National Guard Deployment Sparks Constitutional Crisis Between Federal Government and Illinois
A tense legal and political standoff is unfolding as approximately 500 National Guard troops—including 200 from Texas—have deployed to the Chicago area despite fierce opposition from Illinois officials, raising fundamental questions about federal authority and states’ rights.
The Deployment
National Guard members are stationed at an Army Reserve center in Elwood, Illinois, about an hour southwest of Chicago. The deployment includes roughly 200 troops from multiple Texas National Guard units and 300 federalized Illinois National Guard members, mobilized for an initial 60-day period under U.S. Northern Command.
According to federal officials, the troops are tasked with protecting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other federal personnel, as well as securing federal property during immigration enforcement operations.
The Legal Battle
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to block the deployment, calling it “politically motivated and unconstitutional federal overreach.” In his lawsuit, Pritzker argued that “the American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military.”
A federal judge declined to immediately halt the deployment but ordered the federal government to file a response by Wednesday. The judge allowed the troops to proceed to Illinois while the legal challenge moves forward.
President Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday that Mayor Johnson and Governor Pritzker “should be in jail,” claiming they failed to protect ICE officers.
In response to Trump’s call for his jailing, Governor Pritzker said the officials would not be deterred.
Chicago’s mayor held a news conference Wednesday:
Texas National Guard spent Wednesday drilling with riot shields at their makeshift base about 40 miles southeast of Chicago.
From the Chicago Tribune:
With the Texas National Guard training nearly 50 miles away, Broadview police maintained control of protesters outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center Wednesday. Local authorities ordered about two dozen protesters to leave the village’s “free speech zone” — an area specifically designated for demonstrations against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement mission — about 20 minutes after the city’s 6 p.m. curfew passed. As the police counted down the time left to depart, officers threatened citations and arrests. The demonstrators begrudgingly retreated to the street corner.
In downtown Chicago last night, protesters carried banners reading “No Trump, No Troops” while marching along Michigan Avenue, Wacker Drive, and near Grant Park, voicing their opposition to what they see as an unnecessary militarization of their city.
Sharp Political Divide
The conflict has exposed deep rifts between state and federal leadership, with reactions splitting sharply along partisan lines.
From the New York Times:
Beyond calling Mr. Pritzker clueless, Mr. Abbott said during an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday, “If anybody is shot, if anybody is attacked, I tell you what, Governor Pritzker and the local mayor there in Chicago, they are accomplices to those crimes by stirring up this hate against I.C.E. agents.”
Democrats’ Response: Governor Pritzker has been unsparing in his criticism, declaring “We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion.” He accused the administration of using National Guard members as “political props” and warned about what he sees as authoritarian overreach.
When Texas Governor Greg Abbott approved sending his state’s troops to Illinois, Pritzker responded bluntly, telling Abbott to “stay the hell out of Illinois’ business.”
Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) called the federalization of Illinois National Guard troops “a dangerous, un-American, and unconstitutional abuse of our military, intended to instill fear and threaten American civil rights.”
Former Republican governors have also expressed concerns about the precedent being set, with Governor Pritzker threatening to withdraw from the National Governors Association if the nonpartisan group doesn’t take a stand against the deployment.
Republicans’ Response: The White House has dismissed Pritzker’s concerns and defended the deployment as necessary to protect federal agents carrying out immigration enforcement.
But not everyone in the GOP is on board.
“I worry about someday a Democrat president sending troops or National Guard from New York, California, Oregon, Washington state to North Carolina.” — Sen. Thom Tillis (R – North Carolina)
“I do think the National Guard has an important role to play in natural disasters, in protecting federal personnel and federal sites. In those cases, you can justify nationalizing the guard. Generally, this should be a police and law-enforcement action. It’s a complicated issue.” — Sen. Susan Collins (R – Maine)
Constitutional Questions
Legal experts note that the dispute touches on fundamental tensions in American federalism that have surfaced at critical moments throughout U.S. history. The conflict centers on several constitutional questions:
- Can the president federalize state National Guard units over a governor’s objections for domestic law enforcement?
- What limits exist on deploying military forces within U.S. borders?
