WASHINGTON (AP) - Former President Donald Trump stated Tuesday he intends to order federal intervention in Chicago and Baltimore,mirroring a strategy previously employed in Washington,D.C., despite opposition from local officials in both cities. Trump asserted that such intervention is within his obligation to protect the country.
The proclamation comes as Chicago experiences a complex crime landscape. While the city’s overall violent crime has decreased considerably, it remains a persistent issue in certain areas. Chicago’s homicide rate is currently 21.7 per 100,000 residents in 2024, according to data from the Rochester Institute of Technology, though this is lower than rates in cities like St. louis, New Orleans, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Indianapolis and Richmond, Virginia. The city reported 573 homicides in 2024, the highest total of any U.S. city that year, but saw shootings and homicides decline by more than 30% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year-the steepest drop in over a decade, according to city data.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has attributed the city’s violence,in part,to guns trafficked from neighboring states,including Republican-led Indiana,stating,”Chicago will continue to have a violence problem as long as red states continue to have a gun problem.”
illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has indicated the city and state intend to file a lawsuit should federal intervention proceed.
In Baltimore, local officials, including Governor Wes Moore, have also voiced opposition to federal law enforcement intervention, with Moore’s spokesman David turner calling the use of the National Guard for municipal policing “theatrical and not enduring.” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has accused Trump of using racist rhetoric and targeting Black-led cities, highlighting recent declines in homicides, including a record low for the month of August.Trump highlighted his governance’s efforts in Washington, D.C., claiming it “is now a safe zone. We have no crime.” The White House reported Tuesday that over 1,650 people have been arrested as federal officials were first mobilized on Aug.7. Trump stated, “This was a beautiful thing that happened in Washington becuase we showed that it could be done.”
The Associated press contributed to this report. Lea Skene in Baltimore and Brian Witte in Annapolis,Maryland,also contributed. Tareen reported from Chicago.
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