Abbott OKs Trump use of Texas Guard troops in Illinois, Oregon

(NewsNation) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday confirmed that he has authorized President Trump to call up 400 National Guard members from his state for use in Illinois and Oregon.

Abbott's announcement on X came in response to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who said Trump would try to use Texas Guard members in his state, Oregon and other locations. Trump claims the National Guard is necessary to keep order around federal immigration facilities in Democrat-controlled cities that have been besieged by protests.  

Abbott did not specifically name states where the Texas soldiers may be headed but said they would "ensure safety for federal officials."

“You can either fully enforce protection for federal employees or get out of the way and let Texas Guard do it. No Guard can match the training, skill, and expertise of the Texas National Guard,” Abott said.

The development comes as Oregon tries to legally block the Trump administration from sending troops to Portland, where protesters have regularly demonstrated outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement building.

A federal judge on Saturday temporarily blocked federalization of the Oregon National Guard; on Sunday, the same judge blocked the Trump administration from deploying any National Guard units, including soldiers from California.

Oregon state officials say Trump doesn't have authority to deploy the National Guard, based on the relatively orderly conditions on the ground in the northwestern U.S. city.

“The facts on the ground in Oregon haven’t changed,” Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said during a news conference Sunday. “There’s no need for military intervention in Oregon. There’s no insurrection in Portland, there’s no threat to national security.”

Democrat Pritzker, a longtime critic of Trump and his immigration policies, has similarly opposed efforts to federalize the Illinois National Guard. His administration directed Illinois State Police to cordon off protesters who have been confrontational at an ICE detention center in Broadview, near Chicago.

Pritzker said the federal government did not contact his office about the Texas plan and urged Abbott to refuse to help the Trump administration, saying the "brave men and women who serve in our national guards must not be used as political props."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.