State lawmakers react to deployment of Texas National Guard troops to Chicago
The deployment of Texas National Guard troops to Chicago has made national headlines and stirred controversy.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent the troops last week at the request of President Trump. Two state lawmakers reacted to the news along party lines.
Senator Joan Huffman, R-Houston, told CBS News Texas she supports the decision.
"To the extent that Governor Abbott has the authority and the power to do that, I support Governor Abbott in his decisions in how he wants to assist at a national level," said Huffman.
Senator Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, criticized the move.
"That's an abuse of his authority. Abbott should have stood up to Trump, and our Attorney General Ken Paxton should have sued to stop it. He went outside of his statutory authority to deploy the National Guard to federalize the state National Guard. He's supposed to do so in cases of emergencies, insurrections, invasions. That's not what's happening," he said.
Both Johnson and Huffman are among the candidates running for Texas Attorney General next year.
On Thursday, Oct. 9, a federal judge temporarily blocked the deployment of the Texas National Guard troops in Chicago. That order will be in place for two weeks. The Trump administration quickly appealed.
President Trump and Abbott said they sent the Guard members to protect ICE agents from protestors as they have increased their enforcement efforts.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker blasted Trump's actions. A high-profile Republican, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, criticized the move, telling the New York Times that he opposes sending the Texas troops to Illinois because he believes in states' rights.