Texas National Guard troops have arrived in the Chicago area, marking a significant escalation in President Donald Trump’s federal crackdown on the city. The deployment comes after a US district judge declined to immediately halt the entry of the troops, despite a pending lawsuit filed by the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago.
The arrival on Monday was confirmed by multiple news outlets, with reports indicating the troops were in the area on Tuesday.
This military presence follows weeks of heightened immigration enforcement and increasingly violent confrontations in suburbs like Broadview, where law enforcement has been filmed deploying tear gas and pepper gas against protestors.
Failed Legal Challenge
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking to “immediately and permanently” stop President Trump from enlisting the state’s National Guard or sending troops from other states, such as Texas. However, US District Judge April Perry declined to issue an immediate block, paving the way for the mobilization.
Illinois officials have long and vociferously condemned the Trump administration’s plan for a federal takeover. Governor J.B. Pritzker previously warned against the intervention, telling CBS News in September, “Any kind of troops on the streets of an American city don’t belong unless there is an insurrection, unless there is truly an emergency… I’m going to do everything I can to stop him from taking away people’s rights and from using the military to invade states.”
READ: DHS Fires Back At Illinois Gov. Pritzker, Debunks ‘Smorgasbord Of Lies’ On Midway Blitz
City Attempts To Fight Back
In response to the federal actions, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed a third executive order aimed at limiting the power of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the city. The latest order bans Ice agents from operating on city-owned properties.
“City property and unwilling private businesses will no longer serve as staging grounds for these raids,” Mayor Johnson stated during the order’s signing on Monday. “The fact is, we cannot allow them to rampage throughout our city with no checks or balances. Nobody is above the law … if Congress will not check this administration, then Chicago will.”
READ: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Thinks Trump Is ‘Intimidated’ By His ‘Intellectual Prowess’
The White House quickly hit back, saying that the mayor was “aiding and abetting criminal illegal immigrant killers, rapists, traffickers, and gang bangers.”
Mayor Johnson had previously rallied against the planned intervention, telling a protest on Labor Day, “We’re going to defend our democracy in the city of Chicago. We’re going to protect the humanity of every single person in the city of Chicago.” RELATED: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Vows To ‘Eradicate’ Law Enforcement: “It’s A Sickness”
Broader Federal Pattern
President Trump has been increasingly targeting Democratic-led cities for expanded federal enforcement of immigration laws. The administration has asserted these moves are necessary to bolster immigration enforcement and combat crime, despite Democratic leaders’ counterpoint that crime levels are generally falling nationwide.
READ: AG Pam Bondi Slams FBI’s ‘Arctic Frost’ As Political Firestorm Ignites Over GOP Senator Surveillance
The Chicago deployment follows similar actions in other cities:
- In Los Angeles in June, the Trump administration deployed National Guard troops, leading to large-scale Ice raids.
- In Washington DC in August, thousands of National Guard troops and federal agents were sent as part of a law enforcement “takeover” of the capital.
- The President has repeatedly attempted to deploy federal troops to Portland, where the latest efforts were blocked by a federal judge on Sunday. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek denounced military intervention in her state as a “threat to our democracy” and a “wake-up call” for other state officials.
The arrival of the Texas National Guard in Illinois further cements the growing conflict between the federal administration and state and local governments over law enforcement authority and immigration policy.
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