Trump deploys National Guard to Chicago, measures Insurrection Act
National Guard troops have arrived at a training center near Chicago as President Donald Trump considers invoking the Insurrection Act.
President Donald Trump has called for the arrest of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
“The Mayor of Chicago should be in jail for not protecting the ice officers! Governor Pritzker too!” Trump wrote on the social media platform on Wednesday, October 8, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
Pritzker responded defiantly, writing, “I will not back down. Trump is calling for the arrest of the elected representatives who are checking his power. He is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism.” “It’s not going anywhere,” Johnson said, adding, “This is not the first time Trump has tried to unfairly arrest a Black person.”
The round trip comes as troops from the Texas National Guard gather at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, a village about 45 miles southwest of Chicago. The troops arrived after the White House ordered the deployment on Oct. 4 over the vocal objections of local and state leaders.
In an emergency hearing, U.S. District Judge April M. Perry allowed the development to move forward but warned that it could be used as evidence against the Trump administration before an Oct. 9 hearing.
Pritzker and Johnson have for weeks denounced increasingly aggressive ice raids in the city and criticized Trump’s characterization of Chicago as “the worst and most dangerous city in the world.” Earlier this week, Johnson signed an executive order establishing an “ice-free zone” that prohibits federal immigrants from using city property in their operations.
The country’s third-largest city has become the latest flashpoint in the Trump administration’s deportation campaign and crackdown on crime in the Democratic-led city. Trump this week floated the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act if judges or leaders in blue cities continue to deploy the National Guard.
Protests erupt as ice raids rise in Chicago
Trump’s battle with Chicago has been simmering for more than a month, with the president threatening to have the city next in line after deploying 800 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., in August.
Trump says his Chicago-area immigration crackdown, called Operation Midway Blitz, is necessary to understand the “worst of the worst” criminal immigrants. The increased enforcement has fueled a simmering powder keg that has heightened tensions in the city and fueled ongoing protests, particularly at an ice processing center outside Broadview where several protesters were arrested last weekend.
This week, a group of nonprofits, unions, journalists and protesters filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, saying federal agents responded to the demonstrations “with a pattern of extreme brutality in a concerted and sustained effort to silence the press and civilians.” Among the plaintiffs was a pastor who said Ice agents shot pepper balls at him and sprayed tear gas in his face.
Protests have swelled in recent weeks as ICE has launched highly visible and aggressive raids across Chicago. On September 30, immigration agents disembarking from a Black Hawk helicopter raided and destroyed the South Side Apartments building in search of Venezuelan gang members. Two of the 37 people subsequently arrested were “confirmed” members of the Torren de Aragua gang, the Department of Homeland Security said.
On October 4, a woman was shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol in a clash between protesters and immigration officers on Chicago’s Southwest Side, while masked federal agents unleashed a chemical irritant outside a Logan Square grocery store where protesters had blocked their progress, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
“This is about the consolidation of power,” says the governor
Pritzker said the state “will not be intimidated by wannabes” and called the activation of the National Guard a “manufactured performance.”
“I want to be clear: We do not need troops on the ground in Illinois,” he said on Oct. 4. X posted that the War Department gave him the ultimate: “Call your troops or we will.”
Immigration officials say more than 800 “illegal aliens” have been detained since the Blitz began, including some of the worst offenders.
But Illinois leaders fear Trump will use the conflict between federal agents and anti-immigrant enforcement protesters to justify deploying the military and ultimately take control of a large Democratic stronghold.
“This is not about fighting crime, this is about mowing fear and intimidation among Americans,” Pritzker said last month. “This is about consolidating power in the hands of Donald Trump.”
Meanwhile, the Trump administration includes Chicago among the blue cities and states whose federal funds are being withheld during the ongoing government shutdown. Russell Vert, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said about $2.1 billion in promised federal funding for Chicago’s transportation system has been paused.
(This story has been updated to add new information.))
Contribution: Reuters
