Trump administration asks military base outside Chicago for support on immigration operations

CHICAGO (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration has asked a military base outside Chicago for support on immigration operations, the base said Thursday, signaling a push to expand its law enforcement crackdown to other cities.

The Department of Homeland Security has asked Naval Station Great Lakes for “limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs to support DHS operations,” said Matt Mogle, spokesperson for the base 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Chicago.

He said no decisions have been made on the request and that the base has not received an official request to support a National Guard deployment.

The request shows the Republican administration’s desire to move beyond Washington as it ramps up immigration operations. Trump has threatened to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago and other Democratic-led cities after he called up troops to target crime, immigration and homelessness in Washington.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, told The Associated Press that the nation’s third-largest city doesn’t need or want military intervention to fight crime.

The Chicago Sun-Times first reported about the Trump administration's request.