Oct 7, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Scenes from Chicago as Texas National Guard troops assemble for Trump crackdown

Julianna Bragg

Four male members of the Texas National Guard, wearing their khaki uniform and carrying large, black guns, at the Elwood Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, Illinois, in front of an Emergency Disaster Services sign on a truck. — Members of the Texas National Guard at the Elwood Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, Illinois, on Oct. 7. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Texas National Guard troops arrived in the Chicago area on Tuesday as President Trump intensifies his crackdown on the city.

The big picture: Illinois filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday seeking to stop the troop deployment, following moves by California and Oregon to temporarily halt the National Guard presence in Portland.

A large group of Texas National Guard members, wearing khaki uniform and carrying large, black guns, assemble in Elwood, Illinois, at the Army Reserve Training Center in the southwest suburb of Chicago, — Members of the Texas National Guard at the Elwood center. President Trump threatened to deploy the National Guard to Chicago Saturday after two people allegedly used their vehicles to strike a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agent's car. Photo: Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

A masked members of the Texas National Guard, dressed all in khaki, stands guard at an army reserve training facility on October 07, 2025 in Elwood, Illinois. — A Texas National Guard member at the training facility. National Guard members at the center. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said on X there is "no need for military troops on the ground in the state of Illinois." Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Members of the National Guard are seen smiling, while one soldier carries a gun across his chest. — Trump deployed 300 National Guard members Monday evening, despite the city suing the administration. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Two members of the National Guard seen walk in their uniforms, with rifles strapped to their chests. — U.S. District Judge April Perry said she would not review Illinois' ruling to halt the Trump Administration sending troops to Chicago until Thursday morning. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Two members of the National Guard smile at one another with rifles strapped to their chests. — If Perry temporarily blocks Trump from deploying troops in Chicago, the president suggested he would consider invoking the Insurrection Act. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

A woman on the side of the road wearing a red shirt holds a sign that reads "Texas go home. Stay out of Illinois" — A woman protests the arrival of the National Guard near a training center. Trump would be the first president in more than 60 years to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act to deploy U.S. troops without state approval. Photo: Octavio Jones/AFP via Getty Images

More from Axios:

Trump says military should use U.S. cities as "training grounds"
MAGA calls for Trump to overrule judges on National Guard deployments
How Trump could use the Insurrection Act to send troops to American cities

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Scenes from Chicago as Texas National Guard troops assemble for Trump crackdown

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