michael Reese Health Trust
- Doug Schenkelberg, Executive Director, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
- Matt DeMateo, Executive Director of New Life Centers
- Artemio Arreola, Political Director, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
- Peter Cunningham, Chicago CRED
- Grace Pai, Executive Director, Asian American Advancing Justice
- Karen Tamley, Executive Director, Access Living
- Mary Meg McCarthy, Executive Director, National Immigrant Justice Center
- Raul Raymundo, CEO, The Resurrection Project
- Teny Gross, Executive Director, Institute for Non-Violence
- Yolanda Fields, Executive Director, Breakthrough Urban Ministries
- Tony Woods, Executive Director, Public Equity
- Christa Hamilton, President & CEO, UCAN
- Ben Gibson, Vice President of Government Affairs, University of Chicago Medicine
Education Leaders
- Tim Killeen, University of Illinois System, President
- Marie Lynn Miranda, University of Illinois Chicago, Chancellor
- Z Scott, Chicago State University, President
- Raj Echambadi, Illinois Tech, President
- Katrina Bell-Jordan, Northeastern Illinois University, President
- Juan Salgado, City Colleges of Chicago, Chancellor
- Dan Montgomery, IFT, President
- Al Llorens, IEA, President
- Tony Sanders, ISBE, State Superintendent
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