WASHINGTON: Two hundred Texas National Guard troops have arrived in Illinois ahead of a planned deployment in Chicago that local Democratic officials strongly oppose.
President Donald Trump has already sent troops to Los Angeles and Washington DC while ordering deployments to Memphis, Chicago, and Portland.
Trump threatened to invoke emergency powers to continue these efforts if courts interfere with his plans.
The president suggested last week that American cities should serve as training grounds for US military forces.
Trump exaggerated unrest in Los Angeles and crime in Washington to justify those deployments according to court observations.
A judge indicated he similarly misrepresented conditions in Portland when describing the situation there.
The Texas troops were sent to Illinois to protect federal functions, personnel, and property according to a Pentagon official.
The anonymous official confirmed the Guardsmen have been mobilized for an initial 60-day period.
Troops were observed Tuesday at a military facility in Elwood, located southwest of Chicago.
Democratic Governor JB Pritzker expressed fury over the planned deployment of these forces.
Pritzker stated the troops should stay the hell out of Illinois and called any unwanted deployment an invasion.
Trump authorized 700 National Guard troops for Chicago over the weekend, prompting a lawsuit from Illinois officials.
State officials accused the president of using US troops to punish his political enemies.
Illinois Attorney General and Chicago counsel argued Americans should not live under military occupation threat.
They emphasized this should not happen simply because city or state leadership displeased the president.
Judge April Perry declined to issue an immediate temporary restraining order against the deployment.
The Biden-appointed judge instead scheduled a full hearing for Thursday.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the Chicago troop plan by calling the city a war zone.
Trump similarly targeted Portland as war-ravaged and riddled with violent crime.
Portland has seen federal agent surges as part of Trump’s mass deportation drive, sparking protests.
US District Judge Karin Immergut temporarily blocked troop deployment to Oregon in a Saturday order.
The judge wrote that the president’s determination was simply untethered to the facts.
Immergut noted Portland protests did not pose a danger of rebellion that required military intervention.
The judge stated regular law enforcement forces could handle such incidents appropriately.
Trump responded to the legal setback by openly considering use of the Insurrection Act.
This act allows presidential deployment of military within the United States to suppress rebellion.
Trump said he would use the Insurrection Act if people were being killed and courts or local officials obstructed deployments. – AFP