War of the governors: Abbott goes after Pritzker for resisting National Guard deployment

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott mocked Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, calling him a “joke” for opposing the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to secure immigration enforcement operations in Chicago.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Abbott said “Governor Pritzker is a joke” and is “violating his oath of office” by trying to interfere with federal law enforcement efforts to improve security in Chicago and other Illinois communities.

Texas National Guard troops arrived in Illinois on Tuesday to be assigned to protect federal personnel and property during anti-immigrant protests, the Pentagon confirmed. A Pentagon official said 200 guardsmen were mobilized during the first 60-day period.

Pritzker, a rumored 2028 Democratic presidential nominee and a fierce critic of President Donald Trump, condemned the deployment of the National Guard, calling it a “Trump invasion” and calling for Abbott to withdraw his support. He also threatened to withdraw from the National Governors Association if the bipartisan group did not condemn the deployment.

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The state of Illinois, joined by the city of Chicago, also filed a lawsuit in federal court to stop the deployment.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Abbott said Pritzker’s actions violated the US Constitution.

“You may remember that it wasn’t that long ago that he placed his left hand on a Bible and raised his right hand and swore to God that he would support the Constitution of the United States. Instead of supporting it and allowing federal officials to enforce federal laws, he is violating the Constitution, violating the oath he took by interfering with the ability of federal officials to direct the executive branch of the federal government,” Abbott said.

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Texas National Guard troops gather at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, Illinois, Oct. 7, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

He said it was “natural” for Trump to call on his “elite National Guard to provide assistance anywhere in the entire country” because of Texas soldiers’ extensive experience providing security along the southern border.

“Texas has the most proven, largest and best-trained National Guard in the United States,” he said. “Americans will remember that we have thousands of National Guardsmen securing America’s border, the largest border state in the entire country by more than 1,200 miles, and it is Texas, unlike the federal government under the Biden administration, that must step in and secure the border.”

“Now that we finally have a president who enforces the laws of the United States … it is natural that if there is a need for the elite National Guard to provide assistance anywhere in the entire country, it would call for the National Guard,” he added.

Although Pritzker condemned the deployment as an “invasion,” Abbott explained that his troops’ presence in the state was strictly to provide support for federal officials who have recently faced intense opposition from agitators in Illinois.

“They provide a very important backup role to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Right now, they’re playing a very important backup role to keep federal officials safe as they enforce federal laws in Illinois, Oregon and elsewhere,” he explained. “There is unrest in the areas where ICE is trying to operate and where ICE is trying to enforce the law. And what ICE or other federal authorities need, they need safety and security as they carry out their functions.”

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Federal law enforcement officers confront demonstrators protesting outside an immigration processing center in Broadview, Illinois, on Saturday. A protester allegedly threatened to kill federal officers. (Getty Images)

He continued: “It’s very important that the public understand that these federal officials have an obligation to enforce federal law. Anyone who interferes with that is interfering with the ability of federal officials to do their job.”

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“Combating this type of civil unrest is what the National Guard is trained and skilled at,” Abbott said. “In times of need for the country, Texans will step in and help in any way possible.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Pritzker’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch and Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.