Chicago gov refuses to concede to ‘ultimatum’ as Trump prepares to send in 300 National Guard troops to city
Donald Trump will deploy 300 members of the National Guard in Illinois, state governor JB Pritzker announced on Saturday.
“In the coming hours, the Trump Administration intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard,” Pritzker said in a statement. He added, “They will pull hardworking Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families all to participate in a manufactured performance, not a serious effort to protect public safety.”
“For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” Pritzker continued, calling the Trump administration’s actions “outrageous and un-American.”
The Illinois governor claimed that his state had been given an ultimatum: “Call up your troops, or we will.” He insisted that there was “no need for military troops on the ground” in Illinois.
Pritzker also condemned recent federal actions, stating, “This demand follows unprecedented escalations of aggression against Illinois citizens and residents.” He referenced incidents from the previous day, saying, “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.”
“None of it was in pursuit of justice, but all of it was in pursuit of social media videos,” he added.
Earlier this week, President Trump announced plans to “go into Chicago very soon” during a speech to military generals and admirals in Quantico, Virginia. Speaking about Governor Pritzker, Trump said, “That’s a big city with an incompetent governor. Stupid governor.”
The president has long hinted at the possibility of mobilizing the National Guard in Illinois. In September, Trump posted a Truth Social graphic depicting himself wearing a cowboy hat with explosions and military helicopters in the background. The post read:
“I love the smell of deportations in the morning.
Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
Trump also warned Pritzker, whom he called a “weak and pathetic Governor,” to “straighten it out FAST.”
Previously, the National Guard had been deployed to Democrat-led cities such as Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Louisiana’s Republican governor, Jeff Landry, has requested up to 1,000 Louisiana National Guard troops be activated in his state.
Pritzker revealed that the Illinois National Guard “received word that the Department of Homeland Security has sent a memo to the Department of War seeking the deployment of troops to Illinois.” The mobilization, he said, was intended for “the protection of ICE personnel and facilities.”
“What I have been warning of is now being realized,” Pritzker said. “One thing is clear: none of what Trump is doing is making Illinois safer.”
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### Recent Federal Actions in Chicago
The National Guard deployment is just one of several recent actions by the Trump administration in Chicago. On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced that ICE and U.S. Border Patrol officers had arrested “more than 800 illegal aliens,” including some described as the “worst of the worst,” as part of Operation “Midway Blitz.”
The operation, which began on September 8, aims to “target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets,” according to a DHS press release.
On Friday, Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought announced funding related to these efforts.
Pritzker’s announcement regarding the National Guard came on the same day federal officials reported that Border Patrol agents in Chicago shot a woman after their vehicles were “rammed by ten cars.” According to a DHS statement, one of the drivers was armed with a semi-automatic weapon, forcing officers to open fire. The woman was reportedly part of an internal threat bulletin circulated after doxxing and threatening law enforcement officials online.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said:
“Unfortunately, JB Pritzker’s Chicago Police Department is leaving the shooting scene and refuses to assist us in securing the area. There is a crowd growing and we are deploying special operations to control a growing crowd.”
Images from the scene showed a large federal agent presence, with vehicles blocking a road as a crowd of protestors gathered.
A spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department told the Daily Mail:
“The Chicago Police Department responded to the 3900 block of S. Kedzie Ave Saturday morning for a call of a person shot. CPD responded to the scene to document the incident. CPD officers were also on-scene to maintain safety and traffic control for all living and working in the area.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15162619/chicago-governor-trump-national-guard-jb-pritzker.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
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