President Donald Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott are courting trouble, and possibly flouting the law, by sending the Texas National Guard to states where it is not wanted or needed. This week, Abbott quickly allowed the president to dispatch as many as 400 Texas guard members to Illinois and Oregon, even though their governors objected furiously and sued to stop the deployment.
This pattern of sending, or threatening to send, National Guard troops from Republican-led states into blue states is troubling and perilous. It seems deliberately designed to provoke resentment and escalate already tense situations. Abbott should reverse course and respect the wishes of a fellow governor, just as he would expect if the situation were reversed. And it could be. We can only imagine the howls if a Democratic president decided Dallas and Houston were underpoliced and California troops were sent in.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., condemned the Trump administration's escalation of immigration enforcement and deployment of National Guard troops in remarks to his colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. "Let me be clear: What is happening in Illinois is an unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful abuse of power that should offend all of us," he said.
We doubt Abbott will engage common sense while Trump is determined to push the limits of presidential power. A president has authority to federalize states’ National Guard troops during an invasion, a rebellion, or when it is impossible to execute the law, such as during periods of severe civil unrest when law enforcement is overwhelmed or refuses to uphold the law. During the Civil Rights Movement, three presidents used National Guard soldiers to enforce school desegregation and protect peaceful protest marches. The current situation does not match those criteria. It flies in the face of them.
Besides, Trump’s justification for deploying the National Guard to Illinois shifts from hour to hour. Is the purpose to combat street crime in Chicago? To protect federal facilities? To help detain undocumented immigrants? Only one of those, the protection of federal buildings and property, might justify use of another state’s military forces — but only if Illinois’ resources are insufficient or unavailable.
Meanwhile, Trump and Abbott are ignoring that crime and political violence happens in red states, too. North Texas, in fact, has been the setting for two of the worst attacks on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities this year. On July 4, a police officer was shot in the neck when a group of anti-ICE extremists ambushed the Prairieland detention center in Alvarado. In September, a sniper opened fire on the ICE field office in Dallas, killing two immigrants and wounding a third.
Last, Abbott has given Texans, and all Americans, good reason to believe these deployments are more about political gain than public safety. He touted them in recent fundraising pitches, according to reporting in the Houston Chronicle.
Texans who serve in the National Guard deserve better than this. They signed up knowing they might be called to active duty and dispatched to a state or nation far from home. They will do their jobs. But they are individuals with families and civilian careers who leave holes in their communities when they deploy. They are too valuable a resource to waste in political games.
Abbott and Trump are hacking away at the good will, trust and respect between states. They are weakening the republic in ways that will be difficult to repair.
Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!