ELWOOD, Ill. (WGN) — Members of the Texas National Guard arrived in Illinois late Monday night to join Illinois National Guard troops at an Army Reserve training center in Elwood, fueling a growing political dispute over the federal government’s role in the deployment.
WGN-TV crews saw several soldiers walking in and out of a hangar on the campus, dressed in camouflage uniforms, some carrying guns. Trailers have been set up on site, and according to the Chicago Tribune, a contractor said the troops will sleep there. Portable showers and a dining hall that can accommodate 250 people have also been installed.
Trucks were seen arriving with what appeared to be metal fencing materials, signaling that preparations for an extended stay may be underway.
Local officials say they’ve received no information or coordination from the federal government about the deployment, including how many troops are involved or how long they’ll remain at the facility.
The White House says National Guard members are being used to protect federal property and immigration agents in response to what it calls “violent riots and lawlessness” in Chicago.
Republican Cook County Board Member Sean Morrison supports the move.
“I don’t know if you will see the troops patrolling per se. I think they may be in a static position located within hot spots, very similar to what they did in Washington, D.C.,” Morrison said. “We have to cooperate. It’s not unreasonable, we’re a country of federal law and we have federal men and women here who are doing their jobs that they were hired to do.”
But others are condemning the deployment as federal overreach. Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant called the move troubling.
“The arrival of the National Guard by the Trump administration is an aggressive overreach. Our federal government moving armed troops into our community should be alarming to everyone,” she said in a statement.
As many as 300 federalized Illinois guardsmen are also part of the mission and were called to report for duty.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) criticized the deployment, saying in part:
“Deploying the Texas National Guard, over the objections of Illinois elected officials, is not only unnecessary, but it is also unlawful. National Guard personnel do not deserve to be used as political pawns in President Trump’s political theater.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom said they will withdraw their states from the National Governors Association if the organization fails to condemn the federal National Guard deployments.
It’s not yet clear when the guardsmen will be seen on the streets, however, the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois sued the Trump administration Monday to block the federalization of National Guard troops from the two states.
On Tuesday at City Hall, Mayor Brandon Johnson said that if Congress won’t hold the Trump administration accountable, then Chicago will.
A federal judge, after denying the city and state’s request to temporarily stop the National Guard troops from coming to Illinois, will make a ruling on the case Thursday.
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