Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said the Trump administration gave him an ultimatum: call up 300 Illinois National Guard members or President Donald Trump would do it for him.
Pritzker's statement comes after weeks of signals from the Trump administration that it would send National Guard members to Chicago to fight crime. The administration has already sent federal agents to protect a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Broadview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The building has attracted protests from people opposed to Trump’s immigration policies.
"It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will," Pritzker said. "In the coming hours, the Trump administration intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard. They will pull hardworking Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families, all to participate in a manufactured performance — not a serious effort to protect public safety. For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control."
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In September, Trump posted a meme on his Truth Social platform saying Chicago is "about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR" — a reference to his executive order last week aimed at renaming the Department of Defense.
In a separate post, Trump wrote: "Six people were murdered in Chicago this weekend, and 12 others were shot and are in serious condition. This would mean that over the past number of weeks, approximately 50 people were killed and hundreds were shot, many expected to die. Governor Pritzker just stated that he doesn’t want federal government help! WHY???"
The potential call-up of National Guard troops comes a week after the Trump administration announced it was sending troops to Portland, Oregon. City and state officials in Oregon opposed the order and have taken the administration to court over the call-up.
The Trump administration has also dispatched National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. Louisiana plans to use National Guard troops in New Orleans, a move supported by the state’s Republican Gov. Jeff Landry.
Pritzker has vowed to fight the Trump administration on any potential deployment of National Guard troops to Illinois.
“In Illinois, we will do everything within our power to look out for our neighbors, uphold the Constitution and defend the rule of law," he said.
Military members are unable to conduct law enforcement missions but can be used to provide support for officers.
