Texas National Guard Deploys to Chicago as Legal Battle Looms

National Guard stands behind Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and fellow Governors as they hold a press conference along the Rio Grande at the U.S.-Mexico border to discuss Operation Lone Star and border concerns on Sunday, February 4, 2024 in Eagle Pass, TX. Abbott confirmed the deployment to Illinois via social media on Monday night.

Texas National Guard troops have reportedly arrived at an Army Reserve center south of Chicago in preparation for deployment, despite protests from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

"It’s illegal, unconstitutional," Johnson said in a news conference Tuesday morning. "It’s dangerous. It’s wrong. This is not about deportations, this is not about safety for this president. This is about authoritarianism."

ABC7 Chicago gathered video confirmation of the National Guard presence at the Elwood U.S. Army Reserve Center in Illinois Tuesday morning.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed the deployment on social media platform X Monday evening.

The move comes after the White House issued a statement calling for the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard troops, responding to "coordinated assault by violent groups intent on obstructing Federal law enforcement activities."

"These groups have sought to impede the deportation and removal of criminal aliens through violent demonstrations, intimidation, and sabotage of Federal operations," the memorandum reads. "These violent activities appear to be increasing, and the situation in the State of Illinois, particularly in and around the city of Chicago, cannot continue."

The guardsmen have been deployed for an initial period of 60 days, the statement said.

FBI Director Kash Patel posted on social media Tuesday that he was en route to Chicago.

A federal judge in Illinois declined to halt the move during an emergency hearing Monday, according to reports from Reuters and the New York Times.

U.S. District Court Judge April Perry is scheduled to hold a hearing Thursday morning at 11 a.m. to decide whether to grant a temporary restraining order, but by then, troops may already be on the streets.