Texas National Guard Arrives in Chicago Amid Controversy Over ICE Raids

In a bold escalation of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign, roughly 200 Texas National Guard troops rolled into the Chicago area late Tuesday, landing at the U.S. Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, Illinois, about 50 miles southwest of the city.

ABC7 Chicago footage captured uniformed soldiers stepping off military vehicles, their Texas patches shining under floodlights, gearing up for a 60-day mission to shield federal agents from escalating protests. Authorized by Trump and backed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, this federalized deployment marks the first out-of-state Guard activation for domestic immigration enforcement since the administration’s June operation in Los Angeles.

The deployment follows a federal judge’s rejection of an emergency injunction sought by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Their Monday lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Illinois, accuses the Trump administration of violating the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 – which prohibits military involvement in civilian law enforcement – and infringing on state sovereignty under the 10th Amendment. “This is an unconstitutional invasion, a militarized thuggery aimed at terrorizing communities,” Pritzker declared at a heated press conference, airing high-definition footage of a September 30 South Shore raid where ICE agents, allegedly using Black Hawk helicopters, zip-tied detainees – including four U.S. citizen children – in a midnight sweep that netted 37 arrests. Homeland Security countered, insisting no minors were restrained and the operation targeted Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members, labeled a terrorist group by Trump.

As troops settled in for legal and crowd-control training – set to begin operations as early as Wednesday – tensions erupted on the streets. Protests outside the ICE Processing Center in Broadview turned chaotic Monday night, with demonstrators hurling rocks and bottles at agents, who responded with pepper balls and tear gas. One activist was shot in the leg by Border Patrol on October 4 after officials claimed protesters “ambushed” their convoy in Brighton Park, attempting to force vehicles off the road. Cook County Sheriff’s Office reported one arrest tied to the unrest, but local activists condemned the incident as “state-sponsored violence.” FBI Director Kash Patel’s brief three-hour visit Tuesday fueled speculation of an “Operation Midway Blitz” expansion, echoing September raids that detained over 800 undocumented immigrants in the area – though critics note 71.5% lack criminal convictions, per Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

Trump, unfazed, praised the deployment on Truth Social as “the cavalry arriving to restore law and order in sanctuary sewers like Chicago.” ICE Director Russ Hott echoed this, lamenting that local police, bound by Chicago’s four-decade sanctuary policies, have “abandoned” agents, leaving them exposed to “organized terror groups” like Antifa. The Pentagon’s memo limits Guard roles to securing federal facilities and personnel, not arrests, to navigate Posse Comitatus restrictions. Yet Pritzker called it “political theater,” citing a contrasting win in Portland, Oregon, where Judge Karin Immergut blocked similar federalizations twice over the weekend, stating the law has “no shades of gray.” An appeals hearing there is set for Thursday, with Chicago’s full hearing looming on October 9.

Local pushback has been swift. Mayor Johnson’s third executive order since Trump’s signals declared “ICE-free zones” on city properties – parks, schools, parking lots – barring agents from staging raids or using restrooms. Private businesses, from Pilsen taquerias to Loop eateries, joined in, posting signs refusing service to ICE and Guard personnel: “No Feds, No Texas Thugs.” Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling reiterated the department’s stand-down: no perimeter support, no detainee transport, no immigration queries – a policy preserving trust in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods but leaving agents “exposed,” Hott charged. “If you won’t protect your citizens, President Trump will,” Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi jabbed at Pritzker on Fox News, referencing his 2021 sheltering of Texas Democrats.

Social media exploded with the Guard’s arrival, with #TexasInvasion and #CavalryComes trending. Pro-Trump voices cheered the “real muscle” – @GuntherEagleman quipped, “The Texas offensive line has arrived,” alongside a photo of burly troops, racking up 32k views. Critics retorted: @millj919 mocked the arrivals as “frat house failures” unfit for Chicago’s “pansy-free” streets, while @A_NHDogLover jested restaurants would deny them bathrooms, boosting viral clips. Engagement soared, with 10k+ likes on satirical jabs.

This Chicago standoff is no isolated clash; it’s the spearhead of Trump’s pledged mass deportations targeting 15 million nationwide. Echoing 2020 Portland unrest and LA raids that nabbed hundreds at a Hyundai plant, it pits federal power against blue-city defiance. Supporters argue it’s retribution for “open borders” chaos, citing last month’s Dallas ICE shooting that killed two detainees. Critics, including the ACLU, warn of civil rights erosion, family separations, and lost trust in diverse enclaves where homicides have dipped in 2025.

As dawn breaks over Elwood, rumors swirl: Will Insurrection Act invocations follow if courts falter? For now, the Guard’s boots on Illinois soil signal a new front in America’s immigration wars – where red-state resolve collides with blue-city barricades. Pritzker vowed appeals; Johnson rallied allies. In the Loop’s shadow, the question lingers: Who blinks first in this battle for sanctuary’s soul?