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Trump administration to send 100 troops to Illinois to guard ICE facilities and staff, governor says

September 29, 2025 at 3:57 pm CDT

Pedestrians share the DuSable Bridge, formerly the Michigan Avenue Bridge, with federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection as the agents walk around the Loop and River North, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Chicago. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) (Ashlee Rezin/AP)

By The Associated Press

Federal officials plan to send 100 troops to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities or staff in Illinois amid a surge in immigration enforcement operations focused on the Chicago area, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday.

Pritzker said the Illinois National Guard had been notified of a memo sent by the Department of Homeland Security to the Defense Department.

Pritzker, a Democrat who has been among President Donald Trump’s loudest opponents, accused the Republican president of trying to consolidate power.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to deploy troops to Chicago, pointing to the city’s gun violence and other crime.

Pritzker and other leaders in Chicago and Illinois have opposed any use of federal troops in the city, saying they are not wanted or needed.