Lead: A Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by CBS News shows DHS asked the Pentagon to make Naval Station Great Lakes available beginning in early September 2025 to stage up to 250 federal agents and 140 vehicles for a roughly 30‑day immigration enforcement operation centered on the Chicago metropolitan area.
Key Takeaways
- DHS requested use of Naval Station Great Lakes—about 50 miles north of Chicago—as a command and staging site.
- Up to 250 federal agents and 140 vehicles were requested, along with storage for medical supplies and less‑lethal munitions.
- The request was made the week before Sept. 5, 2025; DHS personnel began arriving earlier that week, according to a U.S. official.
- The campaign is expected to be led by ICE and CBP and may mirror large enforcement actions carried out in Southern California earlier this year.
- DHS asked to use portions of the base as a command post and tactical operations center because of its infrastructure and highway access.
- The memo sought the facility for an initial period of about 30 days, indicating operations could last several weeks.
Verified Facts
The internal request to the Department of Defense identified Naval Station Great Lakes—the Navy’s largest training station and the biggest military base in Illinois—as the preferred site to coordinate removal operations targeting people suspected of living in the U.S. unlawfully. The memo cites available infrastructure and proximity to a major highway as reasons for the selection.
Specific resource requests included space to accommodate roughly 250 agents, parking and staging for about 140 vehicles, and secure storage for medical supplies and less‑lethal munitions. DHS officials told Pentagon counterparts they would use parts of the base as a command post and tactical operations center.
According to a U.S. official familiar with the operation, the formal request was sent the week before Sept. 5, 2025, and Homeland Security personnel and equipment began arriving at the naval station earlier in the same week. The memo asked for the facility for an initial 30‑day period.
| Item | Requested Amount / Detail |
|---|---|
| Federal agents | Up to 250 |
| Vehicles | About 140 |
| Staging period | ~30 days |
| Location | Naval Station Great Lakes, ~50 miles north of Chicago |
Context & Impact
The move follows earlier large‑scale enforcement operations in Southern California this year that prompted widespread protests and heavy media coverage. DHS has used a combination of ICE and CBP personnel in those actions, and CBP played a prominent role in workplace and public‑site raids.
Using a military installation as a staging area raises legal and political questions about the role of the Defense Department in domestic immigration enforcement. Historically, the military has provided support at the U.S.–Mexico border, but recent deployments and the conversion of military facilities for immigration purposes represent an expansion of that role.
Local officials, immigrant‑rights groups and some state leaders have previously challenged similar deployments in court. A federal judge recently ruled that a prior deployment of the California National Guard in support of immigration enforcement was illegal, saying the administration had “willfully” violated federal law generally prohibiting the use of the military for civilian law enforcement. Separately, legal challenges are pending over National Guard and federal deployments in other jurisdictions.
City agencies and community organizations in Chicago are likely to be monitoring the operation closely; large enforcement actions can increase fear among immigrant communities and affect local policing and public‑health outreach.
“We will go to wherever these criminal illegal aliens are — including Chicago, Boston, and other cities,”
Department of Homeland Security
Unconfirmed
- Exact neighborhoods or sites in Chicago that would be targeted were not specified in the memo and remain unknown.
- The full list of units or specific federal personnel assigned to the operation has not been publicly released.
- Whether the operation will expand beyond the initially requested 30‑day period is not confirmed.
Bottom Line
The DHS request to use Naval Station Great Lakes signals preparations for a concentrated immigration enforcement operation near Chicago involving hundreds of federal personnel and substantial equipment. The deployment of resources to a military base underscores tensions over the military’s role in domestic operations and is likely to draw legal scrutiny and public protest as the action proceeds.
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