CHICAGO – United States President Donald Trump has authorized the deployment of 300 National Guard troops to Chicago, overriding the firm opposition of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. The move escalates tensions following a recent clash between ICE personnel and protesters, during which a woman was shot by a border patrol agent.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson confirmed the order on Saturday, stating that Trump would not ignore “the lawlessness plaguing American cities.” Jackson added that the deployment was authorized to “protect federal officers and assets.” The order fulfills weeks of threats by Trump to send troops to Chicago, citing civil unrest and attacks on federal property.
Governor Calls Action ‘Un-American’
Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, sharply criticized the President’s action, labeling it “absolutely outrageous and un-American.”
“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said. He asserted: “It is unacceptable to demand a governor deploy military forces within state borders against our will.” While Pritzker did not specify the deployment details, he lamented that the state’s National Guard members were being pulled from their families “for a manufactured performance.”
Protests have continued in Chicago, particularly outside ICE facilities, where demonstrators have accused federal agents of using excessive force, including the deployment of pepper spray and rubber bullets.
Homeland Security Sends ‘Special Operations’
Amid the rising friction, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that additional “special operations” would be dispatched to Chicago’s Brighton Park area to address the situation. Federal officials stated that 13 protesters were arrested on Friday during demonstrations near the ICE Broadview facility. Many demonstrators have likened the federal crackdown to what they perceive as “heavy-handed policing” witnessed in other Democratic-led cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Portland.
In a separate legal setback for the Trump administration, a federal judge in Oregon has temporarily blocked the deployment of the National Guard in Portland. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued the injunction Saturday, siding with state and city authorities after Trump claimed he would send troops to the city, which he controversially described as “war-ravaged.” Local officials argued that the administration’s justification relied on outdated footage from the 2020 George Floyd protests rather than recent unrest.
The President’s latest order highlights a deepening constitutional clash between federal authority and Democratic state governments over control of law enforcement and the protection of civil liberties within state borders.
