Editor’s Note: The above video is from the October 7, 2025 KXAN Newscast.
CHICAGO (AP) — An “element” of 200 Texas National Guard soldiers began protecting federal property in the Chicago area Wednesday, according to a military spokesman.
A spokesman for U.S. Northern Command spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the operations that have not been announced.
The troops arrived at a U.S. Army Reserve center in Elwood, 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, and were scheduled to be stationed Tuesday. The official spokesman could not immediately provide details on how the forces were armed.
A lawsuit and Democratic leaders have strongly opposed the rollout, and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
President Donald Trump’s administration is implementing a tough immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, and protesters have repeatedly gathered at the immigration building in Broadview.
Trump has been decisive in sending the Guard to Democratic-run cities that he says are suffering from a rampant crime crisis, although statistics do not always support that.
In Memphis, a small group of troops was assisting Wednesday with the Safe Memphis Task Force, said a state Military Department spokesman, who did not specify the exact role or number of Guard members. The task force is a group of about a dozen federal law enforcement agencies ordered by President Donald Trump to fight crime.
Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who welcomed the Guard, had previously said that he did not expect to send more than 150 Guard members to the city.