Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) on Tuesday said he believes members of the National Guard and federal immigration agents were preparing to enter Chicago.
Pritzker at a news conference said the head of the Illinois State Police received a call from the Customs and Border Patrol chief patrol agent notifying him of ICE’s deployment to Illinois. The governor noted that he has also gathered information that leads him to believe President Donald Trump will send armed military to Chicago.
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He noted he had “reason to believe” troops with the Texas National Guard were staging to enter Illinois.
“In the coming days, we expect to see what has played out in Los Angeles and in Washington, D.C., to play out in Chicago,” Pritzker said.
The Trump administration for days has threatened to deploy federal law enforcement to counter crime and assist with immigration enforcement. The threats have been met with vehement opposition from Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
“Terror and cruelty is the point, not the safety of anyone living here,” Pritzker said of federal immigration enforcement coming to the city.
JUDGE RULES TRUMP DEPLOYMENT OF NATIONAL GUARD TO LOS ANGELES VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW
The governor vowed to challenge the Texas National Guard’s deployment in court. A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Trump’s June deployment of the California National Guard against the governor’s and state leaders’ wishes to Los Angeles was unlawful.
Trump has re-upped his threat to send federal law enforcement and members of the military to Chicago in recent days. On Tuesday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that Pritzker “better straighten it out fast or we’re coming.”