| WASHINGTON — IIllinois Governor JB Pritzker announced Saturday that the Trump administration plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard and deploy them within the state against the governor’s wishes. Pritzker said Defense Department officials gave him an ultimatum: “call up your troops, or we will.” Illinois is not an isolated incident. Trump has already sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon – all against the wishes of local officials. A federal judge ruled the Los Angeles deployment illegal in September, and multiple lawsuits challenging these actions remain pending. Earlier this week, Trump told military leaders that “we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military, National Guard.” Following Pritzker’s announcement, the Not Above the Law coalition’s co-chairs – Lisa Gilbert, Co-President of Public Citizen; Praveen Fernandes, Vice President of the Constitutional Accountability Center; Kelsey Herbert, Campaign Director at MoveOn; and Brett Edkins, Managing Director for Policy and Political Affairs at Stand Up America – released the following statement: “Make no mistake: Trump’s ultimatum to Illinois isn’t about public safety, it’s about testing how far a president can override elected state leaders and deploy forces against American communities. “The pattern is clear and dangerous. Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Portland, and now Illinois – each time against the will of local officials. A federal judge has already ruled one deployment illegal, yet Trump continues forcing troops into cities that don’t want them and don’t need them. Our armed forces exist to defend the nation and protect our freedoms – not to patrol our own streets. And our nation’s brave service members should not be used as the political pawns of a would-be authoritarian. “Congress must act now to prevent any president from weaponizing our National Guard this way. Whether you’re in a red state or blue state, every American should be alarmed when federal troops are deployed over the objections of local authority. Americans in every community must speak out now. Stopping this abuse of power is essential to protecting our freedoms and our democracy.” For questions about our work to hold Trump accountable or to request an interview with a Not Above the Law coalition leader, please email press@focalpointstrategygroup.com. |
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