The Trump administration plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said Saturday. Pritzker revealed that the Guard received word from the Pentagon that morning about the troops being called up. However, he did not specify when or where they would be deployed. President Donald Trump has long threatened to send troops to 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.”
A spokesperson for the governor’s office declined to provide additional details. The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to inquiries about Pritzker’s statement.
The escalation of federal law enforcement in Illinois follows similar deployments across the country. Over the summer, Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles as part of his law enforcement efforts in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Tennessee National Guard troops are expected to assist Memphis police.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued to block the deployment in Los Angeles and won a temporary federal court injunction. The Trump administration appealed that ruling, arguing that the use of the Guard was legal. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has indicated it believes the government is likely to prevail.
Pritzker called Trump’s move in Illinois a “manufactured performance” that would pull the state’s National Guard troops away from their families and regular jobs. “For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” the governor said.
He also noted that state, county, and local law enforcement have been coordinating to ensure the safety of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Broadview facility on the outskirts of Chicago. Federal officials reported the arrest of 13 people protesting near the facility on Friday. The Broadview facility has been frequently targeted during the administration’s recent surge in immigration enforcement this fall.
Last month, Trump also said he was sending federal troops to Portland, Oregon, describing the city as war-ravaged. However, 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 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. City and state officials sued to stop the deployment the day after the announcement.
U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut heard arguments on the matter Friday, with a ruling expected over the weekend.
Trump has federalized 200 National Guard troops in Oregon, but so far, it does not appear they have moved into Portland. They have been seen training on the coast in anticipation of deployment.
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Associated Press reporter Rebecca Boone contributed.
Thomas Peipert, The Associated Press
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/trump-plans-deploy-national-guard-191248616.html
