Tension has erupted in the U.S. after hundreds of Texas National Guard soldiers arrived at an Army facility outside Chicago following President Donald Trump’s order to deploy 300 troops to the city.
The move — which the president says is part of a wider crackdown targeting Democrat-run cities — has sparked outrage from Illinois leaders and protesters who describe it as a dangerous political stunt, Sky News reported.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker slammed Trump’s decision, accusing him of using the National Guard as “political props and pawns.” State attorneys also tried — but failed — to legally block the deployment, calling it “illegal, dangerous, and unconstitutional.”
Images from the scene showed military personnel wearing the Texas National Guard patch on their uniforms as they arrived at the U.S. Army Reserve Centre in Elwood, southwest of Chicago.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed the deployment, writing on X: “The elite Texas National Guard are on the ground and ready to go. They are putting America first by ensuring the federal government can safely enforce federal law.”
The operation comes amid a wider immigration crackdown led by armed Border Patrol agents in predominantly Latino communities — a move that has triggered nationwide protests.
Local officials say they were not informed before the troops arrived. “This is an aggressive overreach. Our federal government moving armed troops into our community should be alarming to everyone,” said Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.
While National Guard troops usually report to state governors and assist during emergencies, Trump has repeatedly hinted at invoking the Insurrection Act — a rarely used law that allows presidents to send active-duty troops into states defying federal orders.
This development follows a string of controversial posts by Trump, including an AI-generated image depicting himself as a military officer in Apocalypse Now, captioned: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning.”
Protests have continued to grow across Chicago, as critics warn that Trump’s latest move could deepen political divides and escalate tensions between the federal government and Democratic-led states.
