A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying National Guard units in Chicago, ruling that the version of events used to justify their deployment was “simply unreliable,” according to the New York Times.
A lawyer for the Trump administration argued in a hearing late Thursday that troops were needed in Chicago to protect federal agents and government property from protesters. The judge, April M. Perry, said the presence of the National Guard would “only add fuel to the fire.”
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Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker files lawsuit to block Trump’s National Guard deployment -
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Illinois governor calls Trump a ‘coward’ as anti-ICE protests take over Chicago -
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Trump faces legal pushback over plan to deploy National Guard in multiple states -
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Trump ‘confident’ in his legal authority to send National Guard troops to Portland: White House
Perry, who implemented a 14-day restraining order against the presence of the National Guard in Chicago, did not specify the details of it but said she had “seen no credible evidence that there is a danger of a rebellion in the state of Illinois.”
A presidential memorandum released by the U.S. Department of War Security claimed that troops were sent to Chicago to directly support Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who had “come under coordinated assault by violent groups intent on obstructing Federal law enforcement activities.”
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Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul called the outcome “a victory for the rule of law.”
The order blocks the deployment and federalization of troops to Chicago. Still, approximately 500 were already in the city before Thursday — 200 from Texas and an additional 300 from Illinois — and the judge acknowledged that Trump is likely to appeal the order.
Meanwhile, an appeals panel in Portland, Ore., has yet to rule on whether Trump can deploy troops to that city after a judge initially blocked his administration from doing so earlier this week.
In Memphis, Tenn., National Guard troops are expected to begin patrols on Friday.
Perry’s ruling follows threats from Trump to jail Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for challenging his efforts to deploy troops in Chicago.
“The Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers! Governor Pritzker also!” the president wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.
Pritzker responded to Trump’s Truth Social post on X, saying, “I will not back down. Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power. What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?”
In a television interview with MSNBC on Wednesday, Pritzker vowed to protect the people of Illinois.
“If you come for my people, you come through me. So, come and get me,” he said.
Democrats have repeatedly criticized Trump’s efforts to deploy troops, labelling it an overreach of power and an “invasion” waged against everyday Americans. His administration argues that negligent Democratic leaders have left the president with no choice but to crack down on crime and illegal immigration with military might.
On Tuesday, Trump said he would consider triggering the Insurrection Act, a 19th-century law that allows the U.S. military, including federal armed forces and the National Guard, which are typically not permitted to participate in policing citizens, to assist civilian authorities with law enforcement.
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