FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-, October 6, 2025 —
CHICAGO, IL — Following President Trump’s announcement of a National Guard deployment to Chicago amid rising tensions between federal and local officials, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago issued the following statement.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago strongly condemns the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago. The decision to invade our city violates the principles of local governance and is a gross overreach of the president’s authority. It is a blatant political power grab. This is not about keeping Chicago safe — it’s about silencing dissent and instilling fear.
“Our neighborhoods are not battlegrounds,” said Grace Pai, Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago. “Deploying troops isn’t about protection—it’s about intimidation. As immigrant rights advocates, we refuse to be silenced.”
Chicago’s Asian American communities in Uptown, Chinatown, and West Ridge are home to thousands of immigrant and mixed-status families who already face heightened risks due to the ramp-up in federal immigration enforcement. Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial group in Chicago, now making up 7% of the city’s population, and about two-thirds are immigrants. Deploying armed troops into immigrant communities will deepen trauma, destabilize small businesses, and escalate the violence that federal agents have already instigated.
“As rapid responders, we see that our neighbors are scared. Our team has seen a flood of requests to help provide support at school pick-ups and drop-offs and to monitor community events and celebrations,” said Ellen Zhou, community organizer and lead of the Uptown/Edgewater rapid response team. “Recent escalations in immigration enforcement have terrorized our neighbors and made people afraid to go about their daily lives. Deploying the National Guard will only create more panic and fear.”
We urge all Chicagoans to stand with immigrant communities and reject the politics of fear. We applaud Governor Pritzker for suing the Trump Administration for federalizing the Illinois National Guard and we call on President Trump to withdraw this reckless deployment immediately. Chicago doesn’t need soldiers on its streets. We need federal resources for our schools, hospitals, and the critical violence intervention and social services that President Trump just cut. That is what will actually make our neighborhoods safer.
Contact: Grace Pai, gpai@advancingjustice-chicago.org
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About Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago builds power through collective advocacy and grassroots organizing to achieve racial equity. Our work centers immigrant justice, education equity, and community-led democracy. Learn more at www.advancingjustice-chicago.org