By Rod Blagojevich and Mark Vargas
Opinion
While Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson tout drops in homicides, robberies and shootings, the fact is Chicago remains a city crisis.
Need proof?
Chicago continues to lead the nation in murders, shootings and youth victims. In mass shootings, the city would rank second only to California if it were a state.
More than 90 percent of Chicago’s violent offenders roam free each day, with most never even identified or charged.
The city continues to struggle with a severe police shortage, leaving over 1,600 vacancies in the force and fewer officers patrolling the streets.
In 2023 alone, more than 225,000 high-priority 911 calls – such as ‘shots fired’ or ‘assault in progress’ – went unanswered because of the police shortage, putting residents and visitors across the Windy City in grave danger.
After Illinois ended cash bail in September 2023, more than 67,000 defendants skipped their court dates, getting only postcards with new hearings instead of facing arrest.
Since 2022, more than 52,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago, regardless of background or criminal history – costing taxpayers nearly $700 million and putting residents and tourists at serious risk.
In late January, shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump ordered the FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals, and Customs and Border Protection to carry out ‘targeted operations’ to arrest dangerous migrants on the streets. The results were clear: convicted sex offenders and child predators were apprehended and removed from communities.
How did these dangerous criminals and predators end up in Chicago? Because Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson support housing illegal immigrants under the city’s sanctuary policies.
On Friday, President Donald Trump commented that he’s thinking about sending the national guard to Chicago to secure the streets after such a deployment proved successful in Washington, DC.
“Chicago is a mess. You have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent, and we’ll straighten that one out probably next. That’ll be our next one after this, and it won’t even be tough. And the people in Chicago … are screaming for us to come … so I think Chicago will be our next and then we’ll help with New York.”
Pritzker, who maintains presidential ambitions, was quick to comment, accusing Trump of trying to make up a fake crisis.
“Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families.”
A recent nationwide poll of twelve potential candidates for the 2028 Democratic presidential primary placed Pritzker at the bottom and the least popular, with minority voters giving him the least support as other prominent Democrats prepare for potential campaigns.
In June, President Trump sent the National Guard to Los Angeles under similar conditions, with the Justice Department noting that these deployments don’t constitute law enforcement – they simply assist immigration agents and safeguard federal buildings.
Chicago is at a tipping point. Violent offenders roam free, the police force is stretched beyond its limits and sanctuary policies continue to shield dangerous criminals.
Residents deserve safety, not political posturing. The National Guard has proven effective in other cities – there is no reason to wait while the streets of Chicago remain unsafe.
It’s time for decisive action before more lives are lost.
Rod Blagojevich served as the 40th governor of Illinois.
