National Guard Troops Mobilized in Chicago Amid Immigration Controversy

Hundreds of National Guard troops from Texas have arrived at an army training centre outside Chicago to support US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

Trump has branded Chicago a war zone, following recent protests against federal immigration officials in the third-largest US city.

The deployment comes amid opposition from local officials. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has accused the Trump administration of an authoritarian march and said the state would use every lever at our disposal to stop this power grab.

Sources told CBS News that some troops could begin their assignments as early as Wednesday.

Trailers have been set up as temporary living quarters on the Army Reserve Training Center about 50 miles (80km) south-west of Chicago, with fencing erected around the facility.

Local officials have received few details on the troop assignments, amid concerns that the deployment aims to quell protests over immigration enforcement, particularly near US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities.

Trump argues that the troops are necessary to combat violence in Democratic-controlled cities and support his deportation initiatives, although National Guard members do not possess law enforcement powers for arrests, seizures, or searches.

A federal judge temporarily barred troops from deploying to Portland, but allowed the deployment to Chicago. Chicago has experienced an uptick in protests against immigration actions, recently culminating in violent clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement.

On Monday, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order prohibiting ICE agents from operating on city-owned properties, and emphasized the legal complications surrounding the federalization of National Guard troops sent from Texas.

The deployments raise significant legal and constitutional questions, as state governors typically deploy National Guard troops and laws limit military use in domestic affairs. Trump has suggested he may consider invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows use of active-duty military personnel for law enforcement purposes if federal courts block his powers to deploy National Guard.