Gov. J.B. Pritzker late Sunday evening informed the public that President Donald Trump has ordered 400 Texas National Guard members to be deployed to Illinois, according to CBS Chicago. Pritzker's office has called this action "Trump's Invasion," and criticized the lack of communication and coordination from federal authorities before the decision. "No officials from the federal government called me directly to discuss or coordinate," Pritzker revealed in his statement.
Pritzker also termed the situation as receiving "an ultimatum" from Trump's administration. He was given the choice to either call up National Guard members or have those members federalized. This decision comes amidst heightened tensions and altercations between demonstrators and federal agents in Illinois. Pritzker has made it clear he does not support the deployment of the National Guard within Illinois for law enforcement purposes, aiming to protect the state's autonomy and the right to govern its own security measures.
Much of the controversy stems from the aggressive tactics used by federal immigration agents, which have been said to spark violence and stoke neighborhood tensions. "They are the ones that are making it a war zone," Pritzker told NBC Chicago. In one recent incident, a woman was injured by Border Patrol agents during an operation on Chicago's southwest side when agents fired at a vehicle they claimed was being used to assault them.
Following the deployment news, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott supported the move, stating on social media that he is "fully authorized" the dispatch troops to ensure safety for federal officials. This deployment also entails at least 300 Illinois National Guard members being called to service, as revealed in a Pentagon memo shared by both the Chicago Tribune and NBC News. At this stage, it's unclear exactly when or where the National Guard will be stationed in Illinois.
Meanwhile, a legal skirmish has unfolded around the deployment of out-of-state National Guard units. A federal judge in California blocked the federal government from deploying Oregon's National Guard to Portland and, by extension, the same judge also blocked the most recent order concerning California's Guard. The political scene grows ever more turbulent as state leaders and federal counterparts clash over the use of military force within United States cities and question the constitutionality amidst unfolding events.
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