Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) confirmed Sunday that 400 Texas National Guard soldiers will be deployed to Illinois and other sanctuary states under a federal directive from President Trump, igniting a fierce interstate clash. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) denounced the move as “Trump’s Invasion” and called for immediate withdrawal.
Governor Abbott confirmed a plan by President Trump to send Texas Army National Guard soldiers to Illinois and other parts of the country to protect federal law enforcement officials. The move, confirmed by Abbott in a social media post on Sunday, drew criticism from Illinois Governor Pritzker, who asked Abbott to refuse.
Pritzker issued a statement on Sunday condemning the plan to send the contingent of Texas soldiers to his state, saying, “We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion. It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops.”
“I call on Governor Abbott to immediately withdraw any support for this decision and refuse to coordinate,” Pritzker continued. “There is no reason a President should send military troops into a sovereign state without their knowledge, consent, or cooperation.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott wasted no time responding to Pritzker’s request to refuse coordination with President Trump’s plan in a social media post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday evening. Abbott’s post read, “I fully authorized the President to call up 400 members of the Texas National Guard to ensure safety for federal officials. You can either fully enforce protection for federal employees or get out of the way and let (the) Texas Guard do it.”
Abbott added, “No Guard can match the training, skill, and expertise of the Texas National Guard. They defend our country with pride. America must also know that Texas still has thousands of National Guard assisting with the Border security.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth sent a memorandum through Governor Abbott’s office to the Texas National Guard Adjutant General requesting coordination of the effort to mobilize up to 400 soldiers citing violent incidents and credible threats of continued violence that are impeding the execution of the laws of the United States in Illinois, Oregon, and other parts of the country as the impetus for the request.
A portion of the Texas soldiers’ group will be deployed to address safety concerns in Portland, Oregon. As reported by Breitbart News, Texas National Guard soldiers will protect ICE facilities in the state after a federal judge on Saturday barred President Trump from using the Oregon and California National Guard to protect the facilities.
The deployment of Texas National Guard soldiers to Illinois comes on the heels of recent clashes between anti-ICE protesters who have laid siege to a federal facility in Broadview, Illinois and federal agents attempting to protect the ICE detention facility.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, on Saturday, ICE agents were ambushed and boxed in by ten vehicles during a routine patrol in Broadview, just outside of Chicago. Trump administration officials are calling the incident a coordinated act of domestic terrorism.
One armed suspect was shot after ramming a patrol car and confronting federal law enforcement officers with a semi-automatic weapon. According to authorities, the person had been previously flagged for inciting violence against law enforcement online.
The spate of increased violent protests and attacks on federal immigration officials in Chicago comes as the Trump administration ramps up deportation operations in the in the area. As part of Operation Midway Blitz, a contingent of Border Patrol agents from across the country is working in concert with other federal agencies in Chicago to target specific areas known for illegal alien criminal activity.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, the Border Patrol has increased marine operations along riverfront areas in the downtown Chicago area to assist federal officials in immigration enforcement operations as well.
The Department of Homeland Security Launched Operation Midway Blitz in early September in honor of Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunk driving hit-and-run car wreck caused by criminal illegal alien Julio Cucul-Bol in Illinois. According to a DHS announcement, the operation targets the criminal illegal aliens who arrived in Chicago and other parts of Illinois because of sanctuary policies that would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
