Upon joining the Illinois National Guard, Captain Dylan Blaha never anticipated being called upon to confront individuals within his own state.
Typically, National Guard personnel are mobilized domestically for disaster relief or internationally as military reserves for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force.
However, President Donald Trump has issued orders for troops to be deployed in several Democrat-led cities in the U.S. to suppress protests against the administration’s immigration enforcement actions, notably in Chicago.
Expressing his dismay, Blaha, who is also running for Congress as a Democratic candidate in Illinois’ 13th district, conveyed to As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal, “I never, never expected that I would be deployed against my neighbors, against my community.”
The deployment in Chicago is currently on hold pending a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on its legality. Nevertheless, Blaha and others have asserted their intention to refuse the order if and when it is issued.
Concerns over ICE actions in Chicago: Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant Demi Palecek, also a Democratic candidate for state legislature in the same district as Blaha, plans to reject deployment orders to Chicago as well.
Palecek, of Mexican descent, voiced distress over the impact of Trump’s immigration crackdown on her community.
She highlighted that law-abiding immigrants are being apprehended in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, often disappearing within the system upon detention.
“We just don’t know where they are,” Palecek stated. “Their families don’t know where they are.”
As per ICE data, 72% of the 57,861 individuals detained since June 29 lack criminal convictions.
Palecek emphasized the fear gripping Illinois residents, who are hesitant to go about their daily routines due to the risk of detention. She is coordinating efforts to distribute candies to children too frightened to partake in Halloween activities.
During her interactions with constituents, Palecek observed a freeze in response upon learning of her National Guard affiliation.
“I just tell them my story,” she recounted. “And that’s what they think of the National Guard — a humanitarian or someone that fights for the community, not just someone that just follows dictator’s orders.”
