President Donald Trump’s latest move to confront rising lawlessness and attacks on federal immigration agents in Chicago is the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard troops, prompting Democrat Governor JB Pritzker to hyperventilate over “Trump’s Invasion.”
“We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion,” Pritzker stated, according to the Chicago Tribune, which reported that War Secretary Pete Hegseth sent a memo instructing Illinois National Guard leadership to deploy the troops to the Chicago region for at least 60 days. “It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops,” Pritzker declared.
The White House has stated that the National Guard troops will protect federal personnel and property—like ICE facilities—where violent demonstrations are either happening or expected. The memo calls for protecting federal law enforcement officials who are “performing Federal functions.”
Meanwhile, the Texas Guard is preparing to deploy hundreds more National Guard troops to Illinois.
Trump has been blunt about the situation in the Chicago area, saying, “Everybody knows Chicago is a hellhole right now.” The city is drowning in violent crime, and federal ICE agents have been under attack. In September, rioters surrounded ICE vehicles in Broadview, Illinois, threw tear gas, and even slashed tires in a protest against ICE. The Trump administration rolled out “Operation Midway Blitz,” which scooped up hundreds of illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds—gang members, murderers, and sex offenders.
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Pritzker said over the weekend that he would refuse to deploy the state’s National Guard, stating that a federal deployment would be illegal, and has threatened to file a lawsuit to stop it, citing the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878.
Trump’s justification to federalize the National Guard comes from the U.S. Code, specifically 10 U.S.C. § 12406, which states:” “Whenever (1) the United States, or any of the Commonwealths or possessions, is invaded or is in danger of invasion by a foreign nation; (2) there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States; or (3) the President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States; then the President may call into Federal service members and units of the National Guard of any State in such numbers as he considers necessary to repel the invasion, suppress the rebellion, or execute those laws.”
On Sunday, Trump said, “I believe the politicians are under threat, because there’s no way somebody can say that things are wonderful in Chicago. There’s no city in the world like that. We’re going to straighten it out. And I think that Pritzker, he’s not a stupid person. I think that Pritzker is afraid for his life,” hinting that Pritzker was beholden to organizations the Trump administration believes support the protests over increased immigration enforcement.
In Oregon, a federal judge blocked President Trump’s effort to deploy California National Guard troops to Portland after previously issuing a restraining order halting the Oregon Guard deployment. Trump fired back, calling the judge “shameful” and insisting that cities like Portland and Chicago are “burning” and in desperate need of federal assistance.
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