(Adnkronos) – The Governor of the State of Texas, Republican Greg Abbott, announced that “the elite of the Texas National Guard” has arrived south of Chicago, as part of the troop deployment ordered by President Donald Trump’s administration to enforce his immigration policies in states governed by Democrats, such as Illinois or Oregon. “The elite of the Texas National Guard is on the ground and ready to act,” Abbott announced on X, adding that the soldiers “are putting the United States first, ensuring that the federal government can safely enforce federal law.”
The detachment, composed of approximately 200 personnel, will focus its duties in Illinois’ most populous city on protecting federal facilities and rapid response to riots or other violent events, as described by Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino and reported by CNN. The officer also emphasized that assigning soldiers to protect facilities would free up federal security forces to focus on other aspects of their work, including enforcing immigration policies.
