Chicago gears up for Trump’s federal law enforcement deployment: ‘We aren’t helpless’

City on edge as Trump prepares to move troops in, but organizers and residents are taking steps to push back

Communities are on edge as the long-discussed arrival of federal law enforcement and Ice agents to Chicago is reportedly set to begin in the coming days, marking the potential start of a contentious period of federal policing in the Democratic-led midwestern city.

Donald Trump reaffirmed his commitment to send federal troops to the city as an effort to curb violence and homelessness on Tuesday, calling it a hellhole" and saying that, though troops would be headed to Chicago regardless, the city's mayor, Brandon Johnson, and the Illinois governor, JB Pritzker, should be calling him personally to ask for his help.