The Trump administration is deploying 400 troops from the Texas National Guard to Chicago amid escalating violence over Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the city. The move comes on the heels of an attack on ICE officers, allegedly by left-wing activists, and weeks of rolling protests and riots around ICE detention facilities in and around the city.
‘Violent incidents … are impeding the execution of the laws of the United States.’
The unrest has increased in response to Operation Midway Blitz, an immigration enforcement operation targeting illegal aliens in Chicago. The city has become a hotbed for illegal immigration due in large part to its status as a sanctuary city, meaning that law enforcement is not permitted to cooperate with federal personnel and city resources are open to illegal aliens.
In a memo on Sunday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced he was activating the Texas National Guard, writing, “Violent incidents, as well as the credible threat of continued violence are impeding the execution of the laws of the United States.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said that he “fully authorized the President to call up 400 members of the Texas National Guard to ensure safety for federal officers.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, called the deployment “Trump’s invasion” in a post on X and said, “Every American must speak up and help stop this madness.” He lamented the fact that “no officials from the federal government called me directly to discuss or coordinate.”
Pritzker signed a law in 2019 banning Illinois law enforcement from cooperating with ICE. He has stated that “the state of Illinois will not coordinate with ICE on federal immigration enforcement.”
Photo by Spencer Platt / Contributor Via Getty Images
In a press release, the Department of Homeland Security announced that special operations teams have been deployed to Chicago following attacks on federal law enforcement on Saturday. The attacks occurred as Border Patrol officers were carrying out operations in Chicago.
According to DHS, Border Patrol vehicles were boxed in and then rammed by left-wing “domestic terrorists.” One of the alleged assailants, Marimar Martinez, “was armed with a semi-automatic weapon and has a history of doxxing federal agents.”
CBP agents fired shots in self-defense, hitting Martinez, who has been discharged from a local hospital and is now in FBI custody, the press release said. Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, suspected of driving another vehicle “involved in the ramming,” has also been arrested.
Crowds “began throwing smoke, gas, rocks, and bottles at DHS law enforcement” as the scene became increasingly violent. DHS reported that Pritzker refused “to allow local police to help secure the scene.”
Another ICE vehicle suffered a flat tire and was “mobbed by domestic terrorists, forcing law enforcement to abandon the vehicle for their own safety.” DHS added that several CBP officers have been hospitalized with various injuries.
In addressing the situation, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “We will not allow domestic terrorists to attack our law enforcement. If you lay a hand on law enforcement, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
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