National Guard troops from Texas are now stationed outside Chicago as the Trump administration moves forward with military deployments in major cities.
The troops arrived at an Army Reserve center in Illinois despite strong opposition from Democratic leaders and an ongoing lawsuit. In response to Democratic opposition, President Donald Trump has suggested that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker should "be in jail."
CNN reports the troops are receiving legal and crowd control training before being given a specific assignment.
Similar Guard deployments are planned for Memphis and other cities.
RELATED STORY | Trump says he may invoke Insurrection Act if courts block troop deployments
President Trump has said crime is behind the deployments. President Trump suggested he could invoke the Insurrection Act if courts continue to block his troop deployments to cities nationwide.
Trump told reporters earlier this week he would use the measure if people were being killed and the courts were holding up his efforts to intervene. He said his priority is to ensure cities are safe.
"We have an Insurrection Act for a reason. If I had to enact it, I'd do that," he said. "If people were being killed, courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure, I'd do that. I want people not to be killed. We have to make sure our cities are safe."
Officials in Illinois and Oregon are waging legal battles against Trump’s efforts to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago and Portland.
In late September, President Trump announced that he was sending soldiers to Portland, Oregon, claiming the move was “to protect [the] war-ravaged” city. He said troops would be used to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities “under siege from attack by Antifa and other domestic terrorists.”
