Illinois governor makes disturbing claim about why Trump has deployed 400 National Guard troops to state
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has made a shocking claim about Donald Trump's military mission.
The POTUS instructed military troops to take to the streets of Washington, DC., in August this year to crack down on crime and the homeless.
Trump then indicated in September that Chicago would be next, announcing the city would 'find out why it's called the Department of WAR' in reference to his rebranding of the Department of Defense.
Then during his recent address to military leaders, the president hinted he would be rolling out troops on the streets of Democrat-led cities, describing them as 'very unsafe places' with the government determined to 'straighten them out one by one'.
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In particular, Trump said the cities had become embroiled in a 'war from within', citing immigration as a threat to national security in this regard.
"We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military - National Guard, but our military, because we’re going into Chicago very soon," he added. "That's a big city with an incompetent governor."
Now, Democratic Illinois Gov JB Pritzker has criticized the Trump administration for deploying the National Guard to takeover US states as an 'invasion'.
In a post on Twitter, Pritzker said 400 members from the Texas National Guard will be deployed to Illinois and Oregon to tackle anti-ICE protesters and crime levels.
"We must now start calling this what it is: Trump's Invasion," Pritzker said. "No officials from the federal government called me directly to discuss or coordinate.
"It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state's military troops."
Not long after the governor's claims, it emerged that a court hearing in Oregon saw Judge Karin Immergut block National Guard troops from being deployed to Portland.
She temporarily blocked the government from sending National Guard units to the city, including troops from the California National Guard.
California Governor Gavin Newsom warned that 200 troops, who had been on duty in Los Angeles, were being sent to respond to anti-immigration protests in Portland and slammed the move as a 'breathing abuse of the law and power'.
The judge has since dismissed Trump's depiction of the city as 'war-ravaged' and that small protests don't justify the use of federal forces.
She added that deployment of the Guard could harm Oregon's state sovereignty.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek claimed around 100 had arrived on Saturday (October 4), with a further 100 troops due to come on Sunday.
She said: "The facts on the ground in Oregon haven't changed.
"There's no need for military intervention in Oregon. There's no insurrection in Portland, there's no threat to national security."
Trump is particularly focused on states run by liberal governors, going so far as to claim Portland is 'burning to the ground' on Sunday (October 5), while previously dubbing Illinois as 'the world's most dangerous city'.
Pritzker has now called on Texas Republic Governor Greg Abbott to 'immediately withdraw any support for this decision and refuse to coordinate'.
He added: "There is no reason a president should send military troops into a sovereign state without their knowledge, consent, or cooperation.
"The brave men and women who serve in our national guards must not be used as political props. This is a moment where every American must speak up and help stop this madness."
Abbott snapped back on Twitter: "You can either fully enforce protection for federal employees or get out of the way and let Texas Guard do it."
UNILAD has contacted the White House for comment.
Topics: Donald Trump, Illinois, Texas, Politics, US News, Military
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