(NewsNation) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker criticized the Trump administration for the use of National Guard troops in U.S. cities.
He emphasized the unprecedented nature of the deployment and said it runs counter to the fundamental values and customs of the armed forces.
“Other presidents have used this power very sparingly and there’s a reason for that,” Pritzker said.
The remarks came as tensions continue to heighten between Democratic-run cities and the Trump administration. Pritzker emphasized that there is no insurrection in Chicago and said anyone who says otherwise is not telling the truth.
“Illinois is not a place you can conquer,” Pritzker said. “And its citizens are not your subjects.”
The governor said Immigration and Customs Enforcement is causing mayhem and confusion in Chicago, to lay the foundations for more aggressive actions.
“Masked federal agents from ICE and CBP are on the ground terrorizing our communities with tear gas and rubber bullets, and some are wearing camouflage uniforms that could easily be mistaken for the military,” Pritzker said. “It is Trump and Miller’s agents, were operating like they are his own secret police, harassing civilians, tear gassing communities and arresting journalists and grabbing people in the street to ask them for their papers based on the color of their skin.”
He also accused Trump of preparing to take advantage of his power and scare people away from voting in the next election.
Pritzker accused President Donald Trump of attempting to get the country comfortable with military control of the streets and called it a “dangerous power grab” that echoed authoritarian regimes throughout history.
“We cannot accept any of this as normal,” he said.
Trump has deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., and Memphis, where he has vowed to continue using troops to fight crime over the objections of local leaders.
Trump has also tried to use the National Guard in Chicago and Portland, but those directives have been slowed by court battles.
Pritzker noted that National Guard members have been pulled away from their families and jobs to be deployed.
Employers are required to give soldiers their jobs back when they return, but still have to pay for coverage while they are deployed.
Retired Major Gen. William Enyart noted that these extended deployments may make employers less likely to hire National Guard members, which hurts military readiness.
A judge also ruled an earlier deployment to Los Angeles was in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the military from acting as domestic law enforcement.
Trump has floated sending troops to other cities, most recently San Francisco and Boston.