ELLWOOD, Ill. (AP) — Members of the National Guard from Texas were 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 strong opposition from Democratic elected leaders.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who accused President Donald Trump of using troops as “political props” and “pawns,” did not immediately comment on this development.
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.
The 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 out-of-town immigration building 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 army on American soil amid local opposition sparked a conflict with the governors of blue states. 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 banned the deployment of the Revolutionary Guard in Portland, Oregon.
Illinois: We don’t need troops
Pritzker said on Monday that the Illinois National Guard 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.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the president’s strategy was “unconstitutional, illegal and dangerous.”
The Posse Comitatus Law, passed nearly 150 years ago, limits the military’s role 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.
Robert Hartley, 62, who works at Raceway Pizza & More near the Army Reserve Center, said he had doubts about putting the Guard on duty.
“I think the president may be overstepping his bounds,” Hartley said.
Months of stress
The sight of armed Border Patrol agents making arrests near famous landmarks has exacerbated concerns for Chicagoans already feeling uneasy after an immigration crackdown that began last month. Agents targeted heavily populated and largely Latino areas.
Chicago’s mayor 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.
Extensive military strategy
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.
Most violent crimes across the United States have decreased 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.
A federal judge said in September that the administration “willfully” violated federal law by deploying Guard troops to Los Angeles over 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.