National Guard deployment in Chicago cost $21M
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
National Guard members on the National Mall in Washington D.C. on Sept. 8,2025. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
President Trump's deployment of the National Guard to U.S. cities for immigration enforcement operations last year cost approximately $496 million.
Why it matters: Chicago was one of six U.S. cities where Guard members were sent, with a cost of $21 million for their stint from October to December 2025 as part of "Operation Midway Blitz."
Driving the news: The Congressional Budget Office released its findings on National Guard deployments on Thursday.
- The cost estimates take into account pay and benefits, lodging, food and transportation.
Flashback: Trump issued a memorandum last June calling at least 2,000 National Guard personnel into federal service to protect federal government personnel and property.
- In October, about 375 members of the Illinois National Guard were mobilized in Chicago, and 200 members of the Texas National Guard were sent to Illinois.
Reality check: National Guard members in Chicago never participated in immigration enforcement after a judge issued an injunction soon after they arrived. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed with that ruling late last year.
By the numbers: The average daily cost in Chicago per Guard member was about $550, which included $260 for basic pay and $142 for housing.
Zoom out: Deployment to Washington, D.C. was the most expensive, totaling $223 million, but that involved nearly 3,000 Guard members.
- Los Angeles: $193 million; 4,900 Guard members
- Memphis: $33 million; 1,500 Guard members
- Portland: $26 million; 400 Guard members
- Data for New Orleans was not included as the Guard was deployed at the end of last year.
What they're saying: "These open-ended, unjustified missions are not just an immense waste of taxpayer dollars, they are harmful to our military's readiness, morale and resources and create an incredibly dangerous precedent," Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) said in a statement Wednesday.
- Trump is "keeping National Guard members away from their families and forcing our military to do non-military missions they did not sign up for — and taxpayers are paying for it."