President Donald Trump says that both Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois governor JB Pritzker “should be in jail.” Neither the mayor nor governor seem particularly deterred. “Come and get me!” Pritzker shot back; Johnson settled for “I’m not going anywhere.”
This war of words is about Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to defend federal personnel, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, following sometimes violent protests against their presence. That deployment, in turn, is part of an administration initiative that has seen troops on the ground in Los Angeles, Memphis, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Portland.
The question of whether Trump’s deployments are legal is fiercely contested—and the Supreme Court is expected to have its say any day now. But another question deserves some attention too: Does deploying the National Guard actually work?
