Pritzker says Trump can’t invoke Insurrection Act without ‘rebellion’
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker stated that President Donald Trump cannot invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy the National Guard to chicago unless there is an actual “rebellion” or “insurrection.” Pritzker emphasized that the law, intended for serious uprisings, should not be used merely to address crime. Trump had suggested using the Act to send troops to Chicago and other sanctuary cities if legal or political obstacles prevented troop deployment. However, Pritzker argued that the federal government’s stated goal of protecting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities conflicts with Trump’s public claims that the deployment aims to combat crime. Pritzker accused the governance of trying to militarize blue cities and states under the guise of security. The legal battle over National Guard deployment continues, with courts allowing limited federal control but restricting actual troop deployment. Pritzker remains opposed to federal crackdowns in Illinois, especially ICE operations, and has refused to cooperate with federal authorities.
Pritzker says Trump can’t invoke Insurrection Act unless there is ‘rebellion’
Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) on Sunday said President Donald Trump can’t invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy the National Guard to Chicago unless there is a “rebellion” or an “insurrection.”
“The Insurrection Act is called the Insurrection Act for a reason. There has to be a rebellion. There has to be an insurrection in order for him to be allowed to invoke it,” Pritzker told George Stephanopoulos on the ABC News program This Week.
“Again, he can say anything he wants,” he said of Trump. “But if the Constitution means anything … the Insurrection Act cannot be invoked to send them in because they want to fight crime.”
Last week, Trump said he was open to using the Insurrection Act to keep people safe if court rulings prevented his administration from sending troops to Chicago and other sanctuary cities.
“If people were being killed and courts were holding us up or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure, I’d do that,” he said when asked if he would invoke the 19th-century federal law. “I mean, I want to make sure that people aren’t killed. We have to make sure that our cities are safe.”
In the legal case brought by Illinois and Chicago, a federal appeals court allowed the Trump administration to reassume control of the National Guard but declined to stay part of an earlier ruling that blocks the actual deployment.
As the legal battle between Illinois and the White House plays out, the National Guard members can stay in the Prairie State unless a future court ruling determines otherwise.
Pritzker says the federal government wants to activate National Guard units in Chicago to quell riots and protests at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the area, while Trump and others in the White House say the troop deployment is only about addressing crime. The Democratic governor suggests the two goals are unrelated.
“They’re claiming in court that this is about protecting ICE facilities and ICE agents, and not about crime on the streets. But then you hear Vice President Vance and the president of the United States contravening that and saying exactly what they actually think,” he added. “They just want troops on the ground because they want to militarize, especially blue cities and blue states.”
TRUMP GETS PARTIAL WIN IN BID TO DEPLOY NATIONAL GUARD TO CHICAGO
The Illinois governor has remained opposed to the Trump administration’s crackdown, which includes an ICE operation targeting illegal immigrants in Chicago and the rest of the state. The presence of immigration authorities has led to hostile clashes with protesters in recent weeks.
Pritzker has repeatedly refused to cooperate with federal agents, prompting Trump to intervene.
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