CHICAGO (WLS) — The Department of Homeland Security has requested the deployment of 100 military personnel to Illinois, as stated by Gov. JB Pritzker during a Monday afternoon press conference.
Pritzker organized this conference to shed light on recent actions by federal agents in Illinois, emphasizing incidents that took place in Broadview and downtown Chicago over the weekend.
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“This is not about battling crime or ensuring public safety. It is about spreading fear, intimidation, and division among Americans. The intent is to create a justification for sending armed military troops into our communities. It’s about consolidating power in Donald Trump’s hands,” Pritzker stated.
He was joined by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson and about a dozen other local leaders.
“The truth is that this maneuver is unrelated to public safety. It revolves around politics, money, and power. The president employs his militarized force exactly as planned to further his political aspirations,” Johnson remarked.
Alongside pointing out the federal agents’ show of force over the weekend, the governor mentioned that on Monday afternoon, the Illinois National Guard was informed that DHS issued a memo to the Department of War, requesting the deployment of 100 military troops to Illinois to potentially safeguard Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel and facilities.
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This purported directive occurred alongside the visible presence of numerous armed federal agents in downtown Chicago and agents equipped with tactical gear employing various chemical agents near the ICE facility in Broadview.
The governor referenced about a dozen specific incidents, saying the federal agents who have descended upon the Chicago area are abusing their power, intimidating innocent civilians and harassing tourists.
Both Johnson and Pritzker specifically called attention to the use of force by ICE in Broadview against protestors and journalists. They also called out the show of force seen at Millennium Park, where agents appeared to detain a woman and multiple children. ABC7 blurred the children’s faces in that video.
ABC7 spoke with one couple who is visiting Chicago from Florida. They had just checked into their hotel room on Sunday and were walking to Grant Park when they came across a group of federal agents wearing marked Border Patrol vests.
“We walk around the corner there and then just 20 uniformed, armed, right there on the sidewalk. I turned and I said, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t believe it,'” said Jack Thornton.
Others ABC7 spoke to say the presence of federal law enforcement is not necessary.
“Who knows how far he’s going to try to go with this. But it’s not a good time. It’s scary. It’s a scary time for everyone in the country,” said Patti Sunko-Imhof, who is visiting Chicago from Virginia.
“It’s horrible. Why, you know? Why are you here, even? Why are you here? We don’t need you here,” said Kim Ziemianin, who lives in the suburbs.
And during an unrelated event on Monday, more elected leaders reacted to the ramped-up federal agent presence seen downtown.
“I, like many in Chicago, were quite shocked to see the videos of the Border Patrol boats on the Chicago River, the dozens of individuals walking up and down the streets, perhaps the most ironically, the young girl having to translate between the ICE agents and her family as they are interrogating them,” said Ald. Ray Lopez said.
Lopez said he is not opposed to the city receiving help from the federal government, but believes those resources could better serve the city’s South and Southwest sides.
“I’m still in support of having additional federal law enforcement working with our Chicago Police Department to try to make our neighborhoods safe,” Alderman Lopez said. “I believe that we can identify those individuals who we know are magnets of violence, whether they are citizens or not. And we should use our federal partners to the fullest.”
Pritzker called this occupation of Chicago an unconstitutional political ploy by President Donald Trump.
The last thing he said was a call to action to quote “the people of Illinois” to continue to use their cell phones to record and narrate what they see.
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