Governor JB Pritzker Denounces Trump Administration's Call for National Guard Deployment

Mon Oct 20 2025 09:08:49 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a recent statement, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker expressed outrage over the Trump administration's decision to federalize 300 National Guard members, fearing it would disrupt their lives and affect community safety.

The Trump administration has ordered Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to call up 300 National Guard troops, a move the governor labels as un-American and politically motivated. He claims it compromises the safety and stability of local families, expressing concern over the administration’s focus on control rather than community safety. The escalation follows similar deployments in other U.S. cities amid protests and rising tensions regarding immigration policies.

The Trump administration has announced its intention to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, according to Democratic Governor JB Pritzker's statement on Saturday. The governor received notification from the Pentagon that the troops would be called up, although details regarding deployment were not disclosed.

Pritzker expressed his discontent, stating, This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will. It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will. He emphasized the stress such a move would impose on troops and their families.

The decision follows similar federal actions in other cities, including deployments in Baltimore and Memphis. Pritzker criticized the federal escalation as a politically manufactured spectacle, potentially leading to dislocation of National Guard personnel from their communities.

For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control, he asserted, while assuring that local law enforcement agencies have been collaborating to maintain safety at immigration facilities around Chicago amid heightened tensions related to the administration's immigration enforcement actions.

On the ground, federal officials reported the arrest of 13 individuals during a protest at an ICE facility on Friday, amidst the ongoing immigration enforcement surge this fall.

The conflict over National Guard deployment reflects broader controversies around federal military deployment in cities, with a recent court ruling pending on the legality of such actions.