Texas National Guard troops now protecting federal property in Chicago area, official says
Editor’s Note: The video above is from KXAN’s newscast on Oct. 7, 2025.
CHICAGO (AP) — An ‘element’ of 200 Texas National Guard troops has started protecting federal property in the Chicago area on Wednesday, according to a military spokesperson.
The spokesperson for the U.S. Northern Command spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in order to discuss operational details not been made public.
The troops had arrived at a U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, and had been getting settled Tuesday. The spokesperson wasn’t able to immediately offer details about how the troops were armed.
A lawsuit and Democratic leaders have vigorously fought the deployment, and a hearing is set for Thursday.
President Donald Trump’s administration has an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, and protesters have frequently rallied at the immigration building in Broadview.
Trump has been emphatic in sending the Guard to Democratic-run cities that he argues have a rampant crime crisis, though statistics don’t always back that up.
In Memphis, a small group of troops were helping Wednesday with the Memphis Safe Task Force, said a state Military Department spokesperson who did not specify the exact role or number of the Guard members. The task force is a collection of about a dozen federal law enforcement agencies ordered by President Donald Trump to fight crime.
Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who has welcomed the Guard, has said previously that he would not expect more than 150 Guard members to be sent to the city.
