Students react to National Guard presence in U.S. cities
Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has taken decisive action to combat crime in the United States. He recently declared a crime emergency in Washington, D.C. and deployed the National Guard to address the issue. Both violent and property crime rates have fallen since the deployment, though the decision has been generally unpopular.
President Trump has since turned his attention to addressing crime in other parts of the country.
Chicago, Illinois is one city that has attracted Trump’s attention, with the president declaring that he will send the National Guard there “probably next.” In 2024, the city, with a population of about 2.6 million, reported 14,245 incidents of violent crime. Chicago has led the nation in homicides for 13 years in a row, and remains one of the most violent major cities in the developed world.
President Trump addressed this issue in a TruthSocial post on September 2, calling Chicago the “worst and most dangerous city in the World” and promising to “solve the crime problem,” as he did in Washington, D.C. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has previously voiced his opposition to Trump’s use of the National Guard, specifically in Los Angeles, citing its “inflaming effect.”
The deployment of the National Guard to D.C. has improved the city’s crime statistics. Within three weeks of the National Guard’s deployment, the city saw a marked improvement in property and violent crime rates, with decreases of 25 and 10 percent, respectively.
Trump’s potential use of the National Guard in U.S. cities nevertheless remains contentious among Americans. A recent CBS News/YouGov poll found that 58 percent of respondents opposed the possibility of National Guard deployment in their communities, with results split along party lines.
Democrats such as California Governor Gavin Newsom have criticized Trump for focusing on Democrat-run states when several cities in Republican states, especially in the South, are among the most dangerous in the country. Some cite examples such as Memphis, New Orleans, and Houston, among others, which suffer crime rates similar to that of Washington, D.C. In response, Republicans have pointed out that these cities are run by Democrats on the municipal level.
Notre Dame student opinions reflected these national trends. When asked about the possible use of the National Guard to address crime in Chicago, sophomore Jack Rankin told the Rover, “I think this national kind of intervention in what is a local and then a state issue is overly aggressive, especially when there’s no particular pressure point … no huge riot or uprising, or anything of that sort.”
A Keough Hall sophomore voiced his support for Trump’s use of the National Guard, saying, “I think that crime is a big problem in our country. I also think the president wants what’s best for the country.” The student stressed the need for caution, but ultimately concluded, “If we can limit crime by deploying these means, I think that’s a good thing.”
An off-campus senior also responded positively, telling the Rover, “I hope [Trump] brings the National Guard to South Bend, too. There was a shooting this weekend on Eddy Street after the football game, literally right outside my apartment. I am so sick of ‘urban youths’ ruining civilization for the rest of us.”
Trump has heavily criticized crime policies in areas besides Chicago. On September 9, Trump blamed North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, among others, for the murder of Iryna Zarutska, who was stabbed to death on a train in late August. Decarlos Brown Jr, the Black assailant, was heard on video yelling, “I got that White girl!” after killing Zarutska.
Arrested 14 times in the past, Brown has been charged with murder by the Department of Justice and is eligible to receive the death penalty. He had previously been released by a judge who had failed the Bar Exam.
One Stanford Hall resident was similarly angered by the tragedy, telling the Rover, “The case of Iryna Zarutska shows the failures of the justice system to enforce the law and keep dangerous criminals away from peaceful and law-abiding citizens.”
Shri Thakur is a senior studying economics, French, and constitutional studies. He is returning to the Rover after a long exile in France. You can reach him at sthakur3@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: Image by the Irish Rover
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