SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Gov. J.B. Pritzker is sending about 500 Illinois National Guard members to Washington D.C. until mid-March for a "security mission.”
In a statement Thursday, Pritzker said the Defense Department asked for Illinois guard troops to assist federal and local agencies to secure the capital.
"Ultimately, we must root out the dark forces of racism, white supremacy and disinformation that have created this moment, but until we do that, our extraordinary troops will deploy with honor," Pritzker said in the statement.
The state’s National Guard soldiers will be in Washington, D.C., in early February along with a small group of Illinois Air and National Guard airmen.
The deployment of national guard troops to Washington follows the Jan. 6 violent siege of the Capitol by rioters that left five dead and others injured.