Illinois National Guard Members Share Views on ICE Mobilization
Summary
Hundreds of Illinois National Guard members were sent to assist ICE in Chicago, but a federal judge blocked their deployment. The mobilization has sparked debate among service members, politicians, and the public about the legality and morality of using military forces in civilian immigration enforcement.
Recent news reports detail aggressive ICE raids in Chicago, including helicopter-led operations and the use of tear gas and pepper balls against protesters. A Presbyterian minister was shot in the head with a pepper ball, and there have been fatal encounters between ICE agents and civilians. The city and state are suing the Trump administration, and a federal judge cited likely violations of the Tenth Amendment and said the Guard would ‘add fuel to the fire.’
Key Facts
- Federal Block: A judge barred National Guard deployment onto Chicago’s streets, citing no danger of rebellion and referencing the Tenth Amendment.
- Troops in Limbo: About 500 Guard members are waiting for court decisions on their activation.
- Political Candidates: Two active Guard members, Dylan Blaha (running for Congress) and Demi Palecek (running for state representative), spoke out against the mobilization.
- Refusal to Comply: Palecek said, ‘Absolutely, I’d refuse. There’s no way… I want all members to say no. This is against what we signed up for.’
- Judgment Call: Blaha said, ‘You never find out what’s illegal or unlawful until after the fact, so a lot of it is a judgment call.’
- Retired Guard: Joe Prehm, a retired member, also said he would refuse such orders.
- Legal Ruling: The judge’s ruling cited violations of the 10th and 14th Amendments and the Posse Comitatus Act.
- Insurrection Act Threat: President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, but the court has blocked deployment so far.
- Pay Issues: Guard members are not being paid during the government shutdown but will receive back pay.
- Aggressive Raids: ICE agents have escalated enforcement, including helicopter-led raids, zip-tying families, and detaining people regardless of citizenship status.
- Protests and Violence: Protesters have blocked government vehicles, and federal agents have used tear gas and pepper balls. Fatal encounters have occurred, including the shooting of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez.
- Local Response: Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order making city property and unwilling private businesses off-limits for federal raids. Hundreds have marched in opposition to the crackdown and Guard presence.
Comprehensive Developments (2025)
- Legal Rulings & Deployment Blocked: A federal judge and appeals court blocked the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops onto Chicago’s streets, citing risk of civil unrest and likely constitutional violations. Troops remain federalized but are not active in the city.
- Protests & Faith Marches: Protests have been ongoing outside the Broadview ICE detention center, including faith leaders holding prayer marches and attempting to deliver communion to detainees (request denied by ICE). Demonstrators have been arrested for resisting, obstruction, and disobeying police.
- Aggressive ICE Raids: ICE has escalated enforcement, including helicopter-led raids, use of tear gas and pepper balls, and incidents of violence. A Presbyterian minister was shot in the head with a pepper ball. Fatal encounters include the shooting of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez during a traffic stop.
- Community Impact: Residents report fear and unrest, with people being detained regardless of citizenship status. Local officials and community leaders have rallied against the raids, and the city and state are suing the Trump administration.
- Political Response: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Governor J.B. Pritzker have condemned the deployment, calling it an attack on communities and political theater. Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order making city property and unwilling private businesses off-limits for federal raids.
- Division Among Lawmakers: Illinois Democrats and Republicans remain divided over the National Guard’s role in immigration enforcement. State lawmakers have reacted to the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to Chicago.
- Related Incidents: ICE agents have interrogated and detained rideshare drivers at O’Hare Airport, and a WGN-TV employee was detained and released without charges. Community members are concerned after ICE agents were spotted near North Side churches during Mass.
- Faith & Veteran Voices: Retired Army veterans and faith leaders have joined protests, expressing concern about due process and the militarization of immigration enforcement.
Quotes
“Absolutely, I’d refuse. There’s no way… I want all members to say no. This is against what we signed up for. We’re here for humanitarian things, we’re here to help and protect the people, not to be used and weaponized against our own communities to terrorize them.” — Demi Palecek
“If they do ever receive an order that seems like it crosses the line, then you stand up to it. But if you step aside, you might allow someone to take charge that will comply with everything.” — Dylan Blaha
“You never find out what’s illegal or unlawful until after the fact, so a lot of it is a judgment call.” — Dylan Blaha
“The National Guard should not be used to protect federal agents. That should be the job of other law enforcement.” — Joe Prehm
“Donald Trump is using our service members as political props and as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities.” — Gov. J.B. Pritzker
“ICE isn’t welcome here!” — Protesters
Legal Context
- Posse Comitatus Act: Restricts use of federal military personnel for domestic law enforcement.
