ELLWOOD, ILLINOIS — ELWOOD, Ill. (AP) — Members of the Texas National Guard settled down at an Army Reserve center in Illinois on Tuesday, the most visible sign yet of the Trump administration’s plan to send troops to the Chicago area despite a lawsuit and trial. Strong opposition of elected democratic leaders.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who has accused President Donald Trump of using troops as “political props” and “pawns,” said he did not get a heads-up from Washington.
The Associated Press saw uniformed military personnel with a Texas National Guard patch at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. Trucks marked with disaster emergency services rolled in and out, dropping off portable toilets and other supplies. The trailers were placed in rows. Additional fencing has been deployed across the perimeter.
The Guard’s exact mission was not immediately clear, though the Trump administration has a robust immigration enforcement operation in the nation’s third-largest city, and protesters have often gathered at an immigration building outside Chicago in Broadview. The chief has repeatedly described Chicago in hostile terms, calling it a “hell hole” for crime, even though police statistics show a significant decline in most crimes, including homicides.
Trump’s attempt to deploy the military on US soil despite domestic opposition has failed It sparked conflict with blue-state governors. Illinois and Chicago are urging a federal judge to intervene and stop Trump’s long-declared “war” on the state. A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday. In Oregon, A Judge over the weekend Prevented Guard deployment to Portland, Oregon.
Pritzker had expected on Monday that Illinois National Guard troops would be activated, along with 400 soldiers from Texas. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott posted a photo on social media showing soldiers boarding a plane and declared, “Always Ready.”
Pritzker said he “literally canceled everything” on Saturday in anticipation of a call from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“They didn’t pick up the phone and call me. Not once,” Pritzker said Tuesday at a gathering of business, cultural and political leaders in Minneapolis.
She is approximately 150 years old Posse Comitatus Law Limits the role of the army in enforcing local laws. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows the president to send military forces to states that cannot quell insurrection or that defy federal law.
Federal Aviation Administration Flight restrictions ordered Above the Army Reserve Center for security reasons until December 6.
Robert Hartley, 62, works at Raceway Pizza & Al-Masad, who is close to the site, said he had doubts about appointing the guards to duty.
“I think the president may be overstepping his bounds,” Hartley said.
Scene of armed border guards Making arrests near famous landmarks It amplified the fears of Chicagoans Really unstable After the immigration campaign that began last month. Agents targeted heavily populated and largely Latino areas.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Monday barring federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property, such as parking lots, garages and vacant lots, as staging areas for enforcement operations.
In Memphis, Tennessee, Police Chief Cyrlyn Davis said Guard forces could arrive by Friday. She added that a small group of leaders is already in the city working on planning and logistics.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who supports the effort, said the troops would be authorized by the U.S. Marshals Service to “play a critical support role” for local law enforcement, although that role has not yet been precisely defined.
Since the start of his second term, Trump has sent or talked about sending troops to 10 cities, including Baltimore; memphis; District of Columbia; New Orleans. And the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in California.
The most violent crime in the entire United States He refused In recent years. Police data showed that homicides in Chicago dropped by 31% to 278 as of August. Homicides in Portland from January to June fell 51% to 17 this year compared to the same period in 2024.
In Portland, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility has been the site of nightly protests for months, culminating in June when local police declared a riot, with smaller clashes occurring since then. Over the weekend, larger crowds gathered outside the facility, and federal agents fired tear gas.
An appeals court has scheduled arguments for Thursday in the government’s attempt to overturn lower court rulings and deploy the Guard in Portland.
Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotick said she met Tuesday with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and told her there was “no insurrection” in the state.
“Oregon is united against militarized policing in our communities,” Kotick said.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day said Tuesday that the department needs to work more closely with federal agents as it appears to have placed more officers at the ICE facility.
“We were trying to coordinate that with the federal response because we have different policies and different expectations about procedures,” he said.
Noem told Fox News on Tuesday that she told Portland Mayor Keith Wilson that if the city doesn’t beef up security at the ICE building, get support from local law enforcement, and take other safety measures, we will send four times the number of federal officers here.
A A federal judge said in September The administration “intentionally” violated federal law by stationing Guard troops in Los Angeles due to protests over immigration raids.
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Fernando reported from Chicago. Associated Press reporters Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, Adrian Saenz in Memphis, Tennessee, Sarah Reda in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this story.