- Do states retain authority over their National Guard units in such circumstances?
Parallel Situation in Oregon
The situation isn’t limited to Illinois. Oregon faced a similar deployment order, but a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking the move. However, a three-judge appeals panel granted an administrative stay that allows for federalization of Oregon National Guard members, though deployment in Portland remains under legal review.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has directed U.S. Northern Command to demobilize Oregon’s troops and return California National Guard members to their home state, though it remains unclear whether her directive carries legal weight.
What’s Next
The legal battles are far from over. Federal courts in both Illinois and Oregon are weighing arguments about presidential authority versus states’ rights, with hearings scheduled this week. The outcomes could have lasting implications for how National Guard forces can be deployed domestically and the balance of power between federal and state governments.
PODCAST
(Episode from October 8, 2025)
During a roundtable with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, a reporter asked the president about an item that was previously removed from today’s Austin City Council agenda concerning a “No Kings” rally scheduled for next week.
Austin City Council meets today. Here’s a look a the main items on the agenda:
Morning Session (Starting at 10:00 AM)
Consent Agenda Items:
- Approval of minutes from previous meetings
- Ethics Review Commission jurisdiction amendments
- November 4, 2025 special election ordinance amendments
- Rally Austin funding – Additional $5.4M for Austin Cultural Trust and creative space
- Austin Public Facilities Corporation agreements – $3.68M for city property improvements
- Airport Revenue Bonds – Authorization to issue up to $250M in refunding bonds
- Various contracts for city services (parking lots, software, dispatch systems, laboratory equipment, wastewater services, fleet services, forensic analysis)
- Homeless services emergency agreement – $8M contract with Family Endeavors for Austin Resource Center and Eighth Street Women’s Shelter
Council members will vote today on a homeless navigation center near Interstate 35 and East Oltorf Street despite resident pushback.
- Property acquisition – $4.375M purchase at 2401 South I-35 for housing
- 2026 Council meeting schedule
- Pike Powers Plaza – Renaming portion of Red River Street
Items from Council:
- Board and commission appointments
- Guitarland Neighborhood Park – Renaming of Shadywood Neighborhood Park
- Coffee shop accessibility resolution (Austin Monitor)
- Travis Central Appraisal District board nominations
Afternoon Session
Non-Consent Items:
- Public hearing on Aqua Texas water rates (Districts 5, 8, 10)
- Public Communication period at 12:00 PM
- Live Music presentation
Zoning and Neighborhood Plan Amendments (Starting at 2:00 PM): Multiple zoning cases including properties at:
- Whitehall Cooperative (2500 Nueces Street)
- Downtown historic landmarks (Red River/East 3rd Street area)
- Various residential and mixed-use developments across multiple districts
- Several neighborhood plan amendments
The agenda includes approximately 52 numbered items plus proclamations and public hearings.
WATCH AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL LIVE here.
Austin city and county leaders, joined by local advocates, reported “real, measurable progress” in addressing homelessness.
On Wednesday, the mayor and other officials presented the 2025 State of the System report, which details the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO)‘s efforts to tackle the causes of homelessness.
KXAN-TV’s Grace Reader sat down with Mayor Watson:
WATCH THE ENTIRE UPDATE:
Parents, students, and teachers rallied against Austin ISD‘s plan to close and consolidate some schools by marching from the Texas Education Agency to Becker Elementary, demonstrating strong community resistance to the proposal.
The Travis County Attorney’s office has formally dismissed all charges against a former UT faculty member who was arrested after pro-Palestinian demonstrations in 2024. (KUT 90.5)
Thomas Flinders, 22, of Jarrell, has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of Ashley McMicken, 22, in Taylor. Police arrested Flinders on Wednesday following the death, according to a news release. A second person was also stabbed but received treatment at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries.
Williamson County authorities shut down an alleged illicit massage parlor this week.
A man was placed in custody after a home break-in led to a SWAT standoff early Wednesday morning in a Pflugerville neighborhood.
A federal court has reversed an $8 million judgment against the city of Hutto, finding that the City Council did not racially discriminate against former City Manager Odis Jones. (Austin American-Statesman)
With the second weekend of ACL beginning tomorrow, thousands of visitors are arriving in town today and that means another “high passenger volume” day at Austin’s airport.
