The Trump administration on Sunday branded Chicago a “war zone” in defence of its decision to deploy National Guard troops against the objections of local Democratic leaders — a move that has deepened tensions between the White House and several Democrat-run states.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem justified the deployment of 300 soldiers to Chicago on Fox News, saying the city’s escalating violence warranted federal intervention. But Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker condemned what he called “Trump’s invasion,” insisting that there was “no reason to send troops into Illinois without the knowledge, consent, or cooperation of state authorities.”
“This is not about public safety,” Pritzker said on CNN’s State of the Union. “They want to create the war zone so that they can send in even more troops.”
The order — part of Trump’s broader “war from within” rhetoric — has sparked a national backlash. A CBS poll released Sunday found that 58% of Americans oppose using the National Guard in cities.
Meanwhile, in Portland, Oregon, a federal judge blocked Trump’s attempt to send troops, ruling that the move was “untethered to the facts.”
“This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law,” wrote U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, noting that the government failed to show that recent acts of vandalism in Portland amounted to an organized insurrection.
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Oregon’s attorney general confirmed a second court order Sunday night halting the redeployment of Guard units from other states. “Trump’s abuse of power won’t stand,” Newsom said in a statement styled after the president’s own combative tone.
Trump’s allies, however, doubled down. House Speaker Mike Johnson described the U.S. capital as a “literal war zone,” while senior adviser Stephen Miller called the judge’s ruling “legal insurrection.”
The crackdown is being carried out largely by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), whose agents have been conducting raids in Democrat-led cities using unmarked vehicles and armed patrols — tactics critics say are meant to intimidate.
Tensions in Chicago turned deadly over the weekend after a federal officer fatally shot a motorist the Department of Homeland Security claimed had rammed one of their vehicles. DHS also confirmed that ICE agents shot and killed 38-year-old immigrant Silverio Villegas Gonzalez during a September 12 traffic stop, alleging he attempted to flee.
The confrontations mark a dramatic escalation in Trump’s domestic security campaign — one that Democrats have denounced as politically motivated and unconstitutional.
