* Click here and here for some background. Governor JB Pritzker…
Today, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker released the following statement following a request the Illinois National Guard received from the Trump Administration’s Department of War:
“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will. It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.
“In the coming hours, the Trump Administration intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard. 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.
“This demand follows unprecedented escalations of aggression against Illinois citizens and residents. 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 Wal-Mart. None of it was in pursuit of justice, but all of it was in pursuit of social media videos.
“I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois. State, county, and local law enforcement have been working together and coordinating to ensure public safety around the Broadview ICE facility, and to protect people’s ability to peacefully exercise their connotational rights. I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people.
“In Illinois, we will do everything within our power to look out for our neighbors, uphold the Constitution, and defend the rule of law.”
* Related…
* Sun-Times | Pritzker calls on state agencies to investigate feds’ treatment of children at South Shore raid: “Military-style tactics should never be used on children in a functioning democracy,” said the governor in the statement. “As more details emerge, I am appalled by the reports of excessive use of force against children as well as the many innocent bystanders who were punished simply for residing in that building.” Pritzker said the two state agencies will contact families and children impacted by the raid to gather information. If they receive allegations of suspected abuse or neglect by federal agents, the governor said the state will move to hold the agents accountable, which could include “collaborating with local law enforcement as necessary.”
* Time Magazine | ‘Military-Style’ ICE Raid On Chicago Apartment Building Shows Escalation in Trump’s Crackdown: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker accused the federal agents of separating children from their parents, zip-tying their hands, and detaining them in “dark vans” for hours. Videos show flashbangs erupting on the street, followed by residents of the apartment building—children among them—being led from the building. Photos of the aftermath show toys and shoes littering the apartment hallways, evidence of those pulled from their beds by the operation that included FBI and Homeland Security agents.
