Trump authorizes 300 National Guard troops to deploy to Chicago

The Trump administration has “authorized” the activation of 300 National Guard troops for operations in Chicago, following weeks of immigration raids in the city and threats from the White House to deploy the military. 

The announcement came as protests against immigration policies and federal agents continue in Chicago and one person was shot. The National Guard is being called up against the wishes of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. The military will be sent to protect federal personnel and property, according to a statement from a White House spokesperson sent to multiple outlets.

“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,” the statement by White House spokesman Abigail Jackson, released Saturday afternoon, said. 

Pritzker said earlier in the day that the White House had given him an ultimatum to deploy the National Guard to Chicago or they would be federalized. Writing in the early afternoon on social media, Pritzker said that “the Trump Administration intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard.”

The White House statement did not specify what units the troops would be drawn from or under what authority they would be activated. Task & Purpose reached out to U.S. Northern Command, the Pentagon and the White House about this but has not yet heard back. A spokesperson for U.S. Northern Command directed questions to the Pentagon. The Pentagon directed questions to the White House.If federalized under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, as Trump has done previously with the California and Oregon National Guards, they would be under the federal military control and prohibited from carrying out any law enforcement activity.

The move follows the deployment of the National Guard to other cities around the country, under the mission of protecting federal agents and property. Troops have also been activated and sent to Washington, D.C. and Memphis under the claim they are being sent to help fight crime, even in cities where crime is at a record low.

Trump had repeatedly threatened to send the National Guard and other elements of the military into Chicago for the past several months. In early September, he posted an image inspired by the war film ‘Apocalypse Now,’ writing that “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of War,” referring to the administration’s unofficial nickname for the Department of Defense. 

Federal agents have already flooded into Chicago over the last month. On Sept. 8, federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security, including elements of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol, launched Operation Midway Blitz, with many using the nearby Naval Station Great Lakes as a staging area.  They’ve arrested more than 1,000 people since then, the department said on Friday. There have been extensive protests against the federal presence, including outside the ICE facility in Broadview, with authorities deploying tear gas and pepper balls at demonstrators. 

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So far two people have been shot by Department of Homeland Security agents in the Chicago area since it began; one last month and one earlier today. One woman was shot today after allegedly ramming a car into federal vehicles, leading U.S. Border Patrol to open fire. A spokesperson for DHS said the woman drove away and took herself to a hospital; the Chicago Fire Department said that she was found and transported to a hospital by authorities.

Last weekend the administration revealed plans to federalize 200 Oregon National Guard soldiers to deploy to Portland, with the president claiming it was a “war ravaged” city despite calm and limited protests at one ICE facility. On Saturday afternoon a federal judge granted a 14-day temporary restraining order preventing the deployment of the Guard into the city.