National Guard poised to enter Chicago

9/10/2025 7:50

Some 500 National Guard troops were deployed near Chicago on Wednesday on President Donald Trump's orders despite the objections of the Chicago mayor and Illinois governor, who decried the militarization of their city as an unnecessary provocation.



Trump in turn called for the jailing of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, neither of whom has been accused of criminal wrongdoing. Both have emerged as prominent opponents of Trump's immigration crackdown and deployment of National Guard troops in Democratic-leaning

cities.



While Trump administration officials have sounded the alarm over what they call lawless and violent protests in cities such as Chicago and Portland, Oregon, demonstrations over Trump's immigration policies have been largely peaceful and limited in size, far from the "war zone" conditions described by Trump.