Overview

• Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Chicago recorded 25.5 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2024 versus 1.48 in New Delhi and more than double Islamabad’s rate, without naming data sources as India’s NCRB has not released new figures since 2022.
• Leavitt framed the comparisons as justification for President Donald Trump’s executive order authorizing National Guard 'specialised units' for public-order operations in Chicago.
• Mayor Brandon Johnson issued an executive order barring federal law-enforcement officers from wearing masks or disguises in the city, signaling resistance to a federal deployment.
• Chicago police data cited by Bloomberg show murders fell 32% to 188 in the first half of the year, with overall violent crime down 23% and vehicle theft down 28%.
• Leavitt also asserted that Chicago has led U.S. cities in total murders for 13 years and has had the highest murder rate among cities over one million residents for seven years.