(CHICAGO) City leaders are pushing back after the Department of Homeland Security claimed DHS credit for a sharp crime drop in Chicago during 2025, arguing that the historic decline in violence began long before federal agents arrived and is rooted in local work. They say the city’s progress is real, measurable, and mostly homegrown.
What the city’s data show
According to city data, Chicago saw a 33% reduction in homicides in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, roughly double the nationwide average decline. Officials point to similar double‑digit drops across other categories, describing a rare period when shootings, robberies, and car thefts are all falling at the same time in a city long associated with gun violence.
City numbers show that compared to the same month in 2024:
- Homicides: down 24%
- Shootings: down 24%
- Robberies: down 41%
- Car thefts: down 28%
Over the first nine months of 2025, the city’s overall violent crime rate fell 22.1%, and April 2025 marked a 60‑year low in homicides for that month. For a city used to bad headlines, those figures stand out.
DHS claims and Chicago’s response
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement and several federal security programs, has pointed to those statistics as evidence that its presence in the city is paying off. But Chicago officials say the agency is overstating its role and ignoring years of local planning that set the stage for today’s drop in violence.
They argue that by the time more federal agents arrived, the city had already begun its downturn in shootings and killings. The Chicago Police Department’s internal numbers, officials say, support this story, showing year‑over‑year reductions in murder, sexual assault, robbery, and shooting incidents through early 2025 — before high‑profile federal activity ramped up.
“Coordinated efforts across city agencies, community‑based organizations, and thoughtful local strategies” — city leaders’ description of how the crime drop happened.
City Hall frames the decline as the product of programs and practices that were already in motion: projects connecting police, outreach workers, violence interrupters, and social service agencies, plus data‑driven changes in officer deployment and community engagement.
Political and community stakes
The clash over who deserves credit carries high political stakes:
- For federal officials: linking the crime drop to national policy supports a narrative that tougher security and closer federal involvement yield quick results.
- For city leaders and community groups: accepting that claim risks erasing years of local work that persisted after national attention faded.
It also affects public perceptions in neighborhoods where immigration and federal enforcement are sensitive issues. DHS is a potent symbol in debates about migrants and border policy, so when the agency highlights its role in a policing story, many residents read more into it than the crime statistics alone.
Some community advocates worry that framing the improvement as a DHS credit moment could encourage more aggressive federal operations — tactics they believe do not address root causes of violence.
Where federal help fits — according to city officials
City officials do not deny federal agencies can be useful. They acknowledge that:
- Federal task forces, data sharing, and case support can help, particularly in complex gun‑trafficking or organized robbery investigations.
- Their main point is about proportion and timing: the largest changes began with local planning, not with federal press releases.
The disagreement has played out at public events and in statements where city leaders emphasize that the sharp declines began “well before” DHS expanded its presence. They point to Chicago Police Department data showing early 2025 year‑over‑year reductions, arguing that later operations — local or federal — largely built on that early shift.
Impact on residents and communities
For families in the hardest‑hit neighborhoods, the credit battle can feel abstract, but the results matter:
- A 24% drop in homicides and shootings and a 41% fall in robberies translate to fewer funerals, fewer emergency room visits, and fewer children exposed to violence.
- Community workers say these changes create opportunities for youth to stay in school, seek employment, and plan for the future instead of planning around street conflicts.
Officials also worry about longer‑term consequences: if the dominant narrative credits federal success, future funding and policy may prioritize national enforcement tools over city programs and community groups that leaders say produced the improvement.
An analysis by VisaVerge.com highlights that local‑federal tensions over public safety and immigration can influence everything from grant rules to how aggressively agencies share data about residents.
DHS’s public framing and Chicago’s stance
The Department of Homeland Security presents itself as a partner on a wide range of security issues. Its materials describe missions including counterterrorism, border security, and law enforcement cooperation with local governments. Those statements are available on the agency’s website at Department of Homeland Security, which outlines how it works with cities across the country.
In Chicago, however, the message from City Hall remains steady: federal help is welcome, but the story of 2025’s historic decline in killings belongs first to the people and institutions that live and work here. Leaders emphasize:
- Frontline officers adjusting tactics
- Community groups mediating conflicts before they escalate
- City agencies aligning housing, health care, and youth programs with public‑safety goals
Bottom line
As debate continues, Chicago’s experience is likely to be cited by both sides in fights over who should lead crime policy and what credit Washington should claim when local numbers improve. For now, city leaders appear determined to keep repeating a simple point: the crime drop is real, but assigning DHS credit tells only part of the story about how it happened and who it is supposed to serve.
This Article in a Nutshell
Chicago saw significant public‑safety improvements in 2025: a 33% drop in homicides during the first half and broad declines across shootings, robberies and car thefts. City leaders argue these gains began before an expanded DHS presence and stem from coordinated local efforts—police tactics, community organizations, outreach programs and data‑driven changes. Officials acknowledge federal support can aid complex cases but caution that crediting DHS alone risks undermining local prevention and long‑term investments.
