Pritzker reacts to report National Guard could be housed at Naval Station Great Lakes

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Gov. JB Pritzker says a report that the National Guard could be housed at an Illinois military base starting next month is news to him. But he says the state remains on guard for any movement of troops locally.

This comes as some community activists are calling for President Donald Trump to send in the Guard.

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There is no official word of any National Guard deployment to Chicago, as President Trump has repeatedly suggested he's considering. But on Wednesday, a published report indicates it could happen next week.

Naval Station Great Lakes is now preparing to house federal immigration agents and also possibly National Guard troops, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times. The paper cited an email from the commanding officer to his leadership team that said there were not many details on the operation, but said it would focus on "downtown Chicago."

At a groundbreaking in Maywood, Pritzker says there has been no communication from the federal government about any Guard deployment; he's just hearing rumors.

"We only know so much right now. It's hard to tell. We haven't seen troop movements yet. We also haven't seen any call up of our National Guard, but we are on guard, hoping that that does not happen," the governor said.

But despite violent crime being significantly down in Chicago, police report at least 266 murders so this year and 982 shooting incidents.

The impact of that has one South Side pastor saying he's 100% in favor of the president sending the National Guard to Chicago.

"Just their mere presence is a calming factor. They may be able to stand on the corners. And I tell people who ask me, you know, I'd rather have them standing on the corners, being seen to help calm some of the crime, so that we then can do all the work that is necessary for us to change lives," said Pastor Corey Brooks, with New Beginnings Church.

And former Chicago mayoral candidate Willie Wilson, who lost a son to gun violence years ago, is now calling on the president to send the Guard to Chicago.

He says the governor and Mayor Brandon Johnson need to work with the federal government to reduce crime.

"Don't reject help from anybody that can save lives. It's only my opinion; it's personal for me, a personal loss. But it's also personal for me, for the other citizens of Chicago, who bear the pain of losing a loved one," Wilson said.

For now, Democratic leaders are monitoring the situation while they wait to see if the Guard gets sent to Chicago.

"I think the president is a lot of bluster and hot air. And right now, you know, I think that's more talk to keep fanning the flames at the end of the day. The president needs to stay out of Chicago. We don't need them here," Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch said.

Leaders from the Latino community voiced their concerns Wednesday morning over President Trump's plan to bring in the National Guard.

This comes as the president again called on Pritzker and Johnson to request his help to deal with crime in Chicago.

Among the groups were the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus, Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, Resurrection Project and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

They said if troops do in fact intervene, their presence will make residents feel more unsafe - rather than the opposite effect.

"We are prepared to protect our communities with our colleagues here at the Latino legislative Congress, with our colleagues in the country and certainly only with the center and within the delegation to hold the line," said Rep. Ramirez, D-Chicago.

RELATED: How could President Trump use the National Guard in Chicago?

In a post on social media, the president said in part, "Panic-stricken Governor Pritzker says that crime is under control, when in fact it is just the opposite. He is an incompetent Governor who should call me for HELP."

The Johnson administration has asked the Chicago police superintendent to provide more information on how CPD would work with the Guard if it were deployed.