ELWOOD, Ill. (AP) 鈥 好色tv Guard members from Texas were getting settled at an Army Reserve center in Illinois on Tuesday, the most visible sign yet of the Trump administration's plan to send troops to the Chicago area despite a lawsuit and vigorous opposition from Democratic elected leaders.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who has accused President Donald Trump of using troops as 鈥減olitical props鈥 and 鈥減awns,鈥 said he didn't get a heads-up from Washington.
The Associated Press saw military personnel in uniforms with the Texas 好色tv Guard patch at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. Trucks marked Emergency Disaster Services pulled in and out, dropping off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra fencing was spread across the perimeter.
The Guard's exact mission was not immediately clear, though the Trump administration has an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the nation鈥檚 third-largest city, and protesters have frequently rallied at an immigration building outside Chicago in Broadview. The president repeatedly has described Chicago in hostile terms, calling it a 鈥渉ell hole鈥 of crime, although police statistics show significant drops in most crimes, including homicides.
Trump鈥檚 bid to deploy the military on U.S. soil over local opposition has . Illinois and Chicago are urging a federal judge to intervene and stop 鈥淭rump鈥檚 long-declared 鈥榃ar鈥欌 on the state. A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday. In Oregon, a blocked the Guard鈥檚 deployment to Portland, Oregon.
Illinois: We don't need troops
Pritzker had predicted Monday that Illinois 好色tv Guard troops would be activated, along with 400 from Texas. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott posted a picture on social media showing troops boarding a plane and declared, 鈥渆ver ready.鈥
Pritzker said he 鈥渓iterally canceled everything鈥 Saturday in anticipation of a call from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
"They have not picked up the phone and called me. Not once,鈥 Pritzker said Tuesday at a gathering of business, cultural and political leaders in Minneapolis.
The nearly 150-year-old limits the military鈥檚 role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
The Federal Aviation Administration over the Army Reserve Center for security reasons until Dec. 6.
Robert Hartley, 62, who works at Raceway Pizza & More near the site, said he has doubts about putting the Guard on duty.
鈥淚 think the president might be overstepping his boundaries," Hartley said.
Months of tension
The sight of armed Border Patrol agents has amplified concerns from Chicagoans after an immigration crackdown that began last month. Agents have targeted immigrant-heavy and largely Latino areas.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Monday barring federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property, such as parking lots, garages and vacant lots, as staging areas for enforcement operations.
In Memphis, Tennessee, meanwhile, police Chief Cerelyn Davis said Guard troops could arrive by Friday. She said a small group of commanders were already in the city, working on planning and logistics.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who supports the effort, has said the troops will be deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service to 鈥減lay a critical support role鈥 for local law enforcement, though that role hasn鈥檛 been precisely defined yet.
A broad military strategy
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or talked about sending troops to 10 cities, including Baltimore; Memphis; the District of Columbia; New Orleans; and the California cities of Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Most violent crime around the U.S. in recent years. In Chicago, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, police data shows. Portland's homicides from January through June decreased by 51% to 17 this year compared with the same period in 2024.
In Portland, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility has been the site of nightly protests for months, peaking in June when local police declared a riot, with smaller clashes occurring since then. Over the weekend, larger crowds gathered outside the facility, and federal agents fired tear gas.
An appeals court has scheduled arguments for Thursday in the government's bid to overcome a lower court's rulings and deploy the Guard in Portland.
Oregon Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek said she met Tuesday with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and told her there鈥檚 鈥渘o insurrection鈥 in the state.
鈥淥regon is united against military policing in our communities,鈥 Kotek said.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day said Tuesday that the department needs to work more closely with federal agents as it looks put more officers at the ICE facility.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been trying to coordinate that with the federal response because we have differing policies, differing expectations around procedures," he said.
Noem told Fox News on Tuesday that she told Portland Mayor Keith Wilson that if the city did not boost security at the ICE building, get backup from local law enforcement, and take other safety measures then 鈥渨e were going to send four-times the amount of federal officers here."
A the administration 鈥渨illfully鈥 broke federal law by putting Guard troops in Los Angeles over protests about immigration raids.
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Fernando reported from Chicago. Associated Press reporters Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this story.
