CHICAGO: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker stated on Monday that the Trump administration requested the Pentagon to deploy 100 troops to the state amid escalating tensions involving federal immigration agents.
The Illinois National Guard received a memo from the Department of Homeland Security outlining the troop request earlier that day.
Pritzker characterised the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago this month as a pretext for military deployment against the Chicago area.
Both Governor Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have maintained a defiant stance since President Trump began threatening National Guard deployment to the city in August.
Mayor Johnson affirmed his commitment to protecting immigrant and undocumented communities in Chicago during a Reuters interview.
The presence of masked federal agents in downtown Chicago on Sunday highlighted local leaders’ limited authority against presidential power.
Chicago has become a focal point for the Trump administration due to a city ordinance prohibiting city employees from assisting with federal immigration enforcement.
President Trump aims to achieve record deportations of immigrants in the United States illegally, citing necessary action following high levels of illegal border crossings under the Biden administration.
Mayor Johnson condemned the deportation campaign, stating that agents are tearing families apart and comparing the treatment to that of enslaved Black people.
Operation Midway Blitz has created surreal scenes of heavily armed Customs and Border Protection agents patrolling the Chicago River alongside private yachts and architecture tours.
ICE agents have engaged in daily confrontations with protesters outside an immigration processing center in Broadview, using pepper balls and tear gas to disperse crowds.
The Department of Justice confirmed that Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered agents to defend ICE facilities in Chicago and Portland, Oregon.
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss reported sustaining tear gas injuries during demonstrations at the Broadview facility, while a CBS reporter’s vehicle was sprayed with pepper balls.
Broadview Police announced they expect full cooperation from the Department of Homeland Security in their criminal investigation into the attack on the CBS reporter’s vehicle.
Governor Pritzker repeated calls for federal transparency regarding the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez by an ICE officer in Franklin Park earlier this month.
The Department of Homeland Security stated the officer feared for his life when firing his weapon, though bodycam footage showed the officer describing his injuries as nothing major.
Border Patrol agents in military-style fatigues carrying rifles patrolled downtown Chicago on Sunday as residents enjoyed the city’s beaches and parks.
A viral social media moment emerged when a man on a bicycle shouting that he was not a U.S. citizen successfully evaded pursuing agents.
Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino stated that his agents were taking into custody people who looked different from a tall, white male reporter.
Internal emails and anonymous ICE officials revealed the agency is pushing to increase arrests before the fiscal year ends on September 30 to demonstrate the impact of Trump’s enforcement efforts.
Additional ICE investigative agents have been deployed to major cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Houston, Nashville, Seattle and El Paso in recent weeks. – Reuters
