TEXAS — After photos circulated online of Texas National Guard members in Illinois, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X in response to reports that members were removed from duty after a photo of heavyset service members arriving in Illinois went viral.

“Standards are back at The @DeptofWar ,” Hegseth posted on Monday.

A spokesperson for the Texas Military Department told Task & Purpose , a military news website, that a "small group" of the Texas National Guard members sent to Illinois have been replaced for not meeting certain standards.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent about 200 National Guard troops to Illinois for 60 days, but a judge on Oct. 9 blocked the deployment of the troops in the Chicago area for at least two weeks.

The National Guard was activated to safeguard U.S. I

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