CHICAGO () National Guard troops could be deployed to Chicago as early as Tuesday with President Donald Trump contemplating the use of the Insurrection Act to circumvent resistance to their deployment in Chicago and Portland, Oregon.
This follows a federal judge’s decision not to immediately halt President Donald Trump’s plan to dispatch troops to Chicago. The State of Illinois and City of Chicago had filed a lawsuit to block the deployment, but the judge instead scheduled a hearing for Thursday, allowing time for hundreds of troops from Texas to arrive.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday banned federal immigration agents from using city-owned property as staging areas.
In Broadview, Illinois, nearby, Mayor Katrina Thompson issued an executive order restricting protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility to nine hours daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Trump: We have Insurrection Act for a reason
The lawsuit argues Trump’s “long-declared ‘war’ on Chicago and Illinois is unlawful and dangerous.”
“Donald Trump is using our service members as political props and as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,” stated Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. “Since the onset of this invasion, families have been seized from the streets or extracted from their homes, zip tied, and detained for hours.”
Trump continues to justify the decision, asserting troops are essential to safeguarding federal workers amidst the violent unrest and that he would invoke the Insurrection Act if required.
“We have an Insurrection Act for a reason,” Trump said. “If I needed to enact it, I would. If people were being killed, killed, and courts were obstructing us, or governors or mayors were obstructing us, certainly, I’d do that.”
Trump has said he was considering invoking the Insurrection Act to justify sending federal troops into Portland, Ore., and avoid any legal hurdles.
Invoking the Insurrection Act could give Trump a way around the courts, but it likely would prompt widespread backlash amid concerns about the deployment of the military in American cities.
Trump’s Guard plan risks public safety: Chicago alderman
Chicago Alderman Gilbert Villegas said Trump’s plan “needs to stop,” warning it could put Americans in danger.
Villegas told “Morning in America” on Tuesday that he would support the administration sending federal resources to combat organized crime or illegal guns.
However, deploying National Guard members, who lack the training to handle civil matters and the legal authority to make arrests, is “nothing more than a show,” he argued.
Gang leader charged in alleged plot against Border Patrol chief
Separately, a high-ranking Latin Kings street gang member was arrested Monday in Illinois for allegedly placing a “hit” on Gregory Bovino, the U.S. Border Patrol’s commander-at-large and former El Centro Sector chief.
The Department of Homeland Security said Juan Espinoza Martinez offered $2,000 for information “when they catch him,” and $10,000 to “take him down” in a Snapchat message.
“I am a bit harder to kill than they think,” Bovino told . “The U.S. Border Patrol builds agents that are hard to kill, and a paltry $12,000 won’t get the job done.”
