Texas National Guard Arrives Chicago Amid Legal Battle Over Federal Deployment

Texas National Guard troops arrived Tuesday at the U.S. Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, about 50 miles outside Chicago, to stage ahead of operations to protect federal immigration agents and facilities, with reporters and video footage confirming their presence. The deployment—reported to include roughly 400 Texas guardsmen—follows days of clashes between federal agents and protesters and comes amid a lawsuit from Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul alleging the federalization and deployment are unlawful. A federal judge declined to immediately block the troops ahead of a Thursday hearing, and the administration says some Illinois National Guard members have been federalized and will train before possible deployment while President Trump has not ruled out invoking the Insurrection Act. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and other local leaders condemned the move, with Johnson issuing an executive order banning ICE operations on city-owned property and Pritzker calling the deployment an “invasion.” The White House and federal officials defended the operation as necessary to protect ICE facilities, and FBI Director Kash Patel was reported en route to Chicago as the administration presses its legal and operational response.