The Trump administration plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker says.
Pritzker, who called the move “absolutely outrageous and un-American,” said the Illinois National Guard received word from the Pentagon on Saturday morning that the troops would be called up. He did not specify when or where they would be deployed, but President Donald Trump has long threatened to send troops into Chicago.
“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will," Pritzker said in a statement. "It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will."
The escalation of federal law enforcement in Illinois follows similar crackdowns to combat crime in other parts of the country, including Baltimore and Memphis. Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in Washington, D.C.
Pritzker said Trump's move in Illinois was a “manufactured performance” that would pull the state's National Guard troops away from their families and their regular jobs.
“For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” said the governor, who also noted that state, county and local law enforcement have been coordinating to ensure the safety of the Broadview ICE facility on the outskirts of Chicago.
Federal officials reported the arrests of 13 people Friday protesting near the immigration facility, which has been frequently targeted during the Trump administration’s surge of immigration enforcement this fall.
Trump also said on Sept. 27 that he was sending federal troops to Portland, Oregon, describing the city as war ravaged. But local officials have suggested that many of his claims and social media posts appear to rely on images from 2020, when demonstrations and unrest gripped the city following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
City and state officials sued to stop the deployment the next day. U.S. District Court Judge Karin J. Immergut heard arguments Friday, and a ruling is expected sometime over the weekend. Meanwhile, National Guard troops have been training on the Oregon coast in anticipation of deployment.
