Trump Federalizes 300 Illinois National Guard

President Trump has authorized the federalization and deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard members to the Chicago area despite objections from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who said the administration gave him an ultimatum and called the move “outrageous and un-American.” The White House says the guardsmen will protect federal officers and property amid stepped-up immigration raids and protests around the Broadview ICE processing center. Tensions escalated after a confrontation near Broadview in which Border Patrol agents fired defensive shots at an armed woman and federal agents used pepper spray and rubber bullets on protesters, resulting in multiple arrests. Officials have not specified which Guard units will be federalized or the precise legal authority for activation (past federalizations have used Title 10). The decision follows similar Trump-era deployments to other cities, and a federal judge has temporarily blocked a comparable deployment to Portland.