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Texas National Guard troops camp outside Chicago
It’s not clear yet when and if the troops will actually hit Chicago streets, and it seems like it’s an answer Illinois leaders aren’t privy to either, as Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson aired his frustrations after Texas National Guard soldiers were deployed outside his city.
CHICAGO - Four hundred Texas National Guard members have arrived in Chicago, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday afternoon.
The members were authorized for deployment Sunday in support of President Donald Trump's administration.
Texas National Guard on the ground in Chicago | Credit: Gettyimages
Texas National Guard in Chicago
The Latest:
Abbott made the announcement just before 2:30 p.m. through his X, formerly Twitter, account.
"The elite Texas National Guard are on the ground and ready to go," Abbott said. "They are putting America first by ensuring that the federal government can safely enforce federal law."
It’s not clear yet when and if the troops will actually hit Chicago streets, and it seems like it’s an answer Illinois leaders aren’t privy to either, as Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson aired his frustrations after Texas National Guard soldiers were deployed outside his city.
The City of Chicago and state of Illinois sued the Trump administration on Monday trying to stop the national guard from being sent to Chicago. This came hours after a judge blocked the national guard’s deployment to Portland.
Chicago Mayor left in dark on deployment plan
What they're saying:
"None of that has been made clear. This is what is so difficult about this moment is that you have an administration that is just refusing to cooperate with local authorities," said Mayor Johnson.
"This is not about safety for this president. This is about authoritarianism. It's about stoking fear. It is about breaking the Constitution that would give him that much more control over our American cities."
Abbott doubled down
The other side:
Governor Abbott defended the deployment of the Texas guard to another U.S. state in an interview on the Fox News channel.
"Know this, and that is the president has the constitutional responsibility to enforce the laws of the United States, and those laws include the immigration laws. And the president has the authority to call up the National Guard to assist in enforcing those laws. And that's exactly what the president is doing and what Texas is doing," said Abbott.
Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson says the Trump administration has not told them where the national guard is or when it will arrive in Chicago or even what they will be doing.
"The federal government is out of control. This is one of the most dangerous times in our nation's history," said Mayor Johnson.
Trump administration on decision
Big picture view:
The Trump administration is staying tight-lipped. Attorney general Pam Bondi sparred with Illinois Senator Dick Durbin during a Senate judiciary hearing on Tuesday about the reasoning behind the deployment of the national guard despite protests from local and state officials.
Bondi chose to evade the question.
"She refuses to answer as to if she had any conversation with the White House about deploying National Troops to my state. That is an indication of where we are politically in this place," said Senator Durbin.
The backstory:
Abbott announced his authorization of the president to call up 400 members of the Texas National Guard to serve alongside 300 members from Illinois on Sunday. Abbott added that Chicago can either fully enforce protection for federal employees or get out of the way and let the Texas Guard do it. The governor posted a picture on Monday afternoon of several Texas National Guard troops boarding a military aircraft, ending the post with "deploying now."
Trump sends National Guard to Chicago
Dig deeper:
The president said he’s sending in the National Guard to clean up Chicago, pointing to arrests and drops in crime in Memphis and Washington, D.C., where the Guard is already operating.
The White House also said the military troops are needed to protect federal property and employees in places like Chicago and Portland, Oregon, where there have been clashes between ICE agents and protesters.
Chicago sues Trump administration
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker at the Thompson Center on Sept. 22, 2020. Illinois reported the highest number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases in a single day since the pandemic began. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Get …
Illinois is the latest state to file a federal lawsuit to try to stop President Donald Trump from sending in National Guard troops to Democrat-led cities.
That lawsuit calls the deployment of the troops, including hundreds of service members from the Texas National Guard, "unlawful and dangerous."
Abbott sending 400 Texas National Guard members to Chicago
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has authorized the president to call up 400 members of the Texas National Guard to serve in Illinois. President Trump said they are needed to protect federal property and employees in Chicago.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker called the service members political props and pawns in the president’s illegal effort to militarize the nation’s cities.
Pritzker has made statements suggesting that Abbott worries less about Illinois and more about his own state.
The Source: Information in this update comes from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and previous FOX Local reporting.