Members of the Texas National Guard have been spotted at an Army Reserve center in Elwood, Illinois, about 55 miles away from Chicago.
The soldiers were getting settled there after President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard to Chicago and to other Democrat-led cities.
Their deployment comes despite resistance from Illinois’s and Chicago’s elected leaders.
Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) says he didn’t get an advance warning about the troop deployment and that Trump is using the soldiers as “pawns.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the National Guard deployment is “illegal, unconstitutional,” and “dangerous.”
“This is about authoritarianism. It’s about stoking fear. It’s about breaking the Constitution that would give him that much more control over our American cities,” Johnson continued.
Illinois and Chicago sued the administration to block the troop deployment on Monday, calling it “unlawful and dangerous.”
“The American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military, particularly not simply because their city or state leadership has fallen out of a president’s favor,” the complaint reads.
The Associated Press reported that trucks labeled Emergency Disaster Services pulled in and out of the Army Reserve facility, dropping off portable toilets and other supplies.
It’s unclear what the National Guard’s mission will be in the area, but the deployment comes as Trump ramps up his illegal immigrant crackdown in Chicago. He’s also criticized the city’s crime levels, even calling it a “hellhole.”
U.S. Northern Command said in a statement that the troops are expected to be mobilized for an initial period of 60 days. “These forces will protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other U.S. government personnel who are performing federal functions, including the enforcement of federal law, and to protect federal property,” they said.
A military official told the New York Times that 200 troops from Texas will deploy to the Chicago area on Wednesday and that 300 Illinois National Guard troops are preparing to deploy.
ILLINOIS SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER SENDING NATIONAL GUARD TO CHICAGO
The deployment also comes after Trump ordered troops to Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C.
Gov. Tina Kotek (D-OR) has resisted the deployment because she views it as unnecessary. The troops have been deployed in part to protect immigration officials, the administration said. A judge blocked the move on Sunday.
, 2025-10-08 00:29:00, , Washington Examiner, %%https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon.png?w=32, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Ross O’Keefe
