National Guard Troops Arrive At Elwood Training Facility

JOLIET, IL — The Will County Sheriff's Office issued the following statement on Tuesday afternoon regarding the apparent arrival of National Guard troops at the Army Reserve training facility in Elwood.

"The safety and well-being of our community remain our highest priority. While we have not received any official communication from federal authorities, we are aware of increased activity at the Joliet Local Training Area on Arsenal Road.

"At this time, the information we have has been shared by local partners. Should additional or verified details become available, the Will County Sheriff's Office will promptly issue an update.

"We remain committed to ensuring the safety and security of all community members throughout Will County."

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant said county officials were made aware by the State of Illinois and the Village of Elwood of the presence of Texas National Guard soldiers at the facility. She called the troops' arrival "an aggressive overreach" by the Trump administration.

"Our federal government moving armed troops into our community should be alarming to everyone," she said in a statement. "I will be coordinating with local leaders to make sure we are doing everything in our power to protect the rights of our residents and the safety of everyone. Hopefully, the federal court hearing on Thursday will end this attack on our community."

"We have received no information or coordination from the federal government about this deployment, including the scale of operations or the length of time they will be stationed at this facility," Bertino-Tarrant said.