Trump administration wants US troops sent to Illinois, governor says

30/9/2025 12:41

With growing scenes of conflict involving federal immigration agents in Chicago and its suburbs, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said on Monday that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump had asked the Pentagon to send 100 troops to the state.



The Illinois National Guard received word of a memo from the Department of Homeland Security stating the request on Monday, said Pritzker, a Democrat. It was not clear what kind of troops the memo was referring to.



The Pentagon said it had received a request to help protect federal personnel, property and functions. "Any decisions will be made in accordance with established processes and announced at the appropriate time," it said.



The Trump administration's stepped-up immigration enforcement in Chicago this month, Pritzker said, was a "pretext to deploy military troops against" the Chicago area.



Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have struck a defiant tone since Trump began threatening to deploy the National Guard to Chicago in August.