Overview

• On Saturday, the president posted on Truth Social that he “loves the smell of deportations in the morning” and invoked the newly renamed Department of War, with an image that appeared AI‑generated referencing Apocalypse Now.
• Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker condemned the message and said the state will not be intimidated, and local authorities have taken the administration to court.
• Multiple federal sources and Illinois officials say Sept. 6 was selected to begin raids in Chicago targeting undocumented migrants, though independent confirmation of a large-scale operation remains pending.
• A large protest in Washington called for an end to the federal presence there, after the White House activated roughly 800 National Guard members and reported more than 600 arrests.
• The escalation follows earlier deployments in Los Angeles and Washington, and the White House has signaled interest in similar actions in Baltimore and New Orleans.