A limited deployment of National Guard troops has been sent to the Chicago area to protect federal property and assist law enforcement, officials confirmed Wednesday.
According to the U.S. Northern Command, about 200 Texas National Guard members are now stationed in the region, working alongside roughly 300 troops from Illinois. The combined force of 500 soldiers, based at a U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood about 55 miles southwest of Chicago has been activated for a 60-day mission to secure Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities and other federal sites. Operational details, including the troops’ armament, were not immediately disclosed.
The deployment comes amid escalating tensions between the White House and Illinois officials. President Donald Trump lashed out at Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, both Democrats, accusing them of failing to protect ICE officers.
National Guard troops “Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE Officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday morning. His remarks followed objections from both state and city leaders over the administration’s decision to send federal troops.
National Guard troops sent Chicago area:
- Middle East diplomacy: Trump announced that Israel and Hamas have reached a tentative agreement to end fighting in Gaza, exchange hostages and prisoners, and move toward a broader peace framework. The announcement drew praise from Republicans and calls for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, though Palestinian Americans expressed concern about the deal’s terms.
- White House confusion: During a public event, Trump appeared unfamiliar with the legal term habeas corpus, deferring to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem who has previously misdefined the concept.
- Controversial “antifa roundtable”: All participants in the president’s Wednesday roundtable were right-leaning social media personalities presenting themselves as independent journalists. Some repeated false claims that “antifa radicals” had carried out mass killings in Portland, Oregon; in reality, only one such death has been recorded.
- Senate standoff: Senate Republicans blocked a war powers resolution intended to restrict Trump’s unilateral use of military force against suspected drug smugglers, after Democrats raised concerns about the administration’s increasingly aggressive operations in the Caribbean.
The deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago marks a significant escalation in the administration’s effort to assert federal control over local law enforcement matters a move that state leaders have criticized as politically motivated and inflammatory.
