Several American cities, including Chicago, are experiencing a troubling and outrageous pattern of federal militarization in their backyards. Families and small businesses feel it first. Parents keep their children at home. Vendors skip their routes. Events are canceled. Then a military helicopter lands on the roof of a South Shore residential building in the middle of the night and children end up zip-tied out in the cold.
The message is unmistakable: Stay silent or risk being caught in an indiscriminate U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid or a show of force that transforms peaceful neighborhoods into hostile and fearful environments. Chicago deserves better than a policy of fear and intimidation by the federal government.
The U.S. military’s role is to defend our nation, not police our streets. Blurring the line between federal troops and civilian authority threatens civil liberties, undermines trust in government and has harmful societal and economic consequences. This is not just about immigrants or any single community. It is about protecting the rule of law that keeps every American safe. In recent weeks, different federal courts have considered the Trump administration’s justification for deployments and found them unreliable and untethered to the facts.
We commend leaders like Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for standing firm against these unlawful deployments and for defending the rule of law. Their leadership shows that accountability and courage at the state and local levels can push back against federal overreach and abuse of power. But if Congress does not check President Donald Trump’s abuse of power and overreach, it will be complicit in the harm that befalls our communities.
This Congress has failed to put people ahead of politics. The president’s budget law enacted over the summer includes historic cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women and Children, commonly known as WIC, and Medicaid, while increasing funds for indiscriminate mass deportations.
When Congress allocates taxpayer dollars for troop deployments or military support for immigration enforcement, it chooses not to invest in what families actually want and need: affordable health care, good jobs, safer housing and better schools. Public opinion is already there. Most Americans oppose sending troops into cities for policing or immigration purposes. Majorities also support extending health coverage tax credits that help families afford care. Chicagoans want practical solutions, not political stunts, and Congress must listen.
The social fabric that holds Chicago together is woven by neighbors who look out for one another, by small businesses that open their doors every morning and by community groups that meet people where they are. We see that spirit every day across Chicago. We also see how quickly it frays when fear takes hold, when parents must decide whether it is safe to send kids to school, or when a block party disappears because no one wants to risk a confrontation with our federal troops. That is not security. It is the erosion of our communities and civil liberties.
To our elected leaders: Choose to protect the Constitution’s limits on military involvement in civilian life and to restore public trust in government. Use the appropriations process to set clear guardrails that prevent military resources from being used for civilian policing or immigration enforcement. Choose to fund what truly strengthens communities: good jobs, quality education and affordable health care. Choose budgets that make families safer instead of turning city streets into military training grounds.
The misuse of military power is not a partisan issue. It is an American one.
Today, we must uphold the same principle that has guided every civil rights struggle in our nation’s history: that all people — Black, Latino, Asian, Indigenous and white, deserve to live without fear and with the freedom to thrive. This debate is not about ideology. It is about priorities. Federal resources should be used to lift up families and communities, not to intimidate them.
We stand together in saying: Keep the military out of our neighborhoods. Keep troops out of routine law and immigration enforcement, and keep the focus on the urgent needs of families. The path to safety runs through opportunity and fairness, not fear and force. Together, we must resist this administration’s abuse of power. We must raise our voices and apply the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement. By peacefully protesting the harm being done to our communities, we can change hearts and minds. That is how we protect our communities, and that is how we protect our democracy.
Marc H. Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League and was mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002. He writes a twice-monthly column for the Sun-Times.
Janet Murguía is president and CEO of UnidosUS.