In our own city, we have seen a concerning development that is on the horizon and only looks to be getting worse. It is the potential for military insertion into Chicago by the Trump administration.
Is this an inherent reactionary overstep of governmental power? I believe so, and here is why.
Chicago has recently experienced a surge of ICE agents whose presence has corresponded with violent and erratic encounters with citizens. Currently, the Trump administration is attempting to send National Guard troops, an overreach.
With all of this, I think it is fair to say that the concept of our city of Chicago being filled with the military is plausible. Many statements by Trump and by the social media accounts of similarly reactionary politicians tell a similar story.
Previous insertion of troops into cities was considered a crime by a judge. Not only would that make new circumstances legally dubious, but it would also almost certainly entice a blocking of the military by another judge, as we saw in Portland, Oregon.
From a moral perspective, I believe that this is a gross misuse of the military and is trying to solve a problem by going many steps backward.
Millions of dollars were spent on establishing a military presence in California. These taxpayer dollars add to the overspending on the US military.
This jeopardizes social programs that many Americans depend on. Those programs include limited health care, social welfare, and child care that are used to help these underfunded areas now also being targeted by Trump.
In Chicago similar and potentially even worse actions are expected to happen; with an already aggressive ICE and military, it is likely that the damage caused would be extensive. Chicago also has underdeveloped areas that have their only life force come from already limited social programs.
Trump has called Chicago “the worst and most dangerous city in the world.” Despite this, there is significant evidence that crime rates have been decreasing.
Overall violent crime has decreased by 22%, homicides by 32%, shooting incidents by 37%, robberies by 32%, and vehicular hijackings by 49%.
The president’s justification for government involvement in Chicago is disproved by the statistics. This shows that Trump is interested in having direct control over the areas in the city that don’t align with his world view. With Chicago being one of the main liberal t hubs in the United States, inserting military troops is likely to cause crime to increase, thus justifying Trump’s original, flawed logic.
What does this mean about Trump and his personal political philosophy?
While certain behaviors like this are not uncommon among the far right, it is strange to see an American politician behave with such strict military surveillance and enforcement. In a country where political leanings are generally center-right, it is unusual to see such a strong reactionary motion to enforce conformity.
However, this behavior is not as strange for Trump himself, who is a vigilant reactionary and spouts strong rhetoric. This also isn’t particularly innovative. Many politicians also use similar word choices, but it is strange to see such energy put toward authoritarian mobilization.
This could be caused by the fact that the president has some of the most resilient supporters of all time. Misinformation on crime statistics and its relation to immigration have supported his narrative.
While arguments like these don’t hold up for many people on the left or center, they resonate with a fed-up youth. Instead of finding more pressing problems like wealth hoarding among billionaires or lack of social services, they choose to find a weaker domestic cause, which in this case is minorities and leftists, who are constantly scapegoated as the cause of all these social problems, which have a larger economic and political causes than what initially meets the eye.
Militarization proposed by Donald Trump and his supporters is a moral and legal misstep. It will not solve any of the stated problems. I think it is important to correctly assess flaws in communities and try to work on those flaws honestly. This has to be done in a constructive way with a more robust and truthful reasoning for change and a more useful and productive plan of action, as opposed to a militarization of our homeland.
