CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters on Sept. 29 that he just learned that the Department of Homeland Security requested the National Guard deploy to the region, despite vociferous objections from local leaders.
"What I have been warning of is now being realized," Pritzker said at a news conference. "This is not about fighting crime, this is about sowing fear and intimidation among Americans . . . This is about consolidating power in Donald Trump’s hands."
The governor said the Department of Homeland Security sent a memo to the Department of War, formerly the Defense Department, requesting 100 troops from the Illinois National Guard. The troops, Pritzker said, are to be used to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carrying out Trump’s Chicago-area immigration enforcement crackdown known as Operation Midway Blitz.
Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that the Department of War had received a request for troops. Parnell did not say if the National Guard would be deployed.
“The Department of War has received a request for assistance to safeguard Federal personnel, property, and functions in the state of Illinois," Parnell told USA TODAY. "Any decisions will be made in accordance with established processes and announced at the appropriate time.”
