CHICAGO / PORTLAND – U.S. President Donald Trump authorized the deployment of 300 National Guard troops to Chicago to “protect federal officers and assets” after a federal agent shot an allegedly armed motorist there on Saturday. The move came even as a federal judge blocked the President’s attempt to send military personnel into Portland, another Democratic-run city.
The escalating national crisis pits the Trump administration’s increasingly militarized anti-crime and migration crackdown against fierce opposition from Democrats, who accuse the President of an authoritarian power grab ahead of the election.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson confirmed the deployment after weeks of Republican threats to send forces over the objections of local leaders. “President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities,” she stated.
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin strongly condemned the decision, calling it a “shameful chapter in our nation’s history.” He added: “The President is not intent on fighting crime. He is intent on spreading fear.” Chicago and Portland are the latest flashpoints in a nationwide rollout of raids that have seen groups of masked, armed federal agents in unmarked vehicles targeting residential areas, provoking widespread protests.
Judicial Setback in Portland
In Portland, President Trump faced a significant setback when U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued a temporary restraining order blocking the deployment of military forces. Despite the President repeatedly labeling Portland “war-ravaged” and crime-ridden, Judge Immergut wrote in her order that “the President’s determination was simply untethered to the facts.”
The judge found that while there had been scattered attacks on federal property, the Trump administration failed to prove that these incidents were part of an “organized attempt to overthrow the government as a whole.” Immergut concluded that Portland’s protests did not pose a “danger of rebellion” and could be managed by “regular law enforcement forces.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller reacted sharply on social media, dismissing the judge’s order as “legal insurrection” and accusing local leaders in Oregon of conducting an “organized terrorist attack on the federal government.”
Chicago Shooting: ‘Operation Midway Blitz’
The deployment of the National Guard to Chicago follows a tense incident where a federal officer shot a motorist. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that law enforcement agents were “boxed in by 10 cars” before one of the drivers who rammed the federal vehicle was seen armed with a semi-automatic weapon.
“Law enforcement was forced to deploy their weapons and fire defensive shots at an armed US citizen,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. AFP could not independently verify the DHS account. Local media reported the motorist drove herself to the hospital before being transported by fire department officials.
McLaughlin also accused the Chicago Police Department of “leaving the shooting scene” and refusing “to assist us in securing the area.” Chicago police countered that while officers responded, the department is not involved in the incident’s investigation, which is being handled by federal authorities.
Protesters who had gathered at the scene chanting “ICE go home!” were met with tear gas and pepper balls before federal agents eventually vacated the area. The Chicago incident is not the first shooting under Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” which was launched in the city last month. In a separate incident on September 12, ICE officers shot and killed 38-year-old immigrant Silverio Villegas Gozalez.