- Insurrection Act: Allows the president to deploy the military to states to put down unrest and support law enforcement.
- Tenth Amendment: The judge cited likely violations in blocking the Guard deployment.
Community Impact
The mobilization and aggressive ICE raids have sparked mass protests and debate in Chicago. Many residents and activists oppose the use of military forces in immigration enforcement, citing humanitarian concerns and constitutional rights. Reports describe families being zip-tied and detained, working people being arrested, and a general sense of fear and unrest in affected communities. Local officials and community leaders have rallied against the raids, and the city and state are pursuing legal action to block further militarization.
Sources: Chicago Sun-Times, October 12, 2025; PBS NewsHour, Oct 9, 2025; CBS News, Oct 11, 2025; CNN, Oct 10, 2025; ABC7 Chicago, Oct 11, 2025
Vance says administration will keep fighting to send National Guard to Chicago : NPR
On Saturday, a federal appeals court blocked the Trump administration from deploying federalized National Guard troops in Illinois.
After an appeals court again blocked the government’s attempt to deploy the National Guard in the Chicago area, Vice President JD Vance says the Trump administration will \”litigate this as much as we can.\”
His comments came one day after a federal appeals court in Illinois ruled that the Trump administration can keep federalized National Guard members in the state of Illinois but cannot deploy them for now.
\”We’re obviously going to litigate this as much as we can,\” Vance said on ABC’s This Week Sunday. \”We think that we have the authority to provide proper safety to our citizens all over the United States, but particularly in Chicago.\”
The ruling Saturday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is the latest development in the administration’s ongoing push to deploy National Guard members to a number of Democratic cities and states across the U.S., including Chicago and Portland, Oregon.
Trump and other administration officials have claimed that federal forces are necessary to control crime and protect federal agents, while leaders in those cities and others say there is no need for National Guard troops and accuse the Trump administration of overstepping its authority.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat who’s sparred with Trump over the National Guard deployment, said no troops are on the streets of Chicago thanks to the multiple judicial rulings. \”We’ve got to rely on the courts to do the right thing,\” he told ABC’s This Week.
Most of the 500 National Guard members from Texas and Illinois were based at a U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, Illinois, while a smaller group was sent to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, according to the Associated Press.
The legal back-and-forth rolls on as the country’s third-largest city hosts the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday, which organizers say will draw more than 53,000 runners and 1.7 million spectators to city streets.
There had been some question about whether the race would be a target of the Trump administration’s ramped-up immigration enforcement efforts in the Chicago area, also known as \”Operation Midway Blitz.\”
But ICE told the Chicago Sun-Times in a statement that it \”does not conduct operations at sensitive locations, such as public events, unless there are exigent circumstances.\” The Chicago Park District said in a social media post that it had not received any information about ICE agents at the marathon, \”contrary to a post circulating on social media.\”
Enrique Rivera, organizer of the predominantly Latino running club Venados, told member station WBEZ that he was less concerned for runners during the race itself than while they were preparing for it.
\”I’m more afraid of individuals that are out there trying to do this in a group of three, a group of four, right?\” Rivera said. That’s where you know something can happen, and your family won’t find out for days.\”
Along with Portland, Chicago has been a national flashpoint in recent weeks for the Trump administration’s national immigration crackdown.
On Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge April Perry of the Northern District of Illinois blocked the government from federalizing and deploying National Guard troops in the state. Perry said descriptions of recent protests around Chicago offered by Trump administration attorneys were \”simply unreliable\” and issued the 14-day order, though it was partially overturned by an appeals court just two days later.
Still, clashes between protesters and federal agents have continued in the Chicago area. On Friday a journalist with Chicago’s WGN television station, Debbie Brockman, was detained by law enforcement agents and later released. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Brockman \”threw objects at border patrol’s car\” but no charges have been filed, the Guardian reported.