WASHINGTON — On Saturday, the Trump administration took the controversial step of federalizing several hundred Illinois National Guard members after Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, refused an “ultimatum” from the US Department of War to deploy troops to combat rising crime in Chicago.
Early in the day, Pritzker shared on X: “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War issued an ultimatum: summon your troops, or we will. It is utterly outrageous and un-American to pressure a Governor into sending military personnel within our own state against our wishes.”
He further stated, “In just hours, the Trump Administration plans to deploy 300 members of the Illinois National Guard. I want to emphasize: we do not require military units on the ground in Illinois.”
Later that day, the White House confirmed the deployment.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson commented, “In light of persistent violent riots and lawlessness, which local leaders like Pritzker have failed to control, President Trump has authorized the mobilization of 300 national guardsmen to secure federal officers and properties. The President will not ignore the chaos affecting American cities.”
On that same morning, US Border Patrol agents came under fire from 10 vehicles that trapped them during a patrol in Broadview, a neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, according to Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for Homeland Security.
“Agents found themselves unable to move their vehicles and had to exit. One driver, who crashed into the law enforcement vehicle, was armed with a semi-automatic firearm,” McLaughlin stated.
“Law enforcement had to use their weapons, firing defensive shots at an armed individual who later drove herself to a hospital for treatment of her injuries,” she added.
The spokeswoman also revealed that the armed woman had been flagged in a Customs and Border Protection alert for previously doxing agents and posting threats online.
No other injuries were reported among law enforcement or civilians during the incident.
McLaughlin remarked, “Pritzker’s Chicago Police Department has left the scene of the shooting and is unwilling to assist us in securing the area. A growing crowd is forming, and we are deploying special operations to manage the situation.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller later described the event as “domestic terrorism and seditious insurrection.”
DHS initiated Operation Midway Blitz last month to target illegal immigrants in Chicago following a lack of action from local Democrats toward escalating crime in the metropolitan area.
This operation was sparked after the tragic death of a 20-year-old Illinois woman, killed by an illegal immigrant in a drunk driving incident.
In a social media post, President Trump teased the upcoming immigration raids with a meme referencing “Apocalypse Now.”
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“I love the smell of deportations in the morning,” the post amusingly mimicked a famous line from Francis Ford Coppola’s film delivered by Robert Duvall’s character.
Trump’s post included the line, “Chicago is about to learn why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
A similar move in Washington, DC, back in August significantly reduced violent crime rates.
Pritzker argued that federal immigration authorities had shown “a shocking increase in aggression against Illinois residents” and asserted that the imminent federal oversight in Chicago was “not a serious initiative for safeguarding public safety.”
According to Pritzker, “For Donald Trump, this has never been about public safety. It’s about control.”
Local law enforcement has been collaborating effectively to maintain public safety around the Broadview ICE facility and to uphold citizens’ constitutional rights.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem visited Illinois on Friday, focusing on the federal detention center, which has experienced severe civil unrest and protests against ICE, but was stopped by local officials from entering a municipal building.
