Pritzker Says DHS Has Requested Troops to Chicago
Governor JB Pritzker at a news conference in Chicago Monday. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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After a weekend of tense protests outside of an Immigrations & Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in suburban Broadview and a large presence of federal agents in military style fatigues on the streets of the Chicago Loop Sunday, Governor JB Pritzker said Monday he expects military personnel to be dispatched to Illinois soon.
“Moments ago, the Illinois National Guard received word that the Department of Homeland Security has sent a memo to the Department of War seeking the deployment of 100 military troops to Illinois, claiming a need for the protection of ICE personnel and facilities,” Pritzker said at a news conference Monday afternoon.
Pritzker said Homeland Security is requesting 100 troops “claiming a need for the protection of ICE personnel and facilities” for the deployment.
Inquiries to the Governor’s office and the Illinois National Guard seeking more information about the potential deployments were not returned Monday night.
The Department of Defense, which was renamed the “Department of War” this month after President Trump signed an executive order renaming the department, has to approve the deployment. It appears it would be for protection of ICE facilities and staff, and not to police city streets, which was Donald Trump’s intent earlier this summer.
Protests over the weekend outside of an ICE facility in Broadview grew more tense over the weekend, as protestors were arrested and some had chemical pepper balls shot at them by ICE agents, according to video footage.
“People non-violently holding signs and chanting against brutality, expressing their First Amendment rights have been regularly attacked with chemical agents like tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and flash bangs,” Pritzker said. “Agents reportedly unholstered their guns and pointed them at protesters.”
Pritzker compared ICE agents to “jack-booted thugs.”
The presence of federal agents on the streets of Chicago Sunday also prompted Pritzker’s criticism.
“All of this has been aimed at causing chaos and mayhem in the hopes of creating a pretext to deploy military troops against Chicago,” Pritzker said.
It isn’t clear how quickly troops could be deployed to Illinois, if they would be members of the Illinois National Guard, the guard from another state, or will be active duty military.
