Gov. Pritzker rejects Trump’s ultimatum to call up Illinois National Guard

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says he rejects the Trump administration’s Department of War issuing an ultimatum Saturday morning urging the Democratic leader to “call up your troops, or we will.”

Despite Pritzker’s objections, President Donald Trump intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, the governor said.

“It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “They will pull hardworking Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families all to participate in a manufactured performance — not a serious effort the protect public safety. For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control.”

Trump’s demand comes on the heels of “unprecedented escalations of aggression against Illinois citizens and residents,” Pritzker said.

“Yesterday, Kristi Noem’s and Greg Bovino’s masked agents threw chemical agents near an elementary school, arrested elected officials exercising their First Amendment rights, and raided a Walmart. None of it was in pursuit of justice, but all of it was in pursuit of social media videos,” he said.

Pritzker stressed there is no need for military troops on the ground in Illinois, adding state, county, and local law enforcement have been working together to ensure public safety around the Broadview U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and to protect the peaceful exercise of people’s constitutional rights.

“In Illinois, we will do everything within our power to look out for our neighbors, uphold the Constitution, and defend the rule of law,” he said.