Texas National Guard Troops Arrive at Training Center Near Chicago Ahead of Expected Federal Deployment
Texas National Guard troops have arrived at an Army training center near Chicago, reportedly staging ahead of an expected federal deployment after a Pentagon memo (reported by CBS) called for "hundreds" of National Guard members to be sent to Illinois, Oregon and other locations and media reports that up to 400 Texas troops could be federalized. Illinois officials — including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who says he was not consulted, and Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who has sued to block the federalization as legally unjustified — have pushed back while the administration defends its authority amid discussion of invoking the Insurrection Act and related deployments to Oregon.
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📌 Key Facts
- A Pentagon memo obtained by CBS and reported by the AP called for “hundreds” of National Guard troops — up to 400 — to be federalized from Texas for deployment to Illinois, Oregon and other locations; Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he was told 400 would be deployed and said he refused to coordinate with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
- Texas National Guard troops have arrived at an Army training center near Chicago and are staging ahead of an expected deployment to the Chicago area; reporting says timing and exact destinations remain uncertain and links the deployments to recent clashes at the Broadview ICE processing center and a Brighton Park incident in which a woman was shot by a federal agent.
- At least 200 federalized California National Guard members were deployed to Oregon overnight, indicating broader federalized troop movements to respond to unrest at ICE facilities.
- The State of Illinois filed a federal lawsuit on Oct. 6 challenging the Trump administration’s attempted federalization/deployment of the Illinois National Guard; oral arguments were scheduled for Oct. 9 and a judge did not immediately block the administration from deploying troops while the suit proceeds.
- President Trump said he would consider invoking the Insurrection Act to justify sending National Guard troops to Oregon; the White House has defended its authority to protect federal officers and assets, while Illinois officials including AG Kwame Raoul called the deployments legally unjustified and politically targeted.
- Senior administration rhetoric has been combative: White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, in a CNN interview, mocked questions about racial profiling in ICE raids, called protesters "terrorists" and repeated claims of sniper activity and vehicle-ramming; at a Senate hearing AG Pam Bondi declined to detail her communications about the deployment, and FBI Director Kash Patel posted that he was "Chicago bound."
📰 Sources (8)
News Wrap: Texas National Guard troops arrive at training center near Chicago
New information:
- Texas National Guard troops have arrived at an Army training center near Chicago.
- The arrival was reported on PBS NewsHour (segment aired Tuesday) as staging ahead of an expected deployment to the Chicago area.
Bondi clashes with Durbin on National Guard deployment: 'Love Chicago as much as you hate President Trump'
New information:
- Direct transcript/quotes from Attorney General Pam Bondi's exchange with Sen. Dick Durbin during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Oct. 7, 2025 (including Bondi's 'I wish you loved Chicago as much as you hate President Trump' line).
- Bondi's statement that she refused to detail her communications with the White House about the deployment during the hearing.
- Reporting that FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X confirming he was 'Chicago bound' and that Bondi said Patel and deputy director Todd Blanche were en route to Chicago.
Trump considers invoking Insurrection Act to justify sending troops to Oregon
New information:
- CBS News reports President Trump said he would consider invoking the Insurrection Act to justify sending National Guard troops to Oregon.
- The comment was made on Monday and was attributed directly to President Trump in the CBS News segment.
Deploying troops to Chicago is not legally justified, says Illinois attorney general
New information:
- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said deploying troops to Chicago is not legally justified and publicly characterized federal actions as political targeting.
- The State of Illinois filed a federal lawsuit on Monday (Oct. 6, 2025) challenging the Trump administration's attempted federalization/deployment of the Illinois National Guard; oral arguments are scheduled for Thursday (Oct. 9, 2025).
- A federal judge did not immediately block the administration from deploying troops while the suit proceeds, and the article notes the administration could deploy some troops from Texas and other states.
- Direct quotes and characterization from both sides: Raoul’s statements describing 'agitation' from ICE/Border Patrol and a White House statement from spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defending the administration’s authority to protect federal officers and assets.
Stephen Miller laughs off CNN's 'dumb question' about alleged racial profiling in ICE raids
New information:
- White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller gave a CNN interview in which he mocked the suggestion that ICE raids involved racial profiling, calling the question 'dumb.'
- Miller directly characterized protesters as 'terrorists' and repeated claims of violent acts (sniper presence, vehicle-ramming) at ICE facilities.
- The interview was with CNN host Boris Sanchez and occurred on Monday; Fox News reports it and says it reached out to CNN and the White House for comment.
Pritzker: Trump ordering Texas National Guard members to Illinois
New information:
- CBS reports it personally obtained a Pentagon memo calling for 'hundreds' of National Guard troops to be sent to Illinois (primary-document attribution)
- Direct quotes from Gov. J.B. Pritzker's X post are published, including his characterization of the move as 'Trump's Invasion' and that federal officials did not contact him directly to coordinate
- Article cites Associated Press reporting that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's memo indicates President Trump is federalizing up to 400 Texas Guard members for deployment to Oregon, Illinois and beyond
Pritzker: Trump ordering Texas National Guard members to Illinois
New information:
- CBS reports it obtained a Pentagon memo calling for 'hundreds' of National Guard troops to be sent to Illinois.
- Pritzker says 400 Texas National Guard members will be deployed to Illinois, Oregon and other locations and that he personally called Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott to refuse coordination.
- The article ties the deployment to recent clashes at the Broadview ICE processing center and a Brighton Park incident where a woman was shot by a federal agent; it notes uncertainty about when and where troops will arrive.
- Confirms at least 200 federalized California National Guard members were deployed to Oregon overnight into Sunday.