Trump deploys National Guard to Chicago amid state lawsuit
President Donald Trump has deployed National Guard troops, including units from Texas, to Chicago to protect federal facilities during immigration enforcement operations. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson filed a lawsuit on Monday to block the move, calling it an unconstitutional invasion. The deployment follows tense protests and clashes with federal agents, drawing sharp rebukes from state Democrats.
The deployment stems from ongoing immigration enforcement in Chicago, where federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have conducted operations amid protests. On October 3, 2025, agents raided an apartment building in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood, arresting 37 illegal aliens, including Tren de Aragua gang members and violent criminals from countries like Venezuela and Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described the action as targeted, resulting in arrests of individuals with histories of drug trafficking, child rape, and murder. However, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul told NPR that the raid involved pulling residents, including children and U.S. citizens, from their homes, creating chaos from federal agents firing pepper gas at civilians, journalists, and even Chicago police officers.
Protests escalated, with incidents including a Border Patrol agent shooting a woman on Chicago's southwest side last week, whom agents claimed was armed and involved in boxing in officers with vehicles. DHS reported that rioters ambushed agents over the weekend, including Marimar Martinez, who rammed agents with a vehicle while armed, and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, who was apprehended. On September 12, ICE shot and killed Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez in Franklin Park after he drove his car at officers, an incident DHS described as self-defense against a criminal illegal alien with a history of reckless driving.
Illinois officials argue the deployment lacks legal justification under Title 10, which requires invasion, rebellion, or inability to enforce federal laws—conditions they say do not exist, as Chicago saw its fewest summer murders in 60 years and declines in major crimes. Gov. Pritzker stated, "We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion," and accused the administration of political targeting to create chaos. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin countered, accusing Pritzker of a "smorgasbord of lies" and urging him to "get out of your mansion and see Chicago," where assaults on ICE officers have surged nearly 1,000%.
A federal judge in Illinois, April Perry, declined an immediate block on Monday, with oral arguments set for Thursday. By Tuesday afternoon, Texas National Guard troops arrived at a training center outside Chicago. During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on October 7, Attorney General Pam Bondi clashed with Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., defending the move: "I wish you loved Chicago as much as you hate President Trump... If you're not going to protect your citizens, President Trump will." Bondi noted Chicago's 571 homicides last year, five times New York's rate. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed he was heading to Chicago, posting on X, "Chicago will be saved... Heading to the Windy City now."
The White House stated Trump is exercising lawful authority to protect federal officers amid "ongoing violent riots and lawlessness." Legal experts note this tests presidential limits, with mixed court responses elsewhere, such as blocks in Oregon.