JB Pritzker Reacts to Trump's Deliberate Chicago Army Deployment

[ad_1] The Pentagon has been planning for weeks to deploy army troops in Chicago as a part of President Donald Trump's plan to crack down on crime, homelessness, and undocumented immigration, in line with a Washington Submit report revealed Saturday. Army officers are sketching out a plan that would deploy just a few thousand Nationwide Guard members, with using active-duty forces additionally underneath dialogue.

Democratic Governor JB Pritzker issued a pointy response Saturday night, stating that "The State of Illinois presently has obtained no requests or outreach from the federal authorities asking if we want help, and we've got made no requests for federal intervention".

Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Division of Protection by way of electronic mail on Saturday for remark.

Why It Issues Trump introduced earlier this month that he was sending federal troops to Washington, D.C, after alleging that the nation's capital was "overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of untamed youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless folks."

The president's intervention marked an unprecedented federal crackdown within the native governance of the District of Columbia. The deployment of federal troops sparked widespread backlash over constitutional limits and residential rule rights. Critics argue that it breaches democratic ideas and will set a harmful precedent, whereas supporters body it as a needed measure for public order.

The State of Illinois presently has obtained no requests or outreach from the federal authorities asking if we want help, and we've got made no requests for federal intervention.

— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) August 24, 2025 What To Know In keeping with the Washington Submit, the Pentagon's plans embrace mobilizing not less than just a few thousand Nationwide Guard troops as early as September. The Chicago mission could be just like that in Los Angeles in June, when the Trump administration deployed 4,000 members of the Nationwide Guard and 700 active-duty Marines.

Greater than 1,900 Nationwide Guard troops from a number of states — together with DC, West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Ohio, Louisiana and Tennessee guards — have been mobilized in DC as of Thursday. On Friday, the Pentagon introduced that Nationwide Guard troops in Washington would start carrying firearms throughout their patrols.

Governor Pritzker's response got here by means of each an official press launch and a sequence of social media posts on X. In his formal assertion, Pritzker emphasised that Illinois has obtained no federal outreach requesting help and has made no requests for federal intervention.

In one among his key X posts, Pritzker acknowledged: "The protection of the folks of Illinois is at all times my prime precedence. There isn't a emergency that warrants the President of the US federalizing the @IL_Natl_Guard, deploying the Nationwide Guard from different states, or sending lively responsibility army inside our personal borders."

Each Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor Pritzker have argued that any unilateral federal deployment could be unlawful.

What Individuals Are Saying Illinois Governor JB Pritzker stated on X and in a press launch: "The State of Illinois presently has obtained no requests or outreach from the federal authorities asking if we want help, and we've got made no requests for federal intervention."

He continued: "The protection of the folks of Illinois is at all times my prime precedence. There isn't a emergency that warrants the President of the US federalizing the @IL_Natl_Guard, deploying the Nationwide Guard from different states, or sending lively responsibility army inside our personal borders."

"Donald Trump is making an attempt to fabricate a disaster, politicize People who serve in uniform, and proceed abusing his energy to distract from the ache he is inflicting households. We'll proceed to observe the legislation, rise up for the sovereignty of our state, and shield Illinoisans."

Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, stated in a Newsmax interview: "Perhaps we should always roll out the tour to Portland, Seattle, the opposite craphole cities of the nation."

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, stated partly: Chicago is "an attractive, vibrant metropolis with folks from all walks of life … These unprecedented threats from President Trump are nothing greater than an influence seize to distract from his disastrous insurance policies."

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks throughout a rally the place he introduced he could be looking for a 3rd time period within the Illinois governor's workplace on June 26, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks throughout a rally the place he introduced he could be looking for a 3rd time period within the Illinois governor's workplace on June 26, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Scott Olson/Getty Photographs What Occurs Subsequent? The timing and scope of any potential Chicago deployment stays unclear, with Pentagon plans reportedly concentrating on September for potential mobilization.