Governor Criticizes Trump's Military 'Ultimatum' as 'Unpatriotic'

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The Trump administration plans to federalise 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Democratic Governor JB Pritzker said overnight.

Pritzker said the guard received word from the Pentagon in the morning that the troops would be called up. He did not specify when or where they would be deployed, but US President Donald Trump has long threatened to send troops to Chicago.

“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement.

Federal agents walk into the street as people protest outside a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon. (AP)

“It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.” â

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for additional details.

The increase in federal law enforcement presence in Illinois mirrors actions taken in other areas such as Baltimore and Memphis. Earlier, Trump had also sent the National Guard to Los Angeles during the summer as part of a broader law enforcement initiative, which included actions in Washington, DC.

Governor Pritzker criticized Trump’s decision in Illinois, describing it as a “manufactured performance” that would unnecessarily draw National Guard members away from their families and regular duties.

Pritzker emphasized, “For Donald Trump, it has never been about safety. It’s about control.” He also mentioned that state, county, and local authorities have been working together to protect the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Broadview facility near Chicago.

Federal officials noted the arrest of 13 individuals protesting near this facility on Friday, a location that has seen repeated demonstrations amid the administration’s increased immigration enforcement efforts this season.

US President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump also said last month that he was sending federal troops to Portland, Oregon, characterising the city as war-ravaged.

However, local leaders have indicated that many of Trump’s claims and social media content seem to be using old images from 2020, during the period when protests and unrest followed George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police.

The following day, city and state leaders filed a lawsuit to prevent the deployment. US District Court Judge Karin J Immergut listened to arguments on Friday, with a decision expected over the weekend.

Trump has federalised 200 National Guard troops in Oregon, but so far it does not appear that they have moved into Portland. They have been seen training on the coast in anticipation of a deployment.