The Pentagon is drawing up options to deploy several thousand National Guard troops to Chicago as early as September, according to a Washington Post report confirmed by multiple news outlets. The planning, underway for weeks, is part of a broader White House effort to expand federal security operations beyond Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, where 2,000 soldiers are already on the streets. President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that Chicago would "probably be next" in his push to curb crime, homelessness and illegal immigration in large Democratic-run cities, adding that New York is also under review. "Chicago is a mess," he said, vowing to "straighten it out" after asserting that residents are calling for federal intervention. Illinois leaders immediately condemned the idea. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called the prospective deployment "uncoordinated, uncalled for and unsound," warning it could inflame tensions and undercut recent progress that has seen murders fall 32 percent to 188 in the first half of the year, with overall crime down 13 percent. Governor JB Pritzker said the state has neither requested nor been offered federal support and argued no emergency justifies federalizing the Guard. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi introduced legislation that would bar any president from sending troops to a state without the governor’s consent. The Pentagon said it would not speculate on future operations but noted that it routinely plans with other agencies to safeguard federal personnel and assets. Former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel suggested a targeted Guard mission could help high-crime neighborhoods, yet questioned the administration’s motives. Any order to deploy troops without state approval is expected to trigger court challenges and intensify the political fight over federal authority in U.S. cities.