The Trump administration plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Democratic governor JB Pritzker said on Saturday. Pritzker said the state guard received word from the Pentagon on Saturday morning that the troops would be called up without specifying details on the timing or deployment location.
“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 governor’s office did not immediately respond to requests for further details. The White House and the Pentagon have also not commented on Pritzker’s statement.
Trump’s move in Illinois follows similar deployments elsewhere. Over the summer, the President sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington, DC, as part of a broader federal law enforcement surge. Meanwhile, Tennessee National Guard troops are expected to assist Memphis police.
California Governor Gavin Newsom successfully sued to halt the deployment in Los Angeles, winning a temporary block in federal court. The Trump administration has appealed, and a three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has indicated the government is likely to prevail.
Pritzker dismissed the planned deployment in Illinois as a “manufactured performance,” arguing it would pull National Guard troops away from their families and regular jobs. “For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” he said.
He also noted that state, county, and local law enforcement agencies have been coordinating to protect the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Broadview facility on the outskirts of Chicago. Thirteen protesters were arrested on Friday near the facility, which has been a frequent target of demonstrations during the administration’s surge of immigration enforcement this fall.
The planned federalization in Illinois comes amid a series of similar moves by Trump. Last month, he announced the deployment of federal troops to Portland, Oregon, calling the city “war-ravaged.” Local officials, however, have noted that many of Trump’s claims appear to rely on images from 2020, during unrest following George Floyd’s death. City and state officials immediately filed a lawsuit to block the deployment. US District Judge Karin J. Immergut heard arguments on Friday, with a ruling expected over the weekend.
So far, 200 National Guard troops have been federalized in Oregon, but they have reportedly remained on the coast for training and have not yet moved into Portland.
“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 governor’s office did not immediately respond to requests for further details. The White House and the Pentagon have also not commented on Pritzker’s statement.
Trump’s move in Illinois follows similar deployments elsewhere. Over the summer, the President sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington, DC, as part of a broader federal law enforcement surge. Meanwhile, Tennessee National Guard troops are expected to assist Memphis police.
California Governor Gavin Newsom successfully sued to halt the deployment in Los Angeles, winning a temporary block in federal court. The Trump administration has appealed, and a three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has indicated the government is likely to prevail.
Pritzker dismissed the planned deployment in Illinois as a “manufactured performance,” arguing it would pull National Guard troops away from their families and regular jobs. “For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” he said.
He also noted that state, county, and local law enforcement agencies have been coordinating to protect the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Broadview facility on the outskirts of Chicago. Thirteen protesters were arrested on Friday near the facility, which has been a frequent target of demonstrations during the administration’s surge of immigration enforcement this fall.
The planned federalization in Illinois comes amid a series of similar moves by Trump. Last month, he announced the deployment of federal troops to Portland, Oregon, calling the city “war-ravaged.” Local officials, however, have noted that many of Trump’s claims appear to rely on images from 2020, during unrest following George Floyd’s death. City and state officials immediately filed a lawsuit to block the deployment. US District Judge Karin J. Immergut heard arguments on Friday, with a ruling expected over the weekend.
So far, 200 National Guard troops have been federalized in Oregon, but they have reportedly remained on the coast for training and have not yet moved into Portland.
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