CHICAGO (NewsNation) — National Guard troops could be deployed to Chicago as soon as Tuesday as President Donald Trump considers invoking the Insurrection Act to bypass attempts to block deployment to Chicago and Portland, Oregon.
It comes after a federal judge declined to immediately block President Donald Trump’s plan to send troops to Chicago. The State of Illinois and City of Chicago filed a lawsuit against seeking to stop the deployment, but the judge instead scheduled a hearing for Thursday, giving hundreds of troops from Texas time to arrive.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday banned federal immigration agents from using city-owned property as staging areas.
In nearby Broadview, Illinois, Mayor Katrina Thompson issued an executive order limiting protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility to nine hours a day between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Trump: We have Insurrection Act for a reason
The lawsuit argues Trump’s “long-declared ‘war’ on Chicago and Illinois is unlawful and dangerous.”
“Donald Trump is using our service members as political props and as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,” said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. “Since the beginning of this invasion, families have been snatched up off the streets or removed from their homes, zip tied and detained for hours.”
Trump continues to defend the decision, saying troops are needed to protect federal workers amid violent unrest and that he would invoke the Insurrection Act if necessary.
“We have an Insurrection Act for a reason,” Trump said. “If I had to enact it, I’d do that. If people were being killed, killed, and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure I’d do that.”
Trump has said he was considering invoking the Insurrection Act to justify sending federal troops into Portland, Ore., and avoid any legal hurdles.
Invoking the Insurrection Act could give Trump a way around the courts, but it likely would prompt widespread backlash amid concerns about the deployment of the military in American cities.
Gang leader charged in alleged plot against Border Patrol chief
Separately, a high-ranking Latin Kings street gang member was arrested Monday in Illinois for allegedly placing a “hit” on Gregory Bovino, the U.S. Border Patrol’s commander-at-large and former El Centro Sector chief.
The Department of Homeland Security said Juan Espinoza Martinez offered $2,000 for information “when they catch him,” and $10,000 to “take him down” in a Snapchat message.
“I am a bit harder to kill than they think,” Bovino told NewsNation. “The U.S. Border Patrol builds agents that are hard to kill, and a paltry $12,000 won’t get the job done.”
