President Donald Trump intensified his confrontation with Chicago and Illinois leaders this week, authorizing the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to the Chicago area and accusing Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker of "failing to protect ICE officers." The remarks, posted Wednesday on Truth Social, escalated tensions as protests broke out near a federal immigration facility in the suburb of Broadview.
"Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!" Trump wrote, reiterating his broader criticism of Democratic-led cities that have resisted his immigration enforcement efforts. The post came as federal authorities expanded operations across Chicago, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have faced resistance from city officials and demonstrators.
Local outlets, including ABC7 Chicago, reported that Texas National Guard units have set up camp in Elwood, southwest of the city, ahead of expected operations this week. Troops were identified by shoulder patches marked with the letter "T." County officials said they had received no details about "the scale of operations or the length of time they will be stationed," according to Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.
Governor JB Pritzker said his office had been "left in the dark" about federal troop activity and accused the administration of bypassing state authority. "Any kind of troops on the streets of an American city don't belong unless there is an insurrection, unless there is truly an emergency," Pritzker told CBS News. "I'm going to do everything I can to stop him from taking away people's rights and from using the military to invade states."
The deployment followed a ruling by U.S. District Judge April Perry, who declined to block the troop mobilization while the state and city pursue a lawsuit against the Trump administration. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul had filed the suit seeking to stop Trump from enlisting Illinois' National Guard or importing forces from other states.
Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Monday banning ICE agents from operating on city-owned property, declaring that "city property and unwilling private businesses will no longer serve as staging grounds for these raids." Johnson added: "We cannot allow them to rampage throughout our city with no checks or balances. Nobody is above the law."
The White House fired back, accusing Johnson of "aiding and abetting criminal illegal immigrant killers, rapists, traffickers, and gang bangers," according to Newsweek. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin denounced the troop deployment as "unlawful," saying National Guard members "do not deserve to be used as political pawns in President Trump's political theater."
The escalating standoff between the Trump administration and Illinois officials has coincided with a rise in confrontations between law enforcement and protesters. Demonstrators near the Broadview ICE facility have clashed with authorities, who have deployed tear gas and pepper spray in recent weeks. Despite the troop presence, local immigrant-rights organizations, including the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said they plan to continue demonstrations downtown.
Trump has defended his actions as necessary to combat crime and strengthen border enforcement. "If you look at Chicago, Chicago's a great city where there's a lot of crime. And if the governor can't do the job, we'll do the job. It's all very simple," he said Tuesday during remarks alongside the Canadian prime minister.
However, Chicago Police Department data contradict the president's claim, showing 458 murders in the past 12 months, down nearly 30% from the average of the previous three years. While the White House has framed the troop deployments as part of a broader anti-crime initiative, local officials describe them as an unlawful overreach of federal power into state jurisdiction.
