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Chicago Guard Deployment Faces Court Test as Texas Troops Begin Duty

Two courts now weigh the limits of using federalized Guard troops inside U.S. cities.

Overview

  • U.S. Northern Command mobilized about 500 National Guard members — roughly 200 from Texas and 300 from Illinois — for a 60‑day federal protection mission based at an Army Reserve center in Elwood, Illinois.
  • An element of the Texas contingent began operating in the greater Chicago area on Wednesday to protect ICE personnel and federal property, according to a Northern Command spokesperson.
  • Illinois and Chicago asked U.S. District Judge April Perry to halt the deployment, arguing it is unlawful and unnecessary; the court held a hearing on the request Thursday.
  • A three‑judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on the separate Portland case, where a trial judge blocked a Guard deployment, and 24 Democratic‑led states filed a brief backing that challenge.
  • President Trump called for jailing Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor J.B. Pritzker and said he is willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, even as reporting shows Chicago protests have been largely peaceful and crime has been declining.