The Monday after Formula One is expected to be the Austin airport’s busiest day in 2025, officials said. However, it remains unclear whether the day will break the airport’s all-time record set last year. (CBS Austin)
Hill Country Conservancy says the new Violet Crown Trail trailhead will open next month. The project began in January.
The former site of the Austin American-Statesman building downtown next to Lady Bird Lake will soon become home to a new battery factory.
A 15-acre wildfire in Bastrop County that flared up Tuesday has been contained. (Texas A&M Forest Service)
WEATHER
WEDNESDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
It looks like Tropical Storm Jerry has no plans to visit Texas. (AccuWeather)
A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers traveled to Livingston this week to meet with Robert Roberson, a death row inmate scheduled to be executed on October 16, as his legal team makes last-minute appeals to halt the execution based on new medical evidence.
A former investigator in the case weighs in:
On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered TxDOT and the DPS to tighten roadway safety guidelines and enforce cities and counties to “remove any and all political ideologies from our streets.”
That could include things like the rainbow crosswalk in downtown Austin.
“Texans expect their taxpayer dollars to be used wisely, not advance political agendas on Texas roadways.” — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott
Nearly 30 Texas organizations have formed a coalition to demand, at minimum, a court hearing for the Texas Dream Act. They recently filed an amicus brief with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, urging it to reverse a June ruling that ended in-state tuition for many undocumented Texas residents. (Texas Public Radio)
The Republican Party of Texas’ governing board is set to meet in the state Capitol on Saturday to consider censuring state representatives who party leaders deem insufficiently conservative to bear the GOP brand, potentially banning them from the 2026 Republican primary ballot. (Texas Tribune)
Attorney General Ken Paxton is launching undercover investigations of “left-wing political violence” in Texas.
Paxton cited the recent attack at a Dallas Immigration and Customs field office and a shooting at an Alvarado ICE detention center on July 4 as reasons for the investigations. (Texas Tribune)
In El Paso, a three-judge panel is hearing a legal challenge to Texas’ new congressional map. Eleanor and Matthew talk to voting rights expert Justin Levitt about the case.
A billion-dollar school voucher program is coming to Texas, but the company running it is based in New York. What that means for families.
A Texas father convicted of killing his daughter faces execution in less than two weeks, but new evidence is raising serious doubts in the case of Robert Roberson.
New World screwworms: The parasite that once devastated Texas ranches is back. We’ll hear from Ag Commissioner Sid Miller on what the state is doing to prepare.
And Austin veteran Greg Stoker is back home after being detained by Israeli forces while trying to deliver aid to Gaza. We’ll learn why he went and what happened.
(Episode from October 8, 2025)
A trial is set to begin for three former San Antonio police officers accused in a 2023 shooting death.
A popular beach on Galveston‘s West End will be closed for the remainder of 2025 for a major environmental project that, when completed, will restore nearly two miles of coastline to the island. (Houston Chronicle)
San Antonio police say a misplaced meal at a local Whataburger led seven customers to attack another four. An employee who was involved was off-duty at the time of the altercation and is no longer employed with the Texas-founded company. (My San Antonio)
With just over a week left in the State Fair of Texas, visitors are being encouraged to explore hidden gems—especially affordable food options. One vendor is offering tasty items for fewer coupons to help fairgoers save money while still enjoying the experience.
Tomorrow night’s MegaMillions drawing will have a jackpot of $575 million. (Texas Lottery)
SPORTS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: The Longhorns are preparing for another big test Saturday in Dallas.
Texas Football – OU Preview – Red River Shootout | LIVE | 10/9/25
NHL: The 2025-2026 NHL season begins tonight for the Dallas Stars. They will play in Winnipeg.
Deep within the rugged cliffs of Caprock Canyons State Park, a team of archeologists uncover ancient bison bones at a rare prehistoric hunting site. Known as a bison jump, the site reveals how Indigenous peoples once used the land’s natural features to survive. As the team excavates, they connect with Texas’ distant past—preserving history before it erodes away.
