CHICAGO (WGN) — 200 Texas National Guard soldiers deployed to Illinois by President Donald Trump are packing up and heading home, sources say.
According to a Defense Department official, the soldiers should be gone within two days after spending the last month on a military base an hour southwest of Chicago.
The Trump administration ordered troops to the area to protect federal property and personnel during immigration enforcement operations.
But judges blocked the deployment of service members into the city because a series of court cases have questioned the legality of sending U.S. troops into American cities.
“This withdrawal represents an unconditional surrender by the Trump Administration,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “But more than that, it represents a massive waste of taxpayer dollars. The troops sat idle for more than six weeks doing nothing to make our city safer.”
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WGN Investigates previously reported the left-leaning Institute for Policy Studies pegs the deployment cost at a minimum of $647 per day, per soldier. This means a full two-month deployment could cost $12.8 million.
The Pentagon has yet to release its own cost estimate.
Sources say 300 Illinois National Guard soldiers activated by the president will remain on standby.
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