The Texas National Guard has been deployed to the Chicago area, escalating federal enforcement efforts under President Donald Trump. This deployment follows confrontations in Broadview, where law enforcement used tear gas and pepper spray against protestors.
Judge Allows Troop Deployment Despite Illinois Lawsuit
The military presence in Chicago comes after US District Judge April Perry declined to immediately block troops from entering the city. The decision comes amid a lawsuit filed by the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago, led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. The lawsuit aims to halt the immediate and permanent deployment of both Illinois National Guard troops and those from other states, such as Texas.
Following Judge Perry’s ruling, troops were mobilized on Monday and remained in the Chicago area on Tuesday, according to reports from the Chicago Tribune and New York Times.
Chicago Mayor Issues Orders Limiting ICE Operations
Mayor Brandon Johnson has signed an executive order prohibiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from operating on city-owned properties. This is the third order limiting ICE’s authority in Chicago since Trump announced the deployment.
“City property and unwilling private businesses will no longer serve as staging grounds for these raids,” Johnson said 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.”
The White House has accused the mayor of “aiding and abetting criminal illegal immigrant killers, rapists, traffickers, and gang bangers,” according to Newsweek.
Governor Pritzker Criticizes Federal Intervention
Governor JB Pritzker also condemned the federal intervention, stating that troops do not belong on American streets “unless there is an insurrection, unless there is truly an emergency.” He added:
“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.”
Mayor Johnson has consistently opposed the federal intervention. Speaking at a Labor Day rally, he said, “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.”
Part of Broader Federal Enforcement Strategy
This deployment is part of Trump’s wider push to enforce immigration laws in Democratic-led cities. Similar efforts were made in Portland, Oregon, but a federal judge recently blocked them. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek called the move a “threat to our democracy” and a “wake-up call” for other state officials.
Earlier this year, the administration sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles, supporting large-scale ICE raids. Thousands of federal and National Guard personnel were also deployed to Washington DC in August, in what critics called an unprecedented federal enforcement operation.
White House Defends Actions as Crime-Fighting Effort
The White House has defended the deployments as essential to strengthen immigration enforcement and combat crime, while Democratic leaders argue that crime rates in these cities are generally falling.
