Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker described President Donald Trump’s decision to send National Guard troops to his state as an “invasion,” and Illinois has now filed suit to prevent Trump’s action.
On Saturday, the Trump administration announced that National Guard troops would be sent to Illinois.
Justifying the action, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson falsely claimed in a statement that there were “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness” in the state that leaders like Pritzker had “refused to step in to quell.”
“We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion,” Pritzker said in a social media post on Sunday. “It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops.”
Pritzker said he had not been directly contacted about the deployment, which also included Oregon. He called on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a staunch Trump ally, to withdraw his support for the deployment and described Trump’s decision as “madness.”
Trump has baselessly claimed that Pritzker opposes the deployment because “he’s afraid for his life somehow.” Weaving yet another conspiracy theory, Trump told reporters on Sunday, “I believe the politicians are under threat, because there’s no way anyone can say things are wonderful in Chicago.”
Trump and his team have asserted that crime has significantly increased in states like Illinois, requiring the National Guard be called up. But this claim is untrue. Chicago’s violent crime rate is near its lowest in more than 40 years. Chicago has seen sharp falls in violent crime since just last year, according to city data.
Over the weekend, U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut—whom Trump appointed—blocked the National Guard from deploying troops to Oregon, granting a restraining order requested by the governments of Oregon and California.
In a statement, California Gov. Gavin Newsom accused the Trump administration of engaging in a “breathtaking abuse of the law and power.” He also said, “The commander-in-chief is using the U.S. military as a political weapon against American citizens.”
Trump’s escalation follows his speech last week to a meeting of senior military leaders in which he argued that cities in blue states should be used as “training grounds for our military, National Guard, but military.” Using violent rhetoric, Trump lied and said, “It’s a war from within.”
Pritzker is among the major Democratic leaders who have taken the lead in directly, publicly opposing Trump’s authoritarian actions. Pritzker has consistently opposed Trump’s plans for federal deployments against Illinois and has decried his attempts to suppress dissent.
Republicans, who have historically argued for states’ rights and independence, have largely backed Trump’s actions.
This is America, folks. Be there on Oct. 18.
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