Texas National Guard troops to return from Illinois before Thanksgiving
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Saturday that Texas National Guard troops will return home before Thanksgiving after being deployed to Illinois last month to support federal immigration agents.
“They’ve already been ordered to come back before Thanksgiving,” Abbott told Nexstar.
Hundreds of Texas National Guard troops were sent to Illinois on Oct. 7 after Abbott authorized their deployment to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and buildings, amid protests over federal raids targeting illegal immigrants in Chicago and other Illinois cities.
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Texas National Guard troops gathered at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, Illinois. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker blasted Abbott’s deployment, calling it an “invasion” and urging the Texas governor to withdraw the troops.
It is unusual for a governor to deploy the National Guard to another state without invitation from that state’s governor. Democratic officials have argued that such a deployment is unconstitutional and violates state sovereignty.
Hundreds of Texas National Guard troops were sent to Illinois on October 7. (AP/Laura Bargfeld)
A legal battle over troop deployment in Chicago prompted a federal court to rule that the troops could not be activated, but could remain in the state.
The case has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has not yet issued its decision.
TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS WITHDRAWN FROM 60-DAY DEPLOYMENT TO ILLINOIS FOR FAILURE TO “MISSION REQUIREMENTS”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker blasted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s deployment, calling it an “invasion.” (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
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Because of the court’s ruling, the Texas National Guard has never performed active duty beyond the security of its base at a U.S. Army Reserve training center.
