Some National Guard members ordered to Illinois by President Donald Trump now are protecting federal property near Chicago ahead of a Thursday court hearing on their deployment.
Meanwhile, two dozen Democrat-led states have joined a legal challenge to National Guard deployment in Portland, Oregon.
In Minnesota, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara says he's 'terrified' about the potential of the National Guard being deployed to Minnesota by the Trump Administration, something Gov. Tim Walz said he expects to happen at some point.
O'Hara says while he hasn't been briefed about that happening in the intimidate future, he's worried about the community response if it does.
"I'm not worried about me," O'Hara told WCCO's Adam and Jordana on Thursday. "I'm worried about the state of this community. What happened on June 3rd, Lake and Bloomington, and just the desire of people it seemed to have that spiral out of control, potentially violent, potentially a riot, and potentially something that could give the justification for what these people want to do. And federalize things and make the situation that much worse."
O'Hara was referring to a federal raid took place at Taqueria y Birrieria las Cuatro Milpas in Minneapolis off Lake Street, leading to protests by community members who feared it was an immigration raid.
He says he hopes to gets a heads up if troops do come to Minnesota, and that he has been in discussions with police chiefs across in the country to prepare for the potential fallout from a situation like that happening in those cities.
"I was talking with the chief in Memphis yesterday with a group of chiefs who were on a Zoom meeting, and she is preparing for the same type of thing happening there," says O'Hara. "And I think what needs to happen, whether it's this city or any other city, the only way something like that could work is if the police chief is included in the conversation."
Walz was also expressing concern over the Trump administration potentially deploying the National Guard to Minnesota. He says he’s talking to other governors and states where this has already happened to prepare for a similar situation here.
"We're trying to figure out what would that chain of command and communication look like, and how would we talk to the public," Walz explained. "Because I just want to be clear, all of this is meant to be a distraction from a government shutdown, from an economy that's not working, from soybean farmers collapsing, from Epstein files, and all that. This is not meant to make an impact, truly, on crime."
Walz was joined this week by Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in sounding the alarm as members of the Texas National Guard have arrived in Illinois, something Pritzker says they will continue to fight to stop, calling it a "power grab." Pritzker says that military troops should not be used against American communities.
"We're taking them to court wherever we can," says Pritzker. "We've got a lot of protesters standing up to them, and I'm encouraging everybody to bring your phones, take a lot of footage because it is helping us to take them to court and, you know, offering evidence to the judges."
Both were part of a panel discussion as part of the Star Tribune's North Star Leadership Summit this week. Walz says he believes that Minnesota, and perhaps Minneapolis, could be one of the next locations that the President sends troops.
Pritzker has denounced Trump’s plan to put troops on the ground, saying in a lawsuit that it is “unlawful and dangerous.”
Trump claims troops are needed to protect federal immigration enforcement efforts and crack down on crime.
Since the start of his second term, the Republican president has sent or discussed sending troops to 10 cities, including Portland, Oregon; Baltimore; Memphis, Tennessee; the District of Columbia; New Orleans; and the California cities of Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois also has sued Trump and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, alleging that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and several of the agencies’ leaders have unleashed a campaign of violence and intimidation against peaceful protesters and journalists during demonstrations outside the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois.
Federal agents have repeatedly fired tear gas, pepper balls and other projectiles toward crowds at the facility, which sits about 12 miles (19 kilometers) west of Chicago. At least seven people have faced federal charges after being arrested in those clashes.