Chicagoland Prepares for National Guard and Increased ICE Presence
Protesters and activists sit in front of a gate to prevent vehicles from entering the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois, on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (PC: Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune/TNS)
The village of Broadview, a suburb of Chicago, will be housing a heightened number of ICE agents for over a month as President Donald Trump continues to crack down on undocumented immigration.
According to a written statement released by the mayor of Broadview, Katrina R. Thompson, “Federal officials have informed us that a large-scale enforcement campaign will soon be underway.”
Broadview’s existing ICE office and facilities on Beach Street will serve as a “primary processing location,” according to Thompson, and, “is scheduled to operate seven days a week for approximately 45 continuous days.”
Temporary facilities and temporarily expanded facilities have been appearing since ICE has expanded mass detainment and deportation operations during the Trump administration.
Political science and urban studies professor at Elmhurst University, Scott Braam, explained that, while unlikely, National Guard agents could be seen moving further into Chicago’s suburbs.
“Technically, yes, if the governor authorizes it or if local officials request it, but politically it’s unlikely. National Guard deployments are usually tightly defined in scope, so their presence would most likely remain in the city unless there was a specific reason to expand,” said Braam.
Braam further states that the National Guard is not typically used as an enforcement agency, and is more akin to large scale crowd control or emergency support. This does not make it impossible for the National Guard, or Trump, to expand their presence in the city.
“If Trump were to push for more, it would raise major constitutional and legal challenges, but as we know he doesn’t seem to care about the law so these ‘norms’ I highlight here may be antiquated,” said Braam.
While not officially announced, Chicago officials and residents are still preparing for ICE presence in Broadview’s neighboring communities of Berwyn and Maywood.
Trump’s actions have faced blowback from local leaders including Governor JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) and United States Representative Sean Casten (D-Ill).
“If National Guard or other military troops are sent to, deployed to the city of Chicago, immediately go to court,” stated Pritzker, “our first line of defense is getting a court to issue a TRO [temporary restraining order] or other injunction against that activity.”
Casten, in a press release, was more overt, calling Trump’s actions intimidation and fear-mongering.
“The president’s plan to deploy National Guard troops into Chicago isn’t about that. It’s about intimidating the people of Illinois, getting Americans used to the sight of soldiers with guns patrolling our streets, and violating federal law and the Constitution,” said Casten.
