Texas National Guard troops now protecting federal property in Chicago area, official says

CHICAGO (AP) — A small number of National Guard troops has started protecting federal property in the Chicago area and assisting law enforcement in Memphis on Wednesday, according to officials.

An “element” of 200 Texas Guard troops were working in the Chicago area, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Northern Command, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in order to discuss operational details not been made public. The troops are in the city to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement buildings and other federal facilities and law enforcement personnel, Northern Command said online.

The troops, along with about 300 from Illinois, had arrived Tuesday at a U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. All 500 troops are under the Northern Command and have been activated for 60 days. The spokesperson wasn’t able to immediately offer details about how the troops were armed.

A lawsuit and Democratic leaders have vigorously fought the deployment, and a hearing is set for Thursday.

In Memphis, a small group of troops were helping Wednesday with the Memphis Safe Task Force, said a state Military Department spokesperson who did not specify the exact role or number of the Guard members. The task force is a collection of about a dozen federal law enforcement agencies ordered by President Donald Trump to fight crime.

Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who has welcomed the Guard, has said previously that he would not expect more than 150 Guard members to be sent to the city.

President Donald Trump’s administration has an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, and protesters have frequently rallied at an ICE building in Broadview.

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis signaled Wednesday that she planned to restrict federal agents from using certain crowd control tactics, such as tear gas, against peaceful protesters and journalists who have regularly gathered at the Broadview building.

Trump has been emphatic in sending the Guard to Democratic-run cities that he argues have a rampant crime crisis, though statistics don’t always back that up.

Elsewhere, an appeals court has scheduled a hearing the same day over the government’s desire to send the Guard to Portland, Oregon. A judge blocked that effort over the weekend.

The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military’s role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.

“This is about authoritarianism. It’s about stoking fear,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “It’s about breaking the Constitution that would give him that much more control over our American cities.”

In Portland, an ICE facility in the city has been the site of nightly protests for months, peaking in June when police declared a riot, with smaller clashes since then. Federal officials had requested that the city set up “free speech zones” for demonstrators and ensure agents’ access to the building with a perimeter, which was in place for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s visit on Tuesday.

Mayor Keith Wilson told the Department of Homeland Security that the city “commits to peacefully facilitating free speech” and that police will “continue to evaluate the situation on the ground.”

Toropin reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Laura Bargfeld in Elwood, Illinois, Ed White in Detroit, Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee, Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, and Hallie Golden in Seattle, contributed to this story.

Military personnel in uniform, with the Texas National Guard patch on, are seen at the U.S. Army Reserve Center, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)

People relax on a street outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Demonstrators stand outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Protesters confront federal law enforcement officers outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, center, stands on the roof of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Military personnel in uniform, with the Texas National Guard patch on, are seen at the U.S. Army Reserve Center, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Military personnel in uniform, with the Texas National Guard patch on, are seen at the U.S. Army Reserve Center, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Military personnel in uniform, with the Texas National Guard patch on, are seen at the U.S. Army Reserve Center, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Sam Darnold threw four interceptions and still had the Seattle Seahawks in position to win on the last play of the game in a 21-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

Linebacker Ernest Jones IV said anyone who tries to put the blame solely on the quarterback is sorely mistaken, including Darnold himself.

“Sam’s been balling, right? If we want to try to define Sam by this game, Sam’s had us in every (expletive) game. So for him to sit there and say, ‘Oh, that’s my fault.’ No, it’s not,” Jones said.

“Defensively, we could have made plays. There were opportunities where we could have got better stops. Yeah, I mean, like, it’s football, man. And he’s our quarterback, we got his back. And, got anything to say, quite frankly, (expletive) ’em.”

Darnold drove Seattle off its own 1 in the final 1:41 to give Jason Myers a 61-yard field goal try as time expired that would won the game. When Myers’ kick came up short, it taught the upstart Seahawks (7-3) how slim the margin for success is at the top of the NFL.

“I think we’re a good team,” Jones said. “We turned the ball over four times, and we lost by two points.”

“We’re that close, and by our standards, offensively, played a very poor game,” wide receiver Cooper Kupp said.

There was plenty the offense could have done better, starting with Darnold having four interceptions in a game for the first time since he memorably said he was “seeing ghosts” in a 33-0 loss to the New England Patriots on Oct. 21, 2019.

In this instance, many of those mistakes came down to what Darnold admitted was an unwillingness to throw the ball away or take sacks. Arguably, the worst instance of that stubbornness came on Darnold’s fourth pick, which happened in Rams’ territory early in the fourth quarter.

Running out of time on third down while under duress from defensive tackles Poona Ford and Kobie Turner, Darnold threw an awkward jump pass straight to cornerback Darious Williams.

“I was just trying to get the ball out of my hands,” Darnold said. “Just a poor decision. There’s a lineman in the way. Didn’t see the DB, trying to make a jump pass, and just didn’t work out. I gotta just dirt that one.”

Equally consequential was the Seahawks’ inability to score touchdowns in the red zone. They had one touchdown in four trips inside the 20, finally capitalizing on Kenneth Walker III’s 1-yard run with 2:23 remaining.

Seattle outgained the Rams 414-249, but Los Angeles successfully reached the end zone in each of its three goal-to-go opportunities.

“We had some good 10-plus play drives out there,” Darnold said. “We just couldn’t finish in the red zone. We got to be better in the red zone. It starts with me, getting the guys out there and executing at a high level. And then, yeah, just can’t turn the ball over. I think that’s the biggest thing. Biggest takeaway from today is just protecting the football.”

In spite of those struggles, Darnold and the offense continued to fight. He ended up 29 of 44 for 279 yards, giving Myers a shot to put the Seahawks atop the NFC West.

To Kupp, that reflects the continued growth and development of Darnold as a player and leader after his well documented struggles as the third overall pick in 2018.

“I mean, that’s not an easy thing to do,” Kupp said. “You just continue to battle, continue to be the same guy. Like I said before, he’s steady. Steady. And you can see just the trials he’s been through, the things he’s gone through, they’re not for no reason. There’s a purpose. He’s learned lessons, and knows that there’s waves, gonna be plays that you want back. But all you can do is keep coming back, keep firing.”

For Darnold, who is challenging at the top of the NFC for the second straight season after his unexpected career revival with the Minnesota Vikings last year, he understands that the quality of the defense backing him up means the Seahawks can contend for a Super Bowl.

But that is only if the offense does its part, which starts and ends with avoiding turnovers.

“I feel like our defense has been doing a great job all year,” Darnold said. “I got to not turn the ball over, simple as that. I got to do my job, protect the football, get the guys down the field, put the ball in the end zone, and I feel like we’ll always be in a position to win a football game if I just do that.”

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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold speaks during a news conference after the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Seahawks in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, let, passes while under pressure from Los Angeles Rams linebacker Byron Young during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, left, is hit by Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse for an incomplete pass during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, right, passes while under pressure from Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Katie Chin)