❓WHAT HAPPENED: Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) authorized President Donald J. Trump to call up 400 members of the Texas National Guard to protect federal officers in other states, rejecting an appeal from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) to oppose the deployment.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Governor Abbott, President Trump, Governor Pritzker, and War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Announced on Sunday, with deployments planned for Illinois, Oregon, and other locations.
💬KEY QUOTE: “You can either fully enforce protection for federal employees or get out of the way and let Texas Guard do it.” – Greg Abbott
🎯IMPACT: The decision underscores the growing tensions between Republican and Democratic states as the Trump administration enforces federal immigration law, often against the wishes of pro-illegal immigrant state politicians and activists.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) has approved President Donald J. Trump’s request to deploy 400 Texas National Guard members for federal duty to safeguard federal officers in cities like Chicago, Illinois, and Portland, Oregon, where state and local leadership is Democratic and largely opposed to enforcing federal immigration law. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker had urged Abbott to oppose the deployment.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth has confirmed the guardsmen will serve for up to 60 days in states including Illinois and Oregon. Abbott said of the initiative, “I fully authorized the President to call up 400 members of the Texas National Guard to ensure safety for federal officials.” He also criticized Pritzker’s resistance, saying, “You can either fully enforce protection for federal employees or get out of the way and let Texas Guard do it.”
Pritzker denounced the move as “Trump’s Invasion,” complaining that no federal officials consulted him beforehand. He argued, “There is no reason a President should send military troops into a sovereign state without their knowledge, consent, or cooperation.”
Oregon, governed by Christine ‘Tina’ Kotek (D), has also resisted National Guard deployments. A federal judge has already issued a temporary restraining order blocking the deployment of 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland, citing concerns about using military force without evidence of a significant threat or insurrection despite the regular attacks on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in the city. Efforts to deploy National Guard units from California have also been blocked. The Trump administration intends to appeal these decisions.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said of the pending Guard deployments, “Amidst ongoing violent riots and lawlessness, that local leaders like Pritzker have refused to step in to quell, President Trump has authorized 300 national guardsmen to protect federal officers and assets. President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities.”
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