United States President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of 300 National Guard troops to Chicago, escalating tensions with local officials who have resisted federal intervention in the city’s unrest.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson confirmed the order on Saturday, saying the move was necessary to protect “federal officers and assets” as violence and confrontations continue to grip parts of the city. “President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities,” Jackson said.
The decision followed an incident earlier in the day in which US Border Patrol officers shot and injured an armed woman during clashes in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the confrontation began when a group of individuals — including the woman — rammed vehicles into those used by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
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The woman, a US citizen whose identity has not been released, reportedly drove herself to the hospital. Officials said no federal officers sustained serious injuries in the exchange. ICE agents deployed pepper spray and rubber bullets as protests intensified throughout the day.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said additional “special operations” personnel were being dispatched to the city to stabilize the situation.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, condemned the federal move as an overreach of presidential power. He said his office received an ultimatum from Washington that morning. “The Trump administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand that a governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”
Pritzker did not confirm when or where the troops would be stationed but said the deployment violated the principles of state authority.
Neither the Pentagon nor the White House provided further comment on the order, while a spokesperson for Pritzker said the governor’s office was still assessing its legal options.
The troop deployment adds to a growing standoff between federal and state leaders over how far Washington can intervene in domestic unrest.