Bloody weekend in Chicago leaves 54 injured, 7 dead after Pritzker rejects Trump's security plan

Chicago experienced a sad and violent Labor Day weekend, with at least 54 people shot and seven killed in separate shootings that plagued the city. The events coincided with the public clash between President Donald Trump and the Democratic governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, who has consistently rejected the deployment of federal and National Guard troops in any city in his state, especially in the "Windy City."

According to an ABC News tally, between Friday night and noon Monday, at least 32 separate shootings were reported across Chicago. Victims ranged from a 17-year-old teenager wounded inside her home to a 48-year-old man in critical condition after being shot multiple times in the abdomen. One of the most serious incidents occurred in the Bronzeville neighborhood, where seven people were shot Saturday night. According to the New York Post, all of the wounded are expected to recover.

Over the weekend, President Trump intensified his pressure against Governor Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in a message posted on his social network Truth, where he warned that the governor should "better straighten it out, FAST, or we're coming!" accusing him of being "weak and pathetic" for rejecting the need for the National Guard or a federal presence in Chicago.

Pritzker, for his part, rejected Trump's suggestions and responded that "National Guard troops or any kind of troops on the streets of an American city don't belong unless there is an insurrection, unless there is truly an emergency – and there is not."

The governor further warned that he will sue the Trump administration if it decides to deploy federal forces without the consent of local authorities: "It's an invasion with US troops, if they in fact do that. They'll be in court pretty quickly."

Mayor Johnson also opposed the plan and signed an executive order called the "Protecting Chicago Initiative." After the signing, the Democrat said any federal deployment would be "uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound."

The violent Labor Day weekend shattered the perception that crime in Chicago was on the decline in 2025. In fact, as of the weekend, shootings were down 37% and homicides were down 32% compared to the first half of 2024. Now, the data worsened markedly, and the city continues to record higher crime rates than other major cities such as New York or Los Angeles.

The dispute over violence in Chicago comes after President Trump ordered the deployment of federal forces in Washington, D.C. in August, weeks after sending security agents to Los Angeles to control anti-ICE riots.

The Trump administration contends the federal measures drastically reduced crime in those cities, although Democrats have said crime has been dropping in 2025.

As the political standoff continues, Chicago police are investigating multiple armed attacks over the holiday, especially homicides, which were perpetrated in areas such as South Shore, East Garfield Park, Altgeld Gardens, Pilsen, West Inglewood, Pullman and Little Village. In most cases, there were no immediate arrests, according to ABC News.