The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently contacted an Illinois naval base for assistance with future missions, Navy officials confirmed.
The department, which oversees immigration enforcement and deportations, approached Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, about potential support of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, according to a spokesperson for Naval Station Great Lakes.
“The request involves limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure and other logistical needs to support DHS operations,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
No decisions have been made regarding the installation’s involvement. The Defense Department and White House did not comment as of publication.
In response to Military Times’ questions regarding potential collaboration with the naval base, a senior DHS official noted, “President Trump has been clear: we are going to make our streets and cities safe again.”
“Across the country, DHS law enforcement are arresting and removing the worst of worst including gang members, murderers, pedophiles and rapists that have terrorized American communities,” the official continued.
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The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Navy Capt. Stephen Yargosz addressed the tentative plans in an email to leadership, stating that agents with DHS, ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection would be housed at Great Lakes from Sept. 2-30.
Yargosz, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, said there was a possibility that National Guard troops would join.
“Not many details on this right now,” Yargosz said in the email to the Chicago Sun-Times. “Mainly a lot of concerns and questions.”
Yargosz also said that the operation would focus on downtown Chicago and that a formal request for assistance needed approval from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to the publication.
Naval Station Great Lakes is approximately 40 miles outside Chicago.
Amid a National Guard rollout in Washington, Trump has reportedly discussed sending military troops to Chicago in an effort to combat what he has described as rampant crime and a “killing field.”
Trump declared a public safety emergency in Washington on Aug. 11, amid statements that the murder rate in Washington rivaled that of Bogota, Colombia, and Mexico City, Mexico.
However, violent crime in the district is down by 27% in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to Washington’s Metropolitan Police data. And, according to the Department of Justice, the district has hit a 30-year low.
As of Sunday, roughly 2,300 National Guard troops — recently cleared to carry service-issued firearms — were stationed in Washington.
Trump cited the June deployment of almost 5,000 troops, including 700 Marines, to Los Angeles, California, in the wake of protests against ICE raids, as an example of the success military intervention can provide.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said Trump’s decision to send Marines to the city sowed “more chaos,” while Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized it as a “show of force” with no real mission.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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