Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) on Saturday said the Trump administration will federalize the state’s National Guard to aid in law enforcement efforts in Chicago and elsewhere in The Prairie State.
“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will. It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will,” Pritzker wrote in a statement on the social platform X.
“In the coming hours, the Trump Administration intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard,” he added.
The move comes after Pritzker on Monday said Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials requested the presence of 100 National Guard soldiers.
The Democratic governor has vehemently denied President Trump’s swipes about the lawlessness within the state after the president specifically highlighted Chicago as a city of concern.
“Amidst ongoing violent riots and lawlessness, that local leaders like Pritzker have refused to step in to quell, President Trump has authorized 300 national guardsmen to protect federal officers and assets. President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement to The Hill.
Pritzker rejected the presence of military troops again on Saturday, warning of the dangers residents could face by their presence.
“Yesterday, Kristi Noem’s and Greg Bovino’s masked agents threw chemical agents near an elementary school, arrested elected officials exercising their First Amendment rights, and raided a Wal-Mart,” the governor wrote in a statement on X. “None of it was in pursuit of justice, but all of it was in pursuit of social media videos. I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois.”
Pritzker encouraged citizens to record videos of their own interactions with soldiers and immigration officials as some local outlets have reported cases of brutal treatment and clashes.
One local outlet reported that children were being taken from their apartment homes while naked, while another report from the Chicago Sun-Times said individuals were forced into the back of U-Haul trucks in the dead of night.
Federal officials have restricted airspace above the Windy City, preventing opportunities for drone recordings and other aerial documentation. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued a statement raising concerns about the action.
“The FAA’s ‘temporary flight restriction’ (TFR) comes amid abusive immigration raids in Chicago and President Trump’s authoritarian flooding of the city with National Guard troops and federal law enforcement agents,” the ACLU wrote.
“That raises the sharp suspicion that it is intended not to ensure the safety of government aircraft, but (along with violence, harassment, and claims of ‘doxing’) is yet another attempt to prevent reporters and citizens from recording the activities of the authorities,” it added.