Texas National Guard on duty in Chicago amid protests, White House weighs broader troop options
Thursday morning, Texas National Guard troops were on duty in the Chicago area — their first mission since arriving in Illinois earlier this week
(NBC)- Thursday morning, Texas National Guard troops were on duty in the Chicago area — their first mission since arriving in Illinois earlier this week — a move carried out over the objections of city and state leaders.
Governor J.B. Pritzker blasted the deployment, saying, “I can’t believe I have to say troop movements in a city in the United States… But that is what we’re talking about.”
The arrival of federal forces has drawn demonstrators and heightened tensions across the city. Local officials say the visible presence of troops and federal agents is inflaming an already volatile situation, while protesters and organizers have confronted officers and agents in public spaces.
Video captured tense exchanges between agents and demonstrators. In one clip, an organizer asks for an agent’s name; the agent responds tersely. In another, a federal agent tells a person filming, “I suggest you stop following us, all right, or we’re going to arrest you for impeding.” The organizer replies, “I’m not impeding…” before the agent warns, “This is the first warning and last warning.”
The White House says the deployments — in Chicago and in Portland, Oregon — are necessary to protect federal agents and property. President Trump defended the moves, saying, “Everything we’re doing is very lawful. What they’re doing is not lawful.”
NBC News has learned that White House officials are holding increasingly serious discussions about invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow the deployment of active-duty troops to domestic cities. That deliberation, according to five people with knowledge of the talks, marks an escalation in federal thinking about how to respond to unrest.
The president has also ratcheted up his public threats toward Illinois leaders. He called Governor Pritzker “a loser” and posted that Pritzker and Chicago’s mayor “should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers,” apparently referencing a recent incident in which an SUV struck a vehicle carrying ICE agents.
Chicago police have denied reports that officers were ordered to stand down in the wake of that attack. Governor Pritzker, responding to the president’s remarks, pushed back sharply: “He’s a coward. He says a lot of things to the camera. He likes to pretend to be a tough guy. Come and get me.”
For now, National Guard units remain deployed while city and state officials continue to denounce the federal intervention. Tensions are likely to persist as both sides trade barbs and federal officials weigh their next moves.
