500 US National Guard troops arrive in Chicago area

WASHINGTON

A total of 500 National Guard troops have arrived in the Chicago area, US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) said Wednesday.

"Approximately 200 soldiers from various units of the Texas National Guard and approximately 300 soldiers from various units of the Illinois National Guard were activated into a Title 10 status and have arrived in the greater Chicago area," it said in a statement.

They were mobilized for an initial period of 60 days and will be under the command and control of the Commander of USNORTHCOM, it added.

The forces will protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other government personnel who are performing federal functions, including the enforcement of federal law, and federal property, according to the statement.

On Monday, Illinois and Chicago officials filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking to block the deployment, arguing that President Donald Trump’s order to federalize state troops was "unconstitutional."

Trump said Wednesday that Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson “should be in jail” in an escalation of his conflict with the two Democrats.

Pritzker said that Trump is "breaching the Constitution and breaking the law."

Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles and Washington, DC, and is in the works to do so in Memphis, Tennessee. He also sent hundreds of US Marines and thousands of National Guard members to Los Angeles in June to quell unrest caused by his immigration crackdown.