In the metropolis of Chicago, the soldiers are primarily to protect federal facilities or serve as response forces in "urgent circumstances, such as riots or other violent situations", says Gregory Bovino at the border authority Border Patrol to CNN. They are also expected to be ready to assist the migration authority ICE, which on the president's order apprehends and deports undocumented immigrants.
According to information to Fox News, 200 soldiers have initially been mobilized federally for a period of 60 days.
Decline the offer
Both the state and the city have submitted applications for injunctions to stop the mobilization. They decline the offer and describe the Trump administration's move as an illegal federal abuse of power. A judge is expected to handle the case on Thursday.
Recently, the administration's decision to deploy state military in the city of Portland in Oregon was stopped by a court. On Tuesday, Donald Trump opened up to invoking the US law Insurrection Act, which gives the president the opportunity to deploy military to maintain law and order under certain circumstances.
Acting politically?
Each state has its own national guard, a very old reserve force within the US defense, with the governor as commander-in-chief. It is usually used in natural disasters, terrorist attacks or protests. But the national guard can also be federalized by the US president under certain circumstances, which Donald Trump is now taking advantage of.
Trump claims that he wants to address violent crimes in major cities but has been criticized for primarily sending soldiers to Democrat-led areas, often places where statistics show that crime is on the decline.
