ICE asks for access to Chicago-area Navy base to assist operations

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Source: Washington Post

National Security Foreign Policy Intelligence Justice Military

ICE asks for access to Chicago-area Navy base to assist operations

The request followed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem’s declaration that a “strike team” of immigration enforcement agents would arrive in Chicago soon.

August 27, 2025 at 7:34 p.m. EDT10 minutes ago
5 min

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The Chicago skyline, as seen from the city's North Lawndale neighborhood. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post)

By Dan Lamothe

The Trump administration wants to use a Navy base north of Chicago as a launchpad for federal law enforcement activity against undocumented immigration, defense officials said Tuesday as the White House contemplates also deploying thousands of U.S. troops to the nation’s third-largest city amid rising tension with the Illinois governor.

Officials at Naval Station Great Lakes on Wednesday acknowledged having received a request from the Department of Homeland Security that seeks “limited support” for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose aggressive tactics under the current administration have drawn outrage from opponents of President Donald Trump. The base, a hub for recruit training, would provide “facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs” if the request is granted, defense officials said in a statement.

No decisions to approve access have been made, officials said. That responsibility lies with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who since taking office in January has eagerly pledged the Pentagon’s full cooperation as DHS and its agents search for, detain and remove undocumented immigrants. He has approved the use of other military bases to build detention facilities for people in DHS custody. … The White House is determined to ramp up ICE operations, with Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller pressing for 3,000 arrests per day. The polarizing strategy has strained DHS, prompted public outcry and set off numerous legal battles.

Asked about its plans for the Navy base in Illinois, DHS tied the discussion to Trump’s call for safer cities, though the vast majority of those targeted for removal have no history of violent crime. Homeland Security. … Secretary Kristi L. Noem said in an interview with NewsNation this week that DHS will have an “ICE strike team” in Chicago soon.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/08/27/trump-chicago-ice-military/