(NewsNation) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday confirmed that he has authorized President Trump to call up 400 National Guard members from his state, presumably for use in Illinois and Oregon.
Abbott’s announcement on X came in response to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who said Trump would try to use Texas Guard members in his state and Oregon and other locations. Trump claims the National Guard is necessary to keep order around federal immigration facilities in Democrat-controlled cities that have been besieged by protests.
Abbott did not specifically name states where the Texas soldiers may be headed but said they would „ensure safety for federal officials.“
“You can either fully enforce protection for federal employees or get out of the way and let Texas Guard do it. No Guard can match the training, skill, and expertise of the Texas National Guard,” Abott said.
The development comes as Oregon tries to fend off the Trump administration in federal court from sending troops to Portland, where protesters have regularly demonstrated outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement building. A federal judge on Saturday temporarily blocked federalization of the Oregon National Guard, but the White House appears to be falling back on other ideas, including using troops from other states.
It wasn’t immediately clear how Abbott’s announcement would affect the fluid legal situation in Portland. Local and state officials say Trump doesn’t have authority to use the National Guard, based on the relatively orderly conditions on the ground.
Democrat Pritzker, a longtime critic of Trump and his immigration policies, has opposed efforts to federalize the Illinois National Guard. His administration directed Illinois State Police to cordon off protesters who have been confrontational at an ICE detention center in Broadview, near Chicago.
Pritzker said the federal government did not contact his office about the Texas plan and urged Abbott to refuse to help the Trump administration, saying the „brave men and women who serve in our national guards must not be used as political props.“
