Texas Guards Deploy to Chicago Amid Trump Crackdown

By Staff, Agencies

Texas national guard troops have arrived in the Chicago area, marking an escalation of Donald Trump’s crackdown on the city.

Chicago has recently seen increased immigration enforcement and violent clashes in Broadview, where police used tear and pepper gas on protesters.

The military presence follows a US judge’s refusal to block troops entering Chicago amid a lawsuit by Illinois and the city against the Trump administration.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit Monday to permanently block Trump from deploying the state’s National Guard or troops from other states like Texas.

But after Perry’s ruling, the troops were mobilized on Monday, and multiple outlets, including the Chicago Tribune and New York Times confirmed they were remaining in the Chicago area on Tuesday.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed a third executive order banning Immigrations and Customs Enforcement [ICE] agents from city-owned properties, aiming to limit their power amid Trump’s deployment plans.

At Monday’s signing, Johnson said, “City property and unwilling private businesses will no longer serve as staging grounds for these raids. We cannot allow unchecked raids in our city. Nobody is above the law… if Congress won’t act, Chicago will.”

The White House accused the mayor of “aiding and abetting criminal illegal immigrant killers, rapists, traffickers, and gang bangers”, Newsweek reported.

Illinois officials have long opposed the Trump administration’s federal takeover plans. In September, Pritzker urged everyone to “stand up” against the intervention in a CBS News interview.

Pritzker said that troops don’t belong on American streets unless there’s an insurrection or true emergency, adding that he’ll do everything to stop him from invading states and stripping people’s rights.

Johnson has strongly opposed the intervention since it was announced. At a Labor Day rally, he declared, “We’re going to defend our democracy in Chicago and protect the humanity of every single person in the city.”

Illinois senator Dick Durbin condemned the move in a statement issued as troops arrived in the state.

He said, “Deploying the Texas National Guard against Illinois officials’ wishes is unnecessary and unlawful. National Guard troops shouldn’t be used as pawns in Trump’s political theater.”

Trump had been signaling the federal intervention in Chicago, amid his targeting of Democratic-led cities for expanded federal enforcement of immigration laws.

Trump’s repeated attempts to send federal troops to Portland were blocked by a judge Sunday. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek called any military intervention a “threat to our democracy” and a “wake-up call” for other states in an NPR interview.

In June, Trump sent National Guard troops to LA for ICE raids and deployed thousands more, plus federal agents, to Washington DC in August.

Trump claims these moves aid immigration enforcement and crime-fighting, while Democrats highlight that crime rates are generally falling nationwide.