— Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Sunday that he has given President Trump the green light to call up 400 National Guard members from Texas to be deployed in Illinois and Oregon.
Abbott made this announcement on X, responding to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who had previously mentioned that Trump intended to use Texas Guard members in Illinois, Oregon, and other areas. The president argues that the National Guard is needed to maintain order around federal immigration facilities in cities governed by Democrats, which have been targeted by protests.
Abbott did not specifically name states where the Texas soldiers may be headed but said they would “ensure safety for federal officials.”
“You can either fully safeguard federal employees or step aside and allow the Texas Guard to handle it. No Guard can rival the training, proficiency, and expertise of the Texas National Guard,” Abbott declared.
This situation unfolds as Oregon seeks legal action to prevent the Trump administration from sending troops to Portland, where ongoing protests have occurred at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement building.
On Saturday, a federal judge temporarily restrained the federalization of the Oregon National Guard, and on Sunday, the same judge prohibited the Trump administration from deploying any National Guard forces, including those from California.
Oregon state authorities argue that, given the relatively stable conditions on the ground in the northwestern U.S. city, Trump does not have the authority to deploy the National Guard.
“The facts on the ground in Oregon haven’t changed,” Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said during a news conference Sunday. “There’s no need for military intervention in Oregon. There’s no insurrection in Portland, there’s no threat to national security.”
Democrat Pritzker, a longtime critic of Trump and his immigration policies, has similarly opposed efforts to federalize the Illinois National Guard. His administration directed Illinois State Police to cordon off protesters who have been confrontational at an ICE detention center in Broadview, near Chicago.
Pritzker said the federal government did not contact his office about the Texas plan and urged Abbott to refuse to help the Trump administration, saying the “brave men and women who serve in our national guards must not be used as political props.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
