At a ceremony celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy, President Trump confirmed his determination to deploy 300 guard troops to Chicago. Politically oriented speeches are typically not delivered at military events, but Trump has departed from this norm many times in his second term.
According to a memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, up to 400 members of the Texas National Guard will be called into service in Chicago and Portland “for up to 60 days with the potential for an extension.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker issued a statement Sunday evening regarding the intended deployment. “We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion,” he said, in part. “It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops…”
Under Title X, guard troops can only be used to protect federal facilities and personnel under the current situation. So far, the Chicago Police Department and Illinois State Police have been performing crowd control duties at the ICE detention facility in Broadview and personnel protection when ICE agents are out in the community conducting raids.